El primer vídeo que hago con mi “Nuevo estilo”… La verdad es que he tenido errores de pronunciación… En el próximo vídeo no volverá a ocurrir.

Saludos

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Item #02200

Ringrazio pubblicamente l’amico ALEXLT per avermi dato l’opportinità di fare un test interessante e di imparare qualcosa di più dal mio DFX.

Pubblico un suo quesito riguardante il suo XLT (il mitico “genitore” monofrequenza del DFX) che mi ha sottoposto qualche giorno fa…

“Ciao,
ho letto l’utilissimo handbook che hai redatto, ci sono molte informazioni utili sia per il Dfx che per l’Xlt che poi sono molto simili. Ti scrivo per chiederti consiglio per il mio programmino che utilizzo per il parco e per la spiaggia estiva, appena riesco ti trascrivo le impostazioni, perchè mi piacerebbe migliorarlo. Funziona molto bene, in pratica è un coin program con sensibilità molto bassa AC bassa e Preamp Gain basso, tanto le monete sono sotto pochissimo e il DC regolato per centrare i target nei primi centimetri, un vero e proprio cecchino per scavi chirurgici.
La Disc va da circa +20 a +94 in accept il resto reject.

Il problema che ho riscontrato sabato è in terreni molto sporchi, contaminati soprattutto da alluminio, pezzi di lattine e lattine schiacciate, il VDI mi va su valori identici alle monete da 50 a 70, stabile, suono netto pulito, ripetuto non oscillante, il Signagraph è valido con una o due barre piene a destra, risultato scavo un sacco di target a vuoto. L’unico modo valido per evitare è il pinpoint che al 99% su masse maggiori dà come profondità 0 (zero), però spesso le monete sono sotto talmente poco che anche loro danno spesso 0, oppure 0,5/1 e in quest’ultimo caso si riconosce il target moneta.
Se la lattina è grande col pinpoint si riesce a capirne l’estensione e si evita, ma spesso target molto vicini possono ingannare.
So che la soluzione migliore in questi casi sarebbe un piastra più piccolina, ma volevo chiederti visto la tua esperienza e la passione con cui ti sei documentato, se sapresti darmi qualche consiglio su come agire su qualche parametro che mi permetta di riconoscere un target tondo moneta/anello da un target frammento alluminio/lattina
Ti ringrazio,

un cordiale saluto,

Alex “

Ecco la mia prima risposta…

“Premetto che  il DFX non l’ho mai usato su spiaggia quindi su questo ambiente mi manca esperienza.

Effettivamente è un comportamento molto strano quello che mi descrivi.
Su quali tipi di terreni ti capita più spesso?
Puoi dirmi il DC Phase tipico?
Anche per le monete “buone” hai VDI più alti del normale?

Sembrerebbe che la mineralizzazione del terreno ti stia alzando il valore medio dei VDI… ma di solito non è mai così in alto. Ecco perchè ti ho chiesto il DC PHASE tipico.

Per quanto riguarda invece le dimensioni degli oggetti, se tu avessi un DFX ti avrei raccomandato di passare al 15Khz per avere una maggiore separazione di VDI che ti interessano. Ciò ti aiuterebbe a capire meglio cosa hai sotto la piastra.

Fai un altro esperimento se puoi…

Prova a misurare il VDI dell’oggetto sospetto con il DC PHASE, col solito trucchetto dei due step e vedi se coincide con quello che ti riporta l’XLT in modalità normale MOTION (LiveSearch)

Se il DC PHASE ti riporta misure diverse e teoricamente più corrette, puoi usare questo metodo per avere la prova del 9 prima di scavare.

Mi fai sapere?

Happy StrangeVDI Hunting!

Bodhi3″

A questo punto ALEXLT mi risponde…

“Ti ringrazio per la risposta, gentilissimo
Il terreno a cui faccio riferimento è il parco, la mineralizzazione qui è nella norma, il problema sono proprio pezzi di alluminio accartocciati, sto provando un parco nuovo ed è molto sporco, e non riesco a capire quando è moneta e quando è alluminio.
I VDI per le monete sono nella norma 51-53 x i 10 cent, 56-64 x i 20 cent, 61-65 x 1 €, 70-73 x i 50 cent, 48-53 x i 2 €.
L’alluminio schiacciato a seconda della dimensione spazia da 50 a 80, proprio nel range monete.
Domani sera se ce la faccio monto il metal a casa e verifico i valori impostati.
Ho letto del trucco del DC Phase, ma non l’ho mai usato cosa devo fare? settare DC Phase su ON e poi quando uso il pinpoint mi da un VDI no motion?
Proverò questo metodo la prox volta che vado là.
Grazie ancora, ciao, Alex “

A questo ho indicato a ALEXLT dove poter leggere come usare il DC PHASE per avere una identificazione del terreno…
(http://bodhi3.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/tecniche-avanzate-di-ricerca-uso-del-dc-phase/)

Il giorno dopo, l’amico ALEXLT mi riscrive…

“Eccomi qua

(omissis)

Stasera sono meno cotto di ieri e mi sono messo a trascrivere il mio Park Program eccolo qui di seguito, ho letto il tuo interessantisimo topic e ho provato il DC phase su ON, spettacolare!! ignoravo la sua funzione, testato ora qui in salotto (non è il massimo) mi ha stupito per la precisione del simil-target ID, ho notato valori più bassi rispetto al VDI del motion, purtroppo non avevo una lattina schiacciata per fare un test, ma presto lo proverò sul campo. Tuttavia sul coperchio di un vasetto il VDI andava a +56/+63 come una moneta ma sul DCphase scendeva enormemente fino a +25/+33, mentre una moneta di pari VDI 20 cent o 1 euro VDI simile a +56/+63 in DCphase scendeva solo a +43/+48 rimanendo più fisso e meno oscillante di valori. Forse ci siamo, solo un test sul campo (parco) potrà confermarlo.
Grazie ancora per l’aiuto,(omissis)
Un salutone, Alex”

In attesa dei test di ALEXLT…

Ho fatto un paio di prove col DFX ed effettivamente utilizzandolo in modalità MOTION, le lattine alcune volte (non sempre) possono ingannarlo. Specie se sono schiacciate e messe in certe posizioni. Ho chiesto in giro e in parecchi mi hanno detto che non è una prerogativa del solo DFX/XLT ma che parecchi metal “scazzano” i valori VDI delle lattine schiacciate proprio per la loro forma strana. Come ben sapete, questo fattore (leggasi la superficie esposta) può effettivamente fare la differenza nell’identificazione.

Dopo aver fatto questi test, mi sono ricordato di un piccolo trucco che ho imparato ad usare con l’ACE 250 proprio per capire che tipo di oggetto ho sotto la piastra (a parte l’utilizzo del pinpoint) ed ha funzionato! Girando poi nei forum americani ne ho anche avuto conferma da molti utenti!

In poche parole…

Quando capita ciò che mi è stato chiesto di analizzare, bisogna continuare a “spazzolare” sopra il target sospetto ma alzando progressivamente la piastra. Se a un’altezza di circa 10-15 cm da terra abbiamo ancora lo stesso VDI sospetto… Bhè, al 95% si tratta di una lattina!

Specialmente usando configurazioni non particolarmente “spinte”, se fosse stata una moneta, il metal avrebbe perso il segnale ad una quota molto più bassa!

Altra cosa da fare è  disattivare il Ratchet Pinpoint! Questa funzione impedisce di utilizzare il pinpoint per tentare di determinare la grandezza dell’oggetto.

Spero di essere stato utile…

Happy CrushedCan Hunting!

Bodhi3

PS Rinnovo i miei ringraziamenti a ALEXLT per la sua gentilezza, disponibilità e competenza. Grazie, Amico di Ricerche!!!

Item #01100

Visit our website www.iplumb.tv for additional information or call 800-842-2543.

done

Just because you don't know who he is doesn't mean that he didn't do a great job.

I don’t think that Ratchet was anybody’s favorite Transformer.

When you talk about Transformers, you think about Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. But nobody really says much about Ratchet. While the other Autobots were out saving the world, Ratchet was back at the base, waiting to fix his injured friends. He wasn’t much to look at — just an ambulance; not a sports car or a big truck — but there was nobody who did what he did as well as he did it.

Well, Hot Off the Grill is a little like that. At first glance, it looks like a run-of-the-mill diner — the kind that sells burgers and sandwiches and dinner combos. It’s standard, everyday fare that you can find for cheap all over the United States. But I have to say that under the white-bread aesthetic of HOtG lies an undeniable and irresistible attraction factor: flavor.

Doesn't look like much, but the food is more than meets the eye.

I had the BLT. The BLT was great — just enough mayo to keep the sandwich from being too dry, but not so much that you experience chest pains. They were way generous with the thick slices of perfectly crispy bacon, and they didn’t bulk up the sandwich with lettuce to make it look like you were getting more – gotta love that balance of flavor means more than perceived value to HOtG.

My friend had the Chicken Salad with Greek dressing. The dressing was good; standard Greek. The thing that really stood out about the salad was the sheer volume of chicken.

Most chicken salads give you a few sad strips of flavorless, dry chicken breast on top of a mountain of lettuce. HOtG’s offering gives you a veritable treasure trove of moist, perfectly-seasoned chicken breast on top of a manageable amount of salad. The salad-to-chicken ration was perfect – perhaps a little heavy on the chicken, even. Now, that’s what I call value.

We also shared a generous side of fries – hot & crispy, just like a diner fry should be.

Hot Off the Grill might not be accused of doing something new, but it does the same old routine much better than the average diner. Much like Ratchet, it ain’t much to look at. But when it comes to flavor, there’s definitely more than meets the eye.

Hot Off the Grill
12800 Seal Beach Blvd.
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 493-2722

Οι 2 διαγωνισμοι διοργανωνονται απο το Αθηνοραμα και τη Sony Hellas.

Τα δωρα ειναι:

• 5 αντιτυπα του Gran Turismo για PSP
• 5 αντιτυπα του Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time για Playstation 3

Για να λαβετε μερος στις δυο κληρωσεις απλα συμπληρωνετε ονοματεπωνυμο και email εδω και εδω

Δηλωσεις συμμετοχης ως την Πεμπτη 12-11-2009 και οι νικητες θα ανακοινωθουν την επομενη

Przed Wami materiał z konferencji Sony na którą byłem zaproszony. Tekst skleciłem na potrzeby serwisu gamebox24.pl, gdzie jestem jednym z redaktorów. Niedługo jednak porzucę tą stronę (brak czasu, praca, obowiązki) więc zajmę się wyłącznie pisaniem i aktualizowaniem mojego bloga.

20 Października w Warszawskiej Galerii Mokotów odbyła się konferencja prasowa Sony, na której zaprezentowano szerszej publiczności (a w szczególności dzieciom) trzy gry – EyePet, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time oraz Invizimals. Twórcy tych tytułów dokładnie je zaprezentowali, pokazali zwiastuny i podali kilka ważnych informacji. Na pokazie zjawiło się naprawdę dużo zaproszonych gości m.in. Jarek Jakimowicz z synem, Julia Wróblewska, Robert Leszczyński oraz prowadzący impreze Maciej Kurzajewski.

Stawiłem się w wyznaczonym miejscu i w nie do końca wyznaczonym czasie (ehh te Warszawskie korki), gdyż bardzo chciałem zobaczyć w akcji nowe przygody Ratcheta i Clanka. Pozostałe tytuły wydawały mi się na tyle dziecinne, że miałem im poświęcić mniej uwagi. Czytelnicy gameboxa24 wiedzą, że już nie raz  i nie dwa moje plany wzięły w łeb. Po zobaczeniu w akcji EyePeta zawładnęła mną jakaś dziwna, chora, niekontrolowana fascynacja tym tytułem. Pozwolicie więc, że w pierwszej kolejności podziele się z Wami moimi odczuciami na temat tej gry.

EyePet jest bardzo urozmaiconą i dostosowaną do dzisiejszych standardów grą w stylu Tamagotchi (chociaż to porównanie nie do końca jest trafne). Pod naszą opieke zostaje powierzone małe stworzenie – tytułowy Pet. Aby jednak można się było naszym zwierzakiem zajmować, potrzebować będziemy kamerki (która rejestruje nasze ruchy) oraz specjalnej karty (która na ekranie telewizora „transformuje” się w różnego rodzaju przedmioty). Ważna uwaga techniczna: kamerka musi być skierowana w kierunku ziemi (czyt. podłogi), najlepiej, aby była ona w jasnych barwach (na pokazie przykryto materac białym kocem). Gdy już cały sprzęt mamy rozstawiony, możemy zacząć zabawe.

Jak już wspomniałem zwierzątkiem można, a nawet trzeba się opiekować. Bez karmienia, mycia, wizyt u lekarza itp. podstawowych czynności się nie obędzie. No dobra, ale jak rozpoznać czy coś dolega naszemu pupilowi? Twórcy rozwiązali tę sprawę za pomocą rentgena. Po prostu prześwietlamy naszego stworka i już wiemy czego w danej chwili potrzebuje.

Oprócz obowiązków wynikających z opieki nad naszym Petem, w grze znalazły się również elementy zabawy, które wypadają naprawdę rewelacyjnie. Ze zwierzątkiem możemy się bawić w różnoraki sposób. Przykładowo, możemy narysować na kartce jakiś przedmiot (np. samochodzik). Pokazujemy go kamerce i po chwili nasz stworek rysuje taki sam obrazek, który zmienia się w trójwymiarowy model! Taki samochodzik wywołuje niemałą radość naszemu pupilowi, który dotyka go łapkami, wsiada na niego i cieszy się niczym małe dziecko. Pojazdem oczywiście możemy sterować za pomocą pada, co daje również dużo frajdy graczowi.

Ale to nie jedyny sposób na zabawe. Dzięki kamerce która rejestruje nasze ruchy, możemy pogłaskać naszego zwierzaka. Możemy też pomachać palcami w górze, by ten uradowany zaczął do nich skakać! Jest jeszcze magiczna karta, która na ekranie telewizora zmienia się w różnego rodzaju przedmioty. Prysznic, paczka z jedzonkiem, rentgen, skocznia dla samochodów i wiele wiele innych rzeczy przydatnych w zabawie.  Naprawdę fajnie jest wchodzić w interakcje z czymś, co tak naprawdę istnieje tylko na ekranie telewizora, a zachowuje się jak prawdziwe zwierze.

Szczególnie widać to po animacji. Wszystkie ruchy i gesty są wykonane perfekcyjnie. Futerko elegancko się porusza i faluje. Gdy Pet się skrada, doskonale widać jak pracują wszystkie części jego wirtualnego ciała, a na twarzy pojawia się skupienie. Po chwili atakuje nasze dłonie niczym polujący kot. Naprawdę coś nieprawdopodobnego!

Na koniec wspomne jeszcze tylko o fajnym i prostym w obsłudze edytorze, który pozwala na stylizacje (czyt. zmiane wyglądu) naszego stworka. Małą część jego możliwości możecie znajeść w filmiku poniżej.

Już wiem, że EyePet będzie jednym z tych tytułów, który nigdy się nie znudzi i zawsze będzie chętnie kupowany. Szczególnie jeśli chodzi o dzieci (bo do nich w szczególności ta gra jest kierowana), które nie mogą uprosić się rodziców o żywego, prawdziwego zwierzątka. Z możliwościami jakie daje dziś internet tylko patrzeć, aż na PlayStation Store zaczną pojawiać się jakieś nowe, ciekawe dodatki do gry. Nowe przedmioty, nowe zadania, nowe stroje i wiele wiele więcej. Możliwości są nieograniczone!

Należą się też wielkie brawa za bardzo przystępną cene:

gra + magiczna karta – 99zł.

gra + kamerka + magiczna karta – 169zł

Gra dostępna jest w pełnej, polskiej wersji językowej.

To tyle jeśli chodzi o EyePet. Mam nadzieje, że choć troszkę Was tym produktem zainteresowałem.

Kolejnym tytułem, jaki można było zobaczyć na konferencji prasowej Sony, to mało znana, choć na pewno ciekawa gra Invizimals na konsole PSP. Tytuł ten pojawi się na półkach sklepowych 11 listopada i podobnie jak EyePet, będzie całkowicie w języku Polskim! A o co w nim chodzi?

Jeśli EyePet jest w mniejszym lub większym stopniu odpowiednikiem Tamagotchi, tak Invizimals można porównać do popularnych Pokemonów. Zasady obu gier są takie same, chodzi o wyłapanie wszystkich dostępnych w grze stworków. Czyli popularne hasło „Złap je wszystkie” znowu stanie się modne. O ile jednak w Pokemonach cały świat gry był wirtualny, tak w przypadku Invizimals mamy do czynienia z troszkę inną konecpcją.

Za pomocą kamerki przyczepionej do PSP „skanujemy” otoczenie. Gdy natrafimy na formy wirtualnego życia, konsola w odpowiedni sposób nam to zakomunikuje (najczęściej widzimy niewyraźny zarys „tego czegoś”) i zaczynie się proces polowania. Ale żeby móc polować, trzeba wiedzieć na co? Do tego służy nam specjalna karta z otworem w środkowej części, dostarczona wraz z grą. Wystarczy, że położymy taką karte w miejsce gdzie konsola wykryła życie i połączymy krążące po ekanie elementy. Te zaś złączone w jedną całość, wskażą nam ostateczny wygląd stworka. Gdy widzimy go w całej okazałości, możemy przejść do fazy ostatecznego schwytania. Odbywa się to przy pomocy przeróżnych mini-gier.

Twórcy zapewniali, że owych gierek jest na tyle dużo, by nie było mowy o nudzie. I faktycznie, zaprezentowano proste konkurencje, które wyglądały bardzo efektownie i dawały dużo radości. Przykładowo, by zwabić stwora do pułapki musimy rytmicznie wygwizdać kawałek melodii (co nie jest prostą sprawą), użyć siły (popychając go ręką tak, aby wpadł do dziury) czy też układać droge z kawałków liści (skacząc po nich stwór sam wpadnie do dziury). Dane mi było zobaczyć tylko te trzy konkurencje, ale sami przyznacie, są bardzo fajnie pomyślane i nie banalne.

No dobra, a co jeśli schwytamy już naszego gada? Tutaj znowu, podobnie jak w Pokemonach możemy wystawiać go do walki (będzie tryb multiplayer). Pod przyciskami geometrycznymi konsoli, zostały przypisane konkretne ciosy – od zwykłych i najprostszych, aż do mega specjałów, które natychmiastowo kończą walke. Ataki specjalne wykonuje się np. poprzez dmuchnięcie w mikrofon kamerki, co wywołuje potężny podmuch wiatru, który zdmuchuje przeciwnika z areny.

Co by gra się szybko nie znudziła, twórcy zadbali o odpowiednio dopasiony tryb story. Będziemy razem z naszymi zdobyczami zwiedzać co raz to nowe krainy, brać udział w różnego rodzaju turniejach czy też kupować specjalne przedmioty przydatne podczas wędrówki.

Jeśli chodzi o kwestię grafiki, to całe tło generowane jest w czasie rzeczywistym przez kamerke, więc pojęcie fotorealizmu jest tu jak najbardziej na miejscu . Same stworki (ok 100 sztuk do zdobycia) również wyglądają całkiem przyzwoicie, a i ich animacja nie wypada najgorzej.

Pora napisać parę słów podsumowania. Cóż, nie wiem czy ta gra osiągnie taki sukces, na jaki zasługuje. Prawda jest taka, że był to najmniej oblegany tytuł na tej konferencji. A szkoda, bo to naprawdę fajna, sympatyczna i przemyślana produkcja. Twórcy chcieli rozwinąc idee Pokemonów i doskonale im się to udało. Sam gameplay również doskonale wpisuje się w specyfikacje przenośnej konsoli. Ta informuje nas o formach życia, gdy natrafimy na odpowiedni kolor (np. zielony – żabopodobny stwór, brązowy – smok). Tak więc siedznie w domu może nie wystarczeć, jeśli ktoś będzie chciał „mieć je wszystkie”. Trzeba będzie pofatygować się do parku czy lasu, bowiem nigdy nie wiadomo gdzie odkryjemy kolejną zdobycz.

Niestety nie znamy jeszcze dokładnej ceny tego tytułu. Mam tylko nadzieje, że będzie to poziom zbliżony do EyePet – przynajmniej tego bym sobie i wszystkim graczom życzył. No i ostatnia kwestia doczyczy posiadaczy PSP Go, którzy muszą cierpliwie czekać na odpowiednia przejściówkę, dzięki której podłączą kamerke do konsoli.

Kolejną, ostatnią prezentowaną grą był Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time. Tytuł ten kontynuuje wątek fabularny, który znamy z poprzednich części (Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction oraz Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty). Ratchet nadal poszukuje swojego przyjaciela Clanka. Czy go odnajdzie? Tego będziecie mogli się dowiedzieć już 4 listopada, kiedy to gra trafi do sklepów.

Przyznam szczerze, że gra jakoś nie specjalnie pasowała do pozostałych tytułów. EyePet oraz Invizimals to gry jakby nie patrzeć typowe dla niedzielnych graczy. Ratchet natomiast to już wyrobiona, znana marka i troszeczkę inny target.

Twórcy skupili się na zaprezentowaniu nowości. We wcześniejszych odsłonach serii, animacja lotu statkiem na inną planete była sprytną próbą zamaskowania loadingów. Teraz się to zmieni. Sami nim pokierujemy, wykonując przy tym mniej lub bardziej skomplikowane zadania. Najczęściej jednak będzie to zniszczenie zaznaczonych celów, czy po prostu dotarcie na powierzchnię planety. Naprawdę fajny patent, który od razu nasuwa skojarzenia z serią StarFox. Cóż, jak papugować to od najlepszych. Statek z czasem będziemy mogli ulepszać dodając do niego coraz to zmyślniejsze bronie czy osłony, co na pewno przyda się w walce.

Kolejną nowością są antygrawitacyjne buty, dzięki którym Ratchet będzie mógł szybciej się poruszać, na specjalnie do tego skonstruowanych torach. Wszystko utrzymane jest w stricte zręcznościowym podejściu, więc trzeba wykazać się nielada refleksem przeskakując nad przepaściami, czy porozmieszczanymi tu i ówdzie pułapkami. Takich torów przygotowano naprawdę dużo, więc na pewno nie będzie mowy o nudzie. W końcu brakuje dzisiaj porządnych, zręcznościowo-platformowych gier z prawdziwego zdarzenia, a ten tytuł zdaje się tą luke w pewnym stopniu zapełnić. I podobnie jak w przypadku lotów statkiem, będzie to bardzo przyjemny „czasoumilacz”. Ja osobiście jestem na TAK.

No dobrze, ale czym by był Ratchet bez swoich wykręczonych w kosmos pukawek? Mimo iż najbardziej lubiane spluwy zostaną (np. znana z poprzednich części – dyskoteka, czy samonaprowadzające pociski), to dodano kilka nowych, naprawdę fajnych sprzętów. I tak przykładowo możemy przywołać do siebie pomocnika, który będzie leciał przy naszym boku i pomagał rozwalać co mocniejszych przeciwników. Możemy też wypuścić czarną chmure która (dosłownie) zje przeciwników. Ale największą rozpierduche czyniła broń plująca niezliczoną ilością małych pocisków i wystrzeliwująca samonaprowadzające rakiety. Po prostu MOC!

Jeśli chodzi o grafike, to gra wygląda rewelacyjnie! Nie jest to co prawda poziom Uncharted 2, jednak widać, że twórcy nie spoczeli na laurach i względem ostatniej części dorzucili kilka ciekawych efektów oraz posiedzieli nad silnikiem napędzającym grę. Wszystko jest bajkowe, kolorowe, przywołujace na myśl filmy animowane. Dobra robota!

Pamiętacie jak SCEP poinformował Polskich graczy, że do końca tego roku zlokalizują 99% gier? Niestety okazało się, że tym jednym, brakującym procentem będzie właśnie Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time. Tak więc, będziemy musieli zadowolić się tym tytułem w języku angielskim. Troszkę szkoda, ale i tak warto tą grą się zainteresować. Jak dla mnie – „Musisz Mieć”.

• Chromia vs Megatron

• Autobot Ratchet vs Barricade

“Maybe he’s a replacement for you!”
Don’t worry, they’re friends again after a few levels, then there’s another 6 games (and counting)
‘Ratchet and Clank’

I’ve been excited for this game ever since it was first announced. Wanna know if it lived up to the hype? Flip over to the other side to find out!

For anyone who missed the previous game Quest for Booty, Ratchet learns  that Clank is in the hands of Dr. Nefarious. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time starts off with Clank escaping with the help of Sigmund, junior caretaker of the Great Clock. As Clank learns more about the Great Clock and his past, Ratchet is still fighting his way to find and rescue Clank.

Staying true to the series, the game features a number of hilariously fun weapons. Going back to one of the previous installments (I believe it was Up Your Arsenal), some of your weapons even have the option to be modified. Other notable weapons include the Sonic Eruptor, the Rift Inducer 5000, and the Chimpomatic.

Until the duo team back up, you play as either Ratchet or Clank depending on the part of the story you’re at. Playing as Ratchet, gameplay is typically platforming and shooting. You also get to fly through space in Aphelion, the ship you found in Tools of Destruction. While the main gameplay when playing as Clank is platforming, Clank has more puzzles to solve. Using time pads, Clank must record copies of himself to unlock the next room. Ratchet also gets the opportunity to play through challenges in the arena.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I absolutely loved this game. It lives up to its predecessors, and in some instances it even surpasses them. If you liked the previous games, you’ll like this one as well. It’s definitely worth a buy. Never played a Ratchet game before? Go check out the PSN. There’s a demo for Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time. And while the story is continued from previous games, you won’t be in the dark on the story line. When you first put the disc in and the game is installing you get a nice cinematic featuring an interview with Captain Qwark to catch you up to speed. Ready to buy the game? Check out the link below!

Buy Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time

Found a List for this upcoming title. There are 17 of the trophies that are hidden and unknown still and we will get hem updated as soon as we figure out what they are. Check the other side for the list.

Pre-Order Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time

Bronze

My Blaster Runs Really, Really Hot
Score 10,000 points on My Blaster Runs Hot.

Q-Force Cadet
Complete the game on Casual.

Bronze Champion
Win the Bronze Tournament.

Silver Champion
Win the Silver Tournament.

Gold Champion
Win the Gold Tournament.

Raritanium Champion
Win the Raritanium Tournament.

Fastoon Warrior
Upgrade one weapon to level 5.

For a Rainy Day
Collect 10,000 bolts.

Greed is Good
Collect 50,000 bolts.

Silver

Q-Force Hero
Complete the game on Medium.

Zoni Collector
Rescue all Zoni.

Bolt Collector
Collect all gold bolts.

The Gunsmith
Collect all Constructo modifications.

The Samaritan
Complete all space missions.

Retirement Fund
Collect 250,000 bolts.

Gold

Preferred Customer
Purchase all GrummelNet Weapons.

Thrifty
Collect 1,000,000 bolts.

Q-Force Champion
Complete the game on Hard.

Glutton for Punishment
Complete a Challenge Mode playthrough.

Platnium

The Lombax Triumphant
Collect all trophies in the game.

Four music groups spanning everything from hard and heavy California rock and roll, dirty south rap, funky rhythm and blues, and alternative rock with a southern twist are competing this week in Make A Star’s Favorite Song by a Duo or Band contest for the month of October.

Zach Spencer is a new and exciting singer-songwriter arriving on the Nashville, TN rock scene. Zach’s latest title “When I Found You,” showcases a writer on a quest for change in a world that is thirsting for it. These five new songs showcase Zach’s journey as an artist and are a true testament to the idea that great simple rock songs can still be written. Look to see Zach and his band playing in music city and touring in and around the South.

Listen to his song “Some Love For Ya Baby” here:

Zach Spencer Band “Some Love For Ya Baby”

TaJ are a duo from Newport News, Virginia. Their song “Watch Me” has a great dancefloor rhythm, with lyrics such as “Watch Me Shake My Hips for you Daddy Take it down low and pull it up slow watch watch me shake my hips for you daddy”

TaJ “Watch Me”

The other semi-final match has Magee, Mississippi band CountryCity perform their song “We Da Gr8st” with the help from vocalist Mz. SunBean. CountryCity say it is a “preview of first single from upcoming compilation album. Single features labelmates, ShaDuke, DeuceBoy and Mz. SunBean of new, up and coming indie label T.I.A. Entertainment. The song basically is a go for the gold, anti-haters anthem with a club feel featuring ShaDuke, a female mc with metaphorical swag like none other; DeuceBoy, one the South’s most versatile mc’s, and Mz. SunBean, a southern girl with a sweet hum”

CountryCity “We Da Gr8st”

Ratchet are a hard rock band from the east bay area town of Richmond, California. Having already claimed Make A Star victories in the past months for their music, Ratchet return with the song “Filthy” in their attempt to keep their dominance alive. They call “Filthy” a song where they’re just having some fun.

Ratchet “Filthy”

While I was in DM North last night, a [Libram of Rapidity] dropped for me.  Not wanting to pass up a Libram turn-in, I decided I should probably head to EPL and try to farm some [Blood of Heroes]. Wow!  I found 2 Blood of Heroes within 10 minutes of farming.  Hahaha…

Well, since I’m here I might as well do a Strat run to see if I can get some more Diamonds and Stitchings.  That took me about and hour and 15 minutes.  Only got one Stitching and no Diamonds.  Ugh.

Time for another DM North run. That one took me about half an hour.  I was able to turn in a Libram, but no key for the Free Knot quest.  Sigh.

Time spent today: 1 hour 55 minutes

I have been a longtime fan of the Ratchet and Clank series, and insomniac have done a good job with them. After getting the first game for one Christmas, I have played all of the games, (with the exception of the filler game- ‘Quest for Booty’) and was of course excited when I discovered the sequel to Tools of Destruction would be released very soon. However, while on holidays, I purchased ‘Secret Agent Clank’ to entertain myself.

Despite being a fan of Ratchet and Clank, I am strongly opposed to the frequent ‘whoring’ (for want of a better term) of popular game franchises. Thoughts spring to mind of franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Final Fantasy (Insert large number here) and Mario. My fear is that Ratchet and Clank may be going the same way. Surely the Galactic rangers can do their goddamn job every once in a while and save the universe for Ratchet, but time and time again its up to our resolute Lombax and his robotic companion to save the day.

Despite these fears my fanboy mind thoroughly enjoyed Secret Agent Clank, It was $30 well spent. In the tradition of psp spin-offs, it was relatively short, measuring at about 6 planets, although it was certainly not lacking gameplay.

The game starts of with Ratchet being caught attempting to steal the ‘Eye of Infinity’ a very large, and oddly shaped diamond. Ratchet is dragged away kicking, screaming and cursing, and is chucked into Galactic Ultra-High Security, with no idea how he got their (of course). You mostly play as Clank, attempting to discover were the Eye of Infinity disappeared to afterward, but it also alternates between playing as Ratchet and fighting of potential rapists throughout the prison, and ludicrously funny Captain Qwark mission (we love you Qwark! – Space Nun)

The game uses the same engine as the previous Ratchet and Clank games, thus fans of the series will feel comfortable. As usual, the difficulty curve is done fairly well, although the first level throws you straight into the thick of things, it evens out fairly from there.

Being a spy game, (and being filled with every cliché known to man), there is a stealth aspect to the game. Usually, you have a stealth and non-stealth option, although some missions will either throw you in to an entirely non-stealth part, or an entirely stealth part.

I feel ambiguous towards stealth missions. On one hand, they can be a complete pain, but on the other, they can be quite fun. Usually stealth is limited to Stealth-only missions; in others it is often unnecessary and harder to take the stealth option.

The stealth is reasonably well done compared to the engine. However, without the mindless clutter that features heavily in other games, hiding can be quite difficult. It honestly feels like a patchwork job; a reasonbaly good patchwork job, but a patchwork job nonetheless. Sneaking comes down to keeping out of LOS or range of the enemy, not tripping lasers and not going near cameras. Movements are repetative (as you can expect from enemies that are miostly robots) and failure is costly. As said before, I frequently found times where it was easier to blow the living sh*t out of everything then it was to sneak around in the holo-monocle and silently kill everyone.

One really redeeming feature of the Clank missions, however, were the quicktime events. Every now and again, you come across an ‘unexpected mission’. In order to portray the quick thinking, you have to do several long quicktime events. Your hit/miss ratio determines what happens, and you get bonus points for consecutive succesful hits. It is a well-made system; frustrating at times, but quite ingenious. For example, one of these missions was a dance with a countess. In this dance, good timing ensured your survival in a building that fails to meet every health and safety code known to man, robot or lombax.

Back in prison, Ratchet has to deal with a corrupt warden and the millions of prisoners their to kill him. Clank managed to sneak him weapons disguised as cake, with the warden non-the-wiser. In prison, several faces make a comeback, including the thugs-4-less boss, the tyranoids, those spider robots and Slim Cognito. Showdowns with Ratchet’s numerous enemies occur in traditional arena format, with wave after wave of henchmen run crazily into your blast range. However, such battles get surprisingly difficult, and there is a large variety of different mission. My personal favorite was in the shower room, and you had to avoid getting photographed nude (thank you, black bar generator).

Onto Qwark. Honestly, the Qwark mission were the highlight of the game. They were zany, crazy, funny, ludicrous and innovative. (Spoiler Alert) They ranged from killing a giant robozilla, to saving space nuns, and running over cacti with lawnmowers. Each mission had different struggles, different objectives, and Qwark’s bullshitting was priceless.

Ultimately, it was a good game. The inherent flaws of using a non-stealth engine were compensated for, and it is an ultimately enjoyable game with good replay value. 3 and ½ stars.

Today I did a few little things.  I leveled my Priest’s Inscription to 110, so that I can make [Rogues Deck] for the Darkmoon Faire rep.  The [Rogues Deck] is the lowest and cheapest deck there is, and I can turn them in for +25 rep with Darkmoon Faire.  Took me about an hour and I was able to make 10 decks before I ran out of money.  Time for my full Strat run…

Started my run at 8:00pm and finished up about 9:30pm.  I only came out of there with 2 Frayed Abomination Stitchings and no Pristine Black Diamonds!  Disappointing.

Well, it feels like it has been a pretty unproductive night, I’m getting rather frustrated because I just can’t gather up the stuff that I need.  I’m at a stand still right now.  I guess I’ll do a quick DM North run, but I really don’t feel right about doing a run when I don’t have the mats for a Libram turn-in.  Maybe a diamond will drop in DM North.  Sigh … let’s go find out.  Started this run at 10:10pm and finished at about 11:10pm.  It took an hour, but I looted everything and killed everything.  Got a Libram and a Diamond.  Yay!

Time spent today:  2 hours and 30 minutes.

Understanding the rationale for an innovation consists of determining just what the components (and the core concepts underlying them) that go into the product are, and how they are linked together to deliver the new low-cost or differentiated features to consumers. For a firm facing an innovation, understanding the rationale behind it may involve asking the question: can the new mousetrap be built using the new knowledge?

When the idea of building an electronic cash register first surfaced in 1960s, the question was: can a firm actually build a cash register using transistors instead of the gears, levers, ratchets, and motors that have been used all these years? How do transistors work, and how does linking them result in calculations? Would such a register actually get people through a supermarket line faster than existing ones? What will it take to build and deliver the new product to customers?  What kind of service do customers want?

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Lectures, Line of Sight

OK, time to tackle DM East, so that I can get the Crescent Key to enter the other wings of DM.  I started at 6:30pm finished at 7:00pm.  I got the Key and some nice drops that I can D/E for Large Brilliant Shards.  I’ll need these shards for my Shen’dralar rep.

Now to tackle DM North. Well, actually, first I’m going to run DM West, so that I can take care of the DM achievement when I finally get to DM North.  lol!  I started DM West at 7:43pm.  Ah yes … I remember this wing.  This wing is so confusing.  After this, I’m NEVER doing DM West again.  Ugh.  OK, DM West finally finished at 8:30pm!  Took me almost an hour.  I did get a Purple World Drop though!  That was pretty awesome.  OK, so maybe I might run DM West again in the future if a guildie needs it.

Now it’s time to do a Strat run, so I can get the mats to turn in a [Libram of Protection], because those drop in DM North and while I’m in DM North, I can make a quick detour down to the Library and turn them in for Shen’dralar rep.  I started my Strat run at 8:50pm, that took me about 15 mins.  I guess I should farm this place a bit.  Well, after a second run, it looks like Blizzard lowered the drop rate of the mats I need to turn in the [Libram of Protection].  I am only getting 1 per run!    That is very frustrating … After talking to a guildie of mine, Cowskull, he said he got about 10 [Frayed Abomination Stitching] from his one Strat run.  But he said he was killing and looting everything.  So next time I run Strat, that’s what I’m going to do.  It will also help me gather up some [Pristine Black Diamond] which I also need to turn in the Librams.

OK, well, back to DM North … run started at 10:25pm.  It’s now 10:50pm.  I’ve been able to turn in two Librams to the Library and also I Freed Knot.  Took 25 minutes for that run.  Yay!

That’s all for me today.  I sure did a lot of prep work!  We’ll work on some more tomorrow.

Time spent today:  2 hours and 10 min

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On the second day of the Alternate Wood Show, I had an opportunity to use the Festool OF1400 for the handheld routing I was doing – cutting inlays using the Whiteside Inlay Kit. After a brief familiarisation (thanks btw!), I started experiencing why owners of the OF1400 like it so much. It was loaned by Ideal Tools, and they were lucky to get it back at the end of the day!

Festool OF1400

From the trigger on the handle that doesn’t require you to reposition your hand after turning the router on (and it can be locked in the on position), to the front knob that also locks the plunge height, the micro-adjustable plunge stop, the ratchet mechanism on the collet, the low centre of gravity, dust extraction and so forth.  It was a very pleasant router to use, particularly hand-held.

The Festool collet concept is rather interesting.  I can only describe it to be like using a ratchet drive for a socket set.  You engage the spindle lock whichever direction you want to operate (tighten or loosen), then operate the collet with a spanner, ratcheting back and forth.  Unlike the Triton, you don’t need to be at full extension to engage the spindle lock, but that does then require it to be a 2 handed operation, reaching under the table to do so (if the router was table mounted that is).  The bit change itself can be done above the table.  Shame that Festool don’t take it just a little further, and allow you to remotely operate the spindle lock.  It would then become ideal for use in a router lift.

The micro-adjustable plunge stop made for easy repeat operations.  Once I determined the height I wanted to bit to operate at, I was firstly able to fine-tune that height without starting the whole process over, and importantly, I could dial in and out a known height difference, which was particularly useful for the inlays.  When inlaying, the cavity, or recess needs to be as close as possible to the thickness of the inlay, whereas when routing the inlay you want additional plunge depth to ensure you are cutting all the way through and into the backing board.  With the micro-adjuster, I was dialing that difference in and out in no time, and accurately every single time.

Festool may be well known for having a high price-point, but you sure do get to see where that money has been invested.

So there I was … flying to Gadgetzan.  Which, I gotta tell you, is quite difficult for a Bloodsail Admiral.  The minute I land, those Goblins are ALL over me.  They don’t seem to appreciate the fact that I am helping rid Azeroth of those NASTY pirates (their bitter enemies).  I tell ya!

Well, anyway … here I am down in Gadgetzan to kill some Wastewater Bandits to restore my Goblin rep.  It’s 1:20pm, and I’m at 1460/36000 with Gadgetzan.  Stopped at 2:00pm to help tank Heroic Violet Hold.  I’m at 1900/36000.  Ack!  That’s about 660 rep per/hour.

Time spent today: 40 minutes.

Before we begin, you might want to think about whether or not, in the future sometime, you might even remotely want to go for “The Exalted” title, which requires you to be Exalted with 40 factions.  If you do, then instead of grinding your Bloodsail Buccaneers reputation only to Honored, you will need to grind it all the way to Exalted.  I say this now, because you cannot raise your Bloodsail rep up after you start working on your Steamwheedle Cartel rep.  So, decide now if you would like to be Exalted with the Bloodsail Buccaneers.  Here is a handy guide to help you gain rep with the Bloodsail Buccaneers.

OK, since I’m now Honored with the Bloodsail Buccaneers, it’s time to repair my rep with the Goblins and work my way up to Exalted with them.  Sigh…

So, I’m working on killing some Southsea Pirates outside of Ratchet, for about, oh, half an hour.  I was all by myself for a while, but some lowbie Horde come in and start questing, and not wanting to look like a jackass, I decided, ok, time to start farming Dire Maul North.  I mean, I know how it was questing back then, and I knew that they needed those mobs to complete their quests.  Off I go toward Dire Maul.

So … as I head toward Dire Maul, I remembered about the Zapped Giants quest and the Refuel quest, so I go down to do those because, HEY, it’s rep.  Spent 30 minutes on those quests because I was chatting with my guildies, and messing around a bit doing some fishing.  Then I found out they’re repeatable!!! Yay!!  So, now, I calculated it out.  I get 25 rep from each quest for each Steamwheedle Cartel faction for each turn in.  It takes me about 10 minutes to do the quests.  So that’s 300 rep/hour.  Ugh.

I know that Dire Maul is faster, and so is killing the Pirates.  I think the Dire Maul run is about 1500 rep/hour and killing Pirates is about 3000 rep/hour.  So, I guess I have no choice but to run Dire Maul.  Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo…

Anyway … that is all for now!

Time spent today:  1 hour and 30 minutes.

Exacto como el titulo dice Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time te enseña cómo ser el mejor villano en otro excelente trailer de la saga  Ratchet and Clank Future.

La verdad de este título casi no se habla pero déjenme decirles que este juego es una de las exclusivas que me gustan bastante ya que el primer Future me dejo con cara de WTF ya quiero jugar la segunda parte salió el episodio descargable lo jugué y sucedió algo todavía mas ogt ya que este episodio se quedo mas inconcluso que el primero y he estado esperando este juego desde que salió el episodio descargable y que quiero decir con esto que si no los han jugado no se que esperas ya lo puedes conseguir barato y les juro no se arrepentirán.

This is my first top 5, and I will post one time to time on different matters.  This one is on my overall top games of all time.

5. Resistance Retribution – A great must have PSP game that is based off of the Resistance series.

4.Metal Gear Solid 4 – A beautiful game.  Made with the amazing complex storyline of the MGS series.

3. Fallout 3 – The best of the best of the best Sir!  That is how I would describe this RPG.

2. Ratchet Deadlock – Though it’s an old PS2 game, and over-looked.  It scores as a favorite.  This was the game that I couldn’t stay away from, and almost beat it every month.

1. Metal Gear – the First one to hit stores from the PS.  This scores my top game of all time because it’s what itnroduced me to a soon to be my favorite series, and game.

-VideoJoker