Comic #00081: Diamond Defense

Save the Net

1/5/10 - A friend of mine (who's an actual artist) started up a comic. It's very good. It also updates regularly, unlike mine. (Every Wednesday at noon EST). It's called Rusty and Co. It's about a group of D&D monsters (Rusty the Rust Monster, Gelatinous Cube and The Mimic) that decide to become adventurers. I recommend giving it a look. As a matter of fact, the entire reason I updated the comic today was to tell you all that you should check his comic out, as I otherwise would've spent the day cleaning up for when people come to fix my wallpaper, so they can get to it without a hassle, followed by doing some work on the XBox Live Arcade game I'm working on for Saturnine Games, and maybe playing an episode of one of the TellTale games I got for Christmas... But I decided instead that I'd update the comic to let the 5 of you who actually read this text down here know to check out Rusty and Co.

12/20/09 - I'm finally going snowboarding again today! Yay! Oh, what? Why the 4 month hiatus? Oh, I took an AI class. I'm working on upgrading from General Video Game Programmer to Video Game AI Programmer.

8/15/09 - The Large Cavern in Order of Ecclesia is VERY HARD.

8/8/09 - I couldn't actually find a full non-blurry copy of Battlefield big enough for the current panel size on my computer. I wound up taking the solid version from 00011's psd and overlaying it onto 00001's blurry jpg, and tracing the jpg. Now I've got a full copy though...

8/1/09 - I had a smoothie recently. I've never had one before. It was good at first, but with an aftertaste that sorta confused me for a while and made me not really want it. I eventually figured out that the aftertaste was the taste of fruit. It's been SO long since I've eaten fruit, that my tongue found the taste to be strange and wanted to get rid of it... That's pretty bad. I should have more to get over that.

7/25/09 - As you may know, I'm a fan of the Overlord series. I recently played it's two newest games, Overlord II and Overlord: Dark Legend. I must say, the control scheme in Dark Legend is great, better than the other two Overlord games, but the game's so short and has no real replay value. You max out at 20 minions, get upgrades in 2s and 3s... I look at a game like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy, and it seems to me that Dark Legend was rushed. It doesn't look as nice, the camera's too close to the overlord, and it's SO short. It's fun... But after 100%-ing it in under two days... It's the first game I've played that I wish was a rental. Overlord II though, I'm going for a second playthrough, this time as a destruction Overlord. It's long, looks nice, and has pretty good replay value. I liked it a bit better than the first. Though, minions often get stuck and despawn... VERY VERY often...

7/18/09 - It's been about a month now. My situation's still all weird, so I'm dropping down to once a week for updates until I'm somewhere more stable. I'm fairly sure I can handle onece per week...

6/14/09 - I'm living in two places at once now. I really need to get all my stuff to the the place I'm moving to... This is just weird.

6/10/09 - I have one more in buffer, but I'm also in the middle of packing to move... We'll see what happens. I'm hoping to stop having interruptions.

6/7/09 - I finally got the screenshots I needed to continue. Hooray!

5/31/09 - I just had to format AGAIN... The virii embedded themselves in the executables for all my emulators. The next comic requires a few backgrounds near the end of the game too, and not ones I can find online. So, I don't know how long it's going to be until the next update... I'm gonna see if I can find a save state of not yet having entered Tourian, but being able to so I can get the rest of what I need. And no, sites like Background HQ don't have these particular backgrounds. Best I can find is a crappy jpg image... And I'd rather take longer to update than post a blurry comic.

5/27/09 - Yes, it's possible to reach Ridley's Lair without the Gravity Suit... Look up a no-suit-upgrades run of the game on YouTube and you'll see how.

5/25/09 - Here's an update. What? You thought the comic died? It's come back from worse breaks. It took a bit of wrestling with Photoshop to get started again. Turns out it doesn't like reinstalling after a fresh format...

5/13/09 - It's been a while... Here's a bit of an update. First off, I used to have this PNG image that was a big map of Zebes made entirely of screenshots. I seem to have misplaced this file, which greatly slows down my progress. Secondly, I had some virus issues and had to reformat my compy. Toss in a little extra time spent at work because a project was just finishing up and the fact that I'm still gonna play video games, it's the comic that suffers. I hope to update again soon.

3/1/09 - I've been looking forward to this one for a while...

2/26/09 - The next comic isn't ready because there's something I need to finish it with that I can't find... I've wanted to do this storyarc for a long while, and I know a lot of readers have wanted it too... I'm not gonna put it on hold because I can't find what I need. It's next! I just gotta find that missing piece... So I apologize in advance for possible comic delay for however long it takes me to get what I need.

2/23/09 - My hip is all sore from a bad fall, but I think I'm fine. It couldn't be broken or anything because I was able to keep going for the rest of the day.

2/20/09 - I got my own snowboarding boots. Kinda expensive... But I'm tired of getting my feet cut up on rentals.

2/17/09 - Rode my first real slope this past weekend. I think I have a little trouble toe-side, but I'm fine heel-side and even switch. Though, if I switch too much, I forget which foot I'm supposed to have in front...

2/13/09 - I've added an Info section to help people keep in mind what's what in the GameCheetz duoverse.

2/9/09 - Going snowboarding again next weekend... So to even things out, I'll wait an extra day to post the next comic, which will stay up until I return.

2/6/09 - I have 6 more comics in buffer but... Only 5 more storyarcs in my mind for after that. I'll try to think of what I can, but if I run out of material, I'm not gonna beat a dead horse.

2/3/09 - Legos are fun. Spent all of Sunday building stuff with Legos with a few friends.

1/31/09 - Well, THAT was certainly a long and depressing storyarc... There's a reason I keep most storyarcs kinda short. See how repetetive this one got?

1/28/09 - I have 4.8 comics in buffer now, so I think returning to twice a week will not be a problem. Enjoy!

1/24/09 - I don't have a buffer yet, so I should probably not upload this yet, and update weekly until I've built up a buffer so I can update regularly. Of course, I'm not going to follow my own advice on the matter... Perhaps I'll just upload comics as I finish them instead.

1/21/09 - Wow, a full month since last update... The Bowling Alley's redesign is coming along... Here's a sample: Birdo's

12/21/08 - I might extend the length of sporadicness to give the Bowling Alley a makeover. It needs it...

12/14/08 - Happy GameCheetz Day! On this night, six years ago, I uploaded the first and crappiest comic in the archives!

I was going to give the comic a purple tint to match previous years, but it took a lot away from the comic when I did that... So I just purpled the borders.

12/02/08 - The holidays are a busy time of year. Updates will be sporadic from two weeks ago until after the holiday season is over in mid-January. After that I will return to a regular update schedule.

11/18/08 - Gonna try my hand at DMing a D&D campaign (4th ed). Set up a map and a bit of backstory.

11/13/08 - We had a party wipe in D&D. Most of the party decided to pay to have their characters brought back. I did not. The penalty to all d20 rolls PLUS the price of getting brought back... I've no idea why people would pick to keep their characters instead of rerolling. So, of course, with 3/5 of the party at a penalty to d20 rolls, we nearly wipe again...

To get over the penalty, they have to get through 3 pairs of fights and/or skill checks. (So, if you get through 3 of them, then sleep, that last fight didn't help you towards getting over it.) I think the penalty and it's duration are a bit too much. Then again, I wouldn't bother bringing a character back anyway...

11/10/08 - I played through Marvel: Ultimate Alliance recently on the 360. Does Microsoft HAVE a lotcheck? 'Cause I saw QUITE a few bugs that would not pass Nintendo...

Most notably, the bug you get if you bring Iron Man to Mephisto's Realm. Iron Man will constantly jitter in the sky and not attack or be useful in any way if he's comp controlled, and if you take control of him, he'll make a beeline flight off the nearest cliff.

There were other bugs... Like, if an enemy that jumps on your back does so, and you use a special ability of any sort, the enemy stops hurting you, is not targettable, and can't be shaken off. That, however, is not a visual glitch like jittering is, so it'd pass Nintendo's lotcheck.

For anyone who doesn't know, lotcheck is when a console manufacturer looks at your game for certain specific flaws that they don't allow. A game must pass lotcheck to be manufactured for that system.

11/5/08 - In celebration of a successful election, I'm updating a night early with the 400th GameCheetz comic.

11/1/08 - This is early for Tuesday, since I'm not gonna be around to update until after then. Also, the next comic after this will be the 400th, so I figured I'd leave you at a nice cliffhanger...

10/30/08 - I thought this was gonna be late. It wasn't. Yay!

10/29/08 - After I finished the comic last night, my arm hurt so I laid down... I uploaded the image, but didn't link the comics page, archives or index to it before sleeping... So I posted it on the forum. As a bonus, here's a larger version of the map.

10/23/08 - The worst way to discover pet allergies is to adopt a pet. I used to be fine with cats...

I'm going to have to give the kittens away.     :'-(     My parents will take good care of them.

10/21/08 - I've adopted a pair of 3 month old kittens. My thorough analysis indicates that kittens are exceedingly adorable. If the next comic is late, it's their fault, and how can anyone be mad at kittens? You'd have to have no heart at all... Which means you'd die of lack of bloodflow.

10/16/08 - Megaman 9 is really hard... But in a very fair way. Still trying to beat it...

10/14/08 - Megaman 9 is awesome. If you haven't already, go get it.

10/9/08 - Gonna go see Freezepop again tomorrow night. Last time was a few months back.

10/7/08 - I finally got my laser sword, and with it Arthur's boxers. (Arthur from Ghosts & Goblins.)

10/2/08 - If you get an achievement in Dead Rising, and then the game crashes, you don't unlock the stuff that comes with the achievement. That is poor design. I want my laser sword!

9/29/08 - After many hours of playing Dead Rising, I couldn't sleep last night... Or, rather, I realized it was 7am, and decided to just skip sleeping for the night.

9/26/08 - Well, I'm all caught up with updates and have a buffer again.

9/25/08 - I skipped a comic. Maybe I'll make it up to you. Maybe not. Real-life deadlines are more important to me than comic ones.

9/18/08 - I was slightly off. The LHC's first collision will be next week, not in October.

9/15/08 - This is the last of the buffer. I've got more written... I've just gotta sprite it.

9/11/08 - The Large Hadron Collider was tested today. Sounds like it's functional. I'm looking forward to when they start doing real experiments with it in late October.

9/8/08 - It's amazing how much one part of your body can effect another. For example, for a while, I've been waiting for orthodics. Ordered them at orthoticsdirect.com. They took over a month and a half for the whole process, and I began to wonder if I'd ever get them... But they've arrived and they're great.

Feet feeling betterleads to legs feeling better, which means spine feeling better, which means my neck doesn't get as stiff as it used to be, which means less headaches which, in turn, means better ability to concentrate, and, thusly, better mental capacity.

9/4/08 - I recently played Braid for the 360. It's short... But fun. Very puzzley platformer.

9/1/08 - On my way somewhere today, I decided to stop at a Starbucks:

Me: Venti no-whip mocha frapp, with reciept.

Cashier: Hot, right?

Me: Frapp. Frappuccino?

Cashier: Right, sorry... Would you like a reciept?

Me: Yes, please.

<Cashier hands me the reciept>

(If you come in before 2pm and get a stamped reciept, a coffee after two is 2/5 the price, accoriding to a promotion they've been running for the past several months.)

Me: Can you stamp it?

Cashier: Oh, right, I thought it was after two...

<I wait for them to make my drink>

Barista: Whipped cream on the mocha frapp?

Me: No thanks.

<Barista hands me a TALL no-whip mocha frapp>

Me: It was a Venti.

<Barista looks at me like I'm trying to get one over on him, but knows he can't say so. He glances at the cashier like he's gonna ask her, but she's ringing up another order, so he just makes the venti.>

 

For those that don't know all the Starbucks words above, Venti = Large, Tall = Small, Barista = Coffee making person, Frappuccino = Add ice and put it in a blender, Mocha = Coffee with chocolate.

On the plus side, it was one of the best frappuccinos I've had. It had the perfect ratio of coffee to chocolate with no giant chunks of ice. Though, the longer it's been since I've had caffeine, the better I seem to like them.

8/28/08 - Me and a group of my co-workers have been going to the same Starbucks every day for over two years. Today they asked our names.

8/25/08 - Had to work all weekend. I like my job... But I like doing other things as well. Occasionally, I like updating a day early... Here ya go.

8/21/08 - I couldn't really have Sephiroth invading somewhere and NOT cause a bloody mess, could I?

8/18/08 - I felt like posting this one up a day early. Also, played through Bioshock again. Still a great game.

8/14/08 - We Didn't Playtest This At All is an excellent card game.

8/12/08 - I saw a high speed collision the other day. Everyone survived, luckily. I think one of the drivers got a broken leg, but judging by the impact mark on the side of their vehicle, a milisecond of difference would've been fatal for them instead. (They impacted just in front of the driver's side door.) Ambulance was there in under 30 seconds from impact, which is amazing response time.

8/7/08 - Hostile aliens everywhere... Where's Samus when you need her?

8/5/08 - I didn't sleep last night. That's why I'm uploading this a few hours early... So I can go to bed early.

I bought a new wireless Rock Band guitar on Saturday. Then I exchanged it for one that worked on Sunday. Still a fun game.

7/31/08 - Today sucked. I hope tomorrow is better. Unfortinately, I can't really post about it.

7/29/08 - I finally completed Phantom Hourglass. It's both good and bad. The problems with the game come from the setting and controls, but it has excellent level design, which is the second most important thing a game can have. (The most important is being fun. Level design is almost always what best facilitates fun, so it's second.)

The problems: First off, you don't even play as Link. You play as Ciela, Link's fairy companion for the game. You fly somewhere and Link follows. To use an item, you fly to the target so Link knows where to aim. It also takes place on The Great Sea (One of WindWaker's two flaws returns here. [The other being that WindWaker was never actually finished.])

The levels are SO well designed though despite being annoyingly linear and short... Linearity is Ocarina of Time's permanent mark on the series. Twas the worst thing to happen to Zelda. In Phantom Hourglass though, the dungeons have become just as linear as the overworld had become, which almost made me decide to not finish this game because I don't like the fact that the series was diluted to be more like everything else. It's still a series full of great games... They're just not quite AS great as they would've been.

7/24/08 - Somebody told me a new Zelda game is in the works. I'm sure there's ALWAYS a new Zelda in the works... But saying it makes me happy.

7/22/08 - It's way too hot. Two air conditioners are not able to cool off my apartment given a few hours to run. I feel quite sick.

7/17/08 - You ever have a really good or really bad day, where it seems that everything goes right or wrong? I've had both numerous times each. But at the same time? Today's been a great yet simultaneously awful day for me. It's weird...

7/15/08 - Some construction company has until September to raise enough money to buy the building I live in. I just found out.

Also, new Tu/Th schedule started last Friday.

7/9/08 - I should probably set up an e-mail client so I can check my e-mail... It's been over half a year, I think, since I've checked it last.

7/7/08 - For those of you who're blind and therefore haven't noticed: I've updated the site's look! I reccomend checking out the "Other" section (More to come there).

Also, Independance Day just passed by here in the US. They always have fireworks here in Manhattan, over the East River, so I decided to walk there in the light drizzle to not see the fireworks. It was fun. Ten minutes after it ended, I nearly got there, turned around, and went back to my apartment.

7/4/08 - The staplegun at work is one of those stapleguns designed for people that like to staple their hand. Makes a great gag gift for people you hate. Out of 2 uses, 2 people have stapled their hands with it. The first was a guy in Home Depot, who one might expect would be better at not stapling their hand.

This self-torture device is built upside down, so when you pull the handle, a staple is launched out the BOTTOM of the front of the staplegun, unlike all other stapleguns in existence, where the staple exit is on TOP.

Today, I saw it's effects firsthand, and I must say... It's quite disturbing to see a staple in someone's finger... I know he'll be fine, but that's REALLY gotta hurt! Supposedly, it didn't hurt as bad as it looked like it did. The guy didn't even say "Ow". I think that says more about his adrenaline response than it does about staples in fingers though.

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