Starting a new FAQ.

I have now begun work on an FAQ for Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. But why, you might ask. Every FAQ for the game that I've ever found (on the frequently used FAQ sites such as NeoSeeker and GameFAQs, at least) does not detail the specifics of the economy and the amount needed to mine each asteroid (which both have set amounts) as well as the recharge/shutdown times of both asteroids and leapgates. I have looked through most of them fairly thoroughly (to my knowledge, there is only one or two of them on all the major sites, and I've looked through IGN's stuff thoroughly as well), and none of them detail any of this data, nor do they detail side quests which net you valuable experience and ships in order to advance the storyline.

This will most certainly be a quite daunting project, and it will take a good long time to do so. I wish it were as easy as asking the programmers themselves, but obviously, D3 publisher and the rest of the people that made the game would rather not release it, for legal and publicity reasons. Thus, gamers like myself are stuck with attempting to figure out it ourselves. Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and things will progress faster than I expect them to? I expect the FAQ to take roughly a year to complete, due to the massive size of the game and the time involved with detailing all the info others have not. At least they didn't make it class-based like they did with Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, which would probably take even longer to write an FAQ for if I were to get it. This is a fine game they've made, and I look forward to completing the FAQ in some sort of timely fashion.

So I'll be logging my activities on the FAQ and detailing what each day entailed from now on. If I miss a day, well... I'll just try not to. And obviously, I probably won't be working on it EVERY day. But I want this thing to be absolutely stellar prior to releasing it, so I most likely will release a completed version and call it final, depending on whether I get feedback on it. I plan on logging every last activity in-game, so there's not a chance in hell I'm going to miss much, if anything.

My complete game collection.

This is JUST my computer games, at current. I'll post my PS2, 360, and GC games when I feel like it's worth it. Anyway, here they go, from A to Z.

55,000 Games- A compilation disc of many, many games that I bought at Wal-Mart for #10.
Microsoft Age of Empires: Complete- Not so complete now because of 3. Contains AOE Gold and II and the expansion for II.
Alpha Blast- Little known game I bought for $3.
Atari Arcade Hits 2- A collection of six classic Atari arcade games, now obselete with my...
Atari: The 80 Classic Games- Epic collection of some classic Atari arcade games.
Bejeweled 2 Deluxe- The original, but in 3D and with a few new modes.
Bejeweled Twist- One of the few puzzle games I still play a lot.
Black and White Deluxe- Part of my World of EA Games collection.
Black and White 2 + Expansion- Part of my EA Strategy Collection.
Bookworm Deluxe- Word game by PopCap.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare- You already know what this is about if you're into FPS games.
Civilization III Complete- Sid Meier is just plain awesome. Nuff said.
Civilization IV Gold- Includes classic plus the first expansion, Warlords.
Civilization IV Beyond the Sword- the second expansion to this awesome game.
Command and Conquer: The First Decade- No, seriously. 10 games for $30? I was all over it. Came with a bonus DVD
Diablo- Part of the Diablo Battle Chest
Diablo II + Expansion- one of the most addictive RPG's I've ever played.
Diner Dash- Very addictive management game, if you haven't played it or 2, it's worth a try!
Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue- Not as good as the original, IMO. Gameplay is a bit slower.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind + expansions- Okay, if you've never played any of the Elder Scrolls games, you don't know what a good RPG is.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: GOTY- Wow. What more can I say than this game is epic?
Fate: Undiscovered Realms (and original)- I LOVE this game! Diablo II clone with some awesome modifications.
Freedom Fighters- Also part of my World of EA Games collection. Really a good FPS, overall.
Guild Wars- I stopped playing in the first week. This is one MMO I want to forget about.
Half Life 2- High metascore. If the PC version is anything like the 360 version, then I'm not ever playing it. Epic fail of a game that only got high scores because of the gravity gun (albeit you don't get it until you've practically given up on the game)
Hot Rod: Garage to Glory- Hot Rod racing sim. This isn't really that fun, but I play it for kicks occasionally.
Insaniquarium- Haven't played this one enough to give it a decent shakedown.
Jewel Quest- Very addictive puzzle game.
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring- Not nearly as good as the other two.
LOTR: The Return of the King- Was epic back when it was released. Now... not so much. Part of my World of EA games collection.
LOTR: The Battle for Middle Earth- Probably one of the most epic strategy games I've ever played in my life. Who wouldn't want to play as Borimir or (even better) Aragorn? Part of my EA Strategy Collection.
Left 4 Dead- Hands down the first person shooter in my collection with the most play time. 100 hours or so and I'm still addicted.
Mass Effect- While Left 4 Dead may have the most play time, Mass Effect is hands down the BEST FPS game I've ever played.
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX- I bought this second hand along with THPS and Skate Park Tycoon. Okay at best.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault- It's often better known as MOHAA. Probably the best WWII FPS game I've ever played to this date.
The Microsoft Pinball Arcade- Gotleibb-based pinball machines only. Really nothing special, but it was something to do when I bought it back in 2003.
More Brain Games- Don't ask about the More part. I don't have the original. Fun little games you can play to train your brain to work faster/more efficiently.
Need for Speed II SE- Still holds up well, actually, but not graphically. The music in this game is pretty epic for its day. Part of my EA Need for Speed Collection.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit- Still one of my fave NFS games because it was the first involving cops. Part of the EA NFS Collection.
Need for Speed: High Stakes- Pretty good, but not as good as III. Part of the EA NFS Collection.
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed- Amazing selection of Porsche-based cars, and still the biggest car lineup of any NFS game. Part of the EA NFS Collection.
Feed for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2- Less epic than its console counterparts, by a long shot. At least has the full soundtrack. Part of the EA NFS Collection, but I bought it again for $10 because the version in it didn't have a key to it for some reason.
Need for Speed: Underground- Epic still. One of my first games on the PC.
Need for Speed: Underground 2- OMG YES! Still one of my favorite NFS games, and the first to incorporate open world design that didn't have you running around a track.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted- Probably the most epic NFS game to date. The cops make a comeback, and it's more intense than ever!
Need for Speed: Carbon: Collector's Edition- Awesomeness that was in the making. However, not as good as Most Wanted even though they amped up the stakes a bit, It just wasn't as in your face.
Need for Speed: ProStreet- I'm one of the few people who actually kinda liked this game. It had the clutch option, which just made it feel more realistic.
Need for Speed: Undercover- The biggest open world yet. And the cops are back.
Portal- Ah, yes. FPS/puzzle hybrid that blew me away. Goddamn, I loved that game.
Prey: Limited Collector's Edition- The best $19.00 I ever spent. It's a VERY epic game that really shows that gameplay can be linear and yet extremely engaging.
Prison Tycoon- Can't get a feel for the GUI yet, so not much to say on it.
Roller Coaster Tycoon: Deluxe- Oh, hell yes. This game I wasted most of my childhood away on. Fond memories abound.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Deluxe- Hmm... haven't played as much as the original. But there's more content, overall.
Sega Smash Pack 2- Another time waster as a child.
Sim City 2000- Bought secondhand and never really played much.
Sim City 3000- Epicness. Nuff said.
Sim City 4- Just didn't feel as good as the first three.
The Sims: The Complete Collection- Not a fan of the Sims much to begin with.
Skate Park Tycoon- Okay game, really. Was kinda fun, but not as good as RCT.
Sonic CD- The Most Epic Sonic game ever.
Sonic & Knuckles Collection- It's Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles and both.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell- if I could get it to unprotect its own folder, I might be able to play it without fullscreen.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow- Another good game, but I haven't played it much.
Star Trek: Armada- the installer is EPIC. EPIC, I tell you! The game is even more so.
Star Trek: Armada II- God, I loved this game. I'd say there was well over 100 hours of play time in it.
Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force + Expansion- Probably my favorite FPS game ever. EVER. Holomatch is epic.
Star Wars: Battlefront- The awesomeness that started a whole slew of jedi killing fun.
Star Wars: Battlefront II- Okay, I'm officially torn between this and ST:V:EF as my fave game ever. This epicness could only be contained on five discs. The most epic 3 or so gigabytes of data ever to grace my hard drive.
Star Wars: Empire at War- And no, I don't have the expansion. Very cool RTS game.
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga- Probably one of my fave RTS games overall, because it was so much content.
Star Wars: Galaxies- The biggest mistake I ever bought, since it's now outdated and cost $15 a month to play to begin with.
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy- All in all, this game was pretty good.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005- Yeah. I know. But what's a guy to do? It's still a pretty good game.
Warcraft III + Expansion- OMG! Yes. I love this game.
X-Plane 9- Awesomely realistic flight simulator.
Zuma Deluxe- Extremely addictive and fast-paced puzzle game.

And that's it. If you were brave enough to read the whole thing, you truly are a study in epicness.

How to Master any Guitar Hero Song, revisited

I just started playing Guitar Hero III again on my PS2, and I realized that perhaps my previous entry was a bit long and... unfocused. I focused more on giving tips for people who hadn't played before, where as the audience that aims to master Guitar Hero III would be more hardcore gamers that want a real challenge. And oh, what a challenge it is. Songs like Number of the Beast from Guitar Hero III, or Eye of the Tiger from GH World Tour, may SEEM simple to do at first, but you learn very quickly that they're a lot more difficult than you anticipated. So without further ado, I give you my revised version of How to Master any Guitar Hero Song... on Expert level. Please, I ask you to read the whole thing. I don't care if text is a turn-off for you, if you don't read the whole article, you won't be able to do it right.

Okay, first off. Most of you have been playing Guitar Hero for some time now. I doubt I need to tell you this, but for those of you who need it, DON'T GO DOWN A LEVEL IF YOU'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH A SONG. If you go down from expert to hard, the song will have a completely different feel in most cases, and it will actually make you play WORSE, unless you have a lot of experience playing at the difficulty level.

What I'm about to tell you is important to follow to the letter, as there really can be no better way to learn any song, and if you don't believe me, try the technique for yourself and see how well it works. I've had improvements of over 10% notes hit at times, JUST FROM USING THE TECHNIQUE I'M GOING TO DESCRIBE TO YOU THROUGH ONE CYCLE OF THE STEPS. It works. If it isn't working for you, then Guitar Hero really isn't your game, and you should go find something else to play.

But if you're willing to brave a sea of hard work to 100% a song, this is the technique you should use. It may seem obvious when you think about it at first, but seriously, I've seen all too often that thinking of the obvious hardly ever happens for some.

Okay, first off. A few important tips. I'm going to limit the technique tips this time around, since that was the bulk of the unrevised version, and I'll now bullet them for convenience:

1. Righty or lefty, it doesn't matter. You can be good with either. But if you're playing the 360 version, I DARE YOU TO GET THE ACHIEVENT FOR PLAYING IT ON BOTH RIGHTY AND LEFTY. No, seriously. It will make you a WAY better player. And I mean WAAAAAY better.

2. Don't quit if your hands start aching. This is your body telling you you're not that good yet and it's still getting used to the level of stamina required to play Guitar Hero on expert. If you quit THAT easily, you shouldn't be playing this game in the first place, it's not your cup of tea.

3. By and large, DO NOT play in Career/Quick Play mode if you're not good at a song yet. It'll majorly lower your self esteem every time you get booed off stage. Play ONLY in practice mode until you've nearly mastered a song or feel you could play most all of it in your sleep. It took me three months of playing before I was comfortable with even playing Miss Murder by AFI on expert in Quick Play mode, and then my scores still weren't higher than they were in practice.

4. For the most part, Guitar Hero III is your best option for a selection of very challenging songs. II is acceptable, but to be honest, there's neither as much content nor as many difficult songs. Besides that, the features you'll be using by taking up this method don't exist in II anyway. They only exist thus far in the III, Aerosmith, World Tour, Metallica, and Greatest Hits. But your best bet is still III, since it has the widest selection of heavy rock songs that tend to be more challenging with timing on both strumming and keys.

5. My last bit of advice is probably the most important. In order to master a song from Guitar Hero on Expert (especially concerning III), you must persevere. You can't give up because you feel it's too difficult. Also, play on a daily basis, and until you've mastered one of the harder songs, play for half and hour to two hours at a time. If you don't have that kind of time on your hands, or your schedule is very demanding or unpredictable, then you definitely shouldn't be aiming for mastery. Unless you've got literally the stamina of a world-class track athlete when playing a GH game, you'll find that your limit will be anywhere from a half an hour (newer players, especially) to two hours, which is what I can generally play without my scores dropping substantially.

6. For beginners only: You should at least complete Guitar Hero III on easy before trying this. Medium not necessarily needed, since I went straight to expert off of easy because easy felt too... well, easy, and medium wasn't much better.

7. Your ultimate goal is to be able to play ANY guitar hero song. Don't start off with TTFAF. Start with something easier, but not too easy, such as Miss Murder by AFI (if you haven't played it on expert, you'll quickly see it's FAR more difficult than you would've though on your first playthrough), or something that you purchased early on from the songs section of the in-game store. If you're playing the 360/PS3 version, don't go with any DLC, I've heard they tend to err more on the difficult side.

Now on to the actual steps you should take:

1. Play the song you want to master on expert 4-5 times to get a feel for it. Doing this will allow you to get better acquainted with the song before you do step 2, so you can see where your major areas for improvement are. If it starts feeling truly hopeless and you can't hit any of the notes whatsoever, it's time for step 2.

2. This time, drop down to the slowest speed. Remember, you're supposed to be doing this is PRACTICE mode, not quickplay or career.

3. Start over from step 1, but only do 2 full speeds to one slowest. You be the judge on what you need to do after this, but continue the steps until you're able to practically 100% the song (i.e., 93-96% would be adequate.) when you feel you could play the song in your sleep...

4. Play it in quick play mode. This is where you'll really get knocked down on your ass and see that you don't know the song nearly as well as you thought you did. Don't go back to practice after your first try. You shouldn't be getting booed off stage at this point unless you're not very solid in a specific portion of a song (such as Number of the Beast's main riff section about halfway through). You'll also notice that your scores often won't be as high as you thought they would, simply because you're now also dealing with star power and you're actually being rated for how many consecutive notes you miss.

5. With the new information you found in quickplay, use it to improve on the areas where you were lacking (ESPECIALLY the portions where star power were concerned) in practice mode. This time around, target the specific areas you had problems with and play only those portions. If you've been paying attention at all to the names that pop up when you're playing in practice mode, you should know what each section is called by now, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out what area takes up what part of the song.

6. Repeat from step 4. This time, however do roughly 2-3 quickplays to one practice. You'll find yourself far more easily adjusting to the star power portions than it was to adjust to the timing, notes, and strumming.

7. When you're able to 100% a song a couple times in a row, you've (for the most part) mastered it. Here's the tough part: if you don't come back to it every once in a while, you'll have lost that ability. Which means you can really only master a set number of songs, but that depends on how good a mind you have on you. Keep playing the ones you like a lot, and be selective. Since you're likely not going to be able to master EVERY song that's currently on the main content of the 8 Guitar Hero games there currently are (and the new one coming out soon), you need to be very choosy about what you decide to master. But start with just III or World Tour, or if you're into the specific band, one of the offshoots (i.e. Aerosmith or Metallica or Rocks the 80's).

And that's the method to the madness! Remember that if you feel slowest getting too easy, you need to move up a speed. You may even come to a point where you won't even need to switch speeds, but that will only be on the extremely hard songs, such as TTFAF or anything on the final tour in III.

Now you have the tools necessary to do what you're reading this article for refer back to it frequently if you forget anything, and most of all, have fun! Isn't that why we play in the first place?