Toli Cefail's Blog Blurbs

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Mass Effect 2: What to do if you log in to ME2 and suddenly see “Unknown Area” in your saves.

 

This happened to me while playing offline and the Unknown Area saves would not load.

 

1. Go to the in game menu by pressing escape. You may have to exit the game & log back in.
2. Once you’re at the game main menu, click Load to load a game.
3. Load the most recent save that does not say “Unknown Area”.
4. Open your Journal and check to see that the DLC assignment is in the list.
5. Go back to the Load game screen. You should now see the area that contains the DLC and be able to load that save.

 

This happened to me after I used the Gibbed editor a couple of times. But I used the editor over a dozen times with no problems. It’s probably just due to the Bioware DRM (digital rights management).

You may also need to “handshake” with the internet again to re-comfirm your ownership of the DLC by logging in to your EA account and then do the above steps. Sorry. EA is pretty vicious about making legitimate customers jump through hoops.

Technology As Art - Quantic Dream's Kara

Anyone who says that video games aren't art just doesn't get it. When I first saw this video nearly 4 years ago I was awe struck. Not by the graphical beauty or the superior technology but by the pure artistry of the story to which the technology was only a tool of expression. Watch it now. It will be 7 of the best minutes you've ever spent.

 

As a general yet important note, this is a live tech demo on the PS3 created in 2011. What that means is that the animation is happening in REAL TIME on the Play Station 3. It was not animated and then rendered out like traditional VFX. At the time, Quantic Dream, the studio that created it said it was just a demo and they had no intention of turning this into a game.

There was such resounding support for Kara's story by the community after seeing this demo that Quantic Dream now has a game coming out in 2017 called Detroit which has Kara's story.

Who says video games are not art? <wink>

Mass kudos to David Cage.

Toli Cefail's S&M: Mass Effect Andromeda

 

So I've decided to start a new column called S&M in which this is the first entry. What's the S&M stand for? C'mon, you know, don't you? Sandwiches with Mayo? No. Sisters & Mothers? No. Skeletons & Monsters? Seriously, you can make a better guess than that. S&M. You know, of course, it's Speculations & Musings. 

Why? 

What were you thinking the "S&M" stood for?

Anyway, here are some quick S&M's on the forthcoming Mass Effect Andromeda. 

Briefly, if you haven't played the 3 Mass Effect Games - MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. STOP NOW. GO TO ANOTHER ARTICLE. TURN BACK.

You've been warned.

Here we go.

So I think that the premise for Mass Effect Andromeda is that a group of people, possibly the Alliance or the Alliance plus several other Council and Citadel races heeded Shepard's warnings and began to prepare for the very real possibility of total galactic annihilation by the reapers. They consequently decided to create a top secret & classified Noah's Ark project of sorts sending one or perhaps multiple ships with the best and brightest out to our nearest major galaxy, Andromeda, so that  our species would not become extinct like the Protheans and their subservient races.

The recording we hear in the video below is Shepard giving them their send-off. After all, who better to inspire and give due respect to the group that will save, literally, the last remains of our galactic civilization?

 

 

Best Sequence For Playing Dragon Age Origins DLC

With Dragon Age Awakening getting such great reviews, and, with me being a big Bioware story telling fan (can you say "Mass Effect Trilogy - 14 play-through's" boys & girls?), I figured it was finally time for me to play Dragon Age since it was recommended to me so many times.

Well, I just finished the main DAO (Origins) campaign and it was great. The soul of Bioware is definitely all over this game.

Since I got the Ultimate Edition and have all this DLC to go with the game as well, I was looking for the best order to play the DLC so I don't lose the story flow. I found this great thread that gives the best sequence to play it in. I haven't tried the sequence yet for myself but it sounds good so I thought I'd share it.

Enjoy!

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/950918-dragon-age-origins/65431585

P.S. I've heard Dragon Age 2 is at least somewhat of a let down but I'll be playing it now anyway just to be up to date on the story. Fascinating how EA has made it nearly impossible to get this game new from anyone but them on download only :(

How to tell if your port is USB 3.0 or 2.0

I had this dilema today so I thought I'd share the answer I found most useful. If you're say, doing a back-up, and your computer has both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, it may not be easy to tell which is which and you'll want to connect your drive to the fastest port (3.0). This article explains how to do it and worked well for me.

Also note that the single port on the right of a laptop is usually 2.0 since it's primarly used for lower drag devices like mice & headphones.

How to tell which port is 3.0 and 2.0

Mass Effect Prequel - Red Sand - Excellent Fan Film

Just goes to show that you don't need millions to tell a great story well. Inspired.

 

American Idol No More

So it's been ages since I posted any American Idol reviews & critiques. Why? Because I no longer watch the show. It just lost it for me soon after Simon left.

So if you want a really great voting talent show experience I recommend The Voice & America's Got Talent. Both great shows that still have their edge. -- Toli

P.S. Kudos to The Voice for having the good sense to promote their contestants & winners songs for sale better than Idol ever did. Thank you!! And I'm sure the artists thank you too.

Star Wars The Old Republic IS a fun game

Much has been said about SWTOR aka Star Wars The Old Republic, the first MMO from recovering story driven hit maker Bioware. While the game suffered very harsh critisism during its first year, since then it has come back with all guns (and light sabers) blazing.

I've been both a crtic and a fan since day one but have continued to play throughout because I always liked it more than I didn't like it. And I'm happy to report that that faith was not misplaced. Over the last 18 months - all pleasurable - the game has really come into it's own satisfying both hard core, casual and new MMO players alike.

It's fun for all ages and there is something for everyone. Whether you like questing, crafting & selling, PvP or even space combat, you're sure to find many things to do in game.

So with Star Wars Episode 7 looming on the horizon I thought I'd make some posts over the course of this year about the game. Most of them will be brief with links & resources that I've found to help you play the game and get the most out of it. Some will also be cut scenes & trailers.

In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about the game and what's in store for you with it click here. Yes, that's my referral link and if you use it to sign up you'll get lots of cool free stuff! Enjoy.

Toli

Repel Pests Naturally This Summer - 10 Ways

Thanks yahoo for these 10 natural & simple ways to keep our homes pest free this summer & all year long.

10 Ways To Control Pests Naturally