The Dog’s Bollocks

[prinnysquad]

It depends what you mean.
I'm more sci-fi than swords and sorcery.

Have you read James Blish? He’s a tough read in places but his concepts are astonishing. I really enjoyed Cities in Flight.

[Zen Monkey]

Something that never loses its lustre is the ocean.

Absolutely. It has a powerful effect on our emotions. On one hand it's very meditative - the ebb and flow of the waves, but it can also revive long forgotten memories and stirs the imagination. Gazing on an ocean's horizon often gets me thinking of freedom, of travelling to new lands where new experiences await.

[QualityChimp]

Have you read James Blish? He’s a tough read in places but his concepts are astonishing. I really enjoyed Cities in Flight.

Just downloaded it, so I'll try and give it a go, thanks.

The sun rises and sets every single day, but never fails to be beautiful every time you catch it.

[prinnysquad]

Sunsets that stop you in your tracks, where it bleaches the sky with pastel shades of orange, pink, purple and peach, are incredible.

[prinnysquad]

It’s a simple thing really, but I love spending time with pets.

Sometimes there’s nothing more relaxing than watching the tele with the cat sat on my chest or lap. I can’t imagine daily life without a pet. They offer unconditional love and just enjoy spending time with you, no matter how lousy you’re feeling. Hearing the contented purrs and watching the slow blinks of an animal showing complete trust is a privilege.

[Neon Ignition]

I'm going to concisely fit mine into one post as I find if I start overthinking it then I start coming up with stuff that's no different than the Smiles thread:

Kids
There are downsides to having kids but they genuinely do pale in comparison to the upsides. They're immediately your favourite people in a world full other human disappointments. A constant stream of funny moments, cheeky imagination, utter obsession with you (whilst they're young) and source of tapping into how you used to be when you were a kid yourself.

Driving
There's mileage to where you live with this and I'm no petrol head but there's something deeply satisfying about driving, especially if you aren't traffic locked. I don't mean speeding down country lanes etc, driving in general is just inherently fun and if the car had auto-pilot I wouldn't use it.

Life
Simply existing. Sheer stupidity to spend it focused on what happens afterwards and when the day comes, Death will have to drag me down

[Atticus]

At the risk of sounding like a total cheeseball I think this place is the dog's. I've never met any of you but I spend more time with you than friends I know in the flesh. It's been part of my daily routine for years and I get a great feeling of community and connection, with like-minded musings/passions. On the odd occasion the site has gone down I've been reminded how much I'd miss it if it was gone. Thanks again to Charles and the team for keeping the place going. Long may it continue.

[QualityChimp]

Thanks [MENTION=4034]Atticus[/MENTION], that means a lot.

"You can please some of the people all of the time, but not all of the people all of the time."

That's the toughest thing for me. I want everyone to have a good time here, reminisce about old stuff, get excited about new stuff and have a laugh along the way. Inevitably, every decision we make gets questioned, but there's only a few mods and we're all busy people.

Ultimately, you get out what you put in, so you put in positivity, that's normally what you get back.

Big fan of most people on here, but a special shout out to my main man [MENTION=345]Superman Falls[/MENTION] for the relentless content provision. Thank you.

[Neon Ignition]

[prinnysquad]

Well, I’ve finished it now, and I can put down The Witcher 3 as one of the few games I truly love. I’ve bigged it up enough on the first play thread, so I’ll keep this briefer than I could.

It’s been 160 hours of play, and I haven’t regretted one second. Gaming has bored me somewhat in recent years. This game has restored my faith in the ability of games to tell a story, to present well-drawn characters, to immerse, to entrance and to create what’s essentially a piece of art and literature.

The world-building is astonishingly good. Physically, it’s vast and varied. The regions are alive. You really feel like they exist outside of your experience. You’re getting involved in their world, not the other way around. The sunsets and weather effects really bring the areas to life, with roaring winds and howling rain counterposing bleached pastel skies and serene dry paths. The architecture is exciting and interesting. The first time I saw Oxenfurt my jaw dropped. Novigrad is the finest city created in any game - a contrast of slums and docks, suburbs and shops, elegant abodes and beautiful town houses. It’s surrounded by villages that live and breath everyday life. Every alley presents danger. It’s superb.

Of course, the game possesses faults. I’m aware of them. But the power of everything else totally nullifies them. The characters are the best I’ve seen written in any game. They’re so memorable. Talking to Plough Boy about them over a pint, we reeled off dozens of them, firmly fixed in our consciousnesses, and chock full of ‘do you remember the bit when..’ moments. Characters that some books, games and programmes only dream of.

The quests are full of meaningful shades of grey moments that really work and impact on your experience. Those moral dilemmas where you make a decision on instinct, and when it has a bad effect you feel personally responsible. No other game I’ve played has had that effect. There’s a lot of expectation usurping, too. PB and I have had totally different outcomes, yet we both played the game the best we could, making decisions we thought were right. It’s been fascinating to discuss and shows the power that games can have.

I’ll draw this to a close. This game is one of the best I’ve ever played and I’m deeply saddened to see it end. The thought of not going into that world again is really gutting. It has truly been, for me, the dog’s bollocks.

[wakka]

Well it was a good run guys. We managed 39 posts of things we liked before we started talking about videogames again, albeit most of that was old telly programmes.






I jest. Nice post Prin. Witcher 3 is a genuinely superb experience, and one of my absolute favourite games too.

[prinnysquad]

Hey man, I stipulated games were fair, ahem, game, in the OP!

My next one was going to be about games, too ha ha :-)

[prinnysquad]

Those Andre Rieu concerts on tv are great.

They’re so lively and entertaining. Pure cheese, but once I start watching I find myself transfixed and really enjoying them. They’re a mix of classical, popular old songs, film scores and musical scores, so you’re guaranteed to know a lot of the numbers. Everyone involved seems to be having a ball and the audience love it. He packs out arenas and venues, and it’s lovely to see classical music reaching a diverse audience.

[JazzFunk]

Fish and chips when you're really, really hungry and haven't had fish and chips in a while. And I'm talking you're getting sublime fish and chips, you know when you get them proper rare chippies where each bite makes ya tingle. THAT feeling only good fish and chips can make ya feel.

And if ya don't like good fish and chips? Faaaaaark ooooorrff!!!!

[prinnysquad]

On Good Friday I got cod fillets from Marks and Sparks, chunky chips from the chippy and some mushy peas. It was utterly divine and I enjoyed every mouthful.