The Cult of Dirk Wampaflash

     Well, all I can say is it is the Clone Wars Kids that give me a lot of hits on youtube.  I didn't know my original Dirk Wampaflash video would get so many hits.  I made it when the game was in beta, I think.  Then, the more hits I got, the more time I spent on the game, and then I started making more videos of CWA.  It's been fun.
     Most of the people on the game are nice to me.
     Not every video I make is good, but every once in a while I come up with a good one.
     I just try to have fun on the game like anybody else, despite what some people think.
     The main thing I like to do on Clone Wars is build things.  I'm an artist, and I like that kind of stuff.

     Dirk Wampaflash was born because of an accident.  I originally tried to make an Annakin kind of human character, but something went wrong.  It didn't work.  Then I tried again, and it was a clone with the name of Dirk Wampaflash, and that sounded good to me, so that is how Dirk was born.
     'Dirk' sounds like Kirk from Star Trek, so that worked for me.  There was also a 'Dirk The Daring' from an animated video game I forget the name of.  I wasn't crazy about 'Wampa' but it sounded like 'Wonka' so that was cool.  'Flash' reminded me of 'Flash Gordon'.  So that is why I picked his name.  I usually don't like words that start with 'W'.  They sound weak to me, unless it is something like 'warrior'.

     I don't know if it is a cult yet, but I have a couple of fans, and that is nice.

     The ultimate goal would be to work 'Dirk Wampaflash' into Clone Wars mythology, as kind of a slacker-artist clone who doesn't really want to go to war, because he doesn't believe in it.

Getting Rid of Dark Nebula

     This is an unused photo that I forgot to put into a video.  I have many photos like this.  They are kind of random, but they show all that goes on in the game.

     I ran into some kid from 'Dark Nebula' and I didn't like his attitude or how he talked to me.  It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
     From now on, I will put on my Ignore List anybody I see from Dark Nebula.  That will take care of the problem of ever having to deal with them again.
     I will be glad to be rid of them all.  They are the Nazi bullies of the game.

     It's nothing personal with anybody from Dark Nebula.  All I know is that I want to play the game, and do my thing, and mind my own business, and they get in the way of my enjoyment. 
     I have no problem banishing all of them to my Ignore list.
     Whenever I see one of their members, I will just add them to the Ignore list, and be done with them.
     Truck 'em.

War on English

     I am pretty sick and tired of people on 'Clone Wars Adventures' not even making the slightest attempt to write in English.  The chat style of speech is really busting my chops.
     True, they are young, but that doesn't matter.  It is the attitude.
     It is not cool for young people to be into English.  It reminds them of school too much, and they hate that.
     But if they want to communicate with me, they are going to have to do better.  I have no problem putting anyone on the ignore list, and I will do it in a flash at this point, and just be done with them forever, who cares?  I don't.  They can go talk their crap talk with somebody else, I don't need it.
     The cute misspellings I have come not to mind too much.  Some of it is charming, as it applies to this computer age.  They like phonetic spelling.
     Granted, there are lots of rules with American English, which is heavily influenced by British, German, Finnish, French, African, and also purely spoken methods of English.  It is confusing. 
     I can see how words in a stupid book can be pretty meaningless, especially when there are cool pop songs with rad lyrics set to music.
     Once they realize that a lot of epic poetry was intended to be sung, it will all make sense.  A lot of literature is a song, and it is longer and more enjoyable than a trite song, because when you read long texts, you can find your own music.
     Reading is hard, though, and it requires full concentration.

     Anyway, I know I got to give some of these kids a break, they deserve it.  But the ones that don't even try, I don't care about, and they can go ahead and swim with fish of their own level.

Happy Life Day

     It is a rare sight to see Valencia street in San Francisco completely devoid of traffic.  I took pictures of the street going in both directions.  It was pretty much empty.
     I was on the game this morning.  Somebody asked me if there was a war today.
     "No, there is no war on Life Day.  You do not have to show up to the front lines today."
     "So, I get a day off from fighting?" the soldier inquired.
     "Yes, but I expect you to be there bright and early tomorrow morning," I said.
     "Yes, Sir."
 
     I was unable to tell him about the story during a world war where both sides took the day off on Life Day and played a game of Kickball.  Then the next day, they returned to their respective sides, and continued the fighting.
     The chat box sucks, and to explain all that would have been a chore.

     The AT-RT mount is half off today, and only costs $2.00.  That is a good deal, relatively.    It makes me feel like a sucker because I paid $4 for it.

     I told my brother 'Happy Life Day' but he is a traditionalist, so then I wished him a 'Merry Christmas'.
     He does play TOR.  He told me that my computer doesn't even come close to the system requirements needed.
     I'm in need of an upgrade, but I am in no hurry.  I got plenty of games to play.

     I have enough supplies to last me until Tuesday, but I need an angel to drop some credits into my account.

To Enter into The Darkness

     Odd to play 'Clone Wars Adventures' and then tell a couple of people that I am going to work only to go to the cafe to write about the game.
     It's my job to write about CWA.  I don't see anybody else doing it in quite the same way.  Why should they?  Most of the players are teen-agers.
     A lot of the players only write in one or two word phrases.  The main language of CWA is 'common chat'.  It makes it difficult to communicate.  Couple that with the inadequacies of the chat box, and that means if you like to communicate thoughts in your head, it is very difficult.  The receiving end of some of my sentences is often met with a 'huh'?
     Yes, they are younglings.  Maybe it would help if they picked up a book once in a while instead of getting on video games all the time.
     If I was a kid, and I had a choice between a video game and a book, I would never pick up a book.  Maybe it was good that I didn't have video games growing up.  I read a lot of books.

     Anyway, I bought a jedi robe for my Eeetch pet.  The robe makes him float in a meditation style for a second, or he swings his little light saber.  They also have sith robes for Eeetch.  I wonder what that does?  Probably something similiar, but in an evil way.

     The game does get boring.  I see no point in telling everyone around you how bored you are.  If you are bored, log off the game instead of making everyone around you suffer because of the lack of mental activity in your head.
     Believe it or not, there are other video games besides CWA to play.  There are lots of free-to-play games out there, with Lotro and D & D online being a couple of my favorites.

     CWA is best played frequently in short blasts of time.  I like to break my time on CWA into 'sessions', where there is a beginning, middle, and an end.  Do a little here, do something there, and log out.
     There is no better way to get rid of people than to just exit the game.
     Sometimes it is good to not let people get to know you too well.
     There is no point in spreading yourself too thin.

     To think, I've been at the cafe for an hour, and this is all I've gotten done.  Things happen.  There is set-up time, thinking time, getting coffee, talking to a couple of people, and attempting to craft something decent for people to read is not easy.
     I could have just sat at home, and made some credits.
     The thing is, I need my cafe time to get away from everything at home.
     I can't think at home for certain things.  It is all too complicated to explain.
     To be honest, I've gotten myself into one hell of a mess recently, and I don't know how I am going to get out of it.
     My check was supposed to arrive a week ago, but I don't see it anywhere.
     I am pretty much screwed without money.

     It is going to be a sucky Christmas for me, and that is sad.  It's my own damn fault, too.  Now I have to suffer the consequences of my actions and inactions.

     It is going to suck to be me pretty soon.  I'm not looking forward to what is going to happen.  It is going to get dark before I see any light.

•      Most of the people in the game don't even consider capitalizing or punctuating anything.  This makes it difficult to interpret anything it is that they are saying.
•      Talking to some of the players is like entering a cave of darkness that is their head.
•      Ignorance is evil, because light is energy.  If there is no light, there is darkness.
•      A bright mind can illuminate a room.
•      However, the sun brings light, but it can also destroy all life.  Therefore, it is all about the balance between dark and light.
•      Wish me luck, everybody.  I might be falling into the abyss.

The Alternate History of Star Wars - some thoughts regarding the subject

     I am so annoyed and mad.  I am going to have to research it all out.  It is going to take time.  This is going to be a miserable chore.  I have to map out all nine episodes of Star Wars.  It is going to be a pain.  To redo the whole series is not going to be easy.  There are so many annoying things and loopholes in Star Wars, that as I read more, I just throw up my hands, and say, "F*** This!  I'll do it my way!"
     First of all, though it is a dramatic moment in 'Empire', Darth will not be Luke's father.  That is something that was made up after Episode IV.  I'll have Luke say 'Nooooooooo!" to something else.
     Episode I is the first thing that needs an overhaul.  What could have been a great movie turned out to be an emotionless piece of crap.  The pod race scene was designed mostly to sell Star Wars related video games, but really doesn't do much in terms of signifying value.
     Spending time with everybody captured in a net by Ewoks in Episode VI was a pretty weak moment.

     Well, enough time has gone by since the release of Episode IV that an overhaul can take place.  All the Star Wars information is on Wookiepedia, so there actually is a way to put all of the information together.

     The truth is, that despite Lucas not wanting to make Episodes VII-IX, the information is there about what happens after Episode VI.  The story can continue.  Luke and Han can be played by someone else, who cares at this point?  The chance is gone to use the original actors.  Lucas waited too long, and that is a shame.  He blew it, so f it, get somebody else.

     Anyway, that is how I feel.

     The original gripe was that Star Trek fans were more intellectual, and they had more information about The Star Trek Universe.  Well, that has changed.  There is more stuff on Star Wars now.

     'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...'  I am starting to have problems with that line now, though it is a gorgeous line...it is impractical.  The real line is...'In an alternate universe in a time that mirrors our own...' is my interpretation.  It works for me and my purposes.

     For Star Wars to be a history..well, how did Earth ever hear about the story?  If it is in a galaxy far, far away, maybe an alien from Star Trek planted a seed in Lucas's head.  See, that is an alternate reality right there.

     'There are no bras in space' - George Lucas to Carrie Fisher during the filming of Star Wars.

     There are lots of things in Star Wars that retroactively need working out.  Lando Calrissian was originally conceived as a clone.  I just read it on the article for Star Wars on wikipedia, look for yourself.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars

     Well, there you go.  Read the entire article.  It is good reading.

     The wife of George Lucas made a killing when she divorced him.  Sheeez.  Was he that bad of a guy, or was the marriage a disaster?  Who knows what went on, but I sure am curious.

     Basically, since Star Wars was made up on the fly, and it was made up as Lucas went along, this makes it possible to gather all the information, and to rewrite the whole thing, and make it all work.  The nine movies could be redone as a nine book series, in the epic manner of 'Lord of The Rings'.  That would be awesome, and it would help to make sense of the whole 'Star Wars Mess'.

I was on the game this morning...

     I had just woken up, and turned on the game, and Wes Shiptalon was there.  Don't these kids go to school?  Maybe it is the holiday.
     Anyway, Wes is a good kid.  It seems like he comes from a good family. 
     He doesn't talk much, nor should he.
     He is only ten years old, I think.
     I couldn't figure out at first why this kid was following me around all the time, but then I started to accept it.
     I figure I am Batman and he is Robin.
     I know he must have a good Dad, and that is real cool.  Wes must follow certain rules on the game in terms of how he interacts with people.  For example, Wes will not accept any gifts from me.  That is good.  He is his parents responsibility, and they are the ones who should buy him SC, and they do from time to time.  He is a lucky kid.
     Not all kids are that lucky on Clone Wars.  Some kids can't afford membership, though, on double or triple cash day, lifetime membership only costs between $20-$30.  All you have to do on those days is go to the game store, get Clone Wars or Free Realms cards and type the codes in, and buy the membership in-game.
     I have an alternative character I would like to make a member.  I will once I get a job or some art sales or something.

     One reason why I play Clone Wars is I don't have to think all that much.  It takes a lot out of me to play these other online games, like 'Lord of The Rings Online'.  I don't always have the time to get involved in an epic quest.  Even on that game, I just go in there just to do mindless killing.  I like to grind while I am doing other things around the art studio.  I can't devote my life to online games, though, to be honest, it is starting to become a business for me.  Play the game, make a video, get hits,...hey!  Making video game videos has made my character Dirk Wampaflash fairly well-known within the game.

     All attention is on Star Wars: The Old Republic.  So, ....I don't know what to say about that.  All I know is I won't be playing TOR for a long, long time.
     TOR is a kid's game, too, just so you know.  It is designed for people 18 and under mostly.  People of all ages play it.

     Free Realms is way more of a kid's game then Clone Wars.  I feel like I am a kid when I play Free Realms.  With Clone Wars, however, it is war, and that is an adult theme, no matter what anybody says.
     It is an odd thing having clones fight your war for you.  They are...expendable.  They are just clones, right?  Yes, but they are human, too.
     The U.S. Army probably wouldn't mind having trained war-minded clones.  Maybe they will have them some day.

     I still don't buy the romance between Annakin and Padme.  Their whole relationship just seems all screwed up and emotionless, and they never really have time for each other.  Annakin is into his war thing, and being a jedi, and Padme is into her politics, with her teen-age girl idealistic solutions to problems.

     Luke and Leia are supposed to be twins.  Luke is the older child.  They look nothing like each other.  There would be similarities in the face.  That is what happens when you don't decide Darth is their father until the second movie.
     If they really were brother and sister, they would have realized it just by looking at each other.  Luke would never have had a crush on Leia, because he would have known.
     It's all a little ridiculous.
     I know it is just a movie, but we expect a lot from movies.

     I still don't know what to think of Clone Wars.  I still have a hard time accepting Anakin as a character that I care about.  I care even less about Padme.
     I like Mace Windu more and more.  Too bad they didn't make better use of him in the movies.

     My brother pointed out the other day that people love Greedo, and he is just some guy with a mask on.  Meanwhile, people still hate Jar Jar as a character.  It is too bad they didn't just put a guy in a costume.  It might have worked better. 
     In Babylon 5, people in alien costumes works just fine, just like Episode IV.  An alien costume helps with the believability.  The cgi just...still bugs me after all these years.

•      Wow, almost one-hundred hits on this blog.  I know most of the hits are mine, as I log in to write the articles.  Other hits will come from other sources eventually.  It all just takes time.
•      The Umbara war zone makes me dizzy.  The reason is because I am looking for the holos, or small beacons.  To find them, I have to move the camera of the game a lot, and this causes my head to spin after a while.  The beacons are in hard to find places, too.  To find them, you must have a keen eye, persistence, and determination.  Or the easy way, is to find a friend who is good at finding them.  I had a friend help me find quite a few.  I would never have found that many holos without some help.
•      Yes, now that TOR is out, I don't expect too much attention to be placed on Clone Wars.  Also, I am sad that SWG is done.  I still had not really finished the game.  My characters are now non-existent, and that is sad.  It is like a whole alternate reality was created, and is now dead.  They changed the game so many times, though, that I got confused, and I never figured out what the hell was going on in the game, nor did I have enough time to play it.
•      I still have more than plenty to do on Lotro, so there is no need to play TOR for even another year.  I will let everyone else play, and help work out all the bugs of the game.  I am in no hurry for it.
•      One thing about TOR is, that all the women have large breasts, and all the men wear tight pants with their bulge showing.  The pants are tight even on the guys' butts, and that is kind of gay, just so everybody knows.