A Few Updates

Hi, everybody!

I wanted to take a few minutes to let you all know about a few recent developments, and talk a bit about some things that will be happening later this year. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to divide this up into categories of information but by all means, do check out all the items as you may find something fun and interesting in each section that you weren't expecting.

Writing

As many of you know, my main writing project for 2020 is a short-fiction anthology that I'm planning to release before the end of the year. Work on that project started back in 2019 and I'll absolutely be making announcements regarding the new book throughout the year as I hit various production milestones.

If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Jeyran Main's new review of my latest novelette, "Academic Displacement," the first story from the anthology, which I released early back in 2019.

Also, be sure to check out my recent interview and guest post at Meghan's House of Books!

YouTube

Here, I really just want to thank all the new subscribers to my YouTube channel. It's always exciting to see that number steadily climbing, despite not being able to post new content as frequently as I'd like. That said, I have managed to release a new "Why it's Awesome" episode in 2020 and I'm looking forward to doing more there as time allows.

Twitch

I've started streaming again over on my Twitch channel. The project is basically a little variety show called "Sunday Funday," where I play games, noodle around on my guitar, or do whatever else seems fun on a given day. I've done six episodes so far, which are all available as VoD's on my channel, or you can catch me live on Sundays, starting at 2PM EST for the foreseeable future.

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That's it for now. As you might imagine, with everything else that's happening, I don't think I'll have much time for additional blog posts here this year but as I've said in the past, sometimes, the best way to convey a particular idea is through a blog post, so it's certainly not out of the question. In any case, as always, the best way to keep track of the things I'm doing is to follow me on Twitter as everything gets posted there pretty much as it happens.

My Favorite Games of 2019

After much consideration, I've decided to make this my final, annual "favorite games" list for this blog. More on that in my next post. For now and as always, a game's absence from this list should not be taken as an indication of its quality.

Before I get into this year's PC games, I want to give a quick shout out to the one Nintendo Switch title I spent considerable time with in 2019, "Fire Emblem: Three Houses," which is quite excellent, and definitely worth a look for any SRPG fans out there who aren't already aware of it.

Without further ado, let's do this crazy thing one last time!

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#10 - Hot Lava

At its core, "Hot Lava" is a very simple game about running and jumping one's way through a variety of obstacle courses and environments while the floor is literally covered in hot lava. Think first-person "Ninja Warrior," with a lot more fire!

#9 - RICO

With its arcade-style, first-person shooting, and 1980's, action/buddy-cop movie esthetics, "RICO" has a lot to offer those seeking a fun, co-op friendly experience that can range in difficulty from a casual romp to a challenging rampage.

#8 - Anthem

I know it's extremely fashionable to hate on this game, and I would absolutely agree that it spectacularly failed as a "live service" title in 2019; however, looking back on "Anthem" in terms of the fun I had playing through it with friends, I have to say that I found the overall experience enjoyable, despite its brevity and lack of staying power. I'm also genuinely curious to see what (if any) future "Anthem" may have as I do still find the premise and core mechanics of the game interesting and compelling.

#7 - Need for Speed: Heat

Prior to playing "NFS: Heat," I hadn't truly loved a "Need for Speed" game since 2010's "Hot Pursuit." While it comes up short of recapturing the glory days of the series in my opinion, I see "Heat" as a significant step in the right direction, and the most fun I had with a racing game in 2019.

#6 - Half Dead 2

I really enjoyed the first "Half Dead" when it was released back in 2016 and "Half Dead 2" improves on that effort in every measurable way. If you've ever wondered how your social circle would fare if deposited into a randomly-generated, puzzle maze of death, look no further than "Half Dead 2."

#5 - The Pit: Infinity

Procedurally-generated, rogue-like RPGs are a dime a dozen these days, but there's something about the way all the bits and pieces of "The Pit: Infinity" come together that make it one of the best, most fun games of that sort that I've played, particularly given its support for up to three players in co-op.

This game had a bit of a rough start when it was initially released out of Early Access, with copious, game-breaking bugs; however, its developers have really rallied in recent months to address those issues and bring the game much closer to its full potential. As of this writing, it's not quite there. Still, I now feel it's close enough to warrant its position on this list.

#4 - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

As big fans of "Ghost Recon: Wildlands," my friends and I were all extremely excited for the release of "Breakpoint." Sadly, despite ultimately proving itself to be a fun, content-rich, and fulfilling experience, a slew of technical issues, some inconsistent and occasionally sub-par narrative elements, and a general lack of polish in certain, key aspects of the game such as its UI keep this one out of my top three for the year. "Breakpoint" is definitely a good game, especially now that it's been patched up a bit. For me, it just falls short of true greatness.

#3 - Remnant: From the Ashes

"Dark Souls" with guns, proper co-op, and randomized elements, you say? Yes, please!

I would have liked to have seen a bit more sophistication in this game's melee combat system to make it a more viable option in certain scenarios but that's honestly my only significant gripe with this one. If you haven't played "Remnant: From the Ashes," I'd highly recommend giving it a go, particularly if you've got a couple friends to help you attack the darkness.

#2 - Tom Clancy's The Division 2

Sometimes, the best thing you can say about a game is that it's the game its predecessor should have been. In a disturbingly-predictable fashion akin to the difference between "Watch Dogs" and "Watch Dogs 2," Ubisoft's "The Division 2" finally makes good on the original game's premise in a variety of meaningful and compelling ways. I haven't played enough of this title to say that it's a complete slam dunk from top to bottom, but the non-trivial amount of time I did spend with it in 2019 felt genuinely worthwhile and has left me wanting more.

#1 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

As a big first-person shooter fan, I've found the pickings a bit slim in recent years. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I haven't been truly blown away by the experience of playing any FPS since the glory days of "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" back in 2010. It's therefore no surprise how the 2019 reimagining of "Modern Warfare" took the number one spot for me this year, having completely captured my mouse-shaped heart, and the bulk of my gaming time over the past few months since its release.

Bottom line: If you love first-person shooters, this is one you should definitely play. If you have friends to play it with (or against,) all the better.

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In closing, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's made a habit of showing up for these lists over the past eight years. At this point, I think it's really unlikely that I'll be continuing this tradition in 2020 and beyond as my available time for gaming continues to shrink. Having said that, as with my YouTube and Twitch channels, gaming will always have a home here and you shouldn't be surprised to see occasional posts about games and my experiences with them on this blog in the future.

Academic Displacement

Today, I'm very excited to announce the release of my new novelette, "Academic Displacement," which is now available for free from Google Play and as an Apple iBook.

A Kindle Edition is also available from Amazon for just $0.99.

"Academic Displacement" will be featured in a short-fiction anthology I'll be releasing in 2020 but this is a great opportunity to read it early, and a great point of entry for those of you who aren't already familiar with my writing from my first two novels.

It's worth noting that, like my other works, "Academic Displacement" is aimed at adult readers and may not be suitable for children, even particularly advanced readers, as it's a rather dark tale.

I sincerely hope that you all enjoy this new story. Be sure to stay tuned here and on social media for more from me in the future.

Academic Displacement on Goodreads

The Ultimate Gaming Headset

Historically, I've not been a big fan of SteelSeries' gaming peripherals. In general, I've seen their offerings as inferior versions of the sorts of mice, keyboards, controllers, and headsets made by others. In fact, the last SteelSeries gaming headset I attempted to use years ago was so subpar in just about every regard that, had I not received it for free as part of a promotion when buying an unrelated product, I would have likely sworn off the brand on principle.

Oh my, how things have changed.

Having made my way through a range of decent to good wireless gaming headsets over the past several years, I spent a fair amount of that time longing for the day when I could buy one without any noteworthy compromises, a device with great audio, a stellar mic, excellent battery life, and all the features that make for an ideal, auditory gaming experience.

After yet another, recent round of considerable research on the subject, I found to my shock that one name kept popping up when assessing nearly every criteria for a "dream" gaming headset, the "Arctis Pro Wireless" by SteelSeries.

A bit more research ensued amid some hesitation based on my past experiences with the brand, and some troubling reports regarding the build quality of the device from some customer reviews on various sites.

Ultimately, I decided to take the plunge and give SteelSeries another chance. I'm very glad I did.

In my experience with it thus far, the "Arctis Wireless Pro" is hands-down the best gaming headset I've ever used, and by a wide margin. In short, it's an absolute ringer, with rich, dynamic, immersive sound, the best noise-cancelling mic I've ever heard attached to a headset, and truly-robust battery life.

Having said that, it's in the details and the features that go above and beyond what one would typically expect from such a product where the "Arctis Pro Wireless" really shines.

With support for both RF and Bluetooth wireless audio, it's equally-well-suited to PC gaming, console gaming, or simply listening to any sort of media on just about any device. It's worth noting that the PS4 is the officially-supported console, despite it being possible to use the "Arctis Pro Wireless" with an Xbox One.

The headset also includes two, hot-swappable batteries, with the ability to charge one in the control unit such that the headset itself need never be plugged in at all. Let that sink in for a moment. This is a wireless gaming headset that never needs to be plugged in, ever.

Speaking of the control box, it sports an elegantly simple, yet feature complete, user interface that allows every aspect of the headset to be tuned and monitored. I especially like the equalizer, which allows for fully-customized presets, and the volume limiter, which has already saved my ears a few times from obnoxiously-loud default audio settings in games.

I could go on and on about how great the "Arctis Pro Wireless" is, from its comfortable, light fit, to its understated, but still visually appealing, design, to the overall feeling of quality it exudes. It really is that rare bird in the tech world that checks all the boxes with no obvious, significant flaws.

Yes, it's a bit pricey at $250, and yes, there does seem to be plenty of evidence out there that some bad units may have escaped the factory at some point, but in the weeks I've spent with it so far, the "Arctis Pro Wireless" has been rock solid and worth every penny.

Powerbeats Pro Thoughts

After a little internal debate back when they were first announced, I eventually decided to pre-order the latest, wireless earbud offering from Beats, or should we just say Apple at this point?

Having spent a few days with them, I'm suitably impressed, which is no small feat given the spotty track record of both companies in recent years, particularly where new, first-generation products are concerned. Of course, most technical aspects of the Powerbeats Pro have been thoroughly field tested, refined, and proven at this point, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that they work as well as they do.

Still, there was a nagging, little worry in my mind right up to the point when I first slipped the buds into my ears that they'd be somehow disappointing, or not quite as good as predicted. In truth, I was initially rather underwhelmed by the sound of them until I quickly realized that, like many other such devices, placement within the ear factors heavily into the overall audio experience. Ultimately, I developed a repeatable technique for inserting each speaker stem with the main body of the device horizontal to align it with my ear canal, then rotating said body about 30 degrees to "lock" the stem into place, simultaneously setting the ear hook. I suspect that each person's technique for getting the Powerbeats Pro comfortably situated will vary at least a bit given the subtle differences in ear size and shape between users but, with a little persistence, and experimentation with the variously-shaped and sized tips included, I imagine that most folks will find a satisfying solution without too much hassle.

 As with other earphones that sit deeply in the ear, there's a bit of an adjustment period with the Powerbeats Pro that some might find unpleasant as one's ears adjust to their regular insertion, presence, and removal. To be fair, that's more a function of the sort of device they are as opposed to any objective shortcoming in their design. I'd certainly say that they're the most comfortable earbuds of their type I've ever worn and consider myself fully accustomed to them after just a few days of use.

I primarily purchased the Powerbeats Pro for work, having the sort of day job where I'm often in conference calls, consulting with other software engineers, or listening for notifications from various systems. My ears are bit unusual such that standard Apple earbuds and AirPods tend to fall out of them quite easily, so the snugger, hooked design of the Powerbeats Pro is more conducive for all-day wear, as is their verified, 9+ hour battery life.

As many others have noted, the Powerbeats Pro really shine when it comes to music playback, with a strong, balanced, full sound that is easily among the best I've heard delivered via Bluetooth. I have some rather nice wired and wireless headsets by Corsair, Koss, Logitech, and Sennheiser and I would say that the Powerbeats Pro compare quite favorably in terms of audio quality.

As with other Bluetooth devices, the Powerbeats Pro aren't capable of maintaining their high-quality stereo output when the built-in microphones are in use, so don't expect to continue rocking out while on a call. This also makes them ill-suited for use as a gaming headset since you'll need to choose between using them to capture your voice or output game/VOIP audio, or suffer a brutal drop in audio playback quality by using the "hands-free" virtual device for both.

Additionally, with regard to gaming, a dedicated gaming headset making use of a proprietary RF transmitter will almost-certainly produce a better, more consistent wireless experience for gaming than the Powerbeats Pro. Your mileage may vary, but the Powerbeats Pro partially cut out frequently enough to be annoying while outputting the combined, stereo audio from Rocket League, Spotify, and Teamspeak during my testing on Windows 10. Again, I see this as less of an issue with the Powerbeats Pro specifically and more of a confirmation of the limitations of the Bluetooth standard, or perhaps some issue with the way Windows mixes multiple audio sources down to a single, stereo Bluetooth signal. In any case, I think it's fair to say that the Powerbeats Pro are at their best when dealing with one audio source or target at a time.

All things considered, I'm quite happy with my Powerbeats Pro purchase so far and I'm not anticipating any significant issues moving forward. If you're in the market for a really nice set of wireless earbuds with top-tier stereo Bluetooth audio quality, that can accommodate a wide range of ear sizes and shapes, I'd say these are definitely the ones to beat, pun intended. :)

Book Sale - May 2019

I've always believed that it's very important for creators to value their work for a variety of reasons, particularly when aspiring to earn a living from it.

The amount of time, effort, and in many cases money required to create, refine, and release high-quality content is generally quite significant. As such, I've never been shy or reluctant in my efforts to monetize my work in various ways to help justify those investments.

To me, it boils down to a simple truth. If I create something of quality, I believe I have just as much right to profit from it as anyone else doing the same, which is why I never hesitate to set the prices of the products I sell based on generally-accepted industry practices, and never sell products at a loss.

For example, without going into too much detail: The prices I normally set for my books are selected to ensure that I earn an amount of money comparable to the amounts earned by my printing and distribution partners. As a result, any discounts I offer on books during book sales are mostly taken from my third of the proverbial pie. In other words, when I sell my books for any less than I normally do, my printer and distributer still make nearly the same amounts they typically would, while my personal profit is significantly diminished.

As one might expect, things are a little different with eBooks as there are no printing costs involved, which allows me to offer more substantial discounts, while still maintaining a somewhat-fair profit share with my distributors.

I bring all this up because I've decided to offer the deepest discounts I possibly can on my first two books for the month of May in an effort to give as many people as possible the opportunity to read and enjoy them.

I don't know if I could ever adequately convey how inherently-unappealing the thought of earning significantly less for my work than I believe it's worth, not to mention significantly less for it than my business partners will earn, feels to me but at the end of the day, I'm willing to take that hit to get my books into more people's hands, and build my reputation as an author.

So, without further ado, behold the new prices for my first two novels, which will be in effect from May 1st, 2019 until June 1st, 2019!

Store Links 

Moving Forward as an Author

Over the past two years, I've spent a lot of time and effort establishing myself as a professional writer. In a lot of ways, I've experienced some arguably-amazing instances of success, particularly given the fierce competition inherent in the field, and the generally-limited number of opportunities that tend to be available to newcomers entering it.

Despite those successes, writing does not pay my bills, at least not with any consistency or reliability. At the end of the day, I still heavily rely on employment opportunities related to my previous profession as a software engineer to make ends meet.

With that reality in mind, I've found myself carefully considering the best way to move my writing career forward, while maintaining the ability to financially support myself in the likely event that the revenue generated by my written works continues to prove insufficient on its own.

Historically, my approach has been to commit for a time to an all-consuming, high-paying, full-time IT job, or a series of short-term contracts, accumulating enough money to support myself through the likely duration of one or more creative projects.

The big advantage to this approach has been that it allowed me to completely focus on particular tasks. When working an IT job, I was able to put everything I had into it and achieve impressive results. Similarly, when expressing myself creatively in-between IT jobs, I was able to give those projects my full attention and intensity.

Over the years, I've found that the down side to this methodology is that it tends to lead to some extreme and ultimately-unhealthy behavior on my part, particularly when working in the IT field. For many years, I was the guy who would spend 60-80 hours a week writing code and tackling complex technical problems, nearly completely immersing myself in my work duties to the point where other aspects of my life suffered.

In the early days of my IT career, this focus and determination had a lot to do with simply wanting to do a good job, opening potential opportunities for advancement within the organizations where I worked, but as years went by, my motivations changed a bit. At a certain point, my immersion became more of a way to prevent myself from becoming distracted, or spending the money I was accumulating so that I could more-quickly accomplish my IT-related goals and return to a more creative existence. As a result, there are spans of time in my life, some lasting for years, where I recall little more than constantly working on major technology projects, and not much else.

I wouldn't say that I regret those choices but I have become more aware of them as I've aged, and I've certainly developed a desire and practical need to avoid such situations moving forward in an effort to lead a more balanced, consistently-fulfilling, and healthy life.

As such, I've decided to try something I've never attempted before, and actively work on a writing project while holding a more traditional, 40-hour-per-week job. As one might expect, some changes and compromises have been required on both fronts to that end but I find myself optimistic that I'll be able to find a way to make this new scenario viable long-term.

The good news for fans of my creative output is that I won't be forcing myself to completely put those efforts on hold for a time as I have in the past. Consequently, things like this blog will likely continue to be updated on a far-more-frequent basis than would have been possible using my old methodology.

Of course, there's no way of predicting whether or not this new scenario will prove more or less effective than what I've done in the past but I'm eager to give it a try. If nothing else, I'm looking forward to comparing the new results with those from my prior efforts.

Another technique I'm keen to attempt with this next writing project is to expand my marketing strategy based on what I learned from promoting "309." As such, expect to hear and see a lot more from me about my next book well in advance of its release.

In summary, buckle up! Things are about to get interesting.

Out of Steam - The End of Valve's Gaming Empire

All things pass, no matter how mighty, how formidable, how iconic of their time. Inevitably, every empire either fails or diminishes to a degree as new empires are born.

This phenomenon echoes throughout history and manifests in a variety of ways, be it in the literal context of international affairs, or the rise and fall of corporate entities.

It's therefore completely unsurprising to see the current predicament of Valve's Steam platform playing out in a similar fashion within the landscape of the video game industry. The only real question I find myself pondering is precisely what form and role Steam will take now that Ubisoft, one of the last significant purveyors of third-party, AAA game content on the platform, has actively begun to move away from it.

In some ways, the dwindling amount of third-party, AAA content on Steam could be viewed as a positive. The platform has certainly cultivated and maintained a strong reputation and community around independent (indie) game development over the years. One could argue that the absence of titles by major publishers like Activision, Blizzard, Bungie, EA, Microsoft, and Ubisoft undoubtedly enhances the visibility of indie and middle-market offerings that might otherwise be overshadowed by releases from those giants.

Of course, it could also be argued that AAA, third-party titles have historically served as a catalyst, drawing new users to Steam who might not have otherwise adopted it. As such, it seems reasonable that the near-total absence of such offerings moving forward may adversely affect the platform's long-term growth.

It's no secret that Valve has actively been working on new, first-party titles for the past several years, likely in anticipation of this exodus, but it remains to be seen how effective they will be in filling the void. If the negative to lukewarm reception for "Artifact," Valve's recently-released collectable card game, is any indication, the company's renewed first-party game development efforts may well prove insufficient, or outright ineffectual in retrospect.

Personally, I don't see Steam going anywhere anytime soon; however, I do think Ubisoft's slow-motion departure from the platform does represent a pivotal moment in its lifespan. In my mind, and I suspect in the minds of many gaming enthusiasts, Valve and Steam are no longer the big dogs of the industry, leading through innovation and excellence. I increasingly see them as just another participant in an increasingly-fragmented and competitive marketplace, having nearly lost track of all the various game launchers I currently find installed on my PC.

As a consumer, I absolutely see the objective value in this increased level of competition, despite it often creating a somewhat-less-convenient and streamlined user experience. Moreover, I readily acknowledge Valve's many mistakes over the years, particularly those they've yet to properly address. Still, there's a part of me that misses the simplicity inherent in the vast majority of my game library being consolidated within Steam. There was something comforting and reassuring about the experience that meshed well with the escapist, often-artificially-simplified nature of gaming as a hobby, which I always found compelling. Of course, reality and its complexities always, inevitably intrude into every sanctum as surely as empires rise and fall but in my mind, the Empire of Steam was a worthy, wonderful thing while it lasted.