Well, this is a little late. Even more so seeing as how I finished the game over a month ago. But never got down to writing about it. So here goes.
Well, you all know what a graphics hungry beast Crysis is. It truly was the Mt. Everest to my gaming rig. I was able to play at 1920*1200 res, with 2XAA and everything set to very high. The game was plenty playable, with sustained framerates above 30. But at the final level, (the boss battle on the carrier) the frames did slow down some.
I played on Hard difficulty, so needless to say I had to reload many, many times. The most memorable things I take away from the game are the levels inside the spaceship. From the gravity-less floating around to the crystal/icicle encrusted walls, from the ghostly aliens coming at you from every direction while you're trying to get your bearings rolling around in empty space, to the pulsing energy transfer line, it was one of the most beautiful and well though out environments in a game I've ever played. Although it was a tad funny how in some nooks and crannies inside the ship[ one could find human weapons with the right kind of ammo for it close by. :)
I felt the game ended a bit too suddenly, but then again by that time I guess the player's been through every kind of scenario the game had to offer. From tank battles to stealth missions and from flying an uber-cool aircraft to just plain run and gun carnage, the action was pretty much non-stop all the time.
To sum it up, just the Oohs and aahs I got from visitors to my place who got a chance to see how Crysis was meant to be played, made the big bucks I buried under my rig worthwhile. Now I look forward to continuing the carnage at the island in Prophet's shoes in Crysis:Warhead.
Posted by
Umayanga Suran Jayathilaka
Labels:
Games
Yesterday, after my lectures were done for the day, I called home from the campus. It was my mom who answered. After a lil chit chat, she tells me this tale, and I can sense that she's shaken and very upset.
She starts by telling me how two Muslim men were dragging a young cow past our home. I, not wanting to hear tales of animal suffering yell at her "why are you telling me this?".
And she goes on. Apparently the cow/calf was screaming her poor head off, not wanting to be dragged off to whatever doom she sensed was coming. My mom had heard her wails from far away and was on the lookout to see what the cause could be. And as the two men were passing our house, she called a passerby for help and went up to those two men to see if she could save the calf. She offered them money, begging them to leave the calf and name whatever amount they wanted. But alas, they refused to part with the calf, claiming that she wasn't being taken to be slaughtered, but rather to some "pooja" (ritual), despite all my mother's pleading.
A little by note to all you meat eaters who just must have beef or mutton or the flesh of some other beautiful and harmless creature (deers/porcupines/iguanas and even rabbits, how can you eat rabbits?) to call it a good meal. Put yourself in the creature's place once in a while and imagine how you'd feel if someone was dragging you off or chasing after you with a club to kill and eat you!
Even though my mom had to come back empty-handed and sad, I cannot begin to comprehend ho much courage she had in her to even attempt such a thing. Going after complete strangers to save a creature's life? Many's the time when I have watched (especially while in India) as a hapless creature was dragged, so very against its will, to what could only be its end. Yet I could never work up the courage to try to intervene, mostly for fear of being rebuked or being called plain crazy. And what was I supposed to do with the animal even if the butcher agreed to sell it to me? Now that I have a little money and am back in my homeland, maybe I could arrange something. But the question remains whether I would go ahead and do something like what my mother did.
This is merely one instance of my mother showing how strong and brave she can be, to no present audience mind you. Despite all our arguments, where might I be today if it weren't for her constant nagging and berating me to be a batter man?
I close, hoping that the calf was indeed being taken to only a ceremony and that she's alive and well.
Oh hai! If you ever thought of reading the bible (for the stories of death and destruction contained therein :)) but found it to be a bore, head over to the Lolcatz bible translation project. Meet the almighty Ceiling Cat and his creations. Enjoy a cheezburger or two, made of real moocows. Caution is advised for Mudpys with weak hearts. So funny, it should be illegal. They even have audio for those of you who can't bother to read. kthxbai.
Posted by
Umayanga Suran Jayathilaka
Labels:
Humour,
Misc
I did NOT write this beautiful poem, but am posting it to show how much I admire our brave soldiers who are sacrificing everything in the effort to eradicate terrorism from Sri Lanka. Go SL Army, Navy and Air Force!
The soldier stood and faced God, Which must always come to pass. He hoped his shoes were shining, Just as brightly as his brass.
'Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I deal with you ? Have you always turned the other cheek ? To My Church have you been true?'
The soldier squared his shoulders and said, 'No, Lord, I guess I ain't. Because those of us who carry guns, Can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays, And at times my talk was tough. And sometimes I've been violent, Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny, That wasn't mine to keep... Though I worked a lot of overtime, When the bills got just too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear. And sometimes, God, forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place, Among the people here.. They never wanted me around, Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here, Lord, It needn't be so grand. I never expected or had too much, But if you don't, I'll understand.
There was a silence all around the throne, Where the saints had often trod. As the soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God.
'Step forward now, you soldier, You've borne your burdens well. Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets, You've done your time in Hell.'
~ Author Unknown ~
It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the Press.. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of Speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's the Military who salutes The flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by The flag.
If you're tired of waiting for the long intro sequence (which can't be skipped, sadly) to finish every time you wanna play Bioshock, apply the following simple tweak.
Right click your Bioshock launch shortcut (usually on your desktop) and select Properties. In the field named Target you should see the path to your Bioshock .exe file in the install location. e.g. "E:\Program Files (x86)\2K Games\BioShock\Builds\Release\Bioshock.exe"
After the finishing quotes, add a space and type this in. -nointro So now your target field would have "E:\Program Files (x86)\2K Games\BioShock\Builds\Release\Bioshock.exe" -nointro
Now click Apply And OK. Voila! No more intro sequence.
Posted by
Umayanga Suran Jayathilaka
Labels:
Games
Yet another feather in my cap of "old as yo grandmaw" games. Won the grueling boss battles in the canyon, the city, the city and again.. um.. the canyon with a souped up SLR Mclaren, after quite a few restarts.
Tip: If (like me) you can't figure out how to sell one of your old cars in Career mode, do this. While in career mode (duh) go to "Car Select". Select the car you wanna get rid of and press the button for "Career Controls" (the "1" key in the PC version). Then you'll see the option to "Sell Car". Voila! Significantly less moolah than what you paid originally!
I had fallen out with the whole NFS franchise after playing Hot Pursuit 2. C'mon, it's as if putting out new NFS titles is EA's way of having regular bowel movements. But I guess playing with everything maxed out on a big monitor has a certain appeal. Oh wait! What do I see here? Yet another chance to rant about my new rig. Phew, will save made. But here you go anyway. :D
So what shall I go retro with next? I recall certain DVDs with NFS Underground 2 and NFS Most Wanted written on 'em. Or maybe this new (by my standards) fangled G.R.I.D. thingy? Time to stress the GTX 295.
Posted by
Umayanga Suran Jayathilaka
Labels:
Games
I am the vocalist of Sri Lankan extreme metal band Aural Discord and ex-vocalist of Unholy Sermon, Ego carnage, Prototype, Necrolysis and Raaksha. My day job's as a Senior Software Engineer at Aeturnum, Inc. and I am currently reading for a MSc at UCSC. IM me at
suranjay666@yahoo.com,
suranjay@hotmail.com and
suranjay@gmail.com
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