> The Arcade Signal

Today is my birthday, and so far I’m spending it exactly how I like: working on a game, getting a little blitzed, and watching Code Monkeys, specifically the great E.T. episode. It really puts me in the right mood to do absolutely nothing except enjoy my day off from the hectic world of work and the constant noise of the outside world.

Things like war. I don’t care if there’s a war. I don’t care, and honestly I don’t want to hear anything about it today. Is that insensitive? No. One’s own life and well-being matter more than whatever chaos is happening on the other side of the world. So here I am, enjoying my time, and soon I’ll be eating like a king.

I just wanted to let everyone know that, yes, I am working on something really great, and I honestly think you’ll all love it. I’m currently building a tile engine, which, in my opinion, is a pretty great way to spend a birthday. Who needs parties with people who supposedly care about me? I have this site, the games I’ve made, and the games I’m working on.

With this tile engine, I really believe I can make some fantastic fantasy RPG-style games, the kind I loved when I was a kid. Games like Ultima were, in my opinion, some of the best fantasy games ever made. Don’t get me wrong, I love Zelda, but when it comes down to Final Fantasy versus Ultima, I’m picking Ultima every single time. The world just feels so much more alive.

Plus, to the best of my knowledge, there weren’t any terrible movies made based on Ultima. And honestly, after Final Fantasy VII, in my opinion and my opinion alone, Ultima is leagues above Final Fantasy. Heck, I’ll even go as far as saying I love Ultima more than Dungeons & Dragons, especially considering the state it’s in now. God… the horror.

Right now I have a few windows open. One is running Ultima II on the C64, another has the MS-DOS version going, and another is playing a YouTube video asking the question: what ever happened to Barry Burton, one of the best characters from the first Resident Evil game? I just love how corny that dialogue is. The atmosphere and terror in that game are fantastic, but the dialogue makes it feel like a George Romero movie, and I absolutely love that.

So as I enjoy this quiet day at home, I just wanted to stop by for a short chat and see how everyone is doing. Honestly, between you and me, I enjoy these moments. I’m not really a social person outside of my family and work, so this is a nice change of pace.

So have a wonderful Wednesday. Take care.

Always carry a quarter.

And remember:

OPEN SOURCE THE WORLD.