When we start up our Linux machines we sometimes come across situations where our screen brightness is forgotten when shut down. In this very short tutorial I will show you a way to adjust the brightness to your liking on every start up by utilising the rc.local script in the /etc/ folder.
Follow these instructions step by step.
Requirements:
A text editor (leafpad, gedit, jed, or something similar)* I will assume from here on in that you installed leafpad.
A compatible video card for adjusting brightness.
Instructions:
open the rc.local file by doing this. Open a terminal and type sudo leafpad /etc/rc.local
copy and paste text below into the rc.local file
please not the line which says echo 35 > ....... This is basically echoing the output to the hardware to say I want 35% screen brightness. Please note that some cards may work on a 0-9 scale for brightness although most cards seem to be on a percent base like mine.
#!/bin/sh -e
# rc.local # This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel. # Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other # value on error. # In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution # bits. # By default this script does nothing. #-------------------This changes the screen brightness on startup--------------------- echo 35 > /sys/class/backlight/acpi_video0/brightness exit 0
* To install a simple editor open you terminal and type this -
sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install leafpad (type password when promtpted and follow on screen instructions)
Anterior Decompression and Fusion of C6 C7 vertabrae
I am writing this blog from the comfort of my parents house while I recover from a "Anterior Decompression and Fusion of my C6 and C7 vertebrae" (in my neck). The operation took about 5 hours and I was under general anaesthetic for about 6 and a half hours.
So how come I needed this? Well, an exuberant youth when I used to race motorcycles. I had many accidents while racing and took it as part and parcel of the job in hand. We all crashed, we were all pushing and finding the limits of the machinery we had at the time. Sometimes you got hurt and sometimes you walked away with nothing but your pride dented. Unfortunately for me I remember this accident as it left me with many injuries. I crashed at Cadwell Park in a Supersport 400 National Championship meeting. It was at "hall bends" where there is no run off and I ended up in the tyre wall face first with my race bike in tow at around 70mph. Not a pretty site you can imagine. The list of injuries not including my neck and back were broken femur, damaged ligaments, internal bleeding, severe concussion, broken toes and fingers and a broke collarbone.
Well over the years my neck was hurting more and more. I had a job as a commercial diver so lifting tanks and working with heavy chains and propellers and scrubbing boats and fighting tides were all very strenuous on my neck and shoulders. About 7 years ago my neck seized. I had prolapsed a disc which had crushed my nerve which fed the left side of my body. I spent 6 months in some of the worst agony I had every been in. The pain can only best be described as a continuous electric shock on a nerve in your teeth but down the entire left arm. The pain never let up, never went away with pills and caused me to very quickly loose my mind and go into despair. I have broken may bones in my body and had some pretty painful accidents in my time but nothing compared to this. I saw a surgeon but by the time I saw him he decided the bulge in my disc was slowly reducing. Armed with this knowledge he decided not to operate.
3 years after the same thing happened again while working the hull of a ship in Southampton docks. Again this was another 6 months off work in lots of pain but it was not as painful as the first time. I also knew better how to manage the issue. I was left with continuous pins and needles in my left hand.
Then about a year ago my neck always ached a bit...but I noticed pins and needles becoming stronger and stronger, then also a loss of strength followed, next I started to loose dexterity. I'm left handed and writing became difficult, as well as playing the guitar...it was like I no longer had the coordination. I felt week. I saw the surgeon for a third time after some more MRI scans and he decided I needed to really speak to a spinal surgeon.
So I met with the spinal surgeon who agreed I could benefit from the surgery. It was until they agreed to operate I began to think about what they were actually going to do to my neck to try and fix the issue. I started to look into it and not sure I like what I saw. At the same time I was aware that things were deteriorating in my left arm and so something had to happen soon.
I read a lot about people who had this operation and the after effects and also had been told before hand that it was a very painful operation and recovery. Well this blog will hopefully let other people in my situation know what to expect and what it is actually like.
I will blog it as it happens here... just keep scrolling down for updates.....
Day One (Operation Day)
I went in in the morning after not eating since 8pm the night before. I had to be there for 7am. I was the first to go into theatre as usually your on the high priority list. I signed all the paperwork answered all the questions correctly and had spoken to the anaesthetist.
This is what I was in for: They were going to take out the old damaged disc. Remove "spurs" off the top and bottom of the vertebrate's they are working on and wish to fuse. They built a titanium cage which was filled with donor bone and my bone from the spurs they took of my vertebrae. Then they put some clamps in opened up my spine and slotted in my cage. This is then held in place by a metal plate with four screws in the neck. Just so you know... all of this is done through the front of your neck...not the rear. So expect not to have much of a voice when you wake up.
So I awoke from all of that. The video above isn't exactly what I had done but pretty close. I had an internal titanium cage inserts in mine. When I came round I was in my own hospital room. I was a little uncomfortable but nothing crazy. I had morphine in my drip and it wasn't long before I lady with a cart of pills came round to drug me up more. About 3 hours after I was realising that swallowing was difficult and my soar throat was leaving me unable to speak. They did explain to me that all my vocal box and oesophagus had been moved out of the way during surgery. The actual neck scar didn't hurt at all but my neck was very sore but totally manageable with the drugs administered. I slept a few hours that night but generally was awake but comfortable.
Day Two (Released from hospital)
Yep you read it right. I was happy, they were happy and I had already got out of bed and walked. No neck brace needed. Just stood up, no pain no difficulty in doing so. I was given antibiotics in heavy doses due to the fact it was spinal surgery. I had a hiccup which really hurt but it obviously moved something as I soon got my voice back. I was happy to eat my meals and drink fluids. These were all conditions of my release. Eat, pee, walk and talk, pooping would have been a tick in all boxes but I hadn't. I had the drain in my neck removed. That was an uncomfortable feeling but not painful. My parents collected me in the evening from hospital and we drove home. The drive home was a little uncomfortable and I had to stop every sort of 20 mins to get out and walk. That night I managed about 3 hours of sleep and I had to sleep upright.
Day Three (Home comforts)
So living back with my parents huh.... well the main reason for this is so they can look after my 16 month old terror who has already punched my directly in my neck. Keep the beast away from me I yelled but really inside I wish I could just pick her up and hug her. This is kind of the problem. I feel good enough to lift her...but no lifting for minimum of 6-8 weeks. Doctors orders.
So what's my day like? Pretty good considering. I'm tired more than anything. The neck has a lot of movement already and I don't feel very restricted. I fell that generally I am good in one position for about 20 mins before I need to change again. The physio at the hospital told me to keep moving. Not to tense up. Relax as much as one can and keep your neck free. I'm walking about a lot in the house. But not for long. Pretty dizzy with the tramadol and cocodomal tablets I'm on. High as a kite should I say.
I swallow water poorly today and started chocking. The coughing was extremely painful. It felt like someone was taking a sledge hammer to my neck from behind. So far the most painful out of all of this experience.
The day past quickly and I managed a little sleep in the afternoon in a chair. (That coughed tired me out). Slept again in an upright position at night but stayed awake mostly playing on my PlayStation 4.
Day 6 (Bit more pain today)
I slept last night and woke up in an awkward position. I couldn't really get myself up and I had seized up. My pins and needles in my hand were really kicking off again and I struggled to get upright. All day I have hurt because of this one awkward sleep. I don't even want to go to sleep tonight because of this. They did say good days and bad days and for 10 days a lot of extreme pain. The extreme pain is not the case though.
Day 10 (Out to see a friend)
Okay, the last few days have not been great. Ever since I slept awkwardly my pins and needles in my arm and hand have been pretty bad. I'm tired. Today was great though as I finally went out to see a friend of mine. It was great to get outside and stand and chat in a friends garden while all our children played.
Neck pain is really no longer an issue. I still take my pills as I feel pretty stiff and my shoulder is hurting a lot. I could come off them I think and maybe will do in the next couple of days. Plus the pills cause severe constipation from which I am suffering right now.
My stitches which are dis-solvable are slowly going. My neck looks fine considering. I'm more than happy with the result of the neck wound. No infection and has caused no pain. I still have it covered with plasters they gave me in hospital. They gave me 6 of these waterproof plasters so I can have a shower. You will feel great directly after a shower. The warm water just releases so much tension in your neck and back plus it feels so good to be clean.
Day 12 (Not sure how I feel)
Well it is still early days. Last night I slept for a full 8 hours. I woke up a little stiff and uncomfortable. I really took a long time coming round and getting my bearings. My pins and needles in my hand were thumping away but generally I felt that my muscle aches and pains were a lot lighter than previous days. I can now fully turn my head left and right and look completely up and down. I don't feel any range of movement has been compromised really. On extreme down looking I can feel the plate pulling on the lower vertebrae and it's not painful just feels weird. Did not really bother with pain killers today either. Did in the morning but my next lot was at 9 at night. Off to bed now feeling that I am mending within but not sure if these pins and needles are a good sign now. We will see!
Day 18 (Improved a lot)
Stitches dissolved bar one. Neck healed nicely.
Well it has been 18 days since I went in for the chop. I am now sleeping all through the night. I still
occasionally take some pain relief before I go to bed to help with the sleep and maybe once or twice during the day if it is a bad day. Still get those good day bad day things. Generally though I feel I have all the movement back in my head and neck. I can fully look up and look down, right and left. I am not too uncomfortable although I feel a little seized up in my shoulder blades. I am a lot more mobile and can pick stuff up of the floor now.
Unfortunately I still do have pins and needles in my hand. It is always there but sometimes it is a lot stronger than other times. I cant pin point as to what makes it worse or not. Sometimes just a weird movement can cause it to go throbbing mental. Sometimes though I do feel that my pins and needles are a little less than when I originally went in with. The problem with nerves and nerve damage is that it takes so long to heal so it becomes hard to know what is irreparably damaged or if it is in the process of being repaired. The fact that my pins and needles fluctuate leaves me to believe that they are still trapped a little but definitely repairing slowly. I hope so anyway. No other news. I really feel much much better from the operation itself though. I could easily work in an office by now if that was my job. Still cant lift though. Not for another month until I see my surgeon. Thats it for now.... Another update will not come for a while ;)
I purchased a while ago an Audi A6 2.0 TDI 2008 model. The car was beautiful. Full leather interior, satellite navigation, all the whistles and bells. The car had 64000 miles on the clock and I had never driven such a quiet and comfortable car before. Sounds wonderful doesn't it? Unfortunately I will tell you a story which will make you cry... Certainly did that to me anyway.
I polished the car regularly, drove at every opportunity and spent more than I could afford to own the car so my family wouldn't have to think about another vehicle for many years to come. Within 8 months the car was gone and in those eight months I had spent a fortune just trying to keep it on the road. Let me explain:
I was driving the car around my home town of Portsmouth when I started hear a clonking sort light mechanical sound coming from the engine bay. What was that I thought to myself as I knew anything clonking of metallic in nature was not a good sound. Its seemed to be when I depressed the clutch but it wasn't that obvious for me to be sure. I continued for a month until the noise really started to worry me. The car had a full Audi service history so I knew it was not a replaced dodgy part...this was something failing. I started looking online for possible causes. This is something normally I wouldn't recommend as everyone has got your car written off before you begin. Paranoid nation out there... Or is it?
Anyway, the common consensus was that it could be an oil pump failure. A design fault that Audi refuses to recognise. This started to worry me greatly as people were talking about complete engine failures and blown turbos. Expensive stuff. I found my nearest Audi specialist and took the car to him. He listened to the car closely and decided that it would be rare for an oil pump to go and checked my dual mass flywheel. Sure enough that's what it was. I booked the car in and had a new dual mass flywheel and clutch fitted. Big job by the way on the A6. £1200 it cost. The chief mechanic showed me the failed dual mass flywheel and why it was clonking. Springs were broken and it was flapping forward and backward in its housing.
Okay that hurt the wallet...but now the car is finally sorted and Audi are bullet proof so I was lead to believe are they not? Not as I soon found out. My driveshaft bolts snapped only 2000 miles later. I was very lucky not to right off the gearbox casings as the driveshaft wedged itself up into the box. Anyway, a long wait for the AA and towed back to my Audi specialist. He repaired this in a matter of hours and kindly left me a small affordable bill for new bolts.
So I had some pleasurable months of driving when another sound started coming from the front left of the engine. This was just after spending £550 on tyres for the car. I was broke and couldn't deal with the expenses of this money pit. The noise was a churning rattle when the car was idle. I listened for days at this noise and knew what it was. It was the oil pump. The thing that Audi claim never happens but the forums say always happens. This had to be rectified. Okay this is going to hurt a little but won't be as bad as a blown engine. So I took the car back to my Audi specialist garage and they confirmed it was coming from the oil pump.
I gave the green light to the mechanics to replace the oil pump. Audi, with their amazing technical skill had built a very heavily oil dependant engine but put a little hex drive in the oil pump which spins and drives the cogs to pump oil around the engine. We are talking about a £4 hex bolt. This hex bolt sits unevenly off center in Audi's poorly designed oil pump and soon rounds off and no longer spins. Oil doesn't get distributed and pop goes your turbo and throws all its inside's in your engine. So replace this bolt as soon as possible then..not that simple. The whole unit needs replacing due to the hex bolt seating is also worn due to the rattling and excess play. The oil pumps don't come apart either. These cost £1500. Oh yes. And to fit them a further £2000 as the engine has to come out. New belly pan fitted. New drive cogs and oil pump. Audi say they have never heard of this happening but the forums are full of this very issue. People hit 80k and this happens. REGULARLY!
Okay..so I bit the bullet...the car is now 6 months old to me and has broken my wallet and my enthusiasm for driving. I drive and listen like a hawk for what's going to happen next. Soon enough weird electrical things start to happen. Nothing serious... Things like the radio turning itself on or off or display screen on the HUD fading out. So I look at new huds or a LCD fix as it was bothering me. Okay £250 a company fixed the LCD and once again said "common problem on these Audi's".... Paid the money and had a working g LCD again. I could live with the radio weirdness.
In between then I had to replace my front discs and pads at £600. Okay I can't complain as this is wear and tear of any motor vehicle today. Expensive being Audi though and it is a heavy car. Best buy the genuine parts.
So even more broke my wife and I couldn't afford a holiday but needed to get away. We decided to to Cornwall to visit some very dear friends with our 1 year old. We drove down in comfort but not really feeling that comfortable as we did not know what would happen next with the "money pit". When we were down we went to the beach. Down some very tight one way roads when all of a sudden the car shuts down. It won't start either. It was like at ran out of fuel. Nope the tank was full. Finally the car started and we drove back to our friends gingerly. Before we left Cornwall the car had one more episode like it. Just didn't completely cut out but nearly spluttered to death but then coughed back into action.
My faith in the car was finished. I spoke to my specialist again and he confirmed that I may have injector problems. I looked up on the forums about injectors for Audi. Hahhhhh.... Another common fault for such a reliable bullet proof car. £1000 each. Okay I couldn't take it anymore. I have a one year old, a wife that needs the car but doesn't drive and I needed reliable transport too. This Audi was a joke. It had to go. I couldn't live with the fear and heartache this peace of junk was causing.
I sold the car and felt a weight leave with it. I lost a lot of money. Grew many grey hairs and never had such a horrible experience in all my years motoring. Audi as a garage were unhelpful and continuously pretended that they have super reliable cars and all of these KNOWN faults have never been heard by them. I will never recover from my experiences with them even although in 2009 they totally rebuilt their 2.0 engines and made them common rail and totally redesigned their oil pumps. Interesting that they felt the need to make such vast changes to such a reliable engine.
Anyway thus was my story. My sad story of how I bought an Audi to protect our future car requirements and save money in the long run and ended up being crippled by the decision. Anyone owning a 2005-2008 Audi I strongly suggest you bin it...before it bins you !
Below the parts only bill for an oil pump.........
So my beautiful daughter was born on the 5th of May 2013 in Portsmouth Hospital. To be honest I was very nervous about this little one arriving in our lives. I did not feel I was ready to be a father...I definitely did not believe I was in a financial position to have one. Also knowing that I had recently had surgery to my femur and that I would be at home as the full time dad I was extremely apprehensive if I was even responsible enough.
So people always told me you will be a great dad. Never believed it. Nice compliments but just chit chat. I looked at all my friends and none of them whom were male were a full time dad. All worked and all said how pleased they were to be working.... sounded like a lot of work having a kid if work was their safe haven?
Anyways... she arrived at a whopping 3.8kg and made my darling wife make sounds which only a demon could decrypt. I got to cut the umbilical chord and due to the fact mommy was in a bit of a mess.... say no more.... I managed to get hold of her straight away. I was the first to bond. Something strange happened. I cannot explain, describe or even entertain why but I fell in love instantly. It was like a switch. I have never experienced that. All my concerns went as if they never existed. Over the next few paragraphs I am going to explain how things went over the next six months....
For the first month I felt completely and utterly bewildered by this little person next to me in bed. Her cot was pushed up against our bed and I held her hand every night as we fell asleep. Everyone said how exhausting it is. I totally disagree. Plenty of sleep and when she woke in the middle of the night I was keen to get up and serve her. No begrudging my sleep. Feeding her every four hours. My wife and I decided that we would mix breast feeding and formula. Mom struggled in the beginning with the breast feeding. Nothing to do with production...but the pain. I didnt really understand what she was complaining about until I saw one day Hana pull her mouth of moms boob and all the skin came of her nipple. It looked raw. I then sympathied. Thats pain soon passed. for any lady reading this without knowledge...stick at it. Its painful but stick at it...2 weeks is all it takes and then you will experience no pain what so ever. Its also like a switch. My wife Laura has always said breaking that pain barrier was the most rewarding thing she has done. Hana was then fed exactly as we had planned. I took every night shift as long as mummy took the morning shifts. I hate mornings. Love the middle of the nights.
Hana started growing fast. By month 2 we had found some sort of rythym and a little structure but definitely mum was a lot more tense about things than I. I took a rather casual approach as I felt Hana would feed of our emotion. Mum found Hana crying and still to this day finds Hana crying to be unbearable. It affects her deeply. I always took control when these situations appeared as the result would otherwise be Laura and Hana very stressed out. Everything just made sense to me. I ended up feeling like I really could do this staying at home thing. It was very empowering and gave me purpose which I never really felt before.
By month 3 and 4 Hana was strong. Most of our worries or concerns about if we were doing right or wrong were gone. Although we were amased with ammount of opinions we heard from others "who knew best". Laura and I said we were going to do things which fitted our lifestyle. We did NOT take much if any notice of what was in all these f....ing books. We had the books.... and referenced them if we ever got really stuck without an answer.... Mainly for food when Hana started to sprout teeth but that came later. Generally by month four we were happy. Mum returned to work and I stayed at home as a full time father. Things were very good indeed. Somedays were harder than others, there is no denying, but generally it was because I little bundle was finding her capabilities and had started to crawl a little bit a roll. The house needed pchild proofing that was for sure.
By month six Hana was using a walker. Things had changed a lot. Hana was advancing ahead of schedule and we were very proud indeed. I was taking her down to the beach most days and letting her walk with her walker freely along the seafront. Attacked by millions of woman when they see a six-seven month baby walking at the beach with daddy. Cant complain about that! We were slightly worried about the distances she was walking and also the fact her feet pointed inwards (pigeon feet) while she walked. We spoke to our local doctor who said not to worry and right enough her feet straightened out bit by bit. With regards to the distance, as long as we wernt pushing her or forcing her to walk then she can walk as far as she liked. She was happy walking for about 2km then she would just sit and not continue. A long way for those little legs.
Anyway, to round this off before its too long winded.... Im a very happy stay at home dad. I went from scared silly to totally comfortable and confident being a proud parent.Is it hard work? No... not at all. Probably the only parent to say so but it's true. I worked harder on many things with far less reward. The difference is that every little bit of work with your child is rewarded so richly that you don't even know it was work. Sure, I get tired some days.... but each day tends to be a good one.
I will update my blog with many other incidents, worries, fun and general progress on my blog so check back soon. If anyone wishes to speak with me or concerned or hae a question please email me. If it is regarding something which I do not know I will not even try to answer... and my best advice is do what you think is best. Do as you wish to do and dont listen to anyone else. You will naturally do the best for your child.
So I have been playing with the beta version of Elite Dangerous, the game "Elite" which started my love of computers and gaming when I was a child in the 80's soaked up a lot of hours of my life on a BBC B. No game has captured so many in a role playing simulation back in those days. Now here we are many years and grey hairs later with Elite Dangerous. Possibly one of the most anticipated space games which has been crowd funded. Definitely in my top 5 list of awaited games.
The beta is exactly what it says....a beta. An un-finished product which has problems, bugs, and hiccups and limited gameplay mechanics. Although I have just said that, please note as for beta versions and the way they work.... this indeed is rather polished and beautiful, very beautiful and definitely very playable.
Immediately I have been hooked exactly as I was in my youth and have become once again "Commander Jameson" ready to undock and be rather rapidly be shot to bits. The game is epic, its vastness is incomprehensible. I think the game has something like 400,000,000,000 (yep...400 billion) stars which all are visitable. Not that you could in your lifetime. It has a full economic balancing system and trading routes which can be altered by product demand and market flooding. Trading? I hate trading games, what other options are there? Well plenty you will be pleased to know. Most people like the idea of being a space pirate. Less number crunching and more hull crunching. Okay feel free, its an open world with NPC and human players in the vast deepness of space. Combat is hard, but definitely a skill to learn and a skill that can be mastered. The mechanics feel right and there sure is satisfaction to see a ship pop infront of your eyes and rubble fly past your cockpit. You could explore too. Plenty of systems will pay for market or planetary knowledge. Really their is infinite ways to play. David Braben the creator of Elite and Elite Dangerous said "This is your story, their is no pre defined way to play, no built in story, its all about your story and interaction with the environment".
I have put a fair few hours in as a trader but more recently decided to go in on distress beacons choose a faction and claiming bounties for my kills. Its definitely harder than trading but much more rewarding. Money can be made and money will buy you better ships with larger cargo capacities or modern tech and weapons. Their is a ton of interaction in the ship too. As a pilot you are given a lot of control over the systems of your ship. Each system you shut down reduces your heat signature... so you can sit in space awaiting your prey. Power up your systems and pounce.
It really is a very pleasurable experience and this game has a bright bright future. Everything looks like it is being heavily thought about and if it does not work it is either re-written until it does or it is scrapped. So to round off what I am on about..... download the beta. Play it... see it for yourself. I'm ending this right now because I want to fly a quick trade route before sleepy time. Its incredible. Looks beautiful and plays magnificently.
Destiny is a game most have been looking forward too for a long time. We all saw the E3 trailers and the playable demo also held at E3 the following year. The game looked stunning. A project done by the company that brought us Halo, one of the greatest franchise of games in my lifetime. So this was big, they said it would be big, and the hype for Destiny was electric. Bungie on numerous occasion said that this would change how we play games forever, a new type of game with a new level of detail. It was released on the 9th of September here in the UK.... was it really all that everyone expected and was it anything like Bungie said? Yes and No....
I have now been playing Destiny a fair bit and feel I have played enough to start to give a little insight to the game. Firstly, I would like to say how there is a huge divide in ownership of this game. From the day of its' release their has been controversial statements made and lots of defensive words made by Bungie. What? Is the game bad? In my opinion NO. Is it everything Bungie said it would be? No, not that either. Oh! now you see why there is a divide.
I am going to keep this fairly simple and short but at the same time tell you my opinions of the game. Before I started playing I was already somehow roped into the hype and anticipation and some of the let down. I purchased it from Game on pre-order but unfortunately did not get to play it that day. I had neck surgery and was in hospital for a few days. In those few days I read many people complaining about the game and also reviewers assessing the game as low as 6/10. I lay in my hospital bed pretty disappointed at the game which I just paid £55 to play when I got home for my recovery.
Well I was released from hospital and the first thing I did was slide in the Destiny disc into my PS4. The game loaded and my initial impression was WOW..... what a beautiful looking game. What wonderful maps. These game play mechanics are definatly Halo though. It didn't deter me. I was hunting for a story line.... okay... there is one their but I felt that wasn't what this was about so much. Something felt missing. The weird thing is.... the more I played or hunted for a story or objective the more I became addicted. I would have given up on any other game....something was working in this. So what was it?
I would definitely say the mechanics, physics, and sound all pull you into the game. I cant tell you how great it feels to be blasting my pulse rifle and running a magazine dry only to finish my enemy off with a throwing knife to the face. How satisfying? 10/10 satisfying. It makes you feel great. Now the levelling system in the game adds little reward. Your not level 40 by the end of day one playing.... your lucky to be level 5. It's a slow earned process. The enemy ahead can be pretty damn hard and you do feel the need to plough through them to try and find a chest with a weapon which will make your life easier.
Another thing I have noticed with this game..... No other game so far on the PS4 has done it... not even Battlefield 4, which I am a fan of. Communication! I have owned my PS4 from day one of it release. I started a new fresh account and kept 2 friends from my previous account to play with. In my time of playing Battlefield everyone just turns their microphone off. Little to no interaction unless your in a clan, but even then the majority don't communicate, if they do its usually negative and foul mouthed. I don't communicate in any other game either. Destiny, on the other hand has got this right again. In the last 4 days of playing, I have added more friends than I did in a year of playing other games. I roam the lands and planets and actually find myself meeting other players and sending them a message to help me clean out a mission, or help me on my patrol of the area. Players are definitely interested to talk back too. Its teamwork on a new level. As we play many are going about their own business....as me and my new friend blast through. They stop...send a wave and we wave back before continuing on with the slaughter. People recognise your achievement and your killing skill. This is truly rewarding. We are all working together. It feels right. NO other game has done this that well as Bungie have in Destiny. Something they should be proud of for sure.
So did I find a story? Yes, their is a story in there. I'm not sure this is the game's strong point. I feel they could have taken a bit more out of the Mass Effect series for this. The story just seems to be a launching platform to help you level up to be able to apply for harder missions. Before the release, I was lead to believe the story was epic, their trailers certainly suggested this. This was a let down. A let down which did not manage to ruin the game though. I still play. I still come back for more.
So where am I now in the game? I am now about level 18. My character packs a punch as a hunter but I am still easily defeated if I don't pay attention. I have managed to unlock a few planets to visit and here is another thing which I find myself doing... going back to pre-completed lands to have another go. Set it on a harder level in the hope of getting some great loot but also to see if I can help someone else out in their journey earlier too. A really fantastic way to interact. You get a great feeling of aiding while at the same time being there is beneficial to you. Truly magnificent gameplay in my opinion.
So what's annoyed me with the game? The hype overtook the game. The story could be stronger by a long way...although this will not stop me playing. I am a little upset that there is no space flight although you can update your ship. Seems a bit pointless. I do not like the fact that Bungie claimed this was game changing and would re-define our gaming lives. I am annoyed that it cost £55. I know lots of work goes into these games. I understand from a programmers point of view what is involved but games should only be £40. There is enough fan base for any company to make vast profits at £40. End of story. These games shouldn't be crippling to a parent or a consumer to purchase especially when their in NO guarantee for you to like the product and demo's are less and less the norm. But I digress from the actual game. It's not game changing but it is a finished product with no horrible bugs from its' release on day one.
Let me finish off.....so I can get back playing ;)
The game is a success. Is it game changing? Nope. Is it worth playing? Definitely! Bungie should be proud of this game although they should have re-thought their wording campaign before release. It is beautiful, smooth and a fluid experience. I am gripped to get down to a planets surface and get my teeth into a good battle. I have never wanted to help or interact so much with other players. The game is playable even although the story is weak and lacking. I feel I'm still in the early stages of the game and later on my experience will only improve. They didn't re-create gaming for the next gen, no they did not... but what they have done is taken a game idea and set of mechanics and physics we know well and love and gelled it together to make the most complete gaming package in history. It is extremely refined and polished.
As a p.s to all of this...many people have compared this to Borderlands, Mass Effect, Battlefield and Modern Warfare. I can see why..... like I said above... its all what we know from gaming in the last 10 years squashed into one very playable polished game. Buy it (if you can get it cheaper) and enjoy it. Its awesome!
P.S. Played a ton more... now at level 20. Things are getting harder but the enthusiasm is still definitely there :)
