The Ugee Drawing Screen

On March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 By James CastroIn ProjectsLeave a comment

In my last post I discussed how the effective writing and delivery of Jim Sterling inspires others in their creativity. This week is a case in point.

I have had a hard time moving from my beloved paper artwork in this digital age. I’ve tried drawing, scanning the pencils, then vectoring the pencil art. It didn’t work well. I’ve also tried having the artwork inked, then scanning it and vectoring from there. That tended to work better, but still required about 4-6 steps before I could get it in a format to be edited digitally. I’ve tried two versions of Wacom style tablets where a tablet you hold controls a cursor on the screen. That had marginal success, but I had a lot of trouble making the connection between the pen touching a black surface to a cursor making precise actions on screen. It went ok but I’m not good enough at it to produce even close to what I do on paper. The next step was an Android tablet with software that simulates graphic design. It sounded good because it would allow me to draw right on the screen. The downside was the only styluses I could find were about the size of an eraser. Trying to do precise markings was out of the question and even trying to tell where they stylus was touching the screen wasn’t always easy to determine.

During a book signing for Matthew Inman aka The Oatmeal he mentioned he uses a Wacom Cintiq and that sounded perfect. It essentially allows you to draw right on the screen with a pencil-sized stylus you’re your choice of graphic software.

Unfortunately since I haven’t won any lotteries recently I couldn’t get one of those…so I began browsing off brands.
After much consideration I landed on the Ugee drawing screen and it has solved my digitization woes. The first piece of art I produced was my Jim F’N Sterling Son from my last post.

I drew into Manga Studio as I preferred the look and feel of its interface as opposed to Illustrator’s. It just felt more like a real pencil and could be adjusted with sliders to be lighter or darker, as though I was picking a different kind of lead.

After doing the “pencils” in Manga Studio I imported the pencil art into Illustrator, created a layer, and “inked” using Illustrator’s calligraphy tool. Probably not the best but it worked for my first effort. I was pretty impressed with what could be done relatively quickly, from pencil to colored art took only a couple hours.

The Ugee has my approval, its drivers loaded perfectly, it has a large drawing surface, and has an excellent stand. The only “complaint” is that it can wash out a bit at the wrong angle, but that’s not a big problem when working on a project, just when using it as a regular screen.

As a side note, I’m hoping Jim recovers quickly. Here’s hoping he’s back on his feet and giving them hell as soon as possible. We need him in the trenches!

My original Jim Sterling post

Psych: One Year Later

On March 22, 2015 By R. PettyIn Random Fun2 Comments

Psych‘s final episode aired nearly a year ago (3/26/2014). The final episode ended well: Shawn and Gus moved Psych to another city, Shawn and Jules got engaged, and prior to that, Lassiter became the new chief.

I’m very open about how much I love this show. As silly as it seems, I miss it. I felt like a little piece of me went away when the show did. However, I feel like I should honor its memory by honoring the year anniversary.

Here are some ideas on how to survive Psych withdrawals as this difficult time of year approaches:

Watch an episode from each season. For the first four, I suggest: Scary Sherry, American Duos, Tuesday the 17th, Bollywood Homicide
Watch the Yin, Yang trilogy in order. James Roday says in a goodbye video, this trilogy is something he’s most proud of. Psych: The Musical completes Ally Sheedy’s story line, so make it a quadruple set for full enjoyment.
Go on a treasure hunt to find the bobbleheads. Good luck! Quick online searches show these babies cost at least $99 each. They have doubled in price, and did so well before the show ended.
Make Psych‘s Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos. Even I’m not brave enough to do this, and remember they don’t travel well. They are balls of heart attacks waiting to happen, but I must admit they look delicious. Find the recipe here on Mission: Food.
Eat a pineapple. And canned doesn’t count. Not only is the pineapple Psych‘s signature mascot, it’s also great for you. This may help off-set the fries, too!
Dress in Psych swag. Sure, you may feel silly, but there are shirts, pajamas, slippers, pillows, charm bracelets and tons more to show your Psych pride. People dress up to watch football and basketball games, so why not dress up for a Psychathon?
Play a game. Depending on where you live and work, this may or may not be a good idea, but I must suggest it. Spend a day telling people to suck it. Or say what? to everything everyone says. This will probably be more fun for you — although you may find others who are just as obsessed with the show.
Dance. Imagine working in an office, completing a project or solving a problem, and breaking out into a dance. This will certainly break up the day, and dancing is a great way to exercise. If you want to go all out, pick a Shawn and Gus dance!
Watch the last episode. If you haven’t seen it, watch the finale. I know lots of people who started the show and never finished it. That’s okay; there were 121 episodes. If you enjoyed the show though, check out the last one because you won’t be disappointed.

Seven Psychopaths: 10 Reasons to Love It

On March 15, 2015 By R. PettyIn MoviesLeave a comment

Seven Psychopaths, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, is a movie after my heart. It is so well done it deserves a list of the best things, so here are 10 reasons to love (and watch) Seven Psychopaths:

1. It’s not Tarantino, but it feels like it. I’m a huge Tarantino fan, and when I saw Seven Psychopaths in the theater I didn’t know who the director was. I assumed it was Tarantino until I learned otherwise. It’s as close to a Tarantino film as you can get.

2. The dialogue. This is hard to do, especially do well, and there are many jabs and one-liners. Some are funny, some are smart, some are deep. The film is conversation heavy, but it’s good conversation and keeps the story going. People talk about things real people would talk about; for example, two gangsters killing time by talking about people who had been shot in the eyeball and survived. The dialogue one of the best parts of the movie.

3. The cast. My favorites: Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Bonny the dog. Other good stars: Colin Farrell, Michael Stuhlbarg, Linda Bright Clay, Gabourey Sidibe, Tom Waits, Michael Pitt. The movie is full of familiar faces and talent, and they blend well together.

4. Humor. Seven Psychopaths is listed as comedy/crime. This isn’t slapstick humor though; it’s dark humor (my favorite) and sometimes very wrong. But it is funny if you enjoy smartA remarks, language, and smart people.

5. Violence. It’s violent but not tasteless. It’s bloody but the realistic blood that you’d expect when someone gets an arm cut off or shot in the head. In a lot of movies now, “blood” is colored so it doesn’t look real or it’s not seen at all, but the blood in this movie looks like movie blood. It’s red and thick, but the shots hold long enough to establish it, not to mash it in your face. And it’s a gangster movie, so there’s plenty of shooting.

6. The story. Ferrell is writing a screenplay about seven psychopaths, and the psychopaths exist in real life. All the mini stories intertwine, and the main people involved try to write the ending. (The ending is often the most difficult part.) I can see if McDonagh’s own intentions and motivations come through Ferrell’s character. He’s tired of the stereotypical psychopaths and wants something you wouldn’t expect.

7. Music. The soundtrack is one of the best aligned with a film I’ve ever heard. It’s not one I’d want to own, but it pairs perfectly with the scenes, action and story. I’ve worked to this movie multiple times and perk up when a song comes on. Artists include: Hank Williams, P.P. Arnold, The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt, and The Walkmen. You may not know them by seeing their names, but you will know the songs when you hear them.

8. It’s refreshing. A lot of crap has come out in the last few years. However, this was a good movie that premiered in 2012, and not enough people knew about it. If all the Tarantino-style fans in the world saw this movie, it would have blown up. As a movie-buff, it’s nice to know there are still people in Hollywood who can make a good movie without it being based off an adolescent novel.

9. Creativity. The story, characters, dialogue, everything is creative and theatrical. It’s what a movie should be: entertaining and a world you want to live in for two hours. The story has not been overdone, and you don’t feel you’ve seen it before. Unpredictability is a good thing.

10. Love. Believe it or not, there’s real love in Seven Psychopaths. Walken and his wife, Bright Clay; Bonny and Rockwell; Waits and his runaway woman. The movie shows love is tough, but it stays with you into eternity. It’s not something you’d expect from a gangster movie, but Ferrell pretty much lays out the movie in the first 20 minutes. If you pay attention, you get it.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about the movie in the comments, so feel free to share!

Sources of Inspiration: Jim Sterling

On March 11, 2015March 14, 2015 By James CastroIn Games, Opinions1 Comment

There are more online pundits and reviewers than we need. It is rare however to find a reviewer or pundit who actually has something to say. And even rarer to find one to whom I’d donate money in support.

I started watching videos put up by online magazine The Escapist because of Zero Punctuation aka Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw. His show is a pithy, quick, and hilarious take on specific video games and their quirks. But I admit I stayed to watch Jim Sterling’s Jimquisition shows.

Jim’s commentary on video games, video game companies, and their trends is marvelous and, even if you don’t always agree, is always thought provoking.

Jim has had an interesting and transitional career. From Destructoid to Escapist he has made numerous comments that have “enraged” (I put that in quotes because this is video games we’re talking about here…) game fans. From being hated for the ultimate sin of “not liking” a Final Fantasy game (I agree though…Final Fantasy is an empty shell compared to the days when it’s games’ technological advancement could be categorized in terms of “bits”) to having the gall to say that female game critics, writers, and producers shouldn’t be threatened with violence and rape.

I’m actually not really interested in his controversy… Mostly because I don’t find him to be that controversial. He says what he believes. One can agree or disagree (I don’t always agree but I find I agree the vast majority of the time) but he never says anything purely out of hate or shock value. If a game is shit he says it’s shit and faces the backlash like a champ. See The Slaughtering Grounds incident for an example of that. If a practice of the industry or its fans is tasteless or predatory he says he thinks it is just that. In fact I started watching his videos because he voiced exactly my problems with the way games are conceived and produced now. And why I rarely play a “so-called AAA game,” to use his phrasing, nowadays.

I truly appreciate is his writing, production, and character construction. The narratives in his videos are often fast, full of information, and loaded with complex ideas, but his presentations are always not only clear (you know EXACTLY his points from the outset) but often very clever, very witty, and biting in their arguments. It’s that kind of methodology that is inspiring to other creative people, or at least to me as a creative person. You can always count on Jim, not only to give you his opinion on all kinds of practices but to do so in a way that is so memorable you’ll go back to them repeatedly (I know I’ve queued his vids up to hear why Ubisoft is idiotic, free-to-play is a misnomer, and pre-order culture is poison).

His series with Yahtzee were also fun. Last year’s rhymedown spectacular and the Uncivil Wars series which Jim won earlier this year provided another look at both his and Yahtzee’s personas outside of the review realm.

His newer material, since he’s gone rogue and become fan-funded through Patreon is even better. Freed from even the loose shackles of another company he has been able to write more reviews and even start an absolutely terrific podcast series that is one of the best since The Ricky Gervais Show.

The fact that he owns a chainsword gives him extra points…

If you are a video game fan, specifically a fan who feels the industry has gone the way of film production in its heartless and cold monetization of all aspects of gaming and its focus on useless tech over art design and storytelling, put on a Jimquisition playlist and you’ll find yourself nodding in agreement or raising your finger and saying “but…” Either way he’s provoking a response and maybe cranking your brain out of idle for 6-12 minutes. It’s worth it. Because he’s Jim F’n Sterling Son. And thank god for him.

Jim Sterling Cartoon — The Author’s Rendition of Jim on a rant.

Jimquisition website

Un-Mastering Luck: My First Warhammer Fantasy Battles Games

On March 4, 2015March 4, 2015 By James CastroIn Games, Random FunLeave a comment

Napoleon once said that genius was the mastering of luck. Anyone who plays miniature wargames knows just how difficult mastering luck is…

I played my first Warhammer Fantasy Battles games over the past weekend and saw just how difficult luck really is to master. As I said in the last post I prepared a small ogre army for an escalation league at my local Games Workshop store. I’d never before played Fantasy except for a few little games using the store sets of Island of Blood that weren’t designed to be competitive. My Games Workshop store is surprisingly fresh. A lot of new players are there so it was nice to go in to this without some of the more negative kinds of players (or the know-it-all, “hurr hurr, look at the noob” types) and it was a really positive experience. I invited friends to come watch me lose and I thought I’d share the experience.

I showed up on a Friday night and only a couple people were there. The other player present was also new, and he brought his Skaven army. The store manager got his rule book out and we played our tiny 250 point game. I used 8 ogres in two 4-group units, all with additional hand weapons. This put me at 248 points and lots of attacks. My opponent took a big block of clanrats with shields and spears, and two bases of rat swarms. He went first (whew….brought them closer into my charge range!) and I did as expected and charged right into those clanrats. Ogres on a charge are brutal, impact hits, sixteen attacks, and four stomps. It was a close round of combat but the ogres won through the weight of their charge. Because of his “strength in numbers” special rule he had a mighty leadership TEN. Now I should say I have a history and tendency to roll like crap (you’ll see that in my battle the next day) but I think my lack of luck was catching. He rolled two sixes! Failing his leadership test. He then proceeded to run away 5 inches. I chose to pursue, rolling a six, catching and eliminating the only viable unit on the field. I definitely did NOT out play him in my first game. With only 250 points very few tactical choices are there. But through pure luck the first game was a win. And a nice intro to the game mechanics.

I then played the manager’s dark elves, him playing as an NPC. Though I smashed his witches (even though I’d received their crazy charge) but ran into a wall on his executioners. I did enough damage on them that even he said he got a bit nervous, but all their elf rules did me in.

The next day I returned for his zombie tarpit challenge. 80 zombies versus my 250 points of ogres. I chose to make one big unit and smashed into the zombies. I ended up taking them out in 5 turns, but only had three ogres left by the end. I realized I would have been smarter to leave them in two units, hitting the zombies on their flank with the second group. I would have had one extra attack per ogre. Four extra impact hits (at least…I COULD have rolled a 10+ on my charge) and four additional stomps. It may have been over in 3 turns…

Later that day I played a kid who had dwarves. A unit of warriors and a unit of longbeards. I needed an 8 to make my first charge against the warriors…and rolled two TWOS. So I received the charge instead. I made my charge against his longbeards, and surprisingly crushed them into flight. Here’s where I made tactical errors. There was only one longbeard left, his standard bearer. I chose to run them down, which I shouldn’t have done. I ran them down and moved 9 inches away from my beleaguered other unit. My other unit of ogres, having lost the combat with the dwarf warriors and fleeing, fled an epic 11 inches. Then failed their next leadership by rolling a TEN. My epic bad rolling coming to light again. His dwarf warriors turned to my unbroken unit and I chose to march them up a hill rather than reform. I really should’ve reformed, as his next turn would’ve brought them easily into charge range and probably a quick combat after all the impacts, attacks, and stomps. Since I moved them away, they had their backs to his dwarves and received a flank charge. Despite this I still killed four dwarves and received zero wounds.

Unfortunately for me, due to combat resolution math, we tied and his musician broke the tie. Once again I failed my leadership test (because I’m awesome like that) and fled only to be caught and destroyed! Him won a clean victory. All my dice throwing proving just how little of luck I had mastered… my inexperience and the good thinking of my opponents proving to be a deciding factor.

It was a blast to play, win or lose, and I learned some good lessons.

1) Ogres…don’t forget your fear check. I never had anyone roll for fear ever. It’s a long shot against elves or dwarves but better to try than not to try.

2) Don’t forget impact his and stomps. Even with only four ogres in the rank that’s at least four impact hits (D3 per ogre due to the ogre charge rule if you roll a natural 10+) and stomps are four additional attacks.

3) Ogres are attacking beasts and can soak up lots of damage. Even at speed six it’s best to try to get the ogres back into combat as soon as possible. Maneuvering with Skaven or Beastmen might be a good choice, but with just three ogres it is always best to try and get them back into doing damage. It’s what they do best!

I’ve heard that GW is planning to drastically change the landscape of Warhammer Fantasy Battles due to its flagging sales. Just getting into it now, this makes me quite sad. I love the complex simplicity of it. The small rules that turn into big results, and the great fun of throwing gobs of dice and taking off scores of models. As much as I love 40k, it’s a very different kind of wargame and I’m hoping, no matter the changes they make, the game play will always be welcome on gaming tables.

Warhammer Fantasy Ogres: Ready for Game On!

On February 25, 2015March 4, 2015 By James CastroIn ProjectsLeave a comment

In a previous post I noted at the guys at Dreamlike (Now Slayer Gaming) piqued my interest in Warhammer Fantasy battles. I watched two battle reports, one was their very first one, where Tom’s Ogre army took on Dwarves in one and High Elves in another. Since then I have started both Skaven and Beatmen armies. I admit I really like Skaven, but both were begun because I was able to get near complete armies on and off the sprue at very cheap prices.

Several weeks ago, while cruising a used bookstore I found a pile of army books. Empire, Ogres, Tomb Kings, Orcs and Goblins, all “current” hardback. All ten dollars a piece. (They also had a stack of Forge World Imperial Armour books for 15 a piece…it was a good day at the used bookstore…)

Looking through the books I became very interested in one army in particular: Ogres. The very first army I ever saw played. They’re very different from any force I’ve seen, Monstrous Infantry, big brutes, no alignment, and a “SMASH and EAT” philosophy. Also relatively cheap to start.

My local Games Workshop store has started a Fantasy escalation league and, though I had Skaven and Beastmen armies, I decided to give Ogres a shot. I got the regiment starter box and away I went.

The league starts at a miniscule 250 points, which if I included even my cheapest general option left me only 150 points for troops.

Because of this point restriction, the standard troop structure is waived and only core units have to be fielded with extra points given for fully-painted armies. With that in mind (and being completely trapped in the house for days due to ice and snow) I started my Ogres. This was the result:

I went all ironfists, due to the extra save. They’ve already got 3 attacks plus impact hits and stomps, so I went for a parry/increased armor save instead of an additional weapon.

At the time I thought I had to have an HQ. I got the maneater on the right to proxy a bruiser or butcher since my actual models were on order.

These guys are a blast to build an paint, and the regiment box gives you so many bits, with some crafty purchases I was able to nearly double the number of ogre bulls I can field by spending about 25 dollars.

I’ll be playing my first escalation game this week and as I’ve never played a REAL game (only here’s how this works games) and never done anything with ogres I’m gonna lose. It’ll be a BLAST. I’m looking forward to it!