I’ll fully admit that I’ve only purchased a handful of DLC packs in my time, and to be honest, I’ve been disatisfied to indifferent with most of them (I’m looking at you, Stimulus Package).  I do have the Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings DLC that I have yet to play, which I have high hopes for.

With that knowledge, here’s my take on the DLC front:  DLC is (generally) good.  Many seem to expect additional content for nothing – this just can’t be done.  It’s simple economics – programmers/designers need to get paid.  You’ll note that I said generally.  Some execeptions have popped up that leave me scratching my head.  For instance, Assassin’s Creed 2 apparently (based on my readings on the subject, not experience) shipped with two less chapters that were developed alongside the original game, which were released as DLC later.  This is clearly insanity.

Take Borderlands and Fallout 3, for an example.  The DLC packs add significant amounts of play to the game for a pretty reasonable price for each.  I think more companies need to be doing DLC in this manner.  I really find the argument that these DLC packs should have been included in the original game naive.

Day one DLC/on disc content unlocks is another issue that many complain about.  I really understand the complaint on this issue and I have to agree, to an extent.  If the content is on the disc, it should be playable immediately without additonal charges (in most circumstances).  If the content is actually downloaded on day one, I think in most circumstances that content could not make it on the disc because of development timelines – I truly believe that.  It sucks and makes the game feel unfinished to consumers though.

However, concepts like EA’s “Project $10″ or whatever you want to call it are ok in my book.  I’m not sure I agree with charging to access online play (especially on the Xbox 360, which has a fee to use already), but providing additional content much like Mass Effect 2 did.  I understand the desire for game companies to get a piece of the used game market – I can’t blame them.  Time will tell on if this will be effective.

Ultimately, DLC is up to YOU, the consumer.  If you don’t like it – don’t buy any of it.  Companies will get the point when people stop buying this additional content, if consumers really don’t want it.  I suspect that consumers do want DLC – companies just need to look to games that have done DLC right.

EAv is in beta. Changes should be expected – especially in regards to share prices.  EAv is about valuing content – so, it makes sense that the core mechanic (the share price) is going to be tweaked along the way.  Invest in content you like, then interact with those content producers – the interaction will help their price stay high.

If for one reason or another, you think EAv is only a game and you want to protect your ‘hard earned’ portfolio value, I have one tip.  Sell everything, then you won’t see any drop in portfolio value.

I had it wrong, as do most people on the site.  Empire Avenue (or EAv) uses a stock-like system to help value content.  As the site says, it’s in beta, and the people behind the site are constantly making changes.  The next release will be changing the way content is valued slightly to give more weight to the quality of your content (as measured by audience and engagement).  I suspect on September 7/8 we will have many people angry about their price dropping (but hey, maybe it will only have a positive effect).

The more time I spend thinking about EAv, the more I get frustrated with the ads and the apparent mentality of the users.  I struggle to find interesting/new content.  I’ve met some new ‘friends’, had lively discussions about the site, and even bitched about cheating (or gaming, if you want to call it that).  In an effort to walk the talk (ie, using EAv for content, not a game), I’ve begun divesting (and investing) based on content.

If we talk on Twitter/Facebook/whatever, then I’m probably going to be buying you.  If I like your website/blog, I’ll probably buy you.  If we are in an EAv community together and you’re active, I’ll buy you.

If you don’t have good content, then I won’t be investing.

And that’s the way I think everyone should be ‘playing’ the ‘game’.

Applebee’s Southside – Overall, the experience was ok.  They did not have cups with lids (like Chili’s) for young ones, but everything else was pretty decent.  We weren’t really impressed with the food this time around, but I’m not sure if that’s a function of what we ordered or if the food is decreasing in quality (we’ve eaten here before and enjoyed it, pre-baby).

A Taste of Edmonton – Lots of choices!  Serve yourself.  Jackson didn’t/couldn’t eat a lot of things, due to his allergies, but we had anticipated this and brought him his own snacks.  It was a fun afternoon out.

I’ve learned a lot in a week.  I have a lot left to learn.  I have a lot to do.  I think I’m going to need to be doing a few things earlier than I was hoping to – but that is something I will have to deal with, everything doesn’t always go according to plan.

Today’s annoucement by LeBron James doesn’t seem to come as a surprise to many in the sports reporting world.  He joins (arguably) the other top two free agents in Miami.  My friend Alex Abboud has really driven a few good points home on his twitter feed.  The first: LeBron is a bit of an ass.  Second: Miami doesn’t have any money left for other players.

To me, looking at this situation after thinking about it for a bit, I’m wondering if LeBron is the superstar we all think he is.  If he needs to play on a team with Bosh and Wade to win a title, is he really the same caliber of player that Jordan was?  I don’t think so.

Yes, Jordan had amazing teammates – but if the game was on the line, Jordan would step up and he’d find a way.  Kobe seems to be the same way.  LeBron – doesn’t seem to want that responsibility.  If you’re not the clutch player – are you really a star?

To me, being a star is being the guy that you can depend on to win games that matter.  You can’t share that.

Now that the LeBron show is over, I’ll go back to ignoring the NBA.

When I was younger, I was really interested in learning about the various battles and the whole scale of the war.  It was fascinating.

While I realize they are fiction (and dramatizations of reality), I really enjoyed Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.  I found both to be incredibly gripping.  With the upcoming release of The Pacific, I’m excited to watch all three in the future (the Christmas list is starting early this year!).  I can only think that these releases on Blu-Ray will be nothing short of amazing.

Meanwhile, I’m going to try to play a few games of ToI.  It looks to be a great game.

This game has been running for over three years now.  This game is an anomaly in my play-by-post experience.  I don’t recall another game that I’ve been a part of that has lasted this long.  Certainly, back on the Star Wars Role Playing Game Association, there was always an Imperial Navy game, but it was rarely persistent, the GM and players changed reasonably frequently.  Emergence has a core of players that are really dedicated to seeing the end of this story.  We’ve had a few that have dropped out over the years, but overall, I’ve been lucky to have such great players.

The story so far has lead the characters through hell.  Most of the characters have had their former reality destroyed, leaving them with nothing but the drive to change the world.  They’ve encountered several deity like beings, who have helped guide them, albeit, in a very unclear manner.

Major events are happening in the game.  The characters still have a few more surprises ahead of them.  Hopefully, those surprises don’t destroy them.

Yep. I did build a character using Dark Heresy and Ascension, however, I have not had the time to type them up into a blog post.

So, you have to wait. I’m sure you’re really surprised.

Mr. Mike’s – We ate at Mr. Mike’s in West Edmonton Mall. They had high chairs which were of good height in relation to the table. Our server interacted with Jackson quite a bit, asking him questions like what he’d like to eat. It was a very positive experience.  Additionally, the food is very good and quite reasonable for a steakhouse.

Chili’s – We’ve eaten at the Edmonton South location twice and both were positive experiences.  They have great kids cups (with a straw and a lid) which are great.  Jackson drew with crayons for the first time at Chili’s.