zircon

Udyr is really really good. Played him in two ranked and two normals, haven't lost yet. Just now I was tiered out with Wriggle's, Mercs, Atma's, Triforce, Wit's End and Banshee's, and I managed to take down a similarly decked Graves when I was at half health. Ridiculous. He's just an unstoppable force endgame with over 200 AD, 180 resistances, 3000 health, lifesteal, a self-shield, stun, AOE...

Jill and I have put about 22 hours into the game and we're both loving it. We've just received the first sword upgrade and there are a lot of impressive things about it. Beautiful art, story, great gameplay and level design. I'm genuinely curious as to what happens next and so far haven't gotten super-frustrated (though those electric goblins were pretty annoying). Our primary complaints, though they're definitely not dealbreakers: 1. Random pointless hand-holding at times, but never for anything important, just like "go through that door!" as opposed to "here's how to solve this puzzle". Why even bother? You can call Fi anytime to get a general objective/hint about where you're supposed to go, so why have her pop up by default for stuff that is glaringly obvious, while some puzzles clearly require you to think much harder? 2. Excessive dialog boxes for certain things (eg. doing poorly at the bamboo chop minigame), being told what an Amber Relic is after I already have 20. Somewhat alleviated by having longer playsessions. 3. Controls not quite 100% there. Item management is sort of weird and confusing at times what with two separate menus and the B/A functions switching around. Probably the biggest issue here is that the sword movements are not perfectly precise, which is a GIGANTIC problem on the legions of enemies (like those stupid goblins) that require you to quickly change sword direction. It just doesn't detect fast enough for me the majority of the time and I end up spending too much time trying to a thrust or right to left slash to finish a quick encounter. None of these things detract from the game's overall enjoyment factor, which is still very high, but I do hope they're improved upon in the next iteration. Edit: Regarding graphics, I did see that mentioned earlier in the thread. I was initially planning on running this via Dolphin but didn't have a good way of connecting my gaming PC to the TV 20 feet away. And now that we're so far in the game, even if I did find a way it would be a pain starting over.

Looks interesting, though it would have to be better for sequencing than FL and better at audio than REAPER to have a shot in my book.

I agree that split pushing would be a good option. If this was a normal game you had no way to counter-pick, which sucks. Basically it's heavy on DPS and CC which you would probably get around with stuff like Banshee's Veil/QSS, and then use items like Black Cleaver/Madred's to whittle down high HP and focus 'em.

I managed to get sick twice this year, once in August/September or so and again over the last 2-3 weeks. So hopefully my immune system should be in overdrive

Check out the following panel video we did at MAGfest:

What are everyone's resolutions for this year? Let's share and support one another For fun, if you made resolutions for 2011, let us know how they went. Here was the 2011 thread: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32428 Before I get to the resolutions, 2011 was a mixed bag for me. I had a major health crisis that put me in the hospital for a week and left me recovering for a week after that, and which still affects my life a bit daily. I then had several minor health issues. On the bright side, Jill and I bought our first house, though that essentially ate up the last 4-5 months of our lives. With that in mind, here's how I managed to do... Did pretty well on this. Whereas last year I was doing literally everything myself, this year I worked harder to find contractors and part-time help (like DrumUltima with Impact Soundworks!) while focusing on the important stuff. I think I can still delegate, outsource and automate further though. Only managed to release 2, but significant progress was made on 2 more. So... kind of! Sadly, I failed this one by at least a few months. While I did get a lot of work done on my next album, the various aforementioned life events made it impossible to finish. But definitely tweet at @JillianAversa and @BigGiantCircles to finish their vocals for me Didn't even start... oops Amazingly, I got this with Soulcalibur V. I made some headway here, especially toward the end of the year, with discipline and habits. Definitely can still do better. Actually REGRESSED by 10 pounds. Thanks to our move to Owings Mills, this is coming along! Won't know until tax time but... maaaaaybe before taxes and business expenses. Nowhere close with those things though. Recording projects and international travel are really expensive. In terms of new resolutions: * Make a concerted effort to make more music of all kinds. * Learn more about orchestration, improvisation and composition on a more formal level. * Finish my next album. * Release 3 sample libraries. * Score another AAA game, and at least one other decently large title aside from that. * Release 20 more tutorial videos of various kinds. * Finish a secret remix project. * Lose 10 pounds. * Make at least one new friend unrelated to OCR/VGM. How about you guys?

So wait, to be clear, they don't have parking at the hotel - we have to find a garage nearby?

I dunno... I think all 3 of those are not the best picks around. * Kat is a bit of a noob champion. She's not effective against competent players/teams, because she is stopped by a single stun/silence (not to mention you can just run away from her ult.) She also has to be up close to do damage, and yet she's not tanky in any way. * Rumble is a solid top for sure, and sort of in the same role as Singed - a tanky, AP bully that excels at close range. But he's not really a caster per se. * Karthus is strong if you excel with his Q and W, BUT, in my experience, it's very easy to do badly with him. If you die early/out of position or don't get farmed he gets really weak. I would try Cass or Kass!

Yep I have multiple, similar stories from MF as well. For example, I had purchased some acoustic foam that I didn't have the chance to really look at for about 48 days after I got it, due to my move. Normally I wouldn't be able to return them, get a credit and exchange for something else. But not only did they let me do this, they even let me exchange for a cheaper kind of foam.

Oops, yeah, I left out Cass. Almost NO ONE picks her but she is incredibly strong. Morg requires more skill to be good in a teamfight, definitely. But she is really easy in lane because of her no-brainer farming and sustain, plus her shield prevents harass even if she misses her snare. So it's a mix...

Yeah and to be fair, don't you play mostly bot games as opposed to ranked like Jeff does...? I agree that Ahri is really strong because of her huge mobility, low mana costs, ranged disable and solid nukes. I think Xerath is pretty strong too... he reminds me of a Ryze with more range, but a similar amount of spell spam. If I had to pick the top AP mids I would probably say (in no particular order) Ahri, Brand, Morgana, Kassadin and Xerath. They all compete on a similar level. All have long-range pokes and big teamfight presence. Orianna, Annie, Sion and Kennen would be the tier after IMO.

If you think about it, most FF games had pretty shallow battle system. Let's be honest. What was FF6, ultimately? You have a couple characters spam Fight with genji glove/offering (or whatever you have), one or two using protective magic and healing. There's not a lot of thought involved. Fight a lot and heal when you're low. Plus, pretty much all FF games get broken after about halfway through as you get ridiculous spells/combos that make everything too easy.

Liberals like him because he's socially liberal, that's about it.

Aww I missed the bot-stomping fun.

I thought a big difference was the story involvement; full voice acting, dialog trees, etc? Or does story not count now.

I haven't purchased any such bundles before, so this is my first time. Too good to pass up.

Unfortunately no, and that's a restriction placed by NI, not us. The full version of Kontakt is well-worth it though if you can get that (or Komplete) on sale. For example, Komplete 6 (which includes Kontakt 4) can be purchased for ~$290-300. It's a little older but still well worth it. I wish there were a better solution though!

MIDI keyboard is just fine, or even sequencing it manually in the piano roll. I do that most of the time now Thanks for the kind words!

Scroll down for the ISW 2011 Holiday Bundle deal and discount for existing Shreddage owners! $99 HOLIDAY BUNDLE HERE (Shreddage, Shreddage X, Shreddage Bass, Acoustic Revolutions vol. 1) Hello all! I'm excited to announce that Shreddage Bass: Picked Edition is now finished and available for purchase! This is our brand-new DI electric bass library. Features + demos below: * Over 2,000 24-bit DI samples from a Music Man Sterling * Kontakt 4 format w/ unlocked WAVs * Sampled from drop C (Bb in Kontakt) all the way up * Open and muted sustains * Open and muted staccato notes * 8x round robins (up/down picks) and 3x velocity layers per NOTE * Hammer-on and pull-off w/ 2x RR and 3x velocities * Neck slides * Our best interface yet with customizable legato range, preset EQ (with sweet spots), octave playing, downpicks only, anti-repetition, amping, compression, limiting and 'thrash' notes * NO keyswitches, NO complex mapping. Left hand = sustain, right hand = mutes. Modwheel for optional vibrato. Just load and play. Even though there are plenty of bass libraries out there, we are really excited for this one. I've personally had a ton of fun playing with it already. Compared to other sampled basses, this library is incredibly easy and intuitive to use. You won't ever find yourself struggling to get the right articulation or trigger something when you didn't mean to. It isn't a CPU or memory hog. Most importantly, it SOUNDS great right out of the box with absolutely no EQ. One of my biggest issues with many other libraries is that they tend to make basses that sound too full. They might seem great on their own, but you have to carve them and tweak amp settings endlessly to get them to fit. Not with Shreddage Bass. Drop it in a mix and it sits perfectly. That was the design goal: maximum playability and realism with an excellent tone. Demos: http://www.impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/ShreddageBass_-_Bulldozer.mp3 (w/ Shreddage X) http://www.impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/ShreddageBass_-_Hemispherical.mp3 (by Jake Kaufman, feat. Groove Bias) Hemispherical (Solo) (just drums + bass - wow!) http://www.impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/ShreddageBass_-_Finding_Lows.mp3 (downtempo rock by Dirk Ehlert / DE-tune) http://www.impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/ShreddageBass_-_Creeping_Death.mp3 (classic Metallica riff w/ Shreddage too) http://www.impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/ShreddageBass_-_Daft_Drafts.mp3 (disco-dance a la Daft Punk, arranging Mega Man 9. Wah from Guitar Rig) http://www.impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/ShreddageBass_-_Morsecode.mp3 (jazzy, funky dance using mutes only) Shreddage Bass: Picked Edition is available now for only $59! But that's not the end of it... 2011 ISW Holiday Bundle - Guitar & Bass Through the end of this month, pick up the original Shreddage, Shreddage X, Shreddage Bass (!) AND Acoustic Revolutions Volume 1 for only $99! That's a savings of $50+, so if you haven't used anything in the Shreddage family yet, now is your chance. Check out the bundle here: http://www.impactsoundworks.com/2011-holiday-bundle Already own Shreddage, you say? Existing Shreddage owners get $20 off! Also through the end of the month, you'll have access to a discount code giving you a flat $20 off the $59 list price of Shreddage Bass: PE. It really doesn't get any better than this, folks. Just check your email within the next 24 hours for your custom discount code. Questions? Comments? Feedback? Post them here and enjoy dat BASS!

olrouge82: Let me just say I'm really enjoying this conversation. I went to school for music business and I like honing my knowledge with this kind of academic discussion, especially when the result of the exchange can potentially help someone! You may be misinterpreting me. What I mean is that I don't believe ALL OC ReMixes would qualify as derivative works. As you mentioned later in your post, a compulsory license is contingent on the licensee creating a version of a song that doesn't change the basic melody or character of the work. I would say that many ReMixes do not, in fact, change the basic melody or character of the work. Some are more on the conservative side and could be considered adaptations of this kind as opposed to derivative works. If you think about all the great cover songs you know, how many of them stick 100% to the original and how many actually deviate a bit with some new flourishes, rhythm, harmony, instrumentation, etc.? There are certainly ReMixes that could be argued either way. Well, fair use is always on a case-by-case basis and very subjective... while we strongly believe that what we do falls within those protections, it is impossible to say with legal certainty due to the lack of a bright-line rule.

Ah but you can't patent playing techniques or the output of an instrument. You can perhaps patent the design of an entirely new instrument, but Fender can't copyright or patent "the Fender sound". If someone created a guitar that sounds 100% like a Fender without actually infringing on the patented blueprints to manufacturing a Fender, that would be fine. This happens all the time in the world of software synthesizers. There are countless virtual emulations of hardware synthesizers which obviously have an entirely different design but are made to sound indistinguishable from the real thing. And there is no intellectual property issue there. Buuuut chiptune SFX are definitely in a weird place because something like the 1up sound from Mario is a clear musical phrase. So I don't know if that would put it into copyrightable territory or if it's too short/generic (much like how I couldn't copyright a 2 second C major arpeggio.)

Another minor point of clarification but there is also a distinction between arrangements/covers and derivative works. If one takes an existing piece and does not substantially change the character, but rather adapts it for a new set of instruments, this is typically not considered a derivative work and subject to the compulsory mechanical licensing statute. This is how some VGM arrangers are able to sell their work without asking for permission. However, if the original work is drastically transformed, or if at any point you are SAMPLING the original sound recording then you've crossed over into derivative work territory, for which there is no compulsory licensing statute. Of course, even if a given OC ReMix would be considered a cover/arrangement as opposed to a derivative work, that doesn't really protect us any more since we haven't gone through the compulsory mechanical licensing process. As you (rightly) pointed out we believe what we do falls under fair use. Anyway, this situation with chiptune SFX is interesting because we're NOT talking about sound recordings. An analogy would be if I smacked my hand against my guitar as a sound effect in a film score, then you heard that and smacked YOUR hand against YOUR guitar to create a very similar effect. You didn't sample my sound recording (and chiptunes aren't sound recordings anyway AFAIK, they're musical pieces with an associated playback system) and thus there's no legal problem. But it's an interesting situation because some SFX could maybe be construed as short musical pieces or jingles, however unlikely that may be. A classic example in the world of synthesizers is the distinction between selling recordings of sample-based hardware vs. analog/digital synthesizers. You cannot copyright the output of an oscillator. You can patent the design of the oscillator (maybe), but not what comes out of it. Likewise, there is really no way to copyright a particular group of knob and switch settings. So, there is no legal problem with me taking a true synthesizer and recording sounds from it, even if I didn't create the exact settings for those sounds. I could even sell the sounds later. On the other hand, some synthesizers utilize sound recordings, or a mix of recordings and true synthesized sounds. In this case, it would be illegal for me to record and sell the sounds.

Not to be hypercorrective, but: This is definitely inaccurate. The right to create derivative works belongs to the creator, and by default, creating a derivative work is infringing. You can argue fair use etc. but again by default derivative works are NOT ok. The real question is whether a sound effect that itself is not even a recording but just a series of notes would be considered copyrightable to begin with. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_work

You would be better off recreating the SFX yourself if at all possible. Virt is really good at this. Chiptunes are not themselves sound recordings. They're songs that are played through a playback system (the sound chip.) Thus chiptune SFX... I'm not sure those could be even considered musical pieces. Honestly, I don't think you will have any problem one way or the other, but try recreating them yourself to be safe.