Posts on alinuxuser

Hello World

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:08:25 -0500

After some trial and error, my website is now live.

This website is built on Hugo, using PaperMod theme, deployed on Netlify and connected to my Namecheap domain.

The source code is checked into the following repository -
https://github.com/rch-git/alinuxuser

I am going to try to consolidate all the blog posts I wrote over the years. I started blogging as a way to improve my writing. Back in the day I started a blog with Blogger and Windows Live Writer on Windows XP. It was perfect. I could write content offline, which was very important because internet connectivity was not good. I loved Blogger, and I started a couple of blogs over the years, and my main blog was on GameSpot. I quit updating my blog on GameSpot in 2011, and only updated my other blogs occasionally. Google had other plans for Blogger. There were no meaningful updates in a very long time. It is extremely dormant - and it might go offline at some point.

Work Trip to Charleston, SC

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:24:12 -0500

Apr 07, 2026 Tuesday 05:24:44 AM CDT

Looking forward to the trip coming up. I will add details to this each day. I am scheduled to leave on April 13, 2026.

Flight Plan

Monday April 13 2026, departure from OKC at 11:22AM, to ATL (Atlanta), 3h2m layover, arrival at CHS (Charleston) at 6:38PM.

Thursday April 16, 2026, departure from CHS (Charleston) at 2:55PM, to LGA (LaGuardia), 1h 50m layover, arrival at OKC at 9:48PM.

Dishonored 2 (PC) Review

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:37:00 -0500

In my opinion the first Dishonored is one of the best single player games ever made. Sequels have a tendency to be not as good as the original. Sequels such as Crysis 2, F.E.A.R 2, Doom Eternal, Deus Ex Invisible War etc., were not as good as the first games.

Going into Dishonored 2, I didn’t know much about the story or the gameplay changes. I wanted to experience the game without knowing much about it.

Assassins Creed Syndicate (PC) Review

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:29:47 -0500

Got this game for free on Uplay. Finished it on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Ubisoft needed a win after the disaster of Unity at launch. Syndicate released the following year, had a smooth launch, and was generally well received. Assassin’s Creed purists weren’t thrilled because the parkour lacked the depth Unity offered. After watching some videos on YouTube, I agree that Syndicate’s parkour is noticeably more simplistic. The grapple hook was a little controversial. I understand why it exists, and it didn’t bother me too much, but Unity handled traversal better. Tall structures in Unity had stationary grapples placed in specific spots, which still required effort and gave you a sense of accomplishment when you parkoured your way to the top of Notre Dame.

Life and Gaming Update in 2026

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:02:00 -0500

I didn’t post anything in 2025. Since starting this blog in 2011, I’ve rarely gone an entire year without writing something, so it feels strange to see a gap that long.
Games I Played in 2025

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Dishonored 2
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

I played this on Xbox Game Pass, which I picked up for $1. I finished it in a few days without doing many side quests. The companion character was predictably annoying and dragged the experience down. The graphics were excellent, but the gameplay had issues and the weapon system felt clunky. Overall, it felt like a $5 game.

Assassins Creed Odyssey (PC) Review

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 11:58:00 -0600

I have mixed feelings about the game.

What I Liked

Quick Save Feature: The ability to quickly save progress is a significant plus. The old save system would have made things worse.
World Design: The game boasts an impressive world design in terms of visuals, and the vast map to explore.
Stunning Graphics: The visuals are truly remarkable, better than Assassin’s Creed Origins in my opinion.

Borderlands (PC) Review

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 10:20:00 -0500

I’m somewhat conflicted about Borderlands. Technically, it’s a solid game. It ran smoothly on my setup with a 2560x1440 resolution, an i7-6700k processor, and a GeForce 1080Ti, without any issues.

However, the gameplay feels dated. Movement lacks a sense of weight, and I frequently got stuck on level geometry, especially in densely packed areas. The vehicle controls are also unconventional, using mouse-based turning rather than the standard WASD movement, which took some time to get used to.

Batman Arkham City (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 14:21:00 -0500

Very solid game. Definitely worth playing. Main story takes about 13 hours to complete. There is a TON of side content.

Combat is the best part of this game and there is a lot to learn. After 13+ hours, I don’t think I am anywhere near mastering it. There are parts that are unfair at times, especially when there are a lot of armed guards. Lack of auto-run will get you killed.

Dishonored (PC) Review

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:32:00 -0500

Dishonored is one of the best single player games I ever played. It came very close to the original Deux Ex for me. There are so many ways to play this game - pure stealth, pure combat or a combination of both. The game manages to take player decisions into account and change things in subtle and interesting ways. The powers and skills acquired allow different ways to approach mission objectives.

Doom Eternal (PC) Review

Sat, 04 May 2024 15:24:00 -0500

Doom Eternal annoyed me to no end.

Its a very polished game, a functional product, and looks great. When the game gets going, its a lot of fun. Soundtrack is excellent - one of the best ever. There is nothing technically wrong with the game.

However, I cannot recommend this game, because I did not have fun playing it. For fans of the first game expecting similar gameplay, understand that in certain aspects, Doom Eternal is a VERY different game. My biggest complaint are design decisions that get in the way of having fun. Every time it feels like I am getting in the flow, the game does something dumb to ruin it.

Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC) Review

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 20:41:00 -0500

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a very solid sequel, and I really enjoyed this game. The graphics are top-notch — I played it at 3440x1440 resolution on a machine running an i7 12700k and a GeForce RTX 3080Ti with ray tracing enabled and I was getting over 100+ FPS with DLSS set to Quality mode. The attention to detail in the tombs you get to explore is outstanding, even extending to the optional ones. These optional tombs came closest to delivering the experience of the old games for me.

Assassinss Creed Origins (PC) Review

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:44:00 -0500

The best thing about Assassin’s Creed Origins is the game world. Ubisoft did a fantastic job creating Egypt. The map is massive, and strictly playing the story missions covers around 60% of the map—this is without any of the DLC content. Exploring the pyramids, the Sphinx, and other Egyptian landmarks is a lot of fun. The City of Memphis is particularly memorable to me. In the hands of a better studio, this game could have been a masterpiece.

Call of Juarez (PC) Review

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 09:37:00 -0600

Released in 2006, Call of Juarez is an FPS set in the Wild West. I should have loved this game, but I didn’t.

Considering the game was released 17 years ago, the visuals still hold up. Compared to most of the gray and brown shooters released around this time, this game stands out with colorful visuals. They successfully portrayed Mexico in a way that avoids the visual style of a Breaking Bad episode.

Mirrors Edge Catalyst (PC) Review

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 01:21:00 -0600

The best parkour game I ever played, with a very forgettable story

I played and enjoyed Mirror’s Edge back in 2009. It always puzzled me why DICE took so long to give us a sequel.

When Mirror’s Edge Catalyst first came out, the reviews were mixedand it was not available on Steam until June 2020. I recently picked it up on Steam for $1.99. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst brings the free-running action from the first game, and makes almost everything better.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC) Review

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 15:48:00 -0600

I had planned to write an extensive review of Red Dead Redemption 2, but before I do, let me just say that if you enjoy open-world games with excellent graphics and haven’t played this game yet, then stop reading and buy it now. I would hate to spoil the joy of discovering what this game has to offer.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sequel-prequel to the original game, and based on my experience, it surpasses its predecessor in every aspect. Unfortunately, the original game was never released on PC, denying PC gamers the chance to experience it. Despite the latest remaster of Red Dead Redemption not being available on PC, I’m glad that Rockstar decided to release Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (PC) Review

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a beautifully remade version of the classic 1996 game. It features modernized controls that are very much like Tomb Raider Legend, and while the majority of the game excels, subpar boss battles detract from the experience. The game’s remastered visuals are fantastic, and the developers took some minor creative liberties with the level design, making the game better for it. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through iconic levels such as The Lost Valley, Palace Midas, and St. Francis Folly. The Tomb Raider Legend engine holds up very well.

Frontlines Fuel of War (PC) Review

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 12:43:00 -0500

A game with massive potential that sadly never lived up to it.

Frontlines Fuel of War tells the story of a world in conflict between Western Alliance and Red Star Alliance forces. The game takes place in Turkmenistan, and moves into Moscow towards the end.

This is a typical mid 2000s modern military shooter. I never had the chance to play multiplayer and the single player is very average with blurry textures, very poor weapon handling, thoroughly forgettable story, bad voice acting and bad enemy AI. There are mechanics in this game that are better than an average Call of Duty campaign such as open ended levels, and vehicles etc. but it is very hard to get past the mediocrity of the rest of the game.

Infinite Backlog

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 10:24:00 -0500

As of Sunday September 17, 2023, I am looking at the games I own, and it is clear that I will not be able to finish or even play all of them in my lifetime. So I decided to make a list of games that I intend to finish or at least give my best shot.

I have 111 games listed in my backlog. It appears as if it will take 111 days of playtime to finish all these games. I am not sure how I am going to playthrough all these games, and also fit in Halo: Master Chief Collection, Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, and the next Battlefield game.

Half-Life: Blue Shift (PC) Review

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 15:37:00 -0500

Well worth the $0.50 I paid for it.

A thoroughly functional game, which does not outlast its welcome. It tells a concise story, and it fills in the gaps of the main Half-Life game. It took me a little under 4 hours to finish Blue Shift.

Technically, it is competent, but the original Half-Life engine has aged poorly. It worked fine at 2560x1440 resolution, but the game looks dated. I found it hard at times to distinguish textures that are meant to be interactive, because of how blurry the textures are at the resolution I am playing. I had to refer to the walkthrough a couple of times because I missed a switch that was right in front, but I did not identify it because textures tend to blend with each other.

SUPERHOT (PC) Review

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 08:44:00 -0500

I heard about this game when it was released back in 2016. It looked interesting but I didn’t want to buy it because I wasn’t entirely sure if I would like it.

7 years later, as I was looking through my game collection, I saw that I owned this game on Amazon. I am not sure how. I know I never purchased it. Now there is no excuse, and I must play this very interesting game.
I am won’t dwell too much on the story. I think its pretty good, which is rare for a video game. I often do not care about video game stories, but this is a rare exception. In terms of being memorable, it’s up there with Portal for me.

Alan Wake (PC) Review

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:11:00 -0500

I played the regular PC version of the game released on Feb 16, 2012 (according to Steam). I understand that this game is beloved by many, and I am not trying to be a contrarian. I enjoyed Alan Wake, but in my opinion, the only thing great about this game is the atmosphere. For a game that is released over a decade ago, the visuals hold up very well. I played this game on an ultrawide display (3440x1440) and I had absolutely no issues whatsoever. Fantastic.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (PC) Review

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 22:59:00 -0500

I did not like Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. This review is going to contain mild spoilers.

Let me talk about the things I liked about this game.

Some of the level design and art work is absolutely amazing. It truly captured the essence of Star Wars.

From a technical perspective, there are no issues whatsoever, other than the fact that there is double DRM to have to deal with - Steam and the horrendous EA App. There were no issues running the game at 3440x1440 resolution in borderless Window mode (excellent), and I was consistently getting over 120FPS on the highest settings.

Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) Review

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 20:07:00 -0500

Where do I even begin talking about Cyberpunk 2077? It’s a very divisive game, and while I believe it was somewhat redeemed by the developers, it is a cautionary tale about hype, false advertising, and misleading marketing. It was beyond disappointing because CD Project Red, who gave us the fantastic Witcher 3, failed so spectacularly. I intend to talk about the events leading up to the launch of the game, the disastrous launch and the redemption that followed.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (PC) Review

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 18:12:00 -0600

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was released for the PC in May 2006. I remember playing the demo way back in the day, and my computer could barely keep up with it. The big marketing point at the time was the advanced physics capabilities of the game on PC. This title was supposed to take advantage of Ageia’s PhysX card. This was of course before Nvidia incorporated PhysX into GPUs, which I am glad they did. Imagine having to install a GPU and PPU to get the full experience.

How To Fix Middle Mouse Button To Give Orders - Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Steam)

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 06:51:00 -0600

This is a fix for the middle mouse button not working when giving orders in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. I am using the Steam version for this, but I would imagine this fix will work on any PC version.

Navigate to the following location:

E:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter\Settings

Open the following file in a text editor:

ctrl_set_def.xml

Change the following line:

<button id="hud_select" binding="2" device="mouse" group="misc"/>

To this:

<button id="hud_select" binding="2" device="mouse" group="tactics"/>

Save the file and start the game.

Here is a video showing this process.

DOOM Diary: Initial Thoughts

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 19:47:00 -0600

I put off playing Doom (2016) for many years because I wanted to have a machine powerful enough to play it. After finishing Gun yesterday, which was a thoroughly mediocre shooter, I was in the mood for something good. Considering that I am now fortunate enough to own a fantastic computer, I decided now is the time.

To this day, I avoided all media related to this game. After watching the gameplay reveal video many years ago, I decided this game needs to be experienced without any spoilers.

F.E.A.R Extraction Point (PC) Review

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 06:34:00 -0500

F.E.A.R Extraction Point is the first of the two expansions for F.E.A.R. It is developed by Timegate Studios and released in October 2006, about a year after the first game. This is an excellent expansion pack to a great horror game. It looks better, and plays better than F.E.A.R for the most part.

The story for this expansion picks up right where the first game left off, and it branches into what is now commonly referred to as the Vivendi timeline. F.E.A.R 2 and F.E.A.R 3 follow the Monolith timeline. The direct sequels do not acknowledge the expansion packs from Timegate. You reprise your role as the Point Man, and you are separated from your squad, Jin and Holiday. Your overarching goal is to regroup with them and get to the extraction point.

Extremely Fun Random Skirmish - Cyberpunk 2077 Diary

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 18:17:00 -0500

I am writing this post to commemorate last night’s gaming session. I was playing Cyberpunk 2077, and its probably the most fun I’ve had with an RPG in a very long time.

Years from now, I want to look back on this gaming session and remember the fun time. There are a many such gaming memories over the years, some over 20 years old. That one time when I started playing Tomb Raider 3 demo when I first got my computer back in 2000, when I played the tutorial level of Tomb Raider 4 late at night, that one session of Quake 3 with my neighbor where I won the round with about 5 seconds to spare (we talk about it to this day, after 15 years), when I beat Commandos after playing all night, that super frustrating session of GTA 3 where I resorted to using cheats to finish the level, the ending of Half Life 2 Episode 2, when I first stepped out of the vault in Fallout 3, when I played the beta of Battlefield 4 early in the morning and knew that it was going be a special game, I could go on.

F.E.A.R (PC) Review

Sun, 01 May 2022 11:25:00 -0500

I first read about F.E.A.R when one of the computer gaming magazines I subscribed to had a demo for this game on the disk. Back in 2005, I did not have a computer good enough to run this game at settings that did justice to it. I believe I had a GeForce 5500FX, one of the worst GPUs to have ever been released, and it struggled to run this game at 1280x1024. I decided I wait for my next computer upgrade to play the demo.

ROCCAT Vulcan 121 AIMO Cherry MX Brown Switches Review

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 07:57:00 -0500

I purchased the Renewed version of this keyboard on Amazon for $64.76. The original retail price is $159.99. I ordered it on April 4, 2022 and it arrived on April 6, 2022, and I didn’t have to pay for shipping! Thank you Amazon.

The Corsair K70 Low Profile keyboard with Cherry MX Speed switches is my favorite keyboard of all time. I think this is a very close second. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy Cherry MX Brown switches, but I am happy to report that I do. I feel they are perfect for productivity. Although this keyboard is marketed as a gaming keyboard, I think I still prefer Speed switches for gaming. That said, I am going to try this keyboard for gaming for a while and see how I like it. I will try this as my primary keyboard for a while, and if I do not like it for gaming, I will swap this with my Corsair keyboard with Speed switches, and move this to my office setup.

Firewatch (PC) Review

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 07:18:00 -0500

This is not a feeble attempt to be a contrarian, but I fail to see how this game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. It is possible that I am missing something?I don’t see how. Allow me elaborate.

My first introduction to walking simulators was with Dear Ester. I thought it was an interesting game, but I cannot recommend it at the asking price of $9.99 (at the time of this writing). There was absolutely no replay value, and the game is over in about 4 hours. It was an amusing experience, but it felt more like a level in a Half Life game, than a full fledged single player game. Nevertheless, I felt the genre had potential to be great. I heard good things about Firewatch and I wanted to play it, because I thought it was going to be a much better game.

Tomb Raider (2013) (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 15:02:00 -0500

Tomb Raider (2013) is yet another reboot after Tomb Raider Legend, which attempts to tell the origin story of Lara Croft. Its a modern take on the classic, and for someone who has played all the Core Design games except Angel of Darkness, in my opinion, the overall experience does not measure up to the original games.

The game looks great, and it ran very well on my 21:9 widescreen monitor, which was surprising considering that back in 2013, widescreen monitors were not very common.

Purchased a Detuned EVGA GTX 1080 Ti By Mistake

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 05:54:00 -0600

I wanted to purchase a GeForce 1080 Ti, and I narrowed down the model to the 3 fan version from EVGA. I added it to my wishlist and waited for the right time to buy.

On Wednesday 12/13/2017, I was in the office, and I decided to go ahead and buy the GPU. I went on NewEgg, bought it and went about my day.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 DT DirectX 12 11G-P4-6694-KR 11GB

Wolfenstein: The New Order (PC) Review

Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:22:00 -0500

The last Wolfenstein game I played was the 2009’s Wolfenstein developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was a fairly underwhelming experience, and it did not do well commercially, which resulted in layoffs, and the rights to this franchise were sold to Bethesda Softworks.

Machine Games ended up working on the next game in the series, Wolfenstein: The New Order. I thought they did a better job than Raven Software, but Return to Castle Wolfenstein still remains my favorite game in the series.

Mionix Castor Review

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 12:12:00 -0500

I am primarily an FPS gamer and my game of choice at the moment is Battlefield 1. I played RTS games in the past, but for the last 4 years or so, different iterations of Battlefield have kept me occupied. I do not play any MOBA games, so everything said here is from the perspective of an online FPS gamer.

As for my mouse grip, I am fine with using a claw grip mouse for work, but for games, I absolutely need a palm grip mouse with easily accessible thumb buttons. Playing games with a mouse that does not offer this, just does not feel right. In the past, I have briefly used Razer Lachesis, and Razer Imperator. The Lachesis was unusable for me, it was too flat for my liking. Imperator felt a lot better in comparison, but it was not as good as the DeathAdder.

Dear Esther (PC) Review

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 11:20:00 -0600

Walking simulators have received a lot of attention in the gaming media lately. Having never played one, I wanted to try Dear Esther.

The game is built on the Source engine. The story begins on an uninhabited island, and the narrator recounts events from the past, as you slowly walk through the levels. If you have played the game, and didn’t fully grasp all the details of the story, I recommend reading the story analysis done by Pop Matters, which can be found HERE .

Must Play Games In 2017

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 05:35:00 -0600

I decided to make a list of games I want to play in 2017. I realized that I will never get to finish and play all the games I own. I have 210 games on Steam, I finished about 40 of those, so I got a long way to go. I combed through GOG, Origin, Uplay and Steam and came up with this list -

Alan Wake
Assassins Creed 3 - Got it for free on Uplay. Never played an Assassin’s Creed game before, and I am not sure how well received this game was. I hear good things about Black Flag…but there is not a whole lot of talk about this one.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 1 Single Player
BioShock Infinite
Borderlands
Borderlands 2
Call of Juarez
Call of Juarez 2 Bound in Blood
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Commandos 3 - I am not sure if I will get to finish this game. Its difficult, and the fact that resolution is restricted to 1024x768 adds to the difficulty. I would still like to finish this.
Commandos Strike Force - The last game in the Commandos series. I would like to finish this purely for nostalgia sake.
Company of Heroes 2
Crysis 3 - Purchased this on Origin for a very low price. Its a good game to test my GeForce GTX 1080
Dear Esther - The very first walking simulator…I’d like to see what they are all about.
Dishonored
Dying Light
Fallout New Vegas - I haven’t played a Fallout game in a very long time. I think New Vegas would be a good game to get back into the series.
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
Hard Reset
Max Payne 3
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Got it on Steam sale a few days ago.
Watch Dogs 2 - Got it free with my Samsung SSD
Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings - Finished The Witcher over the weekend. This game is next on the list.
Wolfenstein: The New Order - Picked it up on sale a few days ago

I want to make sure I don’t buy a whole lot of games in 2017. If at all I end up buying games, these are the ones on my watch list -

Armored Shield Full Round - Battlefield 3 (PC)

Wed, 07 Dec 2016 05:17:00 -0600

This full round of Armored Shield was recorded on May 1, 2013, using FRAPS. Quality is terrible. I managed to do well and reach the top of the scoreboard. That does not happen too often.

Grand Theft Auto 4 (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Aug 2016 11:01:00 -0500

I know I am about 8 years late to the GTA 4 PC party. When I first saw this game announced for the PC, it looked great in the trailers but I couldn’t buy it at launch because it was too expensive. I picked this up for $7.50 during a steam sale, therefore I am not terribly unhappy for what I got, but not worth the $60 launch price.

Where do I even begin describing the problems with this game. Let’s start with the awful GFWL.

Battlefield 4 - Engineer 100

Sat, 27 Aug 2016 19:14:00 -0500

Battlefield 3, which I purchased in 2012, was one of the best games I played at the time. Even though the weapon balance was great, I still enjoyed the game a lot. I loved the maps and the gun play.I put in 718 hours into it.

I remember thinking at the time that I may not put in as much time in Battlefield 4 because I did not believe it was going to be as good. That was 3 years ago. As of 10/16/2016, I put in a ridiculous 2391 hours. Definitely got my money’s worth out of this game. Battlefield Hardline came and went, but it did not measure up Battlefield 4 for me, and it looks like the community in general did not receive the game very well, which is a shame because some of the maps in Hardline were fantastic.

Evolution of my battlestations

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 07:11:00 -0500

In this post, I am going to walk through all my battlestations over the years. It is interesting to see the evolution of computer setups (if you are a nerd). I reached a point where there really isn’t much else for me to change. I intend to get the next Intel processor (Kaby Lake) along with a pascal GPU. The monitors however, will stay for the foreseeable future.

Now, let’s look at where it all started.

Buying our first home

Sat, 19 Mar 2016 20:43:00 -0500

We closed on our first home on Friday December 18, 2015. The final price of the home was $167,700. We made a 20% down payment, and paid an additional $1257.77 towards the closing cost. The process was easier than I had anticipated, and we found just the kind of house we wanted.

I decided to document the timeline of events. The following is our story about finding and buying our first home.

To pay off the house or not pay off the house, that is the question.

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 22:12:00 -0600

I am in a very fortunate situation of having enough cash reserves to pay off the house this instant. Of course, if I were to do that, I will have very little cash on hand. I will still not be penniless, because I still have my very modest retirement fund, but that’s not something I can rely on for my immediate needs.

I currently owe $132,504.02 on the house to Wells Fargo, at the rate of 3% for a 15 year term. All things considered, I got an extremely good deal. It would have been better had I purchased a house in the middle of 2015, when the interest rates were as low as 2.875% for a 15 year term, but the house I ended up purchasing wasn’t on the market at the time. I have absolutely no regrets about waiting, because I found the perfect house.

Azadi Palace Full Round - Battlefield 3 (PC)

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 04:22:00 -0600

This is the first of many post I plan to make. I’ve got videos of full rounds on all maps in Battlefield 3 maps. Played this round on May 7th, 2013.This was before the ShadowPlay days. I used DxTory record the gameplay.

At the time I was using a Hannspree HZ281HPB monitor which had a resolution of 1920x1200. I couldn’t imagine a better monitor at the time. Little did I know that WQHD was right around the corner.

Gigabyte Support Was a Let Down

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:42:00 -0600

Short version

December 31, 2015 - Started having problems with my Gigabyte motherboard
January 3, 2016 - Purchased MSI motherboard
January 13, 2016 - Sent Gigabyte motherboard for RMA
January 25, 2016 - Gigabyte sent me my motherboard. They said they tested it, and found nothing wrong with it.
February 8, 2016 - MSI motherboard started having issues.
February 8, 2016 - Tried to the use the Gigabyte motherboard, it was still broken. Had the exact problems as before, they fixed nothing.
February 9, 2016 - Sent MSI motherboard for RMA
February 25 - Got the new motherboard that MSI sent me, installed it, everything is working fine now. Life is happy. Hope it stays this way.

Conclusion - I am going not buy another Gigabyte motherboard because their support was a let down. I will stick to MSI and if they fail me, I will have to turn to ASUS or ASRock.

Battlefield 4 Diary

Mon, 25 Jan 2016 04:12:00 -0600

Jan 25, 2016 Saturday 06:12:00 AM CST: Dragon Valley 2015 MVP

Battlefield 4 is the game I played more than any other game. I played this more than all the other games I ever played combined. So I got my money’s worth. All thanks to DICE LA.

The round I played yesterday was pretty great. Joined with a friend when things weren’t looking good for our team. Managed to do well and help our team win.

Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed Diary

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 19:15:00 -0600

Jan 24, 2016 Sunday 07:15:00 PM CDT

Purchased this game in 2011 from NewEgg for $7.64 (including shipping). This was back when EA was still selling DVDs of their games, and Origin was in its infancy.

I really enjoyed the first Shift game. When I found this game for cheap, I couldn’t resist. So much so that I hadn’t played it for 4 years.

After 2500+ hours of Battlefield (both 3 and 4), I want to get back into single player gaming again. Hence why I resumed F.E.A.R. as well.

F.E.A.R Diary

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 18:53:00 -0600

Jan 24, 2016 Sunday 06:53:00 PM CST: Procrastination

I played some more F.E.A.R. today. Really like the it. Its a traditional PC game. Its got quick save, checkpoint save and manual save. They don’t make games like this anymore. When I first played the demo for this game in 2005, I waited to play the full version because at the time I was using a BFG GeForce FX5500OC AGP card. I could barely run the game on medium at 1024x768.

Patch Gaming First Post

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 13:36:00 -0600

Writing this first post on a cold winter day on January 24, 2016. I intend to keep this blog all about the games I am going to play.

At the moment, I have GTA 4, Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed, F.E.A.R and Dying Light installed on my machine. I intend to finish these three games as quickly as possible so I can move onto other games in my Steam account.

My Most Anticipated Games

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:39:46 -0600

I wanted to talk about some of the games I am looking forward to the most.

Battlefield 4

There are absolutely no details known about Battlefield 4 at this point. This is all we really know about it.

from staticcontent repo

I can only hope that DICE doesn’t make this a consolized game. Battlefield 3 wasn’t, so I have no reason to believe that Battlefield 4 would be any different.