Driven By Hate - A Druchii Blog

Ladies and gentlemen, druchii and goblins, ravens and orcs, you are cordially invited to peruse..



A collection of tales chronicling the exploits of Raucir Lustingclaw and the ill-favoured House Sathar.



So basically, I've been writing a lot lately, and what with the spotlight the other week and the positive and constructive feedback I've received for my posted Druchii Tales on The Grey Kabal's forum, I've decided to open up a seperate blog for the whole thing.

Obviously Raucir's tales are the focus of the collection (every aspiring writer should be considered an egomaniac), though I'll be posting the occasional Bonus Story when I have the spark to actually write something interesting. I'm also intending to Write On Demand at some later stage, once I'm more confident.

Thanks to all of House Sathar for their warm welcome, their ongoing perseverance in Warhammer Online and their help and advice on my writing.

As a final note, I'd like to point out that right now Driven By Hate is a work in progress which needs a lot of tweaking, and that I'm beginning by posting one (maybe two) excerpts a week so as to help my run up at giving this writing shit a serious shot.

Read on! \m/

Od.

"Vault Secure!"

So Fallout 3 then.

I've been playing this every now and then. I ain't impressed. It isn't nearly as much fun as a good game of WAR - there's no-one around to fight!



It's a fucking wasteland! There's nothing out there but ruined buildings, tumbleweeds, radiation and the occasional rabid dog or robot! Where's my damned horse?! WHY CAN'T I SPRINT!?

WHY IS STEALTH IMPOSSIBLE!?

Only joking. I got my copy for free, so I'm not really angry about anything.

But I would like a horse..

It's a pretty game, isn't it? But as usual, my first reaction to the well-detailed environments and rolling tumbleweeds, perfectly-drawn hairs on the character's face and expressive feautres, was, 'Shiny. Like a high-tech Oblivion.', and let's be honest, that's what it is. It FEELS like Oblivion. When you move, when you fight, when you talk to characters, when you ride your horse OH WAIT YOU CAN'T DO THAT I FORGOT.

Not that I'm bitter about it or anything.

The problem with such massive, immersive games like Fallout 3 (or as I've taken to calling it, the F3 Virus), is that there's so. Much. TALKING. And so many f-ers to talk to! Oh sure, 'not if you avoid the main quests', you might say. But that's why I'm here! I play games because they have STORIES behind them. I wanna know who's gonna blow up the world, who's gonna kill everything, who's gonna save them and above all, how many guns am I allowed? I don't WANT to spend twenty hours just wandering around and occasionally killing things because there's nothing else to do. I want interaction, drama, fast-paced action and a flowing storyline! Not Travel-Dungeon-Kill-Loot-Sell-Repeat! If I wanted THAT shit I could just go and play Warcraft.

Being an incredibly indecisive person given to sudden, irrational mood swings, I don't get on with it because I never fall into any of the accepted types. Fallout comes with a nice array of playstyles, just like Oblivion, but like every game I've ever played, what it comes down to is that if you don't have the opportunity to pick a dedicated class (ie rogue, fighter, wizard etc, blah blah blah yakkety shmakkety), it can be extremely difficult to try and stick with one.

For example, by nature I prefer to keep in the shadows, wait for my moment and stab people repeatedly in the neck. If I work out that I can't do this, like in Fallout 3 where EVERY LITTLE NOISE attracts the attention of every fucker from Thunderdome and beyond, or the fact that every single enemy has TELESCOPIC SUPER VISION like Superman and shit, thus rendering sniper rifles pointless, then my other playstyle is to play tactically. Adjust my approach to suit the situation.

But because one is forced to semi-specialise, this isn't a viable option. In an ideal world I would either take the stealthy approach, which consists of, as mentioned, repeated stabbing, and silenced pistols, sniper rifles and the occasional grenade ("Fraggle out!"), or the pyromaniac approach, which consists of burning everything to a cinder until there's nothing left but a pile of ashes and me with a happy smile and singed eyebrows. Fallout relies on your persistence, patience and ability to pick up useless crap everywhere you go.

That's right. Useless crap. The problem here is, what's useful and what isn't? I saw packs of cigarettes lying around and my first thought was 'Prisoners trade for cigarettes, why shouldn't post-nuke nutjobs?' so I grabbed a few packs. I grabbed cans of food, big knives, anything that could be used as a weapon, scavenged every single piece of armour I could find, and passed over the pressure cooker ("Wtf? What is this shit, 'Cooking Mama'? Where are the GUNS!") and railspikes, completely unaware that these very components can lead to some of the nicer weapons later on.



I SHOULD love this game. It's beautiful, graphics-wise. It's smooth, the gameplay can be immersive and gripping (except when you're zerged by six raiders because OOPS you trod on a tin can!), the voices are (mostly) well-done, the scripting is just fine and the dialogue is spot-on as far as I'm concerned. The VATS system is epic win.

But I just can't get into it. I've decided to give up on it for now. I much prefer the epic battles of WAR and the camaraderie of my allies. Plus, I'm MORE than happy to be labelled a squishy ranged DPS and not be able to stealth or anything else, because I have meatshie- allies to do that for me. I get to focus on mass destruction and saying cool stuff. AND I HAVE A FUCKING HORSE.

WAR CALLS!

Od.

Murkanary

Sounds a bit like a pokemon, doesn't it?

I'm not going to start out this blog with a tirade of bitter sentences all in capital letters or complain about anything in particular, much as I would like to. I've been having one of those runs of annoyance and frustration that one blessed with less testicular fortitude might refer to as 'depression', so I've decided to list my Top Five Favourite Things to cheer myself up. I might do some writing later on as well.

So!

5. Online Gaming.

Just gotten back into online gaming recently with the addition of my shiny new 'net connection, and I have to say I'd completely forgotten that it can vary so much! There are the obviously irritating moments, i.e. when ANYONE uses the word noob or one of its variations, but
there's the sheer brilliance of co-ordinating movements with another player and formulating battle plans, as well as sharing ideas and tips!

4. Movies.

I LOVE a good movie. Especially on those incredibly rare occasions when I get to go with a group. I've been unable to do this recently due to my lack of funding what with Reading coming up, so my monthly issues of Total Film are becoming slightly dog-eared as a result. If I can't see the movies I just have to read about 'em as much as possible. :(

3. The Sandwich.

I WOULD go with 'nuff said', but I can't expound upon the virtues of the sandwich enough. I assume you already know the origins of this humble yet satisfying snack, so I won't go into that, but I am of the firm belief that you could cram just about anything into a sandwich. Hells, I
remember the grotesquerie that was my neighbour's children living on sugar sandwiches when I was little.

2. A Good Book.

No, not THE Good Book (although I have read it cover-to-cover and to be honest I only liked Genesis and Revelations, the rest was a bit dull). I mean the satisfaction that comes from reading a good book, or even better, a series of good books! There's something great about getting to know the characters and the worlds of someone else's imagination, then the reactions you get from whatever occurs. I highly recommend the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, by the way.

1. The Carling Festival (Reading).

Do you know how I measure my year? You probably measure yours the same way as everyone else, i.e. 1st of January to the 31st of December (or otherwise where applicable) but what I'm getting at is that my year ends on the final day of the Festival (Sunday) and begins on Monday morning, when all the grubby, smelly, bleary-eyed, hungover or else wasted festivalgoers pack up their little canvas homes for another year and roll on back to civilisation. It's the most amazing three (sometimes five!) days of my entire year, without fail. I get to spend nearly a WEEK with my best friends (well, most of 'em, it's a shame my geek buddies aren't into festivals), listen to some awesome bands, hang out with thousands of people who are trying far too hard to be cool, which is no end of amusement to me, and get the fuck AWAY from everything. No offices, no computers, no buses, no chavs, no drug-crazy neighbours, no rent, no tax.. I'm getting all nostalgic now. I may even squirt a few tears.

Of course, the saddest thing is that this, potentially my eighth year in a row, is so far looking like the least likely of years for me to go. Unless I can pull out all the stops budget wise and scam some money out of people, I won't be going. SO! If anyone knows of a way to make a quick two hundred squid or wants to buy any of my doodles from the gallery (see Linkage, right ->), now's the time to let me know!

And how hard can it BE to use this eBay thing, anyway..

...oh hell, I don't know what any of these words mean! GEM! HELP ME OUT BUDDEH! What in the name of the Emperor is a 'listing charge'?!

Ohsh- HE'S GONNA RANT!

Lex Ferenda

The year is 2066, and after a ten-year war spanning the globe, the heroic agents of the British Empire's Metahuman Corps have successfully halted the threat of the American-Asian Alliance, but at a terrible cost.

Europe is in ruins. France is gone, carved from the continent by a Chinese super-weapon called the Moon Sword. Italy has been decimated by an earthquake induced by American weaponry that split the country in half. The rest of Europe and the British colonies along the eastern coast of what used to be the United States are slowly recovering, though they are surrounded by desolate wastelands that stretch across thousands of miles.

Beaten into retreat by the world's greatest legion of metahumans, the Americans have gone to ground. The Empire is attempting to rebuild its lost colonies, and is working to reinforce its hold on Europe to block any further advances from the still-defiant forces of Asia. The Imperial forces are beset by spies from within and deadly raids on their territorial borders from without, all the while working to keep the vitriolic metahuman population of the British Central Isles under control.

You are one of the Empire's latest recruits, a metahuman with untapped potential. On your arrival in London, you are transferred to CAPE, the base of operations for the nation's empowered protectors. After a rigorous training regime, you will have your abilities unleashed and put to good use by the Empire.

Assigned to a Street Team of fellow recruits watched over by an Enforcer, one of CAPE's formidable psychics, you will work your way up through the ranks to become a true hero. During your actions in London, it becomes clear that the fires of rebellion seethe beneath the skin of the Empire, but will you stamp it out or fan the flames?

As your career progresses, your team become embroiled in a sinister plot to bring down the Empire from within, and will be forced to cross into hostile territories, including the European Wastes, the war-torn battlefields of Asia where the fight never ceases, the mysterious city of Desolation, U.S.A. and even the abandoned Chinese lunar complex housing the deactivated Moon Sword.

GAME FEATURES:

The abilities you gain during your Activation affect the way you play!

+ Decimate enemy armour, shrug off bullets and reduce buildings to rubble with your bare hands as an unstoppable Titan!

+ Become a Hawk to eliminate enemies at lightning speed and take flight to strike with deadly precision from the air!

+ As a Warrior, the ultimate fighter, any weapon you pick up, be it blade, bludgeon or firearm will become a masterpiece of death in your hands!

+ Speak to machines, create bizarre weapons and control astounding vehicles of war as the ever-ready Enginseer!

+ Focus your mind to shred metal and destroy your foes with Tactile Telekinesis as an Enforcer or become a Puppet Master to hurl objects and your enemies around like toys!

+ As a Pyro, Geo, Aero or Hydromancer, control the elements themselves and the destructible environment becomes your playground!

Customisable Characters!

Hundreds of customisation options -

+ Appearance - Make your Hydromancer stand out from the crowd with silver hair and blue skin or create an imposing Titan with fiery eyes and a rocky hide that bullets bounce off!

+ Background - CAPE recruits from all over the world! Is your Puppet Master fleeing metahuman persecution from the African Borderlands? Was your Hawk an S.L. Academy prodigy whose whole family has enrolled as CAPE agents? You decide!

+ Personality - Does your Titan love monster trucks as much as you do? Are they more likely to help a wounded soldier than grant them a merciful death? It's up to you!

(NB: Like all good game designers, I've listed these last two as customisation options when it's really just a few boxes for information you can choose to leave blank! NWN Alignments and Background, anyone? xD)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, so there are the bare bones for my game. Lex Ferenda is a working title which means 'The Law as it Should Be'. It would play like a Role Playing Game, with elements of first-person-shooters and God of War-style action sequences with a ton of enemies, and it would be intensely story-driven (and written by me, damn it, I'm sick of the pee-poor dialogue I keep seeing in games), though without a huge emphasis on finding people and talking to them. It's war out there and possible insurrection in here, YOU AIN'T GOT TIME TO CHAT!

There would be an extensive single-player campaign spanning chapters and issues in a comic book style-ee, but I'd like a multiplayer campaign too, where you go through the game with a team formed from your friends or clan mates or acquaintances or whatever. It'd probably be quite sweary, with a few seriously gory moments, because let's face it, reality is harsh, so why not take it further with fiction? And that brings me to my reason for thinking this up:

I am tired of seeing reality duplicated in videogames. You can keep your precious football games (which as far as I'm concerned aren't games anyway), sponsored racing games and fething World War games. This is all stuff we know, we've seen, it happened, it's OVER.

I want to see more games with freaky creatures and weird goings-on, alternate dimensions and histories, more examples of surreality and just out-and-out weirdness! Stuff that just doesn't happen in real life! Who cares about whether the new Fifa has all the licensed players from the many and various leagues (I know next to nothing about footy btw) - Have any of the players got five eyes? Guns for toes? do they have a predisposition to eating old rubber tyres or do they fly starships made from cheese to their games of ubarfitba (which is a game played on aircraft carriers using horses, tridents, one military-grade laser cannon per team and one very worried were-hamster)?

We already know about reality! With videogames you can do anything! USE YOUR IMAGINATIONS FOR A CHANGE!

...wow, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to go on such a rant.

Anyway, I'm particularly fond of the battlefields idea, and before anyone asks, I'm aware of how obvious it is so it's no spoiler, but YES, THE MOON SWORD IS A GIANT MOON LASER.

....LAZERZLAZERZLAZERZ

Any questions would be welcome :D

"We can't stop here! This is bat country!"

No particular reason for the title other than it's one of my favourite movie quotes.

So how is everybody? Sitting Comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Online gaming. When did it become so addictive? Also, am I the only one who is influenced by those around them during online games?

Example:

Normally, I am one of the most placid, considerate online gamers around, apart from my tendency to furiously ignore anyone who types using leetspeak. I'll let people steal my kills, fling their pointless insults (loser, fag, and of course, noob) and generally give the community a bad name, without a care in the world. What goes around, you know? But yesterday while playing Unreal Tournament 3 I suddenly became very, very angry. Not to the point where I was forced to swear AT anyone, because let's face it, slagging off people who live thousand of miles away isn't going to be nearly as effective as as a good slap, and one can't deliver one of those unless actually seated beside the offender.

But this guy/girl, probably a guy, looking back at the name, was costing my team the game. In a horribly blatant manner, as well. In one particular Warfare level of UT3 (Tank Crossing, Unreal players!) the most effective method of assaulting the enemy objective (Power Core) is to do the following:

A) Capture the Bridge Node. This activates the bridge which spans the huge chasm in the middle of the map.

B) Drive the Goliath (each team receives one of these massive tanks) across the bridge.

C) Navigate your way to the enemy power core and park the Goliath on a pressure pad which opens up the blast doors protecting it.

D) Fire.

But this was beyond the offender in question. He would REPEATEDLY jump in the Goliath (which means no-one else can get into the driver's seat) and proceed to drive backwards and forwards over the equivalent distance of about four metres. He wouldn't cross the bridge, he wouldn't get out of the tank, he wouldn't even fire the bloody thing.

Now, if one gets into a fast-paced First Person Shooter online, the one thing, above all else (including skill, talent, graphics, aiming, driving ability, EVERYTHING) that should concern a player is this:

Lag.

If one begins to lag, one bloody well notices. You won't be able to move, your weapons won't fire, nothing else will be moving or else everything will be moving in incredibly jerky fashion, like one of the old webcams that updated every second or two instead of streaming constantly. So there's a reason to ditch the game. I've done this myself once or twice. If all you can do is hover in mid-air because your computer's lagging so much that you aren't going to land for the next thirty seconds, it's time to leave the game. Common sense lads, fucking common sense.

So if this fellow was lagging (and the constant movement of the vehicle imply that this was NOT the case) he should have damn well known that the only thing to do was quit and let the other players enjoy their game. So the only other options (to me at least, most of the other players just assumed he didn't know how to drive, which is ridiculous) are that he was away from his keyboard, had gotten his keys jammed, or was just messing around and ruining it for everyone else.

The first you just don't do. Not while you're driving, for the Emperor's sake! Ditch the vehicle, die and respawn! Just leave your character to hover: this is accepted practice!

The second, well, you could at least TELL us! Would it take so long to type out, give me a moment here, let me get this right, 'sry keybord stuk lol'?

And the third, well. I don't like to think about it. What sort of person would deliberately do that? How can that be as much fun as actively participating in the fight?

Okay, rant over. My lunch break's nearly up and I needs me some cool water.

Thanks for putting up with me!

Love, Odsox.

"Odsox rode his own rocket into oblivion!"

Just a quick one to say I played my first few online deathmatches on Unreal 3 tonight. It's official: I suck.

But it's a bloody brilliant game! It was incredibly frantic, gunshots going every which way, and after two games I got into my stride, i.e. the bottom of the scoreboard. XD But I must stress that in Unreal there isn't any time to stand around and insult the other players, it's straight up kill or be killed. I think that has to be what I really love about it, everyone's too busy fragging to insult anyone else.

I soon realised that I was up against some serious players, who were just dominating the whole game. I always forget that in the FPS genre, you have to take your online game seriously, otherwise you just get rolled over. It doesn't bother me so much that I just kept dying, I was laughing at the sheer level of destruction for most of the game. ^o^

The final scoreboard before I decided to let the decent players enjoy themselves showed everyone in double figures (top score was 50 ftw) and right on the bottom line, there he is, young Odsox, with a grand total of 4 kills.

BUT THEY WERE BADASS KILLS YO

Not really, I'm convinced they were all flukes. Still, I had fun and probably got a few laughs from players who noticed how bad I was, and sometimes making 'em laugh is all that really matters.

^^;

TTFN!

Love, Odsox.

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Only time for a quick one today, my arms are knackered from playing WiiSports.

Bloody thing! Weanie and I went out Sunday morning to buy a Wii for his new pad, ended up getting served by some monkey-retard trainee at Argooz, didn't he? Poor blighter. And then he made the mistake of showing me (once it was all set up - much fun, I love mucking about with tech) Wii Boxing. I proceeded to play it for about an hour.

NOW MY ARMS ARE BLEEDING INTERNALLY

That is all.

Love, Odsox.

P.S. Just checked my NationState, look at what we do to immigrants in our country, the Dictatorship of Od Sox:

"Hold on there, hold on people!" says Stephanie McAlpin of the Od Sox Broadcasting company, "We don't have to take either extreme, all we have to do is make a TV game show out of it! We put deadly obstacles on the border and monitor it with television cameras! Those that make it across win freedom and citizenship, and those who don't, well, lets just say that our buzzards won't starve. We could call it 'Who Wants to be an Immigrant?'!"

Yeeeeeaaaahhh! Now I for one would watch that show religiously.

"Mazel tov, it's a boy!"

Anyone else looking forward to SPORE as much as I am? I certainly think so.

Probably not for the same reasons, mind.

A main point for me, no matter which game I play, be it real-time-strategy, first-person-shooter, beat-'em-up or action game, is customisation.

You have to realise that when you pick up a game, pop it in and play it, most people are happy with what they get. They get a character or two, a story, personalities and amazing situations (well, unless you play the Sims, but that hardly counts as a game, does it), all created by someone with a world of their own in mind.

I'm never happy with this. I play games and look through what we get, and the first thing I always want to know is: All well and good, but how about what I want? I don't want to play as an army of pointy-eared nazi elf bastards, I want to play as an army of giant floating eyeballs with bat wings and a fondness for books. Heck, I don't want an army, I want a horde, a rabble, a mob!

As a result I often come across as a bitching, miserable bastard who's never satisfied and won't be unless he has something to complain about. Which isn't entirely true.

I lust after customisation and definition; when I play a game with someone else, they can pick one of the out-of-the-box factions or characters or cars, whatever. I want to be able to say, 'You know what? I'm going to use my own creations.' Be it a car made out of cheese and dreams or a fighter whose special move is called The Nostril Raper (left-left-right-medium punch and medium kick together!), I don't want to use what I'm told to use, I want something I've made for myself!

Which is why SPORE is going to become (possibly; Dawn of War 2 has yet to be finished) my favourite videogame. The level of control and customisation is extraordinary, and the possibilities near-endless. Over a million creatures have been donated to the SPORE galaxy already, and I haven't added any thanks to my lack of a 'net connection (though I have 18 and counting ready to go).

To summarise, go and look at the site, download the trial, get the creature editor and for the sake of the God-Emperor, get SPORE the moment it comes out.

DO IT.

Love, Odsox

P.S. Just for the record, my creatures are all middling to high levels of effort; I average two hours per creature. The only ones that I feel really belong to me are the Odling, the Lankiflora, the Rumblebum and the Vicious Bastard. Copyright (as much as that's possible :S), motherfuckers!

"There's no god-damn Mr. Pib!"

Well, I for one had rather a good weekend. Rain cancelled play (read: anything involving leaving the house) on Saturday, so I spent a good five hours messing about with the SPORE Creature Creator. I had to suffer the trial version mind you, seeing as I still don't have a 'net connection at home. Christ, it's got to be coming up for a year now. Anyway, I highly recommend SPORE for everyone. Seriously. I sent messages to friends, relatives and strangers about this game. If you have even the tiniest spark of creativity in your veins then this game is for you.

Other than that, not an awful lot this weekend. Lack of funding meant I had to miss out on a mate's birthday party Saturday night, and spent Sunday morning and afternoon going over the Creature Creator a bit more, throwing in a couple of hours on The Witcher as well. It's a bit buggy, but rather good fun, and once you start unlocking more powerful spells and fancy swordplay the combat becomes something of a rush. Motion-capture footage of a professional swordsman was used in the creation of the combat moves, and it really becomes apparent when Geralt (that's The Witcher's name) starts flinging his sword around like a lethal majorette.

And I managed to catch Top Gear on Sunday night! First in a new series, and it was a blinder. I highly recommend catching up with it on the BBC iPlayer (what a fantastic way to spend your lunch hour!) if you missed it or just don't know what I'm talking about.

Meanwhile, I'm back off to work, wondering how to get a 'net connection on the cheap and how I'm going to afford all the important events coming up this year. Have a nice day, kids.

Hope I didn't take up too much of your time,

Love, Odsox