"multifeed" via Yaypaul in Google Reader

Aaryn West Website

2011-09-06T06:33:27Z

A collaboration with my wife, surface designer Aaryn Nutter, for her Aaryn West Surface Design Studio. Together we spec’d and wire-framed a WordPress based portfolio and blog, with a forum based private viewing system. I then went on to detail the design and custom build the site’s frontend.

See the Aaryn West site in action.

Ranker Character Illustration

2011-08-06T06:03:26Z

After a year at Ranker I’ve had the pleasure of working on a number of great web apps, it’s the most advanced listing engine out there, which with any luck will become a destination. When the opportunity came along to have a shot at re-imagining the mascot, Ranky, it was definitely time to have some fun. The team at Ranker come up with a number of great poses and situations for the little guy to be in.

See him in action. More action. And one more.

Williams Institute Website

2011-08-06T05:47:37Z

A collaboration of team members from the Taproot Foundation, a non-profit that helps other non-profits, and the Williams Institute. Working from a brief, I designed and built a WordPress based content site to replace the institutes aging static site.

See the WI site in action

The canines are coming, and so are their friends

2010-10-20T07:30:23Z

We’ve known series 4 is going to be dogs for a while now, but I also recently decided what the next two series following it would be. I’d like to quickly cover the pooches and future release schedules, then finish off with showing you some early sketches of series 4.

Dogs is one of the most requested animals since the first series was released and it’s almost here! This time around I’ve tried to make the illustration and building of the toy a little more detailed. I’ve also made some slight changes to the tabs which should help with gluing, I’ve been finding one large tab can get stuck sometimes.

As I mentioned I’ve planned series 4 though 6, worked out their sizes, stats and species. Series 4 you know is dogs, series 5 is the next top request, birds and series 6 will be bears. The release schedule may be a little sporadic, but with good reason. Sure I could knock out all three series really quickly, but toy numbers isn’t why I’m doing this, I want the project to evolve. I’m actively seeking out new paper creation techniques and different directions I can try with each series. I definitely want to give you something more than the same templates with different designs and I want to deliver nine standard series total.

Anyway enough talk, below you’ll find some snippets of my early sketches for the canines. They’ll be out for your scissors and glue soon.

Gaming Top Tens

2011-07-07T23:00:51Z

Earlier this week I posted about geek gift lists. Now it’s time to use the same listing approach to go over some top ten game setups.

Over at Ranker.com we build an app that lets you list anything, listing the universe you might say. We have a few different ways for you to list, just like in gaming: we have solo lists, votable ‘opinion’ lists, multiplayer crowd-sourced lists and open free-for-all lists. Here I’m going to bring you a few of my own lists from the different categories.

Solo list where you can get opinionated

Here I’ve listed what I think are the top ten all time Star Wars games, feel free to vote me wrong!
The Top 10 Best Star Wars Video Games Of All Time

Multiplayer crowd-sourced list where you can get involved

This one is split into two pieces. First is the group list, where everyone’s lists are aggregated to show the crowds overall view. Here you can add your lists to help build the crowd view.
The Most Addictive Video Games of All Time

Then there’s my personal opinion about those most addictive lists.
The Most Addictive Video Games of All Time – by Yaypaul

Finally, Open World PVP lists

With open lists anyone can add items, so what I’ve done is start a special list just for this post. What you need to do is head to the list and add one (only one!) game which you consider the best video game of all time. With any luck the list will grow from everyone’s input. I’ll also turn on the voting options so if your game is already on the list you can vote for it and help it move up the rankings.
The Best Video Game Of All Time | Open List

Bonus list

Rate those polygons!
The Hottest Video Game Vixens Of All Time

Society6 shop opened and featured

2011-07-07T07:36:51Z

I finally got around to setting up a shop for some of my illustration work over the holiday weekend, and I was rewarded with a feature.

Some friends recommended I take a look at Society6 because they produce some quality large size art prints. But I chose their shop because they also produce iPhone, iPad and laptop skins. On top of the prints and skins they also produce T-Shirts, triple win.

I spent the weekend putting together some custom views of my Deadly Furry Cute work which I hope will look nice on your walls, phones and computers. I’ve already placed some orders for friends and family, I’ll keep you posted on the quality, but all signs point towards great items.

The below print, titled ‘Class Photo’, was selected by the Society6 team to feature in their store front. Many thanks to them for the nod and the added exposure to potential customers.

I’m going to be working on some new exclusive illustrations for the shop over the next few months. Until then, here are some samples from the store. Head over and view the whole shop at Society6.

Need geek gift ideas?

2011-07-07T07:15:06Z

Lots of birthdays have gone by recently, lots of geek birthdays to be specific. I’ve got some great ideas from friends who’ve started posting their geek gift ideas a lists.

Since I started working over at Ranker.com I’ve enticed a lot of friends into making lists, and it’s starting to payoff. I was stuck for some geek birthday ideas and reached out for some help, in return I received a bunch of lists with great ideas. Some of the lists venture into the down-right nerdy, but good gifts just sometimes are! We’ll start in my favorite place…

15 Star Wars gifts your nerd will love

This list has everything you need for your fellow Star Wars geek. The list has the obvious Lightsabers as its number 1, but has some nice other additions, I definitely have to get one of those RC Millennium Falcons! Update: it looks like voting has been turned on so you can check the items if you agree with the addition.

The Sexiest Female Super Hero Statues

Everyone has that friend who collects all the sexy status, here’s a list of gifts just for them! Personally I’m a Zoid/Mecha collector, but I did throw my votes on the items. It’s a travesty Rogue isn’t number 1! That Barbra Gordon addition is also a little weird…

The Greatest Geek Gifts

If you need general gift geekery this list has some potential. I’m particularly interested in the solar power conversion kits. Arkham Horror is also an interesting addition, I own the game and would recommend it, triple read those crazy rules though!

Free Object Literal update

2011-07-07T06:54:51Z

I’ve been building a lot of JavaScript in Object Literal lately and I thought it was about time I updated my core functions in that style.

I’ve merged two core functions into one object with this update, Title Hide and Input Clear are now one. I find I use them in similar situations so it made sense to bring them together in this way. I’ve also updated the jQuery to work better with release 1.6.1. Essentially nothing has changed with the functions apart from the syntax update. But what this change does facilitate is a quick and easy method to avoid conflicts. If you already have a ‘core’ object in your app, simply change any instances of ‘core’ to your object name and the function calls remain unchanged and working.

There are two ways for you to download the code

1. Copy and paste the code listed below.
2. Download a zip containing the source and production files.

/* http://www.designergamergeek.com/jquery-projects/
 Version: 1.1 - 2011-05-31
 License: none (public domain)
*/

// Core object
var core = {
 storeTitle : "",
 checkVal : ""
}

//Title Hide
$('.titleHide').live('hover', function(e) {

 //Store the title for later
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //Clear title
 $(this).attr('title', '');

}, function(e) {

 $(this).attr('title', core.storeTitle);

});

//Multi Purpose Input Clear
$(document).delegate('.input','focus',function(e){

 //Get current (default if first time) value of input
 core.checkVal = $(this).val();
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //If the inputs title is empty, fill it with the default value
 if (core.storeTitle == '' || core.storeTitle == null || core.storeTitle == undefined){
 $(this).attr('title', core.checkVal);
 }

 //Create user input value
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //If default value, clear it
 if(core.checkVal == core.storeTitle){
 $(this).val('');
 }

}).delegate('.input','blur', function(e){

 //Load variables
 core.checkVal = $(this).val();
 core.storeTitle = $(this).attr('title');

 //If no user entry, fill with default title
 if(core.checkVal == ''){
 $(this).val(core.storeTitle);
 }

});

I’ve been trying to find some more useful functions to add to the core object, but I’m being careful to only add functions that have high usage. The last thing I want to unnecessarily bloat the code. I do plan to post some other bits and pieces though so I’ll keep you posted.

Galactic Civilization II: Insectoid Nation Ships

2011-03-28T02:04:12Z

Yesterday, while trawling through the custom ships I have in GalCivII I talked about some Games Workshop inspired vessels. Today I’m uploading a full set, combat and support, of my own design.

The inspiration for todays ships comes from our own natural world of insects. Galactic Civilization II already has an insectoid species of course, that of the futuristic Thalan, but that races ships always seemed a little too future and not enough insect for my tastes. What would ships of an alien insectoid race look like if they too evolved into space fairing beings? That was my goal.

The vessels of the Insectoid Nation are sleek and beetle like. Most contain wings, either swept back or forward, depending on function. The largest of the navies ships are designed as fighter carriers, with their insectoid bodies extending out to hold the vast array of smaller ships they house. I had some fun naming these models too.
As usual you’ll need Galactic Civilizations II 2.0 with the Twilight of the Arnor expansion to use these templates in your games.

Download the GalCivII Insectoid Nation Fleet now!

Combat ships

Dart Fighter

Hive Massive Carrier

Javelin Carrier

Seeker Scout

Super Dart Heavy Fighter

Swarm Transport

Wraith Cruiser

Wyvern Battleship

Support ships

Aphid Colony ship

Ant Constructor

Cockroach Mining Ship

Millipede Freighter

Galactic Civilization II: Space Marine Battle Fleet

2011-03-27T07:59:16Z

This weekend I’ve been growing weary waiting for Star Wars the Old Republic to get a release date, so I figured what better way to get my space fix than breaking out the classic GalCivII. While digging around in the custom ships I’d created I came across these gems.

Sometime ago I uploaded a set of ship templates based on the Imperial Battle Fleet of the awesome tabletop game Battle Fleet Gothic. While searching through the other custom ships I’ve committed to templates I found a related sister set, that of the Space Marines. The ships of the Emperors elite troops are large foreboding vessels, floating cities with thick armour and large forward guns.

This is a smaller set, containing only one ship from each size class, but the larger sized vessels have a substantial amount of parts. As usual you’ll need Galactic Civilizations II 2.0 with the Twilight of the Arnor expansion to use these templates in your games.

Download the GalGivII Space Marine Battle Fleet now!

Combat ships

Thunder Hawk Gunship

Nova Class Frigate

Hunter Destroyer

Strike Cruiser

Battle Barge Super Capital

New code release: Multi-purpose title hide

2010-09-30T21:00:46Z

Earlier this week I released a jQuery multi-purpose input clear piece of code, feeling on a roll I thought I’d also release this small snippet. I’ve been using versions of this code for almost two years and have found it very useful in multiple applications. For this release I’ve tidied it up a little and made it fully multi-purpose.

Granted, neither items of jQuery released this week are difficult for other web developers to produce. I’m releasing them purely as a window into my development cycle and how I like to make things modular, reusable and efficient. If anyone else finds the code useful, bonus points.

Everyone knows titles should be used liberally, they help the user and search engines alike. This particular piece I find useful for those times when having a title popup interrupts the user, impacts animation or stops interaction with surrounding items. I’m sure there are other uses also.

How it works

As you’ll see from the code view below, this one’s not very complex. When an item with the .titleHide class is hovered I store it’s original value in the Rel attribute, then clear the title. When the user rolls off the item I use that Rel attribute to restore the original title, failure to do so would leave you no access via the DOM to that title until page refresh.

To enable this script simply add a class of .titleHide to which ever item needs it’s title hidden. This works with links, image replacement, buttons and any other item with a title.

See an example of the code in action

You can download the code in a number of ways

1. Copy and Paste the code listed below.
2. Download a zip file containing the source and production ready files.

$(document).ready(function(){

	//Multi-Purpose Title Hide
	$(".titleHide").hover(function() {
		//Store the title for later
		var store = $(this).attr("title");
		$(this).attr("rel", store);
		//Clear title
		$(this).attr({title: ""});
	}, function() {
		//Restore title
		var restore = $(this).attr("rel");
		$(this).attr("title", restore);
		//Clear Rel attribute
		$(this).attr({rel: ""});
	});

});

New code release: Multi-purpose input clear

2010-09-28T21:00:48Z

Last week I updated Core CSS, this week it’s time to release something new. Well, I say new. I’ve been using versions of this jQuery code for some time, usually implemented to tie directly to an inputs ID attribute. Those implementations while perfectly fine are very inefficient, this new version is designed to be highly reusable and easy to get working.

How it works

The code view and comments below explain exactly what’s going on at each step, but here’s how the code works; the code takes the original value of your input item stores it as the Title attribute, then clears the original value allowing for clean user input. Storing the original value in this way allows a user to hover the input item and still see what should be entered. The code then waits for the user to navigate away from the current item and does one of two things. 1) If there has been user input the original value is kept as the Title attribute for reference and nothing else happens, allowing correct values to be submitted. 2) If there has been no user input or the user clears then navigates away from the item, the Title attribute is taken and reapplied as the value, in essence resetting it’s state.

Adding the function to your Input tags is super easy too. Simply add a .input class to each item you wish to clear. This works for Text, Password and Textareas.

View an example of the jQuery Input Clear in action

There is two ways for you to download the code

1. Copy and paste the code listed below.
2. Download a zip containing the source and production files.

$(document).ready(function(){

	//Multi Purpose Input Clear
	$(".input").click(function(){
		//Get current (default if first time) value of input
		var check = $(this).val();
		//If the inputs title is empty, fill it with the default value
		if ($(this).attr("title") == ""){
			$(this).attr("title", check);
		}
		//Create user input value
		var inputVal = $(this).attr("title");
		//If default value, clear it
		if(check == inputVal){
			$(this).val("");
		}
	}).blur(function(){
		//Load variables
		var check = $(this).val();
		var inputVal = $(this).attr("title");
		//If no user entry, fill with default title
		if(check == ""){
			$(this).val(inputVal);
		}
	});

});

Ziggurat: custom Sim City 4 map

2010-09-27T07:00:10Z

So then, it appears to be double post Sunday… Inspired by the pyramid Lost Temple RCT3 map I posted earlier today, I just had to create something related for Sim City 4. It’s been a while since I’ve built a SC4 map, I think you’ll like it.

Continuing the pyramid theme seemed appropriate, but sloped sides doesn’t really work for you in Sim City does it. In this map we’ll use something similar, a Mesopotamian Ziggurat. I’ve tried to make things interesting buy splitting the Ziggurat down it’s center between two large city zones. But that’s not all.

Ancient Ziggurat rarely came alone, each was part of a larger temple complex. I’ve included a number of other smaller structures, as well as some raised ritual pathways and intricate water works.

You may also notice a similarity to an earlier anime style map I created, I was going for the same final result; a large metropolis sprawling above a heavily manicured foundation.

Download the Ziggurat region

I’ve not had any free time to actually play this map yet so there wont be an update to the Sim City 4 regions section for a while I suspect, but I definitely am going to play it. Feel free to stop by the comments and link to your region if you download and play the map. I’d especially like to compare city/region layout ideas.

RCT3 Custom Map: Lost Temple

2010-09-26T18:00:20Z

I’ve been working on this new RCT3 map for a while now and I’ve finally found some weekend time to post it. It continues the themed style of my last map Pirate Cove, this time the theme is Lost Temples.

Rather than an open park with some key theming –like last time, I’ve instead chosen to lay down some paths and basic transportation rides. You, as manager, are charged with renovating this old rundown temple into a full blown theme park.

The central feature of the custom map –as the name suggests– is a lost temple. I’ve built an Egyptian style pyramid with an enticing doorway for you to play with. Will you create stairs down into an underground complex, use it for a huge coaster dropping down into the depths or for some other purpose?

Leading up to the temple is a reflecting pool inset with ruined columns. Surrounding the temple and pool is a complex of stepped earth works for you to run coasters down around and through. Set high on the back wall is a huge waterfall to wow your visitors with. All in all I hope you’ll enjoy the possibilities presented at the Lost Temple.

Download the Lost Temple

Items in place

As I mentioned above I’ve laid down two small transportation rides. One is a small boat ride which runs from one side of the park to the other and the other a monorail which runs a short distance in shuttle shuttle mode.

The entrance to the park is also filled with the basic amenities you’ll need to help get your park off the ground, including those jumping fountains we all love to much.

I’ve not had time to actually play this park yet, the build phase has taken most of the free time I could muster. If you download and play the park I’d love to see your creations, be sure to comment or email with a link to some highlights!

More park previews

Valve has taken an important first step, now we need to follow through

2010-03-03T23:50:47Z

This week Valve, the creator of the legendary Half Life series of games has been releasing some teaser images hinting that it’s Steam platform may soon be on the way to an Apple computer near you. This is an important first step for the gaming community as a whole, one in which we the gamers need to follow through on.

Let us not underestimate that last sentence. This is an important step for the gaming community, not just for the Apple users but for all PC gamers. What Am I talking about? Competition. Having games created for and released only on one PC platform inevitably hurts the market as a whole. Think of how the console market would look like if the only one available was a Playstation. Now imagine if that one console maker released an update that gave you a bloated unusable interface and then forced all it’s game developers to create games for the platform because it was the only way to use new features.
The point I’m trying to make here is that we have choice and a competitive market with consoles. This isn’t even about games, it’s about people being able to use the system they feel most comfortable with.

The Apple platform is now as good as any PC for gaming, gone are the architecture differences of decades past. It’s about time game developers saw this market for the potential it has, but it’s up to us as gamers to help support Valve and any other companies that create games natively for the Mac. Supporting Valve now is an integral part of making this work. Why? Because you’ll not be finding any other large studios games on the Apple Steam platform for a while, at least I think. My guess is that the large publishers will be looking to Valves sales of it’s own Steam based games before making any decisions about bringing their ported or porting/creating games for the platform.

For the good of PC gaming itself, that is why we need to support Steam on Macs.

If you’ve not caught any of the hubbub on BoingBoing or seen any of the teaser images head over to the article Gallery: Valve tease Steam/Half-Life/Left 4 Dead for Macs, in style for a look see.

Update: There is an interesting article and discussion at rockspapershotgun.com where they also point out a list of already ported Mac games. Quite a few in that list so we may see more than just Valve games at launch, however I still think the big publishers will be looking at Steam sales to decide whether to make an Apple push themselves or not.

Series 2 ‘color your own’ released

2010-02-10T02:41:55Z

Series 2 now has ‘color your own’ variants available for download, this is the second set of this style to be released.

The color your own alternate style designs we’re created as a way for you to expand your toy building experience. Use pencil, paint, pen, crayon or computer to color the toys any way you see fit.

The color your own toys are built using exactly the same process as the standard toys, just remember to color them first!

Download the Series 2 color your own toys

Free The Garden poster

2010-02-09T02:29:27Z

A few years ago I had an A2 Giclee print for sale on my portfolio titled “The Garden”. Recently I’ve had some enquiries about the print, read on for my response.

Back when I originally released this poster the print run was very sort, the cost to print at A2 was rather high and sales low. Back then I decided to discontinue the print and move on to other things, not really giving it a second thought. Recently someone asked me about the print and if it was available for download, today it is.

Origins

Circa 2007, originally this poster was designed for personal marketing, later turned into a Giclee print for sale. The poster makes use of vector as well as photographic elements and takes some of it’s inspiration from Monty Python artwork. The model is my then friend, now wife, Aaryn Nutter.

Format

The reformatted poster is available at A3 size (that’s 297×420mm), 150dpi in CMYK color. While it’s recommended that you print the poster at A3 size, scaling larger or smaller should work fine.

Download The Garden poster free now (3.9MB)

Core CSS 1.2.1 update

2010-02-06T21:42:28Z

This is a small update to Core CSS 1.2 which includes bug fixes and additions. For more information see the full page details.

There are two new additions with this update. The first is a class to handle negative text indentation for image replacement items, attach this class to any item you want to hide from user view but still have in the page for search engines to read. The second addition is three classes to help you control your text transformations, it’s now easy to handle text that comes in at the wrong case.

I fixed a minor spelling issue with all the charcoal named elements. I’ve left the old spelling in place, if you’ve used this style on other sites you can feel free to update your Core CSS without fear of those older classes breaking. I also adjusted the colors of the standard input elements slightly, they should now be more readable.

As always; using this code requires you include Eric Meyer’s Reset CSS before Core CSS. This can be included either at the beginning of Core CSS or in a separate file which is called first.

Change log 1.2 > 1.2.1
1. + Added new Class txtImg. Used on image replacement items to remove the text from user display.
2. + Added three new Classes to handle Text Transforms: capitalize, uppercase, lowercase.
3. -/+ Fixed a minor spelling error: charcol becomes charcoal. Old spelling left for backwards compatibility.
4. -/+ Amended colors on standard input items to be more user friendly.

There are three ways for you to download the code.
1. Copy and paste the code listed below.

2. Download a file containing the full Core CSS.

3. Download a file containing a minified version of Core CSS.

/* core.css Paul West [http://www.yaypaul.com] */
/* Version: 1.2.1 - 2010-01-18 */

body{background:#fff;}

/* Block level */
div{overflow:hidden;}
.visible{overflow:visible;}
p.closed{margin:0;}
p.open{margin:35px 0 0 0;}
p.mini{margin:10px 0 0 0;}
.float{float:left !important;}
.floatRight{float:right !important;}
.relative{position:relative !important;}
.absolute{position:absolute !important;}
.fixed{position:fixed !important;}
.hidden{display:none}
.block{display:block}
.top{position:fixed; top:0; z-index:10;}
.txtImg{text-indent:-2000px;}

/* Page frameworks */
.frameworkCenter{margin:0 auto;}
.frameworkLeft{left:0; top:0; position:absolute;}
.frameworkRight{right:0; top:0; position:absolute;}

/* Page layout */
.width100{width:100% !important;}
.width75{width:75% !important;}
.width66{width:66% !important;}
.width50{width:50% !important;}
.width25{width:25% !important;}
.width33{width:33% !important;}
.width20{width:20% !important;}

/* Clearing */
.clear{clear:both;}
.clearLeft{clear:left;}
.clearRight{clear:right;}

/* Content control */
.left{text-align:left !important;}
.right{text-align:right !important;}
.center{text-align:center !important;}
.justify{text-align:justify !important;}
.capitalize{text-transform:capitalize;}
.uppercase{text-transform:uppercase;}
.lowercase{text-transform:lowercase;}
.small{font-size:smaller;}
pre{background-color:#fff; border:#333 dashed 1px; padding:10px;}
blockquote{padding:20px; font-style:italic;}

/* Links */
a{text-decoration:underline;}
a:hover{text-decoration:none;}
a:visited{text-decoration:underline;}

/* Colours */
.white{color:#fff !important;}
.black{color:#000 !important;}
.chalk{color:#eee;}
.charcol, .charcoal{color:#333;}
.darkestGrey{color:#484848;}
.darkGrey{color:#666;}
.midGrey{color:#888;}
.lightGrey{color:#ccc;}
.lightestGrey{color:#e5e5e5;}

/* Background colours */
.whiteBg{background-color:#fff !important;}
.blackBg{background-color:#000 !important;}
.chalkBg{background-color:#eee;}
.charcolBg, .charcoalBg{background-color:#333;}
.darkestGreyBg{background-color:#484848;}
.darkGreyBg{background-color:#666;}
.midGreyBg{background-color:#999;}
.lightGreyBg{background-color:#ccc;}
.lightestGreyBg{background-color:#e5e5e5;}
.superLightGreyBg{background-color:#f5f5f5;}

/* Normalise headings */
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6{font-weight:normal;}

/* Table formating */
table td{padding:2px;}
td.first{padding:2px 2px 2px 4px;}

/* Input formating */
input, select, textarea{font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right:10px; padding:4px; background-color:#e5e5e5; border:0;}
input:focus, select:focus, textarea:focus{background-color:#f5f5f5;}
input[type="radio"]{border:0 solid !important;}
input[type="checkbox"]{border:0 solid !important;}
input[type="submit"]{background-color:#e5e5e5;}
input[type="submit"]:hover{background-color:#75d0ff;}

Deadly Furry Cute, new toys, downloads and site

2010-02-01T07:04:48Z

Well over a year in the making fitting the work in when I could, the Deadly Furry Cute relaunch is finally over. I’m going to run through some of the changes, additions and the overall direction of the project here in the projects section.

Lets start with the obvious change first;

New website

The most notable change is to the website, it’s had the full make-over treatment. The old first iteration of the Deadly Furry Cute website was a simple one page site, great for testing the concept and getting something up, not so great for organizing content. So the first step was to get some content management in place. As usual Wordpress was more than enough for the content task, even knowing I needed at least two different page formats -most of the details for the toys are simply saved in custom fields.

Download counting is also much more streamlined, now using a Wordpress plugin rather than my own custom script. While the custom script worked fine, I’d never built a frontend to actually display the details -I was checking via myphpadmin.
This change does mean the perma-links for the old toys no longer work, but that’s ok, Series 1 has changed to Series 1 Edition 2. Those first editions are no longer an offering.

New toys

The next most noticeable change is to the number of toys. Series 2: Squirrels and Series 3: Apes are now released taking the total number of downloadable animal individuals to nine.

I’ve talked before about changing templates, having multiple sizes, trying different styles, and the design I went with for the new series -I wont cover those again. One thing you might have missed is that the series to start it all, Series 1, also has a face lift. The changes to the first series are subtle, I didn’t want to mess with a good thing, but they’re enough to make the first edition obsolete.

Even more new toys

Inspired by a request from an American Educator, Deadly Furry Cute now comes complete with alternate ‘Color Your Own’ versions. These versions are simply as they sound, toys which for the most part have all the features of the original -but none of the color, leaving you to color them as you see fit. You’re free to use any coloring medium, I dare say pencil, pen or paint would be easiest though.

The Game

The revamped Deadly Furry Cute toys all have six stats printed on their base (also available on the site), one stat lists the toys health, the others it’s attributes. Using these attributes in conjunction with the basic rules on the site -or any rules you decide to make up for that matter, can make for a fun little game.
I’m hoping the two rule sets I’ve devised will add some more depth to the toys outside building and displaying them.

Extra free stuff

OK so the toys are free yes, but you still need to build them, how about some swag which doesn’t require assembly?
On the site you’ll now find a number of extras for your Mac/PC, iPhone, Droid or online applications. At the moment that means you’ve got access to some Deadly Furry Cute desktops, device wallpaper and avatar icons, more to follow.

Moving forward

I do have a hard written plan for Deadly Furry Cute, time-line is a little whibley-wobbly but the plan is there. I’m not going to go over it here -where would the surprises be! I will say: many more series are in the works and each one will eventually have a Color Your Own version.

Head over to deadlyfurrycute.com now to download the toys, goodies or leave some feedback.

Follow Reishika Shepard’s progress

2010-02-01T01:52:07Z

It’s been a few days since the release of Mass Effect 2, my collectors edition and I are going to have some fun -when we can find the time, to play it through. I’ll be using xFire -much like I do with other games, to keep a visual log of my progress and events in the story.

This time I’ve decided to post my progress on the blog to give you the option of tagging along for the visual ride. Perhaps you’re not a gamer, not into Sci-Fi or simply want to comment on my choices or special moments and compare them to yours.

To follow the full visual progress head over to my xFire page for Mass Effect 2, bookmark it and check back for progress updates.

If however you’d rather just jump into this page and see the highlights once in a while bookmark this page and check back.

I’ll also be adding some info to my Gamer DNA page, head over there and follow me if it’s your preferred platform.

Spoiler Alert

From here on in it gets a little spoiler filled as the images you see may not have happened in your game yet – or at all depending on your choices. I may also reference outside information I’ve found out about certain choices or scenarios you’ll face/I have faced. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Collector’s Edition Armor

Really nice shot of the Collector’s glowing eyes.

Poor old Normandy

Back to the Citadel

Nice to see some other areas of the Citadel, and their associated views.

The good stuff

Woooah that Whiskey made me drunk!

Tattooed Lady

First close up look at Jacks tattoos. That outfit looks a bit nippy for space though.

No Cable?

These colonists obviously lovers of Satellite TV.

Old friends

Hi Garus! It’s good to see the old faces from ME1. I love that Bioware has all these relationships planned out across all three games. You can also see my shiny gold and red camo armor -this paragon deserves some bling!

The bad guys

I know your face now Mr bad guy! You kinda look like the dude from Independence Day though, shame about the type casting…

Yay Tali

Tali is by far my favorite character in Mass Effect, could well be all the mystery. Definitely have to play through twice now that she’s a romance option.

Amazing artwork

I loved the artwork in ME1, but they’ve really maxed out the detail in ME2. The following shot is just a random room you have to pass through to get from a to b in a mission. I was stopped in my tracks and had to take a screenshot, the small size doesn’t do it justice -head over to the xFire page and check out the natural view.

Similar rovers

I’m pulling this one out as it kind of fits in to the “looks-a-bit-like” category. Seen Aliens the Special Edition? Then you might see a similarity here.

Ahh Illium

The Mass Effect series does a good job at feeling Epic, Illium doesn’t disappoint.

Old flames

Liara, my romance from the ME1 character I brought in, is very happy to see me. She is also another reason why the game is getting at least two plays; My main Shepard from ME1 would like to continue the relationship with Liara through to ME3 without any cheating consequences.
You can also see a shot of my shiny new -kind of scary looking, helmet in this image.

Charlies Angels

Drive core

Get lost in it’s swirls…

Tali’s trial

Where I verbally out maneuver the Admirals.

Hands in the air

Welcome

Wait a minute, that’s not soup!

Samara glows

Loving the new particle effect, they look great even on my older MacBookPro.

Model collection complete

I kept killing the fish…

Sofa fight

My gas giant

Reaper insides

You just know there’s some nasty stuff in here.

Crazy escape

I didn’t sign up for this shhhh….t

On the offensive

The collector base must be destroyed!

They what?

Not cool Mr Reapers not cool!

BOOM!

Must out run blast…

Oh crap

Now that’s just depressing. Bring it on though, I saved the Rachni in ME1, the Queen will come through!

You know what this means

And that’s it for the short image highlights of Reishika Shepard’s play through of Mess Effect 2. If you’d like to see the whole screenshot collection please head over to my ME2 xFire screenshots page.

"multifeed" via Yaypaul in Google Reader

Aaryn West Website

Ranker Character Illustration

Williams Institute Website

The canines are coming, and so are their friends

Gaming Top Tens

Solo list where you can get opinionated

Multiplayer crowd-sourced list where you can get involved

Finally, Open World PVP lists

Bonus list

Society6 shop opened and featured

Need geek gift ideas?

15 Star Wars gifts your nerd will love

The Sexiest Female Super Hero Statues

The Greatest Geek Gifts

Free Object Literal update

There are two ways for you to download the code

Galactic Civilization II: Insectoid Nation Ships

Combat ships

Dart Fighter

Hive Massive Carrier

Javelin Carrier

Seeker Scout

Super Dart Heavy Fighter

Swarm Transport

Wraith Cruiser

Wyvern Battleship

Support ships

Aphid Colony ship

Ant Constructor

Cockroach Mining Ship

Millipede Freighter

Galactic Civilization II: Space Marine Battle Fleet

Combat ships

Thunder Hawk Gunship

Nova Class Frigate

Hunter Destroyer

Strike Cruiser

Battle Barge Super Capital

New code release: Multi-purpose title hide

How it works

You can download the code in a number of ways

New code release: Multi-purpose input clear

How it works

There is two ways for you to download the code

Ziggurat: custom Sim City 4 map

RCT3 Custom Map: Lost Temple

Items in place

More park previews

Valve has taken an important first step, now we need to follow through

Series 2 ‘color your own’ released

Free The Garden poster

Origins

Format

Core CSS 1.2.1 update

Deadly Furry Cute, new toys, downloads and site

New website

New toys

Even more new toys

The Game

Extra free stuff

Moving forward

Follow Reishika Shepard’s progress

*Spoiler Alert*

Collector’s Edition Armor

Poor old Normandy

Back to the Citadel

The good stuff

Tattooed Lady

No Cable?

Old friends

The bad guys

Yay Tali

Amazing artwork

Similar rovers

Ahh Illium

Old flames

Charlies Angels

Drive core

Tali’s trial

Spoiler Alert