Christ Centered Gamer

Deepfreeze32 wrote:I do really enjoy Rocksmith. You need a cable though, which is a bit pricey. It is really cool though. I enjoy the ability to play sections of songs at lower speed to get the pattern down, then progress to higher speeds when I feel comfortable. The DLC model is a bit expensive, but songs go 40% off on Steam Sales, usually. Plus, if you get the PC version (Still need that cable) you can use Custom DLC, which has a pretty big selection.

And yes, Final Fantasy XV is pretty great. The story is definitely a bit disjointed (It hinges on you inferring or knowing the events of Kingsglaive, the movie they released) and the characters seem a tough underdeveloped (This is "fixed" with the Brotherhood anime they released which develops the main four characters better than the game does), but that combat system is so satisfying. It's kind of like Kingdom Hearts...but I find it to have less menu jiggery pokery that made combat in KH frustrating. Also, warping and warp strikes are so awesome.


Still play guitar semi-regularly? If so, what guitar(s) do you rock?

I might actually have a cable like that floating around somewhere, when I tried to record my own music...I don't think so, but it looks familiar. XD

Sadly, I do not. Not to be an emo kid, but when I was rejected by the music college I applied to, I put the guitar down and haven't had the heart to pick it up again. Which is, perhaps ironically, the very thing you are not supposed to do, I know. XD It is what it is though; despite what people proclaim, you don't need talent or skill, or endless hours of theory training to play an instrument...you need heart. And I have, at present, lost mine. I stumbled upon it once, in a music class several years ago, but it flitted away on a cold breeze.

/emo

Still, I'm not going to sell my guitar in the hopes that I will find it again. I've still got it beside my bed: Epiphone Les Paul Special II, with upgraded pickups (I can't remember the brand, but they make it sound more like a $500 guitar than what it actually cost. ) and skull knobs, because I was hardcore bro. >_> Burnt sienna.

micah211 wrote:No I just asked cause I got my license the day before, I wasn't very excited either. And now I have to pay more for my bills
But I guess that's 'Murica.

What was your favorite gift this Christmas?

Iknorite? People always try to convince me that having a license is freedom; it's just a new set of chains. XD They come in handy though, for all their clanking and dragging.

Annnnnnnnnd...I'm torn. Here's the thing: I got a PS4 for Christmas. I love it. <3 So much. I giggled when it powered up, and still do. It came with Uncharted, which teared me up, and I had enough money from another gift to get Rise of Iron, and basically I haven't slept much since Christmas. <3 So much beautiful gaming and epicness. :O So many gaming opportunities open to me. <3 So much beating the snot out of Fallen with a giant ax. <3

However, my enthusiasm was dampened somewhat due to lack of in depth research (basically, I went on Gamestop.com and went "I want dis game. And dis game. And dis game. AND OOH, SHINY. I WANT"). I had no idea Sony went the way of Microsoft and started charging for online multiplayer, which is a pet peeve of mine. $50 for a year of PS Plus isn't bad at all, but I don't have that kind of money at the moment, and frankly it toasts my rumpus to have to pay for server access. -_- So a tiny smudge was smudge'd upon the shining silver glory of it.

And so...I'm actually tempted to say it's my Despicable Me Fart gun. Not only is it the best toy ever created (better than Lego's, even), but it truly illustrates that my parents know and understand me. XD Admittedly, it's hard to beat a gun that makes fart noises when you pull the trigger. At least to me.

So I think you can see why I'm having trouble deciding.

RedPlums wrote:Exactly right my online friend! I find the cult of Scientology a terribly scary thing.

On to a lighter subject, Have you ever had tiramisu?

I have. I liked it. The serving I had was a bit more tipsy than it perhaps should have been, but I still enjoyed it. XD I'd eat it now, actually.

Yeah the $50 a year sucks, especially when like me I forget to renew it and all my games get locked. If you go to Ebay you can find the whole year for $30 though.
Other than that somewhat great news, have an awesome time blasting fallen away!

Entropia Universe?

Community colleges?

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter?

Chozon1 wrote: Sadly, I do not. Not to be an emo kid, but when I was rejected by the music college I applied to, I put the guitar down and haven't had the heart to pick it up again. Which is, perhaps ironically, the very thing you are not supposed to do, I know. XD It is what it is though; despite what people proclaim, you don't need talent or skill, or endless hours of theory training to play an instrument...you need heart. And I have, at present, lost mine. I stumbled upon it once, in a music class several years ago, but it flitted away on a cold breeze.

/emo

Still, I'm not going to sell my guitar in the hopes that I will find it again. I've still got it beside my bed: Epiphone Les Paul Special II, with upgraded pickups (I can't remember the brand, but they make it sound more like a $500 guitar than what it actually cost. ) and skull knobs, because I was hardcore bro. >_> Burnt sienna.

I can kinda relate to this. I played guitar pretty much from 2008-2010 (Regularly with lessons), and then veeeery on and off in college until a few days ago (2010-2016). In truth, I was also lacking the "heart" aspect. But I never lost my passion for it, as evidenced by the fact that I'm already back at my former skill level (Sans some tremolo picking skill). Thought I'm not sure if that was just because I was slow and stupid at "getting" it back then, or if I really didn't learn that much. Or I'm some sort of naturally talented player? I dunno, I don't think I'm that good, so I'm leaning towards some combination. XD

As for finding the heart to play, I have a story about that, but I do not have the time to write it just this moment because work. Ask in my ask thread, or I'll come and add it here when I have the time.

When it comes to metal, do you prefer "harsh" vocals (Think Black/Death metal with growling) or "clean" vocals?

And because I've been listening to them all day, bonus song:

micah211 wrote:Yeah the $50 a year sucks, especially when like me I forget to renew it and all my games get locked. If you go to Ebay you can find the whole year for $30 though.
Other than that somewhat great news, have an awesome time blasting fallen away!

Entropia Universe?

I'll have to keep an eye out for it at that price, because I do want it. And $30 is probably manageable. Actually, I've been giving consideration to paying $10 a month, since I usually scrape that for games anyway, and since I could get the free ones...it might equal out. And oh...I have been. <3 I wish the Iron Ax was an equippable, but thus far that is my only complaint. I like the new armor, the new weapons, and the new fluff. I got the 14 day free trial for PS Plus, and so I've gotten to play the new strikes and crucible mode.

Not as good as the Taken King, and I wish it was longer...but no real complaints.

That looks really fun! I don't play MMO's very much anymore. I think it's my aged compy, and the fact I don't like Pay 2 Play. It really is a pet peeve of mine. XD I put quite a few hours into D&D online before I got annoyed with it.

RedPlums wrote:Community colleges?

I prefer them, to be honest. For a variety of reasons, number one among the list is the fact that no one should have to go into lifelong debt paying to learn the same information you can get for free at the local library. It's ludicrous.

Community college is, for me--a guy who normally farts upon the modern schooling model--a happy medium. Relatively cheap tuition, classroom environment (which is a negative really, but some people want it), and the exact same knowledge imparted for a fraction of the price.

I see community colleges as the nurses of the scholastic world; they don't get paid as much as doctors, but they're probably more likely to actually know what they're doing. >_> Yeah, I says it, and what's more, I means it.

Kwan wrote:Turok: Dinosaur Hunter?

I've only played the 2008 Turok, but I really enjoyed it. I don't really understand why that game was so badly rated, save perhaps market saturation. It's one of the few games that treats humans and dinosaurs as equals, and using a longbow was awesome. Just a really fun game. So I want to play the original one. Just haven't got a Windows computer handy to play it on. It looks awesome. ^_^

Deepfreeze32 wrote:When it comes to metal, do you prefer "harsh" vocals (Think Black/Death metal with growling) or "clean" vocals?

And because I've been listening to them all day, bonus song:

Clean. Definitely clean. At the risk of sounding like a 60 year old, I can't understand what they are saying. XD Demon Hunter is about the harshest I get, and I prefer the songs where Ethan sings cleanly. The music can growl low enough to loosen my innards, but I like the vocals to be clear. XD

I'm the guy that stares blankly when someone say's "Isn't this song great?" because all I hear is "RABBA LABBA SKY UPPPGH THE GRAAAAAAAAAH". O_o

I did like that though. Good sounds.

There is an unfortunate problem with your 1 month thing. When you buy a ps+ free game, you need ps+ to actually play the game. It's more of a subscription to games than it is to Sony. For how much I play it's not bad though, I don't think it's the same for you.

Entropia had my attention for the 1st day I played, then I really took the time to look at the graphics, controls, and everything else. The game was deleted in 2 days.

Explanation of ghosts?

When deciding whether or not to continue to listen to a song (Say it has popped up on the radio), what keeps you listening? And conversely, what makes you instantly stop the song?


Bonus round: Do you know of any good ways to learn music theory with bonus points for an emphasis (or at least translation) to the guitar? I've thought of getting a keyboard, but I don't know if I can justify that as much as a guitar. XD

You, my computer friend, are exactly on the nose.

I agree that lifelong debt to do a job that you will probably end up disliking in 10 years is utterly heinous.
Which is probably why we now have mega-community colleges, such as Rasmussen and National and such.

Favourite brand of frozen pizza?

micah211 wrote:There is an unfortunate problem with your 1 month thing. When you buy a ps+ free game, you need ps+ to actually play the game. It's more of a subscription to games than it is to Sony. For how much I play it's not bad though, I don't think it's the same for you.

Entropia had my attention for the 1st day I played, then I really took the time to look at the graphics, controls, and everything else. The game was deleted in 2 days.

Explanation of ghosts?

Hmm...well, thanks for that information. ^_^ I'd just have to pay it monthly, then if I wanted to keep the 'free' games? I can still probably live with that.

That's unfortunate. I want to give Star Citizen a shot, but not enough to get a computer to play it. Good space MMO's are few and far between...though I did notice that Star Trek the MMO is free on PS4...which is enough for me to get excited.

It's a tricky subject. I have never had a ghost experience (and...I'm OK with that. >_>) firsthand, but I know people who have.

For myself...biblically, it's clear that ghosts--the souls of the dead--could return to earth, though it was a terribly evil practice condemned by God. In first Samuel, when Saul used a medium, there is no indication in the text that what he spoke to was anything other than Samuel. Samuel even prophesied in God's name, so I feel confident that it was, indeed, him. Yet it is also proscribed from Genesis to Revelation that no one should seek access or try and communicate with the dead, and I know God has a reason for that.

And...reality has fundamentally changed since Samuel's day. Here's where we step into less concrete, and more theory. To my understanding, the OT land of the dead Sheol (like when David said 'I will go down to him', referring to dead son) is not hell, or heaven; just a generic land of the dead. A place of rest until Jesus died and resurrected, and people got sorted into their proper places. Because the thing is, the NT pretty clearly states that once you die, you go straight before God. You don't hang around and spook people or settle old grudges. You dead, your spirit goes to a pretty exclusive set of places, and creepy old houses aren't one of them.

Now to me, with my imaginative mind, that means Samuel's spirit could have been 'called up' in the ye olden days; but now that Sheol has fallen out of disuse, not so much. Hell is a prison, and there's no escape; I don't think anyone would leave heaven. So where does that lead me?

Personally, I have no qualm saying that ghost encounters are probably demonic in origin. It's reasonably clear to anyone that doesn't worship science that there are supernatural phenomena happening in ghostly situations. My mom lived in a haunted house for a while, and has some hair raising stories.

Actually, the whole thing was probably settled by the NT verses that say once you die, you go before God. So...all but one sentence of that was useless. XD

I guess there's the emotional imprint theory thingum. To the best of my knowledge though, that's based on movies, and not something I put a lot of stock in.

Deepfreeze32 wrote:When deciding whether or not to continue to listen to a song (Say it has popped up on the radio), what keeps you listening? And conversely, what makes you instantly stop the song?


Bonus round: Do you know of any good ways to learn music theory with bonus points for an emphasis (or at least translation) to the guitar? I've thought of getting a keyboard, but I don't know if I can justify that as much as a guitar. XD

I don't usually listen to the radio, actually. For better or worse, I usually only listen to stuff I already know. :3 However, anything with cursing I'll probably skip (usually with hilariously fumbling results if the song plane starts dropping F-bombs), and poppy-Justin Bieber/pop starlet/idiotic teenage crush songs make me want to run screaming into the night. Literally, it's like a buzzsaw in my ear. It raises my hackles. XD

Most pop music, in fact, makes me want to break something. It's the lyrics usually.

However, skilled guitar playing or intriguing lyrics make me want to listen to the song in its entirety. If it sounds like something I listen to, I'll tune my ear to it. Or if the lyrics seem like they mean more than their surface meaning, I'll give it a listen. Probably, it's the words which most determine whether or not I'll turn it off or keep listening.

Kind of? This book is supposed to be the end all, be all of serious guitar musical learning. I got a copy several years ago; unfortunately, it's written in musical notation, which is another skill I was beginning to acquire but never did, so it might as well be written in Aztec, and I didn't get beyond the first chapter or two. I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for.

Frankly, I prefer tablature anyway; makes more sense for guitar. With that in mind, though the website has changed and I can't remember the specific articles, seems like Ultimate Guitar had a lot of music theory articles I used extensively.

RedPlums wrote:You, my computer friend, are exactly on the nose.

I agree that lifelong debt to do a job that you will probably end up disliking in 10 years is utterly heinous.
Which is probably why we now have mega-community colleges, such as Rasmussen and National and such.

Favourite brand of frozen pizza?

Hmm...I eat frozen pizza less than you think I would. Seems like Red Baron makes a good one, or DiGiorno.

What if your favorite non-frozen pizza?

So when it comes to guitar playing, what kind of technical do you prefer? Because there's shredding using speed, like the intro and solo to this:



There's really smooth power chord changing, like the opening section of this song (Listen until the singing starts, then you may quit if you desire):



And then there's...this:

RedPlums wrote:What if your favorite non-frozen pizza?

Hmm...that I do eat with some frequency. It's still not easy, though. Best tasting pizza ever? Stevie B's. Pretty sure it's a chain, but it's a buffet, so the hour drive to get there is worth the two hours spent eating. High quality ingredients and an ever flowing amount of delicious pizza. IT does my heart good (eh...metaphorically, I 'spose) to see such eateries. Even with the expensive artisan pizza's, New York Style, ETC, that I have eaten, I can't thing of one that outranks Stevie B's.

However, favorite is not necessarily best tasting: other factors are involved. Cost, time, ingredients. I'm not going to drive through Memphis traffic for an hour into a halfway bad neighborhood every time I want a pizza. It may surprise you, but my favorite pizza place is Little Caesars. It's not as tasty as Stevie B's, granted, and I'm not sure where you live, so I'm not sure if you have one, but they're basically the McDonalds of pizza; cheap, fast, and still use fairly quality ingredients. They have hot and ready pizza's in cheese, sausage, and pepperoni for $5 each all day, everyday. You walk in and nine times out of ten, you're out in five minutes with three piping hot large pizzas for $16 dollars and some change. For a fatty like me, that's heaven.

A lot of people don't like them as much as, say, Pizza Hut, but I like the cheese blend and the sauce flavorings, and the ridiculously cheap price. I can't get a good frozen pizza for $5 unless there's a sale or I have a coupon. Plus, the local LC employees know my name. <3

Deepfreeze32 wrote:So when it comes to guitar playing, what kind of technical do you prefer? Because there's shredding using speed, like the intro and solo to this:

There's really smooth power chord changing, like the opening section of this song (Listen until the singing starts, then you may quit if you desire):

And then there's...this:

I really liked the first song, the second didn't catch my interest, and the third was basically ridiculous. -_- He practiced that just to show off, and the worst part is that I can't keep my eyes from bugging out as he shreds fantastically with both hands at once. :O It makes me want to take up guitar playing again just to walk away in disgust. XD I've got a friend who is going to love that video.

However, skilled is, perhaps, not exclusive to being technical.

In example, I have this:



Nothing much he's doing on guitar takes extreme maneuvering or speed...but it's so well phrased, and effected, and emotional, that I can't help but get choked up. Even the 'solo' is more of a mournful phrase meant to accentuate the words.

You might feel differently though. Could just be the song.

Time to follow through with my ghost question!

Scientists have found that people tend to see "ghosts" because of a certain sound wavelength. Just about every house or building can make it.
Any sound 20Hz or lower with direct contact to a human eye will obstruct our view and cause a blur about the size of a human. Then because of our human minds, we instantly assume the human sized blob is a human ghost, that disappears very very fast. Water pipes, ear buds, and old electronics all make low enough frequencies to cause this effect.

As for the times when it isn't sound, it's probably a demon trying to mess something up as always. I'd like to think the 3 times I've seen something it was sound.


Have you seen the new Star Citizen expansion?

I absolutely agree that skill alone does not a great guitar player make, but when I hear technical I think "something that requires a great deal of skill to pull off." In my mind, there are two schools of thought for guitar (not mutually exclusive, but one approach tends to lead over the other): Emphasis on technical skill, and emphasis on feel. I know "feel" is hard to quantify, but that Dire Straits song is a great example of the latter. Symphony X (and most metal it seems) definitely tends towards the former (Michael Romeo owes a great deal of his style to Yngwie Malmsteen), while most blues and rock artists tend toward the latter.

So on a different note...what do you think of this?