As a result, I've been perusing components to build a new PC from the ground up. This time around, though, I'm considering a couple of things that I haven't until now. First, there is a very good chance that the OS I go with will be Linux. Which specific distro remains to be seen, but at this point there doesn't appear to be much reason to use Windows. I've been wanting to move to Linux for a while, but it was only halfway there for my uses. Applications-wise, it's basically fine and has alternatives for anything that I might use in a Windows environment. Up until recently, the one thing holding me back was how well games run on it.
Coffee, Bacon, Flapjacks!
Video Games, Books, Anime, Et Ceteras!
Saturday, 4 September 2021
Switching to Linux and Getting an APU
Rise from Your Grave...
I haven't posted anything here in almost a decade! Wow. Not that this was a hotbed of activity with a vibrant audience...
Anyway, it's to start posting again. After all these years, the desire to write has finally returned. I doubt many people will come across anything that I do here, but whatever. If nothing else, the whole process will be cathartic. Sometimes writing things out helps to process thoughts and digest something I recently experienced.
There will still be plenty of chit chat about video games here, but I also want to expand into books, as I do enjoy reading. Also, expect forays into anime, technology, and other nerdy things.
Sure, most people have long since moved on to video, or short form outlets, but I don't particularly like producing content for either. Good ol' old fashioned long form written content has always been my favorite to produce as well as my favorite to consume. Text is so much more efficient to deal with in my view.
Anyway, if this post somehow meets human eyes, hello! Hopefully others will come across the blog in time as well. With that, it's time to get posting and such!
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Skyrim Screenshot
Just a screenshot I took while playing Skyrim. I really like the way the moon looks in it, and the foliage is nice to. I'm surprised how nice the game looks and runs on my laptop.
Friday, 2 November 2012
Crusader Kings II Continues Some More: Well, hmmmm
How about no? |
Before that, though, I've got another problem to sort out. Enri's eldest son is still off fighting the Crusades, and has sworn fealty to a foreign power. For a time it looked like he would be ineligible to take over Connacht, and Enri's second son, Coleman, would be the next duke. However, that's no longer the case, as Emich managed to get himself back in line for the throne. With that I managed to convince him to return to my court, and a few years later Coleman hatched a plot to have his older brother killed. I knew about it and could have had Coleman arrested, but I chose to look the other way because I wanted Emich dead as well.
Scotland is getting a little too close for comfort |
Things haven't been entirely grim, though. I've had another bishop go heretic on me, this time Enri's own brother who decided to embrace Lollardism. I promptly tossed him in prison when he told me this, and after a few years he had the gall to complain that his accommodation weren't up to snuff, and that he wanted something nicer. I told him to stuff it. After a time he died in there since he absolutely refused to convert back to Catholicism. Sad. But on the plus side, his death freed up a landed title which I gave to Coleman since he was still my heir at the time.
So, I've got a lot to work on next time I play. First and foremost is wiping out the last of Emich's family. I don't want Connacht falling under Enri's grandchildren's liege's control. After that it'll be time to deal with Scotland. Thankfully after hopping on the Paradox forums, the people there gave me a bunch of nifty tips for dealing with a larger, aggressive nation that's on your borders. I'm liking the idea of trying to assassinate the King of Scotland, and a few of his successors just after they take the throne. If I can pull that off and create a lot of instability there, I'll be quite happy.
Enri has also embarked on a quest to improve is intrigue |
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Crusader Kings II Part XX - XVIII + III (I Think?): Holding Breifne, and Rise of the Idiot Son
It was only a matter of time before Briefne rebelled |
As luck would have it, though, it was a very short war. I marched my troops back into Briefne, and they got down to the business of smacking around enemy soldiers. Moments later I was informed that Arzhel was dead, and that the war was over, so things worked out rather well there. I didn't even need to call in foreign help, which was quite nice.
The war with Briefne didn't last very long |
While idly scanning the map, I also noticed that Scotland has been expanding quite a bit, and has even gained a foothold in Ireland. They seem to be staying put in Ulster right now, and neighboring regions are on guard. It'll be a little while until the Scots are a threat to Connacht, but I'm keeping an eye on them for now. If they try to enter my territory I have a number of alliances at my disposal including Castille, Sweden, Norway, and France. Hopefully the threat of being stomped by some of Europe's greatest powers with give Scotland pause before trying to invade my fair dukedom.
During the post-war years, Enri's wife to a liking to smutty literature |
Also, it seems like Enri's heir, Emich, also turned into a complete moron the moment I changed the succession laws. Suddenly he was running around plotting murders left and right. My spymaster discovered these schemes twice before getting bumped off himself by the idiot. It's like he figured he's guaranteed to be duke now, so he can do whatever he wants. After that I'd finally had enough and figured I'd toss the lad in prison for a few years while he takes some time to think about what he's done. Instead he managed to avoid arrest, and buggered off to the Continent. Now he's off fighting in the Crusades.
One boneheaded son may cost me my entire dynasty |
Monday, 29 October 2012
Crusader Kings II Part 17.35201593: At last! Briefne is Mine!
Nothing spells fun like having a child on the throne |
Sometimes you just have to bring the hammer down on troublemakers |
Once Heinrich reached 16, things calmed down a bit. A decent number of his nobles were at least tolerating him, and the members of his council seemed to think he was a pretty okay guy. About the only real problem that kept popping up was that one of my courtiers kept assassinating my spymasters, and these guys had pretty good intrigue stats, so it got annoying after a while, and I had to stop it by plotting an assassination attempt of my own on her. It took a little while to find co-conspirators for this because a lot of people had a high opinion of her, but eventually I found a couple, and we got to scheming. It took about a year, but we finally managed to bump her off through poison. Other than that, though, things were quiet in Connacht.
I took advantage of this time to start making political marriages wherever possible, including marrying Heinrich himself. The most important of these has established ties with Castille, one of the more dominant Spanish kingdoms. These sorts of marriages are something that I want to work on now because I'm probably only 100-150 years away from England starting to push hard into Scotland and Ireland, assuming it tries to expand. I want to make sure I know how to swing some powerful connections around so that I can push them out of Connacht, and whatever other regions I conquer when the time comes.
The assassination was an oldie but a goodie |
During the early part of his reign, Heinrich was beset with a steady succession of dead bishops. There was nothing sinister about their deaths, they just kept dying of natural causes. Occitan kept freeing up more and more bishops for me to recruit, but I had to wonder about their quality after a while. It got to the point where the only guy available was a certified lunatic. He actually had a trait for lunacy. I hadn't even realized that was a thing in the game until that point. I wound up recruiting him for laughs, though. Figured it would be fun.
Most of my court didn't say anything, but my mayor eventually called out Heinrich on the matter, asking why I had a heretic as a bishop, and why the man was also in his council. First of all, he's not a heretic, Mr. Mayor, he's just crazy. Second, dem learning stats! They're really high. How can I say no to those? Eventually I did capitulate and replace him on my council, but again people in that role kept getting sick and dying, so I had to go and ask the bishop to retake the position. I'm guessing he didn't take the original firing all that well, because when I went to check on him now he had not only the lunatic trait but was now also a drunkard. Great! (Truth be told, I'm half tempted to make him a guardian of someone just to see what happens. Tee hee!)
Free money! |
Oh, and did I mention that I invaded Briefne? Well, I did. The first order of business was to usurp the title of duke back for Enri, which would also return my de jure claim on that region. With that out of the way, I promptly declared war on the county, and marched some 800 troops on it. At first it was a route, as my forces smashed their army, and laid siege to one fortification after the next until finally coming upon the castle of the count himself. This was a much closer battle than I was expecting, as their garrison was quite large, with almost 750 units in it. I only just outnumbered them, and thus was able to win the siege, forcing a surrender from the count.
Oh, and did I mention that I conquered Briefne? |
So, now I wait and watch. Maybe I can somehow get the count on side, and we can start having slumber parties and doing each other's hair. If not, maybe it'll mean another war, and if that's the case so be it. I'll just march on Briefne once more, and crush him. Assuming he survives the battle, I'll make sure he spends the remainder of his life rotting in prison.
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Crusader Kings II Cont'd: The Life and Times of Tadg II
Tadg had a tendency to indulge himself during his reign |
Just because you're a duke, it doesn't mean you don't have to answer difficult questions |
During his reign I'd have to say that Tadg has been the most ennui addled ruler that I've ever played in this game. He would get bored easily, and eventually decided to go and have an affair with his uncle's wife. I didn't even have a say in it. His bad behavior even resulted in a bastard son who I chose not to legitimize, humiliating his mother, infuriating his uncle, and leaving the boy with a deep-rooted hatred of Tadg and his house. Nonetheless, this went on for years, and for reasons I've yet to figure out Tadg's mistress, Helie, just kept on coming back to him no matter how poorly he treated her.
For science! |
Shortly after this, Ireland was once again facing the threat of a tuberculosis epidemic. I kept my fingers crossed that Connacht would again manage to escape being afflicted by the disease, but I wasn't so lucky this time. At first it trickled into my region, and before long it was tearing through my court, sinking its claws first into Tadg's brother, then hitting several of my nobles. There were a number of deaths at the hands of the illness. As luck would have it, though, it also managed to kill some of Tadg's enemies in his court, including his uncle who was still none too happy about Tadg's affair with his wife. Even my duke was struck by the disease. He managed to pull through, but died a couple of years later due to another illness.
My first Regency |
If he can hold things together, and bring his nobles in line, he could have an interesting run on things. He still has a de jure claim on Briefne that he can exercise, and his father poured quite a lot of money into castle improvements, so maybe he'll be the one to start Connacht on the path to conquest. It certainly helps that I think I have a better grasp on that element of the game as well. Before that, though, I'm just going to focus on getting Heinrich to adulthood in one piece.
To Part V