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Neverwinter Nights 2
Wednesday 23 November 2006
Well, it's been a while since the last update. I took a while to write a short story for a competition, and also got a good load of work done on my next novel.
While I was doing all that, Obsidian went and released Neverwinter Nights 2. A very good game, lots of fun. I've already lost a weekend to it.
Update: Sadly, Neverwinter Nights 2 didn't stay a fun game. It has joined the very few games I have never completed. Nowhere near as good as the first Neverwinter Nights and the expansion packs.
After all that, I've found time to add at least one more image to the gallery. A nice shot of a dirt path skirting a steep slope near Lilydale Falls. You can check it out in the Gallery.
Spooky Trees
Wednesday 20 September 2006
Now that this half of the planet is firmly in Spring, I've added some (somewhat spooky-looking) winter shots of bare trees in the cold morning fog. Check out the Gallery to have a look at them in both widescreen and normal aspect ratio.
The widescreen images are 1680x1050 images, and the 1280x1024 4:3 wallpaper are still there too. Go check it out!
Widescreen Wallpaper
Wednesday 23 August 2006
I've created some widescreen versions of some of the wallpaper in my Gallery. This is very handy if you have one of the new widescreen, 16:9 aspect ratio monitors.
The widescreen images are 1680x1050 images, and the 1280x1024 4:3 wallpaper are still there too. Go check it out!
Female Adoring Fan V4
Tuesday 1 August 2006
Yes! I've been slaving away, and have completed Version 4 of my mod for Oblivion, Female Adoring Fan.
This version adds the ability to change her inventory and clothing, plus you can now tell her to go to sleep. Yes, she becomes a portable ready drink for vampire characters! Download it from the Gaming section.
Free Book
Tuesday 18 July 2006
Yay! I've finally managed to come up with a decent way to put one of my Action/Adventure novels online. Like the rest of the site, it's free for your enjoyment! Go have a read.
Fair warning, it's the first few chapters so far. I'll add more when I get the time. If you like it and want me to add the rest sooner rather than later, email me at novels@johnanthonycurran.com and let me know!
System Shock 2
Thursday 13 July 2006
If you've ever been interested in System Shock 2, you may find the latest addition to my Gaming page to be most helpful. I've assembled a number of step-by-step guides to take people through installing System Shock 2 and getting it to work, as well as upgrading the visuals for both the character models and the textures. Included is a fix for the game to address instability under modern processors.
Demon Duck of Doom
Wednesday 12 July 2006
Cower in fear mortals, for we now have proof of the existence of Demon Duck of Doom! Killer Kangaroos have also been confirmed. Additional details can be found at Wikipedia. I for one welcome our bill-faced overlords!
Shrine of Remembrance
Sunday 25 June 2006
Added five images to the Gallery, under the City section. This time they are all images of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, the immense pile of stones just south of the city's main business district. Some good images, go check them out.
Mount Wellington
Saturday 10 June 2006
Added some great images to the Gallery, under the City section. These are concentrating on Mount Wellington, the mountain standing sentinel over the city of Hobart.
Wrest Point Casino
Thursday 4 June 2006
Night images of Hobart's Wrest Point Hotel Casino have been added to the Gallery, under the City section.
FreeDB 2
Thursday 1 June 2006
Anyone who has used FreeDB to download track titles while ripping music from a CD knows how chaotic the database is. A much cleaner version is now online at FreeDB2.org, AKA TrackType.Org. It's still in beta, but it's already the fastest and most accurate CD database you'll find. Go check it out!
Plain Backgrounds
Sunday 28 May 2006
I've added two reasonably plain background images to the Gallery under the Beach section. The pictures have a very consistent tone and hue, making it easy to keep track of icons when they are used as desktop wallpaper.
Lilydale Falls
Sunday 21 May 2006
Some shots of Lilydale Falls added to the Gallery, under the Waterfall section. These falls are on a much smaller scale than Montezuma Falls, but their sheltered position makes for wonderfully peaceful pictures.
Female Adoring Fan V3
Wednesday 17 May 2006
That was quite possibly the fastest version replacement in history! While distributing version 2 of my Female Adoring Fan mod, I learned of a bug which prevented people from joining the Arena faction while the mod was active. I can't stand bugs, so I've fixed the issue and re-packaged it as version 3.
Female Adoring Fan V2
Wednesday 17 May 2006
Due to requests, I've released an updated version of my Female Adoring Fan mod for Oblivion. This is a reasonably minor update which introduces an Imperial version of the character, as well as a script file that makes it easy to switch between versions. A screenshot, readme and download link are in the Gaming section.
City Photos
Wednesday 14 May 2006
I've added more pictures to the Gallery, this time with a more urban theme. The new category is called City, and contains three hi-res urban images. Check 'em out!
Game Art
Wednesday 10 May 2006
There is some great game-related artwork over at Into The Pixel, much of which makes good desktop wallpaper. I particularly like the haunted road from the upcoming game, The Witcher.
Addendum 2010: The Witcher turned out to be a game I hated, but it was certainly pretty. Go figure.
Aerial Photos
Sunday 7 May 2006
I've added a new section to the Gallery for Aerial photography. There's a number of images that make good desktop wallpaper, including a brilliant shot of Sydney harbour. Have a look.
Female Adoring Fan
Wednesday 3 May 2006
Those who have not played Oblivion might be frowning at that headline. Female Adoring Fan is a mod I've created for the excellent game Oblivion! (Largely because the male Adoring Fan in the game appears to have been inspired by Syndrome from The Incredibles, and is not an ideal travelling companion.) You can read more about the mod in the new Gaming section.
I've also renamed the Wallpaper gallery to Gallery.
Montezuma Falls
Monday 17 April 2006
I've visited Tasmania's highest waterfall, Montezuma Falls! At 103 metres tall, it's pretty impressive towering above you. Piccies are available in the Gallery section. Also some images of Guide Falls south of Burnie, where there are some really weird volcanic rock patterns.
Tomb Raider: Legend
Sunday 1 April 2006
I'll resist the temptation to make an April Fool's joke by claiming Duke Nukem Forever is out. Instead, I'll point you toward the actually released Tomb Raider: Legend Demo. A hefty 500Mb download, also availaible on Fileplanet if you've given them your pound of flesh.
Boy, I hope Eidos has stopped doing their best to kill off the franchise...
Addendum 2010: It turned out to be a pretty good remake, though the t-rex battle stinks and Lara's character was unfortunately altered to something much less likeable.
I am Nostradamus!
Saturday 25 March 2006
Well, maybe not quite Nostradamus, but two items I've included in my writing for some time are now being developed. Read about the gravitational equivalent of a magnetic field, and super-strong synthetic muscles! Now if only I could buy a brain implant that would make me fluent in Japanese...
Live Simpsons
Saturday 11 March 2006
The Simpsons crowd has produced a live action version of the intro to The Simpsons! It's been bouncing about the 'net for the last week, so there are a lot of mirrors around. If you haven't seen it, go download it. It's pretty faithful, though there are a few changes for believability. I do think Lisa's hair isn't quite right... It's supposed to be spiky!
Gamers Manifesto
Sunday 26 February 2006
There is some interesting reading at cracked.com about game design. In my mind this generally equates to the need for writer involvement in computer game design. It's a great pity that so many potentially great games are destroyed by internal inconsistency and the complete lack of a reason for the player to care.
Animals Added
Sunday 5 January 2006
I've added an animals section to the Gallery. Three birdies images await your perusal.
Toilet Monster
Friday 3 January 2006
For a modest debit to your credit card, you can add you very own toilet monster to your home! Or somebody else's home. It uses suction cups to get the proper jump-up effect.
That wonderful creation of Roman Dirge, Lenore the cute little dead girl, knows exactly what to give things that come from the poopy chair. She's excellent at pretending to be Little Bunny Foo-Foo as well.
7 Year-old Joyrider
Sunday 13 January 2006
Boys will be boys I guess, but a an article at AOL did tell the story of a seven year-old taking a joyride in his parent's pickup, while a bunch of police cars pursue, no less. Imagine the stink the media would have kicked up if he'd been a gamer. Like pretty much any teenager is these days.
MAFIAA
Sunday 1 January 2006
Music And Film Industry Association of America (MAFIAA). Good for a giggle, and there's more than a grain of truth in it.