Miscellany

Matt Arnold

October 12, 2006

• The Secret Masters of SMOS invite you to join us, regardless of whether you are a Secret Master Of Fandom, for abundant spaghetti this Friday, October 13. This time the SMOS dinner is once again at my house in Redford, conveniently central to the Ann Arbor/Detroit suburban metroplex. Here's a link to a Google Map. If you care about Penguicon, you are invited to show up, whether you're working on the convention or not. It's a small social gathering. It's laid back, you can talk about anything, and there's no membership, agenda, formality, or structure. We just SMOF, eat, talk about SF/fantasy/software/games and other things, and get to know each other better.

• I am removing some restrictions on the Livejournal Art Meme. It is no longer limited to the first five people who ask me. I do not promise to do it, although your chances improve if you make an interesting request. You are not at all obligated to reproduce the meme on your own blog.

• replied to yesterday's post about my third case in five days of draining my car battery by leaving the headlights on:

  RELAYS ARE WONDERFUL. A bit of hacking should allow you to gate the power to the headlights by the ignition switch.

  If any of you know how to do this, I would be very grateful if you would.

• Want a free PlayStation Portable game cartridge? Loan me your PSP.

  

  Capcom sent me a review copy of "Ultimate Ghosts N Goblins". I enjoyed the classic old versions for the NES and the SNES (see the modified web-playable version here), and I hope this new one will follow in those footsteps. When Ghouls 'N Ghosts spun off one of the enemy characters (pictured above) to be the protagonist of "Gargoyle's Quest", that was one of my favorite black-and-white Gameboy titles. "Maximo" for PS2 had a problem with save points, but was worth renting. There's a good track record with this franchise.

  I plan to review it; but I don't own the system that plays the cartridge. The first person to loan me their PSP gets to own the game cartridge when I'm done playing it and writing the review. Given the legendary difficulty of the Ghouls 'N Ghosts series, this could take a couple of weeks. Naturally, I'll take excellent care of the PSP, and will guarantee that I'll pay to replace it if it's damaged during the loan.

  As most of the people know by now who saw me, , and Matt playing 4-player Mario Kart DS and Tetris DS over a wireless connection at ConClave, Gameboy DS is my handheld platform of choice. But PSP is also excellent, and has games I crave, such as Lumines.

announces Ultimate Ghosts ‘n GoblinS™ for THE PSP ™ (PlayStation®Portable) system

E3, LOS ANGELES ¾ May 10, 2006 — The beloved armored Arthur, with his renowned boxers in tow, charges onto the portable gaming scene as Capcom® today presented Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins™ , an exciting side-scrolling action adventure game for the PSP™ (PlayStation ® Portable) system. Created by members of the original Ghost 'n Goblins team, the long awaited fourth installment to the favored franchise sees the triumphant return of valiant knight, Sir Arthur, as he must save the princess from the clutches of evil. Specifically recreated from the ground up, witness the evolution of the series with the inclusion of exciting upgrades and new gameplay features, all the while retaining the legendary qualities reminiscent to the property. Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins is scheduled for release throughout North America in Q3 2006.

In Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Arthur's heroic battle with the underworld was finally over and the entrance to the realm was sealed. So he thought. Time passes and unknowing to mankind, the dark lord has awaken from his slumber and kidnaps the princess in an effort to conquer the human world. Arthur must set off for the evil forest, the gateway to the underworld, to save the princess from imminent doom and keep the devil as well as his minions at bay. The excitement and intensity of the forerunner continues as our armored hero takes on this new challenge for the sake of humanity.

With the use of a 3D graphics engine , the Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins world comes alive as effects, cutscenes, backgrounds and animations are given more depth and richer detail. Retaining the classic design of the series, several new facets have been created including a broader range of motion and control techniques. Now our hero has the capability to dash, double-jump, shoot up or down in a vertical fashion, grab onto ledges, etc. A new leveling system allows gamers to build up Arthur's skills for more powerful magic abilities and attacks. With the addition of extra lives, death doesn't mean starting from a check point but rematerializing where they left off. Also new to the series is the inclusion of three difficulty modes that will suit every experience level: Novice, Standard and Ultimate. With the introduction of these all-new settings, a wide range of players can now fully enjoy Arthur's daring and unique world.

No longer just a linear experience, Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins has plenty of branching sub-missions that will encourage players to explore their surroundings for a more open-ended experience. Gamers can save their progress along the way and revisit cleared stages at anytime to expose unexplored paths, concealed items or weapons to help conquer the challenges that lie ahead.

Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins boasts the following features:

New features and upgrades for the series –

• New 3-D characters and environments enrich the side-scrolling adventure!

• New weapons, magic and armor help Arthur overcome difficult challenges

• New and improved moves for the heroic Sir Arthur:

  • Double-jump in mid-air, grab onto ledges and much more

• New save feature allows gamers to revisit cleared stages at anytime

• New level-up system for more powerful abilities and attacks

• New difficulty settings that provide their own unique challenges for every gamer:

  • Novice – An easier mode for those not familiar with the series
  • Standard – The default setting for those wanting a challenge
  • Ultimate – A setting reminiscent of past Ghosts ‘n Goblin titles

• Extra lives mean starting where players left off and not at check points

Expansive environments – Five main stages, each with multiple sub-missions, hidden paths and bosses to conquer

Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. Founded in 1983, the company has created world renowned franchises including Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Breath of Fire, Devil May Cry and the Onimusha series. Headquartered in Osaka , Japan , the company maintains operations in the U.S. , United Kingdom , Germany , Tokyo and Hong Kong . More information about Capcom and its products can be found on the company's web site at www.capcom.com .

Comments

elizilla on Oct. 12, 2006 4:41 PM

>> RELAYS ARE WONDERFUL. A bit of hacking should allow you to gate the power to the headlights by the ignition switch.
>
> If any of you know how to do this, I would be very grateful if you would.

I bet Chuck could help you with this. It's pretty simple.

Basically a relay is a switch, but instead of being switched off and on by a button or toggle, they are switched off and on by electricity.

The relays cost about $6, you can find them at the auto parts store, usually they are shelved near the accessory fog lamps. Or you can get one at Radio Shack, tell them it's for automotive use and they can help you choose the right size. Relays look like little black boxes about an inch on a side, with five little metal connectors sticking out on one side.

You'll also need a wiring diagram for your car. You may be able to find this online somewhere, or you may need to buy/borrow a manual for your particular car. The reason you need the wiring diagram, is to find out which color wire to splice into.

Chuck probably has appropriate wires and connectors and tools already.

I'd suggest looking for ways to insert this into your existing wiring harness without cutting wires, because if your splices are less than perfect, moisture may eventually cause problems. Better to do it in such a way that you can remove/replace things easily if it fails in three or four years.

dbvanhorn on Oct. 13, 2006 2:46 PM

Two things to be aware of.

Automotive "horn relays" aren't designed for continuous duty.
When was the last time you laid on the horn for six hours?

Horn relays usually have three terminals, with one side of the coil and one side of the switch connected.

There are plenty of good relays out there, www.digikey.com
You'll need something in about the 30A range, check the fuse for the circuit.
Basically, wire the coil to the ignition and ground, and wire the switch so that it breaks the circuit(s) to the lights. You might need a double-pole relay to kill headlights and parking lights. Ideally you can get at the + side of the headlight switch.

I wouldn't mind doing it for you, but the commute is a bitch.

zifferent on Oct. 12, 2006 4:43 PM

If I remember anything from High School Electronics class:

Ignition Wires             +         -             |         |             |         |             \@@@@@@@@/              ========              ___---o__             /         \             |         |             |         |             +         -           Headlamp Wires

You need a relay that is normally open, but it's not terribly
difficult. The worst parts are soldering and figuring out which wires
to use.

users on Oct. 12, 2006 11:15 PM

What time is the SMOS thing?

matt-arnold on Oct. 13, 2006 2:39 AM

I will be home around six. Dinner will probably be served around seven. I hope to see you there!

users on Oct. 13, 2006 10:50 AM

I will be there! :)