Posted On Tuesday, July 9th, 2002 By David Veatch
I went back to the Pool Room yesterday for my typical Monday Night Pool. Dean is out of town for the week, and Hafid had prior plans, so I was left on my own. Given that I really enjoy playing down there, it’s not really that much of a bother. I like the company of Dean and Hafid, but my main purpose in playing on Monday and Wednesday nights is pool. It ain’t no social call for me, it’s all about pool. While there, I found out that the guy who delivered unto me my first defeat at the APA 8-ball tournament on Sunday went on to win the whole thing. The guy who delivered unto me my second defeat got, appropriately enough, second place. I talked to a few people, and the general consensus is that the overall winner, ranked 3, should have been ranked anywhere from 6 to 9 (I think I was wrong in saying the ranking is from 1 – 8). Basically, he was given a free ride through the tournament… easy money. As is typical, if I don’t know anyone on the quarter bar boxes, I’ll get a rack and play the 9′ tables. I’ll more »
Posted On Sunday, July 7th, 2002 By David Veatch
I played in a one-shot APA 8-ball tournament today. Let me start by saying I don’t like APA rules. Slop counts, you’re stuck with whatever whatever you sink on the break for the rest of the game, and you can win by sinking the 8 on the break. Those three things are all so luck/chance based, that it nearly ceases to be fun for me. Slop should never count… if you didn’t mean it, you shouldn’t get credit for it. I don’t like it in 9-ball, and I don’t like it in 8-ball. It shouldn’t matter what I sink on the break, I should be able to choose solids or stripes after the fact. Sinking balls on the break should be nothing more than a go-ahead to continue shooting, if that. This is one of the reasons I so love Straight Pool. Every shot, including the break, is a called shot. If you make a ball, but don’t specify a pocket, your time at bat is over. Sinking the 8 on the break is nothing but luck. I don’t like it in 9-ball, and I don’t like it in 8-ball. That out of the way, I went ahead and played. more »
Posted On Sunday, July 7th, 2002 By David Veatch
I played in a one-shot APA 8-ball tournament today. Let me start by saying I don’t like APA rules. Slop counts, you’re stuck with whatever whatever you sink on the break for the rest of the game, and you can win by sinking the 8 on the break. Those three things are all so luck/chance based, that it nearly ceases to be fun for me. Slop should never count… if you didn’t mean it, you shouldn’t get credit for it. I don’t like it in 9-ball, and I don’t like it in 8-ball. It shouldn’t matter what I sink on the break, I should be able to choose solids or stripes after the fact. Sinking balls on the break should be nothing more than a go-ahead to continue shooting, if that. This is one of the reasons I so love Straight Pool. Every shot, including the break, is a called shot. If you make a ball, but don’t specify a pocket, your time at bat is over. Sinking the 8 on the break is nothing but luck. I don’t like it in 9-ball, and I don’t like it in 8-ball. That out of the way, I went ahead and played. more »
Posted On Monday, July 1st, 2002 By David Veatch
I’ve been playing Neverwinter Nights (hereafter known simply as NWN) for the last week or so. When I was sick, it was one of the few things that really took my mind off the pain and discomfort. Fortunately, my brain didn’t permanently associate NWN with horrible sinus illness, and I can play it now with nary a thought of how I felt playing it before. That is not the case with tea, which I very much associate with being sick. What can I say about this game, that hasn’t been said many times before? Nothing really… but I can take what I agree with from those reviews, and whittle it down to those things most important to me. That is, after all, what this site is about… talking about those things most important to me. Anyway, on to NWN. NWN is the follow-up release of the acclaimed Baldur’s Gate (BG) series… I will be referring to that series several times, in addition to other games (mainly Dungeon Siege, to be honest – comparisons are inevitable). Gameplay: In short, the gameplay is centered around an extremely intuitive point-and-click system that was (at least for this player) instantly accessible. I was able more »