Tuesday 30 March 1999

Pic of the day: Partial screenshot from Daggerfall, featuring my Peacekeeper character.

It seems that I had forgotten the reason why I shelved M1 Tank Platoon 2 in the first place. It wasn't because I'm a pacifist. I am, sort of, but that's a whole other and long story. No, it was the bugs. I remembered when I met them again.

More spesifically, there is a bug in the heavily forested maps in the European scenarios. This bug sets the first waypoint for one platoon somewhere outside the map. If this is a supporting platoon, it will be on its merry way as soon as you start, and will go straight ahead and predictably be shot to pieces. If it happens to be your own M1 platoon, you simply have to use Battle Drill instead of waypoints, and micromanage some more than usual.
Then, when I had micromanaged my way to victory during an hour or so (where you cannot save, remember) the game searches on the CD and locks up. Reboot time. And back to Daggerfall. Daggerfall may still have an occasional bug, but at least you can save where and when you want. Of course, it's a whole other type of game; but they are both a waste of time, unless I'm having fun. (Well, strictly speaking even then, I guess. At least if I view it as a puritan. Which I generally do only if I'm sick.)

What is the meaning of life? Is it to have fun, to help others, to serve a Higher Purpose? To strive for immortality through procreation, through fame or through religion? It is a safe bet that my answer isn't your answer. Furthermore, my theory is probably different from my practice. Somehow I've forgotten which famous person said this, but it goes approximately like this: What a person really believes can not be determined from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.

In brighter news, I recently read about a successful launch of a space rocket from a sea-based platform. Just as interesting to me was the fact that this article was placed under "economy" news.
I grew up when men walked on the moon. We looked towards a future in which we would settle space as we had settled Earth. If we could but keep fingers off the nuclear trigger, the whole endless space lay open for us. Billions of stars, billions of years of endless growth. As close as human imagination comes to eternal life for a species.
Then things wound down. We looked back on Earth from space and saw not only its beauty but its riches. A new time came, in which economy was the most important thing in life. Things should be useful, things should give profit. And the exploration of space and its daring adventures were all but forgotten.
And then, to my surprise, I find that we have moved from exploring the new territory to settling it. Private companies compete to bring payloads into space at the lowest price and greatest convenience. We have annexed near space. I may not be able to retire to a space station if I grow old, but there is still a kind of solace. Our dreams have not died, they just became reality instead. And while reality is never quite like the dream, it still has a value all its own.

Oh dear. It's time to wind down, and there are still the rant about underachieving search engines, and the inquiries into the causes of male horniness. But I'm oh so tired, and am just waiting for my suddenly hyperactive digestion to calm down. Then I'm off to slowly, softly caress my pillow. Thank you for keeping me company, and a good night.