Rb Online

I tried RB-online today, and went for the PuG-band option. Firstly, no matter what I tried in headsets, even the wireless one, I can't seem to be able to talk to the peeps and when they try to talk back I get all kinds of garbled static. So much for that then.

Another thing those people seem to be hung up on is insisting to play expert and crap out in the intro... o.0

And why is my tab-bar so small, showing other people's tab-bar aswell to the left and right? I didn't do so well just because on the tab-bar in multiplayer the timing seems a lot different, and the very small size of things didn't do me much good either. I switched to my Xplorer and then things went a lot smoother, as the Xplorer is actually a lot faster and more accurate than the Strato is!! Hmmmm....

So now my set-up is Strato for Soloplay (excellent!) and Xplorer for online (faster response, better on the note-soup sections). Again, much of it has to do with the size of the tab-bar, Strato and solo tab-bar is heaven, really. Just don't try it online, you'll crap out the band and look worse than that you actually are. Also, trying to force the Strato into overdrive online does not work all that well, making you miss notes.

On the up-side, I showed off my guitar-goddess Sadie, of whome I'll post a few screenies soon. I'm not in any way good enough on the drums yet to show off Terry (She bangs the drums XD ) and with my experience with the online tab-bar, I'll prolly never will show her off on-line.

On the Solo-side of things: Guitar I've progressed to Medium, on drums I'm still trying to get the 5 stars on the very first song. I can't bang the drums for long periods of time, my roomies become murderous when I do... Good thing I like to play the guitar aswell, and thank Allah for the Gibson Xplorer! =)

Laters!

Lost gamer signing in!

Yes, it's I [dramatic drumfill] Junglecat. I'm back after a long, long time of playing WoW (Europe) exclusively. XBL had nothing to keep my interest and frankly, the absence of Rockband overhere while everybody else was playing the game to death kinda made me all teary-eyed.

But Rockband has finally arrived in the Netherlands and I'm able to join the guys online jamming. I'm looking forward to meeting you guys online and getting a groove on!

The game itself does not disappoint at all. Where Guitar Hero III was a let-down and GH-Aerosmith does not even get a mention in the shredfest side of playing virtual instruments, the wholehearted backing of Harmonix in Rockband shows. The graphics are once again lovely cartoony and finally, finally, I can create my own toon to appear in the videos, band-photo's, album covers and the hilarious *behind the scenes* stills. This in itself, which was a miss  since GH-classic, wins a game over for me. A game appears to be so much better if it just allows you to create your own toon. Sure GH and GHII had Judie Nails (In GHIII she got her sweetness nerfed and many fans traded Judie for the trailor-chick), but still, the abillity to enter a game with a toon you made yourself makes a world of difference.

The tab-bar takes some getting used to. Now little Arkanoid-bats drop down, instead of the discs we're used to. I for one needed a few songs to get a feel for the differences in timing, as it now seems to be impossible to squeeze a note (starting it a bit early, just as it hits the strumbar), instead requiring the player to hit the note at the exact time it falls over the strumbar. That said, the tab-bar is now clear and easily readable, as the distracting background is now done away with. Goodness!

I bought the entire package, as I couldn't get the drumkit without also buying the microphone and the Fender Stratocaster. On the Strat, nothing but awe. What a wonderful guitroller is that! And what a step forward from the Gibson Xplorer! I'm having trouble with the solo-buttons but I'm not too sweaty about it. The Strat plays like a dream, but invoking starpower (different name now... Energy Release or something like that), is frightingly close to GHII pre-patch... not sensitive enough to invoke without missing notes.

The drumkit then.., the very instrument I've been itching to get my hands on since I first heard that Rockband would have a drumkit. I'm a happy-puppy there. It's harder than it looks, but certainly perfectly doable. I'm still getting used to playing the drums in Rockband though, as I can barely hold it together in easy. But what a joy it is. The kit itself is not backed by a big name in drumkits like Pearle so it's just a drumkit. It's however sturdy, robust and designed to withstand a pounding by over-enthousiastic drummers. I have the feeling it'll last me a long time indeed, as the kit does not give the nervous idea I have to take it easy. Oddly, the beatsticks that are bundled with the kit are backed by Ludwig...

The microphone also looks quality enough, but I haven't tested it. When I sing, the Dutch Royal Army will prolly mobilize and invade every country surrounding them, believing that my singing is in reality a call to arms. Shutting up for me is the better part of valor here.

What really amazed me is that each and every instrument in the bundle looks so good you're hard pressed to remind yourself they are TOYS. The sheer quality and attention to detail lets them easily pass as the real deal. Rockband sets a standard here that dwarves the guitroller that came with GHIII.

The songlist that comes with the basic game is "meh". I don't see how anyone aspiring to be a leadsinger will be picking up the microphone out of free will in Rockband. Just who's good enough to rap/sing along with Faith no more doing their iconic song (Epic)? Do you know of a girl who can give a good rendition of "I think I'm Paranoid"? There are just too many songs in Rockband that are too hard to sing without being trained in the art of vocal prowess. So, basically, when you do get a singer to make a fool out of him/herself, the songs are limited to "Should I stay", "Blitzkrieg Pop" and other fast, loud songs that do not readily require years of stage-experience. Drumming wise, I'm in awe... when I'm good enough to select hard in the future, I'll be having some meaty songs ahead of me. I can't wait.

Of course, having lagged several months overhere, the DLC for Rockband is now through the roof, so I'm looking at plunging deep for XBL-points to download a few songs extra. Maybe you guys who are playing Rockband longer can give me some pointers here. What songs of the DLC do you guys play the most online? Let me know, as it'll certainly help me narrowing down what to download first. I would hate to finally come online with my drumkit only to go like, "Uhhh, I don't have that song..."

So, there you have it. Junglecat is back, and this time he brings his drumkit. Hello to everybody here, and a special hello to all the clannies who are still on my XBL-buddylist after my long absence.

Rock on!

The Cat´s on the move.

You know, I finally did something I was thinking about for a long time.

You all know about my job at the trucking-company, the short-term lay-over forwarders. I liked the job, as it was hectic, specialistic and just the place were trained professionals can shine. I had no particular feelings for the brass though. In my opinion and experience they were a bunch of inadequate individuals more concerned with safeguarding their (inherently worthless) positions by unjustly evaluating lower staff. Needless to say, I openly have been naming them sons of bitches, motherfuckers and closet homosexuals. I'm sorry if you're any one of those three groups, I do not mean to discriminate.

I have been a motivated employer overthere. Wrote job-describtions, even was put in a position where I was expected to come up with a whole new position within the organization and put it on the rails. I did that successfully. For me, sworn to be an underachiever after my murky military career, this was positively outside the realm of merely turning up for work. In the end, you could say I WAS the work, kinda.

Anyway, I decided that I had enough of the company, their work and the height to which those losers were able to stack shit. I've warned them many times over that I only live for myself. I have enough cash to go around missing three months worth of salary, six if I take it easy. I told them often enough that if they wouldn't stop giving me unwarranted lip over nothing at all, I would abandon them faster than nothing else.

And so I did. One fine day I walked into the offices, straight the big guy and told him that I was taking a hike as per direct. I didn't wait for him to say anything. I turned around and walked away. Just like that. I didn't look back, and to this day have not yet returned there.

Finding another job took me less than three days. I now work as a substitute foreman shipping at a company that makes medical components. When they saw my credentials, they wanted nothing more but to give me a job. I told them the absolute truth when they asked me why I walked away from my old job as I did. "Give me enough flack over nothing, and I flip you the bird."

There was a brief silence as the man from P&O looked at me. Then he extended me his hand and welcomed me aboard.

There are a few things I must be getting used to at my new job. Work-stress is virtually not existant there. Productions craft the goods, we crate it and ship it. I noticed that too many people have too much time to talk. (Bad thing on any workfloor) There are too many women present on the workfloor, which increases the talk tenfold. Good thing I didn't reflect on the postion as foreman production, I heard that production had two emergency-meetings last week because of the talk on the workfloor, and the shaky relations between the female workers. I´m very much opposed to talking on the workfloor, as it rarely stays within the boundaries of commom sense and respect for others.

I´m two weeks in my new job, and I already know who´s having mental problems and is taking meds to stay sane, who´s been a foreman and subsequently demoted from that position, who´s a drunk, who´s a druggie. I already know that a guy I haven´t even seen yet is gay. So I made a mental note to watch my six there. It´s a good thing that expedition is in a hall of it´s own, and that I have little business in production.

So. I traded jobs, and finally did what I was meaning to do for a while now. The future looks bright, I´m getting myself a pair of shades.

May Allah smile upon you!

The Falcon has landed.

Give me girlscout cookie and call me a happy camper!

Today my quest for the holy grail (the ultimate 360) has come to an end. I have found a 360 Arcade with the Falcon Mobo and HDMI-support. So, all I had to do was to click in my 120HDD, connect the HDMI and start this sweet baby up. Oddly enough, the packaging says the 360 inside only gives composite HD... but the 360 itself also outputs HDMI... weird.

RRoD should now be a nightmare from beyond and times past for me. For everything considered, I'm now the proud owner of a white Xbox-Elite!

The HDMI output is stuff of legend, in my opinion. Kingdom under Fire positively blew me away.

For you. Happy Valentine's!

The sun is shining throught your hair,

It's shooting sparkles in the air,

Sit down and talk,

Talk to me.

Your hands are describing the words you seek,

As if they are too hard to speak,

Sit down and talk,

Talk to me.

Please don't say you have to go away,

I want so much for you to stay,

Sit down and talk,

talk to me.

Your voice is like a song to me,

I love you dearly, don't you see,

Forever be my friend.