Pirates, Family tree, Cell phone games.

[Church6360]

not alot fo point to this post, but my dad mentioned the other day that his father came from somewhere about cornwall england, and that the people of that area (at least in ye ole days) had a reputation as being pirates, smugglers and fisherman.  to which i immediately thought "Awesome!"

Pirates? very cool (www.maddox.xmission.com)

Smugglers? once again, very cool (in addition to smuggling being an awesoem word, smugglers are also awesome, for reference on just how awesome, watch the old star wars movies, but only the parts with han-solo)

Fisherman? not as good, but still very hardcore in that "ahhh i fell off the boat and am freezing to death!" kinda way.


so i was thinking, i wonder what my family tree looks like, and if i added up all the reputations for my various ancestors i wonder what i should be?


and finally, i got a new phone a while ago, and downloaded two motorcycle games for it, here are their reviews.


Ducati Extreme.
yep, a ducati racing game where you can race, buy, upgrade and repair your bikes.
you start with a Monster that tops out at 110mph and looks suspiciously like a 999 from the back (which is the only view you get while riding)
you can buy several other bikes

multistrada
paul smart replica
supersport (749?)
superbike (999?)

and there are a few upgrades to purchase too

wheels
suspension
exhaust
engine

the game isn't real bad, but don't expect too much realism (it's a cell phone game)
the leaning into corners is good, but forget braking, here is none, oh and the bike is at wide open throttle all the time, you can only regulate your speed by shifting. you can also tap the turn button to powerslide.

i actually haven't gotten very far in the game, because it's kinda hard, and i don't find the racing rewarding enough to really play, i would like to play it to buy the 999 and trick it out, but it already looks like thats what i'm riding anyway.

controls are annoying, difficult to downshift to get slowed and get positioned and leanedinto the corner correctly and quickly enough to win. despite being hard on the tires, powersliding is an extremely effective alternative to annoying idea of slowing before turning.

overall C+ not bad, but with a little more care, could have been really cool.

the other game is
Nate Adams freestyle motocross.

i was a little leery about this one, no idea who nate adams is and not really a big fan of celebrity or pro sports endorsed anything.

turns out, this game is sweet. it's like excite bike, only better (and different)

you side scroll you dirt bike across a decent number of levels, doing tricks (simple at first, but getting more difficult) to unlock more levels you must complete certain tricks and then cross the finish line before a certain time. once you beat a lavel you go back and race your ghost and try to just get across it as fast as you can, without worrying about tricks.

things i like about this game.

wheelies
if you mess up you can get some seriously cool wrecking going on
if you go over the time limit, the game doesn't stop you
good controls, intuitive, simple, that whole "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master"
fun, i just like riding the tracks i have beaten to try to see how far i can ride a wheelie

dislikes

you cannot upgrade to a 999
the main menu background is a blue checkerboar wavy thing, kinda annoying
the physics are a little off at times, either that or nate adams has one crazy dirtbike
dirtbike is silent, even with sound turned on


this game gets an A-
i might look into who this nate adams is, it looks like he rides yamaha, his dirtbike and gear in the game are blue.

both games needed adjustable volume (they are both either on or off)

both games needed wailing engine noised

and on my phone the ducati right turn button, and the make nate lean foreward button are really close to the hang up button, which closes either game instantly. so everynow and then while trying to get nate to do an especially forceful front flip or while trying to wrestle a wiley ducati to victory i end up quiting the game.

anyway, that is my extremely long and random post, hope you enjoyed this journey.

Edit: wow my spelling and grammer suck, did i mention i'm descended from pirates?

[Jake D]

Did you hear about the new pirate movie?  Yeah.  It is rated ahrrrrrrr!!!!

Feel free to hate me now.

[Kessen]

Did you hear about the new pirate movie?  Yeah.  It is rated ahrrrrrrr!!!!

Feel free to hate me now.

[RVertigo]

And they still talk like Pirates in Cornwall.  

[Church6360]

jake d
Did you hear about the new pirate movie? Yeah. It is rated ahrrrrrrr!!!!

Feel free to hate me now.

no hate, only love for the pirate jokes.

RVertigo
And they still talk like Pirates in Cornwall.

sweet! i wanna visit there badly.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

the pirate got his ears pierced.. he got a special rate... he only paid a buck an ear!

[Jake D]

Hey Pirate!  Where are your bucaneers?

Aye.  They on me buckin' head!!!

[Church6360]

:lol: i hadn't heard that one before.

[Cal Price]

Church, they do indeed still talk like Pirates in Cornwall, it is a picturesque place, a very rugged coast, I lived there for a while in my early teens.

If you have Cornish blood then you have a real seafarer's pedigree there is a lot of evidence of early trade with Moorish north Africa, the phonecians and the wrecked Spanish Armarda all provided a lot of sperm donors, visit sometime but don't get upset if you don't understand a word, I have trouble and I went to school on the banks of the river Taymar which form a lot of the Devon-Cornwall border.

Some good diving and interesting seafood as well.

[Church6360]

i'll have to make it a point to visit there next time i get a chance.

[Jake D]

So this pirate walks into a bar and he has got this steering wheel shoved down the front of his pants.  He goes up to the bartender and orders a shot of rum.  The barkeep serves him the drink and notices the steering wheel shoved into his pants.

The bartender says, "Excuse me for asking, but why do you have a steering wheel in the front of your pants?"

The pirate says, "Ahrrrrr.  It's driving me nuts!"