Tour de Europe - Day 4 - 6

The following day we set off for the Alps. Never having been to the Alps before I was very excited. As a whole the day enjoyed pleasant scenery, but arriving at the foot of the Alps was quite an experience. As the mountains rose in the horizon, we were surrounded by idyllic countryside. It was cloudy, but from many gaps the sun shone on a hilltop church or cottage. As I gazed in awe at the sights, a sudden bloody stain splashed on my visor, the only remains of some unfortunate insect.

Continue reading: Tour de Europe - Day 4 - 6

Let the games begin!

The first campaign turn has started, I would like all factions to send me an email with the coordinates of the territory from which they are initiating their offensive and the territory into which they are attacking as soon as possible. Games will be scheduled once all factions have made their move.

from the International Gaming Coalition

Mighty Crane Films + Introduce your faction!

Well, was surfing around on youtube when I found Mighty Crane films. Brilliant works of art using Half Life 2, and presumably Garyy's mod. Plenty of excellent videos for those who can appreciate the talent that it requires to make something like this. Here are two sample videos which I quite liked. The first one is a mix of iPod commercials and stomp, while the second one is more melancholic. Check out their blog, it had links to more videos.


Secondly, I'd like to remind everyone to get their campaign introductions done on IGC so we can get the campaign started. I've made an introductory post myself already so you can get inspired.

Age of Empires II Campaign

The first IGC campaign draws near. While individual preparations are not quite finished, I thought it would be time to explain how the campaign works.

There will be 4 factions. Each faction has 1 primary player and as many secondary players as one likes. The idea behind this is that since most games will be 1v1 if both sides have for example 2 players available for play, they can join in with co-op. The primary player can only fight for his or her faction. Secondary players can fight using co-op for any faction, unless agreed otherwise. A primary player may also consent a secondary player to play his or her faction's game if he is not personally available to play. This should help scheduling the games.



Above is the campaign map showing the various territories, their map types, and the starting locations of the various factions. The map type determines the map type played when a player initiates an offensive. More on that later. As individual preparations are incomplete, primary players will later introduce their factions.

The campaign will last 6 campaign turns. The campaign turns follow the following procedure.

1. Each faction initiates an offensive somewhere along their border. They specify (using coordinates) the territory from which they attack, and the territory into which they attack. They email me this information at the start of each campaign turn. I will email my move to myself before everyone else as a matter of principle to prevent cheating.



2. Now, battles are resolved. The territory which is being attacked determines the map type. If the attacker wins, they gain control of that territory, if the defender wins, they maintain control of the territory, and also gain control of the territory from which the offensive was initiated.

If two or more factions attack the same province, a 3 - 4 player game will be held. Again the territory which is attacked determines the map type. The victor of this game gains/maintains control of the disputed territory as well as all other territories from which offensives were initiated. For example: Blue and red both attack the same grey territory. A 3 player game is held in the grey territory. If the grey faction wins, it maintains control of the territory but also gains control of the blue and red territories from which it was attacked. If blue wins, it gains control of the grey territory, but also the red territory which attacked the grey territory.

The game settings are always as follows.

Game: Random Map (Conquest) / Regicide / King of the Hill - To be determined randomly. Map size: Small
Resources: High
Population: 1000
Game Speed: Normal
Reveal Map: Explored
Starting Age: Feudal Age

As battles are won, victorious factions may boast this acchievement on the blog, displaying their heraldry and by writing an account of the battle with full creative freedoms.

3. With the battles resolved, an updated campaign map will be posted, and a new campaign turn will begin.

If you have any questions or I left some areas unclear, feel free to contact me or to leave a comment. The campaign will begin as soon as all players have finished their preparations.

from the International Gaming Coalition

Tour de Europe - Day 1 - 3

At last, it is a time for the full account of our epic motorcycle journey through Europe. On Thursday afternoon with all our stuff packed we headed off to the docks in Helsinki. We would travel straight to Travemunde, with a half cargo, half tourist ship. I was expecting the journey to be exceedingly boring, since it would take about two hours. Most peculiarly however, the three activities the ship had to offer, eating, sleeping and going to the sauna were enough to fill the hours.

It was Friday evening when we arrived at Travemunde with our new friend whom we had met on the ship. Matti was also a Harley enthusiast and would join us for the first leg of our journey, seeing as we would be going the same way. Our destination from the dock was the Finnish Seamen's Church of Hamburg, where we would be spending our first night, the only night we had planned ahead. Although the journey there was, looking back, in no way scenic, I thoroughly enjoyed absorbing the sights and the atmosphere of a new country.

Continue reading Tour de Europe - Day 1 - 3

Pyry's Generally Heat

During the past week I was was wisiting my grandparents. They had a pc and I got a huge Generally heat. I made 14 own tracks during 3 days and most of them during the same day. For the first time I realised how to use paint to do tracks. So I when I started I was a noob but have a look at my Tornado track at the end of this post. I think that's my best one.

I'm very happy with all my new tracks. Now I have to make more of them. I will make a whole series of them. Pysethus Summer Run will be the name. When I got like 20 or 25 proper tracks, I'm happy. Then we have to test them someday.




This is another of my brand new tracks and I had to show it too.

Johannes Starts Magic

I recently started to play Magic, which Sakari has introduced me to and I enjoy playing the game. We first played a few games when we split Sak's cards into two, so it would be like 2 packs. But today we visited Helsinki with a bus and metro so we could go to Fantasiapelit and I bought myself a pack of red and white cards.

The person selling things at the shop was quite nice. He told me what every colour included. I decided to get a white and red pack. Sak also has one of those but my cards are still different from his. I also bought plastic sheeths for my cards, 2 die, and a black, plastic box for keeping everything in it.

We played a game as soon as we got home, and surprise surprise! I lost! Now I'm at Pyry's house where I just payed two games. I diddn't win any, but I was second in a 3 player game. I think that I will be playing Magic for a long time, but I need to improve alot.

By the way, here is a card that I would like to have one day:

Monday AOC Results!

The game attracted a total of four players, Tony was also expected to join, but missed the game due to an unfortunate lapse of memory and our failed attempts at communication. Nevertheless, Oliver, Simon, Pysethus and myself had a great game.

The game started with the usual frantic economic buildup. Relatively early in the game Pysethus made a landing in south turkey, below Simons city in the north. Meanwhile, Saitou was busy prepearing a large army and navy which he was able to do relatively early due to a new technology policy where only researchers vital to the attack are research. The target of the attack was Seleukos, rather than Pysethus, who was a neighbour but also a trading partner. Before attacking, Saitou made pact of peace with Simon, due to fears he was allied with Seleukos and that Seleukos would thus be able to use Simon's line of sight to spot the incoming navy.

Saitou split his navy into two attack groups consisting of 20 fast fireships and 10 cannon galleons each and sent them to secure either side of the landing zone, the easter are of Seleukos' city. The navy was far more powerful than needed, and little opposition was met, nevertheless the cannon galleons proved to be as useful as always against land targets. The landing force consisted of Paladins, Elite Throwing Axemen and Halberdiers, aswell as several ongaers and rams. Once again little opposition was met and defenses were quickly overwhelmed. Perhaps a combined effect from Seleukos' inexperience with the Goth's, their lack of substantial defences and the earliness of the attack.

Saitou was now left with the ruins of Seleuko's city, and an ever formidable, yet idle army. He gathered his forces and struck forward at Pysethus, who was also overwhelmed suprisingly quickly, possibly due to the fact that he was preoccupied in Turkey.

Pysethus had established himself well in Turkey, and with his main city gone, was already rebuilding his economy at alarming speed. Upon the completion of Pysethus' conquest of Turkey, he and Saitou formed an alliance and declared allied victory, neither having the energy to face each other.

Thus, the two civilisations lived happily ever after in perfect harmony, and so modern greece and turkey was formed. And thanks to the gallant efforts of these founding fathers, Greece and Turkey continue to live in bliss, with absolutely no squabbles whatsoever with each other... ever.

from the International Gaming Coalition