SF 2 Play with the GM experience

Date: November 2, 2015

Time: 6PM to 7PM

Location: Open Server 10

It's the Game Masters vs Players on the bout for Sabotage mission. Passwords were announced via lobby of Open Channel 10 as many players wanted to play against the masters. During those moments, I am pretty calm that time but pretty irritated because of the spam chat blocks for 30 seconds... as I wanted to mingle with other players. Other players who are very arrogant wishes to "knife the GM in-game (saksakin ang GM sa game)."

It was around 6:43 PM that I get in the legit GM Event room....

There were technical problems at first on the Embassy map. The GM's that we fought were Curse, Aika, Sargas, Snake_Doc, Agent47, and Ghost. All of which do not bear the "[GM]" alias in-game. The teammates that were with me are seen on the screenshot. The real bout (Last GM Wars) happened at the Desert Camp, a Sabotage mission race to ten. My music was set to Starcraft II Terran 01 Theme Soundtrack the entire gameplay. I am armed with Steyr AUG A3, Infinity (I dunno what's the real handgun name of this one), and a pair of frag grenades.

As the game started, I somewhat briefed them (not in the room lobby where it can compromise the OPSEC of the team). I told them that it should be a buddy system (there's one buddy that should watch your back), and two marksman only in the team (I consider myself as an AR marksman, very fit in long range fights, even against a sniper). After the briefing that I conducted, it didn't go well because the GM team went all out (all six of them) on a single charge. All of my teammates (except me) wasted their all of their grenades while the enemy is not yet sighted. Almost all of them don't know how to aim their sights (except for snipers).

To be honest, I don't like one of my teammates who cursed at me when I died against a gun fight. It happened twice or thrice that he chatted the words "bo bo," a somewhat indirect speech telling that my way of gameplay is "dumb" according to them. I mean, come on! Nobody intends to die against the enemy, y'know. Everyone on the team wants to win against the GM team. Kindly bear that in mind! Some managed to curse their gameplay! Oh, well... just check the hyperlink to see what I mean here...

Red marks the Killzone.
Teal colors correspond to 

My teammates somewhat told me that I am like a ninja. They don't know where am I gonna appear. On a military perspective, I am applying tactical movements and cover and concealment on an urban setting. Even though it is a game, I am dealing with the enemies seriously and with tactics, if needed. I even lean my vision up whilst reloading my rifle. Moreover, I just watch my teammates' back (checking where the base of fire comes from), check for incoming enemy and a place for cover, and a place for evasion. I somewhat found the enemy on the earlier round not facing in my direction and said "Hello" via hail of bullets. Lastly, I don't charge first. I let them (my teammates) charge first, then I provide them covering fire.

The GM Team are just skilled computer gamers with no military background, and armed high powered, no design rifles in-game (at any rate, I don't like designed guns because at my perspective, it will ruin my cover and concealment). Their ranks are very deceiving but roughly taunts players that they're easy to picked up and telling the players, "Who wants to get some GM bullets from us?" Some GM's are fast moving (my teammate noted of Aika's fast movement speed because of the sneakers that any player can receive in-game).

On a certain point when we got the offensive; we change our plans to all out, alternating sabotage point charging (A on first, B on the other). I told them to use "smoke for deception," which I literally mean, "Use your smoke grenades to conceal the path so that they won't see our movements." Indirectly, I am teaching them the proper use of smoke grenades.

It was a very close fight where the scores tied up at 8 - 8. Everyone feels the adrenaline rush to win. Because of individual skills and teamwork, the player team managed to win against the GM by 10-8. I managed to have the "Luckiest" award at the end of the game, which is pretty ridiculous! I am not a lucky player, but a skilled player.

However, I don't like playing team-based games like these because of players constant swearing towards the last man standing. Moreover, to most Filipino players, I think the words "teamwork" and "coordination" is not in their vocabulary in game modes like these. I am more on TDM's (Team Death Match mode).

                                                                                                                                            

If you wanna meet me in Special Force 2, just look for "RicoTrooper" in-game. I always hang out on TDM rooms. Moreover, I don't like to be invited in Corps. If I will be needing a legit Corps in-game, it better be as tactical as the Army Scout Rangers or perhaps, the Light Reaction Regiment, to count with. I am more of a team player, rather than an individual player.

Special Force 2 (Tutorial for noobs)

Warning: This post contains brutal honesty and hyperlinks that directs you to HTML5 videos. Please use an updated browser, equipped with HTML5 feature. Whatever you hear in-game (like the music that I play while I record it), kindly disregard it and watch the video. The videos serves as guide on how things go... The weapons I used in the tutorial vids are Infinity, a normal knife, AUG A3, and CheyTac M200.

Welcome to the "Special Force 2 Tutorial for noobs article." If you came from the world of Crossfire, Counter Strike (regardless of version), Assault Fire, and from the former Special Force Philippines; and you haven't played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series, Black Ops, or Ghost; or from the Battlefield series, I can consider you as a noob player.

As a starter, consider reading this article before proceeding on the other contents of this tutorial. MMOFPS games is considered an E-Sport (electronic sport) where teamwork exists. If you're a constant cursing player regarding your latency, behavior, and passing the buck to your teammates, I'll tell you that Special Force 2, and other MMOFPS games are not for you (even MOBA games don't fit you).

If you don't want to read this article, I'll give you a straight answer to familiarize yourself in the game: consider running a Training mode, the ones below the "Hangar" part. All sets of instructions are already in the map as you go along the way.

Why?

Special Force 2 is a different core of Massive Multiplayer Online First-Player Shooting (MMOFPS) Game. This is not just your Aunt Fanny's typical shooting game (like Wolfenstein 3D, Quake, and Doom 1 and 2) where snipers have only the chance to aim for their sights; and handgun (pistols as others called), machine gun, shotgun, and assault rifle users have no chance to aim for a clear shot. 

If you came from the world of Call of Duty series and Battlefield series, you only have less to familiarize yourself with the game.

Again... welcome to Special Force 2! If you're either a Close Beta Player like me, an Open Beta Player, or a new player from its official release, this is a must read article for you.

Game interaction

If you know playing FPS that much, you just have to familiarize with these things:

If you're an FPS gamer who shoots like this (who heavily relies on your in-game crosshair), I have to be brutally honest with you that Special Force 2 has the aim sights feature. The aim sights feature was first introduced in the First Call of Duty created by Activision, way back 2003. This feature revolutionalized the way of encountering enemies in the game.

First things first. You must know that all weapons (except Kukri, Hammer, Shuriken, and other melee-capable special weapons) can aim their sights. Crossbow and composite bow can aim their sights like Cupid and Green Arrow. Handgun can aim sights. Your "all-well-cursed-to-weak-players" assault rifle can aim their sights. Shotgun can aim sights (no video evidence to prove that claim but it can). Machine guns can aim sights as well... Quick turn does not work anyway.

Why aim sights?

If you know Sgt. Foley of Modern Warfare 2, he surely hates people like you who fires from the hip because it is not accurate. Aiming sights let you fire accurately, even at far ranges (if you feel like going on a 1v1 fight with a sniper with your weapon). If you notice that there's a green portion on the iron sights, it refers as the "guide" where are you really aiming at. Consider checking the fire rate, reload time, and recoil of the weapon you're using if you can do rock and roll to multiple enemies.

Secondly, I prefer firing from the hip if it is Close Quarters Combat (in civilian understanding: CQC is engaging the enemy in close distances). Otherwise, I'd rather prefer getting close to your enemy and melee your enemy's head for an instant kill.

Running

Unlike its predecessor, players can sprint. On the start of every mission/map, the button that corresponds to running/sprinting is flashed while everything is in grayscale.

Crouch

Crouch is the button CTRL by default. However, if you came from the Call of Duty and Battlefield Universe, there is no prone position in SF 2.

Melee Attack

How melee attack works?

Melee attack by default is "F." Since I am familiarized with the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series, I use "V" button instead of "F." For some reasons, melee attacks can come in handy when you wanted to finish off nearby enemies that can be chased with a knife. Just beware: if your enemy can shoot you whilst running, you can be in grave danger.

However, it is not like the one-hit wonder of Call of Duty to instantly kill your enemy with just a swing of a knife. Though, it can do the one hit wonder by hitting the enemy's head. It can be used for ambush attacks (The surprise notification shows when the enemy's killed via melee by surprise), and when you really had no ammo at all!

High Jump

There is a high jump feature in SF 2. The combinations are Crouch + Jump button. At first, it just requires momentum from below to jump to a higher place. At some key places, high jumps can be an advantage to sneak on a killzone.

Weapon Switch

Weapon sets are set from A - C. A corresponds to F1, whereas F3 corresponds to Set C.

Grenade Throwing

Grenades are assigned at Weapon slot #4. If you know the arrangements of grenades in Counter Strike (of any version), you will be easily familiarized with this weapon arrangement. The normal throw is LMB (Left Mouse Button) click. If you want to throw relatively farther than your range and quite accurately (perhaps too accurate), consider clicking RMB (Right Mouse Button).

Unlike the Call of Duty series and Battlefield, grenades don't cook even when you hold it too long (that really make SF 2 a not quite realistic game... but graphics-wise, it is).

Scoring system

Basically, scoring systems are once based on your kills and achievements in certain game modes. However, on SF 2, assists are already added. Don't curse your teammate who kill-steal you. It is already counted in the assists. Since certain game modes are assigned by teams with certain assignments, you should probably learn how to make use of teamwork, instead of Plankton's "Tea-Em-Work".

Respawn and invulnerable mode

The player is invulnerable four (4) seconds after the player respawns. By five (5) seconds, the player's invulnerability mode fades out. This is hard to knock down enemies rushing while invulnerable.

Quick Respawn

Quick respawn works after you die before the respawn bar goes full. Each quick respawn costs 30 SP. It only works on Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes.

Chatting in lobby or in-game

Here's what you really need to know. /wb [Alias] is whisper-blocking a certain player. /w [Alias] is whispering to your friend. /r is a quick response to the ones who previously chatted friend/player. In-game, F9 is for team chat. F10 is for General. F11 is for Corps/Clan/"Whatever-you-call-faction" chat. I don't join Corps (or frigging clans) because I am good on my own skills and weapons.

If there's one thing you don't know in the lobby, press F1.

Corps Creation and joining

If you want to create your Corps, you must be at least at the rank of Corporal and above. All written statements in the form you've written are permanent. Consider thinking twice before making one.

Otherwise, if you are joining the Corps, take note that there is no requirement to join a certain Corps in-game. Only the key members of the Corps make their own preferences and regulations who will join their Corps. Their always preferred criteria to be members are active (and addicted), good kill ratio, and a good shooter (commonly, for cowardly snipers).

Server Channels

There are four servers. Beginner, Open, Clan, and Xanthid. Beginner are for the new ones who wanted to familiarize in the game. Open channel is made for those who wanted to play with the big boys, and for those who already graduated from the Beginner channel. Clan Channel is dedicated for players who already joined a Corps. Xanthid Channel are for players who wanted to play Xanthid mode.

Game Modes

These are the things I wanted to make clear with you, guys... Deathmatch modes are free-for-all. Team Deathmatch is a chase to get the highest point against teams. AI Team Deathmatch is matching against AI players (they are categorized per difficulty). Xanthid game modes involves alien invasion and survival. The rest requires teamwork to win the objectives of the game.

If you have questions in-game, comment below... or look for me in-game. My alias matches in the name of the blog (RicoTrooper). Otherwise, message my page on Facebook (facebook.com/RicoTrooper). Last but not the least, luck does not exist.

Thread and yarn store @ Rosario, Pasig

I stumbled upon many bloggers who write incomplete and misleading articles about stores of yarns and threads per kilo. I find all the previous articles about "Yarn and Thread store Rosario, Pasig articles" ranging from 2009 to present, by Toni's Favorite, Gantsilyo Guru, to Nheng's very less substantial. I mean all of them, even from websites and results from all search engines.

It is kinda frustrating that none of those lady bloggers came up to make updated and credible posts, and write substantial and reliable details of all these pieces of information. Let me all help you with all of those endeavors.

First and foremost, where are all the stores of threads and yarns per kilo located at?

You can locate it on Google Maps via this link. Moreover, the Street view will really help you a lot on where are all those thread and yarn stores located. If you're up for the Street view, focus your sights on the area with the red circles as illustrated. It is just Lacion's General Merchandise alone whom you can just go and buy for threads and yarns. If you will look at the street view and look at those areas, you will see more than just one store there. There are lots of stores there to look onto, and they are still open.

How to get to the place?

If you’re coming from the South, try riding a jeepney or an FX going to Pasig, ask the driver to drop you off after the first footbridge of Rosario Bridge (as indicated in the hyperlink above). Cross the street via footbridge and you’d see the stores selling threads in cones and yarns.

If you’re coming from the North, you should at least go to Cubao and ride a jeep with a Cubao-Rosario via Libis boundary, and it also passes through the same bridge mentioned above. It’s really easy to recognize the stores because there are a lot of them and you could see a lot of threads.

If you are coming from Manila (or if you want to have a comfy ride), ride a Quiapo-Taytay bus as it also passes through the same bridge. You can see the path of the bus through this link. There are many buses passing through Ortigas. The bus company/bus type (ordinary or aircon bus) is not the issue, but as long as you ask/tell the bus conductor to drop off on the same spot as I first mentioned.

How's the price?

According to those blog writers dated from 2009 to present, the price of threads and yarns are measure per kilo, not by single quantity. The price of the threads is Php 170 per kilo. On the other hand, yarns are priced at Php 270 per kilo.

Some tailors prefer to buy threads on Pasig, rather than going to Divisoria for three reasons: (1) Divisoria is very congested and a prone to crime area (if you just got some of your stuff stolen just by going there, try to tread lightly when you go there); (2) Though threads in Divisoria are cheap per individual cone (or spool quantity), the quality isn't trusty as it is (simply don't buy threads from walking merchants; it depends on your threadly needs), and (3) some might prefer proximity-wise and budget-wise place to buy threads (and yarns) at Pasig.

I haven't been there but these are just my inputs. Anyway, this blog article will be updated. It includes my first-hand experience going there.

ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman on Cosplay Mania 2015 (Review)

Warning: May contain spoilers of the event for other countries who will participate on ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman. Experiences vary from person to person.

Kids and teenagers are fond of watching Anime since the 90's.
Image came from Google Search Engine.

Ever since Anime was popular in the country... like Voltes V, Dragon Ball series, and other popular anime series aired by mainstream free TV channels in the Philippines. In every time the show starts and the episode ends, anime features a certain song from a certain Japanese artist. From those music and the traits shown on the anime, that starts their enthusiasm for Japanese culture and music.

Once they start listening to Japanese music derived from anime series, movie, Japanese games, and even their likeness (or becoming a fan) towards the artist of a certain OP/ED/IN (Opening/Ending/Insert) song will trigger them to sing and memorize the song. Since there are Karaoke Contests held in the Philippines in anime conventions, some of them use these contest to start their way to stardom, or start making covers (either English cover, or Japanese cover) on the social media like Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud and other sites that can give themselves exposure.

Rico Trooper singing Courage by Haruka Tomatsu on Otaku Expo 2015.
Image courtesy of Von Jeremy Alday.

Ozine Fest, Otaku Expo, and Best of Anime are the popular anime conventions that held Karaoke contests all throughout the year. However, when an Asia-focus karaoke contest went in the country, many people went to push their luck to get on top to represent their Motherland in a form of Nodojiman Contest — ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman.

ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman is a Japanese karaoke singing contest held on participating countries for anyone of legal age who loves Japanese music to represent their country. The scoring system of the said contest is just like Karaoke, with a twist!

Since many Filipinos love to sing and love Karaoke to express themselves and tone their voice talents, many anime lovers take the bite to have a chance to visit Japan, an all-expense-paid trip to sing for the World Stage in Tokyo.

I first heard of this kind of contest, way back on the first week of September 2015. I am part of a group of people who loves to join Karaoke contests on anime conventions — Otaku Karaoke Enthusiasts (OKE). My friend, Messi, posted it on the Facebook group. I checked the link on the post and I saw the list of songs that has Romaji (Japanese written in Latin alphabet). Since I am a fan of Gackt (Gackt Camui), I made an entry submission to the said contest and will sing Redemption by Gackt.

First and foremost, the participant(s) must be of legal age (18 years old). The contest is first open only to solo performers. However, one week before the contest started in the Philippines (on Cosplay Mania 2015), I heard that contest is now open to group performers. The contest does not allow professional singers/artists to join the contest (to prove that they can also be good in singing Japanese songs as well).

I took my time practicing and researching for the song I am going to perform. I viewed the song track on YouTube about people singing the song on Karaoke bars (the original Karaoke track played on Karaoke bars). I did my practices on computer shops via Audacity; as well as singing out loud while I play the instrumental of the song or the original track with my MP3 player during free times and when people are not around. I am not fond of singing when people are around because what I like listening Japanese music since my elementary days.

Just a tidbit: 

What is good on listening Japanese music? Japanese songs are meaningful, unlike Western songs and even OPM (Original Pilipino Music) songs. I am not saying that most Western and OPM songs are bad, or I hate Western and OPM music. I like Phil Collins, Jose Mari Chan, and Gary Valenciano songs though. 

However, nothing beats the rhythm and meaning of the songs of Japanese music (despite they are in Japanese)!

On the day of the contest, I was notified via the contact information I provided on the form I sent about when the contest will start. However, since Cosplay Mania is under SM Tickets, I bought the ticket before the event day (to avoid the long lines that every anime convention goers face). I seriously hate going early to get in early to register on Karaoke Contest (because Karaoke Contest have limited slots for contestants).

When I got inside the venue, I took time to observe how the flow of the contest go. Since the Asia Nodojiman staff got overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to join the contest, the qualifiers are chosen via lottery and assigned per blocks divided to three. I am assigned on Block B and provided proof that I am one of qualifiers on that block (printed out on paper, or a screenshot on smartphone). They made certain announcement that participants can change their song they want to sing on the registration booth.

The registration booth of ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman on Cosplay Mania, Day 1.

Image courtesy of ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman Facebook Fan Page.

Participants are given a number tag, and papers to sign as proof of their participation to join the contest. There are cameras on all angles of the stage. There's a different screen seen on the stage level angled approximately from 45 - 60˚, where the lyrics are written. Unlike the Karaoke contests held on the country that only allows songs featured in Anime series/movies, Tokusatsu, Metal Heroes and Vocaloid; ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman offers a wide variety of Japanese songs from J-Pop, Visual Kei, and other related Japanese music genre; and as a norm by most Karaoke contest participants, they must memorize the entire song. However, lyrics written on paper or saved on the phone/tablet is allowed on the contest, since there are limited songs that are written in Romaji, and the rest are written in Kanji... and there's no deduction on the points for that participant using lyrics on paper.

Since ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman is the first amateur singing contest that opens its doors to people who love Japanese music (unlike the other singing contest facilitated by the Japanese Embassy that has stricter restrictions on the songs to sing), and even have their dream to visit Japan for the first time; participants have only an allocated time to sing the song and they will be judged using the Precision DX Scoring System by Daiichi Kosho Company. This cutting edge scoring system from Japan analyzes the vocal input by the participant according to its rhythm, pitch, timbre, volume, and lyrics accuracy. Thus, the contest strongly emphasizes that the contestant must be proud of his/her voice (the translated meaning of the word "Nodojiman") to rise on top.

I had difficulty talking to the staff because I am first of all, curious and doesn't know how to talk in Japanese. I only know a few expressions like "Excuse me", "I'm sorry", "Thank you very much", "Alright" and the basic Yes or No answer. Though, I learn a few of these expression by reading the subtitles of the anime I am watching like Sword Art Online, Eureka Seven, and other of my kind of anime and by listening on how they respond as per the subtitle written. However, I speak in English in a British accent way back there. Nevertheless, the common "nosebleed due to lack of Japanese vocabulary" occurred to my head, but Filipinos will have nosebleed because they don't have enough English vocabulary (which different on my case).

There are given times for participants to register (as mentioned on the white board on their booth; slightly adjusted on the time mentioned on their e-mail). However, the competition started on 5:00PM sharp. Unlike the staff of the local Karaoke Contests in the Philippines, because of their Filipino antics in terms of handling time, there are minute delays in the start of the competition due to some people love to be specially mentioned (or too much endorsing of themselves regarding their audio). On the contrary, the Nodojiman staff have good personnel and time management, (and the ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman staff are very enthusiastic with what they are doing and very accommodating). Despite technical and operational problems, they know how to keep the people awake.

A backstage shot of ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman, Day 2.
Image courtesy of Von Jeremy Alday.

On the competition proper, Rei Mastrogiovanni hosted the qualifying rounds and the Grand Prix round on 3 and 4 of October 2015. People are given less time to showcase their voice because it is just a qualifying round. To compensate for the time allocation per block, it is very clever to cater such a large number of qualifiers to give them a rightful grade base on their performance, and to sow the best qualifiers per block to advance on the higher tier of the competition. Since people have an attention span of a fly (roughly 13 seconds to get interested on what a person perceives), the pressure is entirely on the participant to make the crowd alive. Moreover, this a great chance for the qualifiers to become a one-day idol in Budokan (though Budokan is a hyperbolic expression though).

I am observing how the contestants react on the score they get after they perform. Most of the low score performers are quite dismayed because some or most of the goers are hardened contestants from the local Anime Karaoke Contests. Few made swears not heard on the mic. Some acted all sporty and accepted what they had. Some felt like a prompt is shown on their field of vision (like those in SAO's Nervegear) showing "Achievement Unlocked: Rocked on stage @ Nodojiman." To those who got 83 and above, they were surprised on their score and jumped for joy inside.

On the contrary, when I knew that my score didn't reached the top scores, I bowed for respect because it's a once in a blue moon event that many audience roared and cheered as you perform. Like what I use to do when I perform, I see to it that the crowd will enjoy my performance, despite the score I will receive. Of course, many are vying to advance to the Grand Prix and have the honor to represent their country. Many of these want to visit key places like Akihabara, Tokyo Tower, and the like.

The performance proper

Rico Trooper was Contestant # 19 on the qualifying round, Block B, held at the CosMania 2015 on SMX Convention Center. I am wearing an all-black shirt and trousers, a brown Honda jacket, gold shades with red frame, and a standard issue boonie hat I received from my previous training.

When I was called, of course, I said, "Yosh (Alright)!" twice, while I am feeling determined to rock the stage. When I am about to step in the stage, I requested the production staff near the stage for a mic stand (I said there: Maikusutando, onegai?)

I greet the emcee, "Konbanwa (Good evening)" because it was already 6:00 PM on the clock when I am about to perform. The emcee/host asked for my name. To be straight, I mentioned my real name (which is very long like Spanish names; and I am not going to tell you what my real name is) but I mentioned my entry name as Rico Trooper. He asked what am I going to sing, and I said my entry song (which was Redemption by Gackt in the game Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus). I even mentioned that I am an avid of Gackt Camui, ever since I saw his PV of Mizerable way back 2004. I mentioned him that I will be using a mic stand, where (it's history) I am the first contestant in the contest to use a mic stand.

When the music starts playing, I removed my shades. People started to roar when I removed my shades. I try to perform like Gackt just like what I saw in his concert and his promotional video in the song Redemption.

The Facebook comment of my friend on our group at Otaku Karaoke Enthusiasts (OKE)
on Facebook, regarding my performance.

Whatever I do on stage, I am doing it confidently. I keep both my eyes on the lyrics and to the audience (and to the camera as well since there are cameras everywhere). I did poses and stances that remarked my performance. However, the score disagrees with my way of singing.

What's good with ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman?

Unlike most of the local Karaoke contest held by Otakuzine and Otaku Asia staff managed, participants are not required to provide their own audio for them to perform (with the hefty file type requirements and the need to download the instrumental from YouTube), or be left in the dead air singing an A Capella like Pentatonix (as they brag for those who didn't have audio material on the Karaoke performance).

The upper hand on going to ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman is that people can buy the ticket before the event day, which ultimately avoids them being on stress who will join the Karaoke Contest later on. This avoids them being tired and catching for breath, a great factor that affects performers for having a good performance. Since not all songs that performers sing needs enough stage presence (a criterion not included for judging performers in their singing on the contest), participants will focus on choosing the right song fit for their vocal range. That also led me to choose a Gackt song on the qualifying round.

This is how contestants are judged using the Precision DX Scoring System
on ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman (close enough).
Image source from Smash.org.au

Since the reward of joining ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman isn't as petty as winning a jacket from a certain sponsor of the convention event, many will perform at their best to have a great reward to visit Japan and compete on a World Stage. That is something that anyone wishes to film with their eyes in their lifetime, and be documented not only on Japanese television, but by history itself.

Furthermore, ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman is a top of its class Karaoke Contest derived from NHK's Nodojiman contest from TV and radio dated during the Second World War, many might be on their get ups to be an eye catcher to the audience, and to the camera. Moreover, since it is showcased on Cosplay Mania (and as expected), the contestant(s) cosplayed a certain character from a certain Anime they like the most.

The scoring system requires less people to man the scoring. In fact, the machine does the scoring per participants of the contest. This avoids biased judgment and favoritism (on the contestant's appearance) on scoring them, unlike Karaoke Contests that are judged by three people. Moreover, the scoring system pinpoints where the contestant excels and what flops the contestant's performance.

Lastly, it is a great marketing strategy for whosoever who partnered with ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman to let them be a part of the convention since it can promote more knowledge about the Japanese culture and music, another opportunity to promote Japan, and trade their culture in the event.

What went wrong with ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman?

If a certain thing has ups, there will be downs on the event. Many of the songs that has romaji lyrics are J-Pop (or Popular Japanese songs), and featured on Anime, Games, and heard on podcasts and Internet radio. Of course, most of the Filipinos are avid anime fans and viewers.

Since many Filipino anime fans range from teenage years to 40's, it doesn't cover much of anime series like Yu Yu Hakusho, Rekka no Honou, Voltes V, Code Geass, Shaman King, RayEarth series and other mostly viewed anime series on free TV. Few of these anime fans like certain Japanese artist like Megumi Hayashibara (the golden maiden voice in anime opening/ending song during the 90's and 2000 in the Philippines), FLOW, SCANDAL, Porno Graffiti, and others. Moreover, since mainstream free TV broadcasting companies don't have time for ending songs and opening songs, but ridiculously have more time for repetitive commercial advertisements, ending and opening songs are not that featured.

The karaoke developed by Daiichi Kosho Company have flaws in terms of the Romaji lyrics. Since there are misleading Romaji lyrics roaming around the Internet on a song I performed (which is Redemption by Gackt), even in JPopAsia website on other songs featured, there is a difficulty in attaining a better score (like 80 - 83) even if their voice is much better than Gackt or the artist him/herself. Though, on the contrary, I asked other contestants who performed a different song than mine, and they said that they don't have problems with the lyrics written on the screen because their song was from the latest (and well known anime/artist ranging from 2012 'till now). Yet, it needs to be tweaked!

Another thing that went wrong with most of the winners who advance to the Grand Prix round (and even the contestant who will represent the country) are women. I am not doubting the scoring system but there are also criteria to consider what went wrong with the men's way of performing. Since most of the known Japanese songs are sung by female artists (in anime series/movies), it is a common denominator for women to outperform men. Since most Filipino men have lower pitch voice because of their puberty changed their vocal tone, they might stick with mainstream male anime songs that have a suave voice like Daybreak's Bell, Sign, and other relative songs. Though, the song "Memeshikute" is sung by Golden Bomber where Kyan is quite a tenor or a high pitch performer.

As I researched the list of aired anime series in the Philippines, there are a lot of anime that can be featured on the list of songs. I can suggest some songs from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Rurouni Kenshin, Gundam series, Voltes V, Inu Yasha, Full Metal Alchemist (both the original and the Brotherhood) and others listed on the hyperlink on this paragraph.

The entire challenge of the contest is that other songs is encoded in Kanji. Few people (or less one percent of the population) can write and understand Kanji. Perhaps, adding more songs on the list encoded in Romaji might persuade more participants to join the contest next year. Yet, perhaps considering to have trusted sites to have the official Romaji lyrics of every song on the list so that there is lyrics accuracy, and applied pitch and rhythm precision on every track applied on every song. Otherwise, I'd like to consider that the staff or the maker(s) of Precision DX Scoring System, along with its karaoke video tracks, need to have a precise romanized lyrics of the songs (base on a reliable source, or base on the Kanji lyrics on the album/single of the artist) for the next year's run of the contest, either outside the Asia, or on other regions of Earth.

On the other people, it can be hard for others who will join that they receive scores ranging from 74 and below. Filipinos have a mind set that line of 7, in terms of grades and score, are bad.

Summary and Last Remarks of the Review

ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman is a great experience. It's great to talk with foreigners, and it's great that a great contest organizers went to the country to search for the best voice to send to Japan. However, the track list must be friendly to both genders, and does not underpower the male performers/contestants of the contest by adding karaoke tracks with Romaji lyrics for contestants to choose from on the said karaoke machine made by Daiichi Kosho.

It's a good to join this prestige contest because it's a great experience. Regardless of the score, it is better to leave an unforgettable performance and impression to the audience and the judges (either they will judge your performance, and the staff/facilitators of the contest) watching your performance. Of course, the spirit of sportsmanship is important! Win or lose, it's all the same as long as the people enjoy your performance.

The contest event is really a total box office hit! It's because Filipinos are fond of singing Karaoke.

_________________________________________________________

Note: The images featured on this blog article came from the Facebook Fan Page of ASIA Karaoke Nodojiman, from my friend, Von, in Facebook, and from Google. I don't own the photos featured on this blog article.

Why Filipino MMOFPS players aren't good at playing the game?

I just have fewer things to clear up with regards to this blogpost: http://itsme-gaming.blogspot.com/2011/03/3-main-reasons-of-pinoy-haters.html

Before we enitrely start, let me define the meaning of a good player. A good player has a good character. It is not the looks of his sprite, and what he is equipped with, including the weapons and tactical equipments the player has. Moreover, it does not include how good his way of fighting is, his fire and maneuver tactics, how he hits the target, and how he sprays bullets on his target.

Okay... So, I am an avid fan of FPS games when I first played Call of Duty Modern Warfare series. Though, I tried playing various MMOFPS games available in the Philippines like Special Force (or Soldier Front), Crossfire, Warrock, and Point Blank. All throughout my entire play for seven (7) years... I even become a reservist and know the basic soldiery myself... This is what I really notice:

1. Filipino players lack discipline and breeding

You heard it right. They lack discipline and breeding. In lieu to what that above mentioned blog post said that Filipino players lack manners, I further expanded it into lack of discipline and lack of breeding... because most of the Filipino MMOFPS players are in the lower hierarchy of society (simply average or poor; but not totally poor). To further define it, I define it as "players whose parents earn minimum wage (or above, but not hyperbolically greater, than minimum wage) and enrolls in a public educational institution."

Why do I say that?

First of all, they can't control their temper towards their team mates who is the last member of the team alive and got killed by another player, uncontrolled ranting or swearing, trash talking, radio flooding/spamming, excessive arrogance, making false accusations that a good player is a hacker, and the like. They keep on using respected police ranks and even military ranks in their alias just to show that they are good players! In the actual, they are heavily influenced by what is in their environment (peers, neighbors, you name it!). So whenever you see a Filipino player ranting/cursing other players in the chat, have an expectation that they will slam the computer parts whenever they got dead because of the intense lag they had or the PC the player is using had an outdated hardware.

Come on! They managed to throw censors from their mouths whenever bad luck happens... and they even sit like a boss, and feel like home when playing on a certain unit. No wonder why computer shops/gaming shops are too noisy because of this sole reason. "Uncontrolled emotion" is not a valid reason/alibi to shout out loud whenever you got excited/angst in-game. I just say to my mind, "Do they know how to type and communicate discreetly? Why do they have to tell their command to his team mate in such a loud voice?"

Trolling and flaming attitude includes in this sole reason.

Other foreign players never wonder why some Filipino players are too barbaric (or act too barbaric in-game).

2. Filipino MMOFPS players don't know the word "Team work" and focuses on one's self

Their mind set is focused on getting more kills to have more experience points to acquire every after the game play. To achieve that mind set, some or few of the Filipino MMOFPS gamers are using wall hacks, taking advantage of map glitches (in the first SF, this is pretty popular for most sniper rifle users), and other related hacks to keep them rising above the ranks.

In other game modes like Team Deathmatch, Sabotage, and other related modes that ultimately requires team work, it is not in their vocabulary to have the team work and camaraderie (unless if they are in the same guild, or peer of friends who play the same game) because they just do what they want. In short, in times with these game modes, there's no division of labor, proper rules of engagement (on how the team will engage the enemy team), and team support in the entire gameplay.

I may say it's stupid that a player (a Filipino) charges like a marine, burst fires on the enemy without proper aim (just to say he wants to have a kill or score), and simply dies in a less vs more game bout (where the less is the team the Pinoy player belongs). Then, they have the balls to rant/curse them as dumb or stupid for being killed.

Their entire mentality in teamwork game modes shift to "pass the buck" game mode. When their team mate won, they will praise him. If that team mate of theirs died because he don't know where the enemy will come from, they will curse their team mate.

Therefore, most Filipino players prefer sniper rifles over assault rifles/SMG/MG... for the sole reason to have more to kill and more EXP to get... and some are tempted to use cheats to achieve more than they could do (refers to their skills). To keep the story short, everyone move on their own without any command, or no one takes initiative to take the lead for their team and make certain strategies.

3. Filipino MMOFPS players don't know the difference of all grenades in-game

For Christ sake, I am also a Filipino but I am truly irritated by their habit of randomly throwing grenades of all directions! They just throw frags, flashbang, and even smoke grenade in random locations... pretty determined to have a kill. I admit that I once did that when I was in high school. However, when I learned how each grenades are properly used when I was in a military school, I can distinctly throw a specific grenade on a specific circumstance of encounter.

4. Filipino MMOFPS gamers are very arrogant and very easy to provoke

Since they have that kind of mind set, and that low level of discipline and breeding, they are easily got provoked by such responses that pertains to them. For an instance, if someone trolls or started a flame bait, someone is really going to make a bite for it. Few of which takes the entire thing seriously. There are also instances that it can lead to a brawl. Other brutes have the balls to hide weapons to use it for their advantage if they will be or they might be engaging in physical fights.

Moreover, they tend to be arrogant because their rank and weapon they got! FPS game is more on skills not the air on the players head to say that you're great at playing FPS... and when we say skills, it's more the accuracy and in-game survival (less deaths).

In reference to the first and second reason why Pinoy players aren't good at MMOFPS games, let's go back to the last man standing in the team and got killed by the enemy. Because of their arrogance (they are the first to get killed because of the Marine style of fighting in FPS), they never put their feet to the shoes of that last man standing in the team. They rant that player as "bobo" (dumb in English) and/or "tanga" (idiot/stupid in English). If the person really lacks breeding, he will add a much profane to the response to the team with the aforementioned words. However, if the person knows carabao English or quite proficient in speaking English, he might engage in an all out brawl of English profanity session.

Just take note: Most Filipino FPS players are self-centered... where their self-centeredness focuses on his gun and his way of playing, and doesn't place a single dot of consideration to the capabilities of his team mates.

Anyway, if I will be the last person standing in the team, I might get nervous because I don't know where the enemy will come from... Just come to think of it that most MMOFPS games are based on military operations. It means that everything is just a simulation of the real field mission. You never know what's in the psyche of a real soldier as the only person in his squad... because of their arrogance.

And here's the funny thing: they are good at stereotyping players who uses fully automatic weapons (assault rifles, SMG, Machine guns) as weak players, and considers snipers as strong players.

This is a reality that shows how Filipino MMOFPS players have a very little temperament, and it shows them that they have "all air and no force."

5. Filipino MMOFPS players are known for targeting noobs and make a good play of them

Some or most of the players in the Philippines are pretty much favored to target low level (low ranking, or noob) players because they only think of themselves for the sake of having more EXP. There are times that they call their friend/s (which is a noob) and they play on a single room where no one can interrupt them. That player will just toy the noob and act dumb like "I am just in this position."

Other players (kids aged 7 - 12 years old tend to do this in the Philippines) to tell the noob to go to a specific place and fight him there. What the noob didn't know that he's going to be ambushed (by a sniper cowardly rifle or a weapon that high level/ranking player can only obtain). Few of them might go head-on but with a back up of a third-party program (wall hacks or cheats).

This scenario always occur in local computer shops in the Philippines.

6. Filipino MMOFPS players are noisy/very talkative

Most Filipino MMOFPS players tend to say "aw" when they died. In the real field, no one can talk and say "aw" when they're dead... you're not bleeding/feeling physical pain in reality, or should I say, literally!

In support to the fourth reason, some Filipino players use the chat to brag. Like an empty tin can, they noise is just their to shell in how bad they are at playing the game, and just how lucky they are in-game.

Just take note of this: In a real military combat situation, luck doesn't exist in their dictionary; only skills exist on how good a player is. A real soldier never makes any unnecessary noises.

Going back to the tactical radio flooding and spamming, they do that to confuse their team mates or distract the teammates attention. Moreover, they use tactical radio to attract attention or make good fun of what they hear on the radio.

Sometimes, I fail to press the right buttons for an intended radio command but I am not noisy for using the tactical radio, as the tactical radio is intended to coordinate with your teammates without pausing and typing to say what you want.

7. Filipino MMOFPS players use their affiliation to a certain faction just to tell that they are a hardened player

This is a common trend in Filipino MMOFPS games. If a player is in a certain faction (like a clan, corps, or anything that goes in similarity to a faction of players), the common mind set of other players is "this player is pretty hardened." When we say hardened, it refers to the experience.

Few MMOFPS factions are by bounded friendships. Most of the MMOFPS factions just for the fame and glory. I never wonder why certain factions have certain requirements (like ranks and stuff) to finely recruit good members. However, this is just for assurance that if they will go against a certain faction, they will win. There may be instances that they will sack out the impotent player out of their faction for the sake of maintaining their faction's status and statistics. Most of them searches for active (or a hardcore one) players who go for long times of gameplay.

In short, joining a well-known faction makes you a cool player (where in fact, in reality, you're not cool).

8. Most Filipino MMOFPS players hate the laws of Physics

In an actual combat, no true blue sniper jumps to neutralize the target.

Most of those player have the tendency to jump just to dodge bullets (if the game is Gun Gale Online, I would rather agree to defy physics myself with all the means of jumping and physic defiant moves). Regardless if they use assault rifles, SMG, MG, or sniper rifle, they all do this kind of antic.

I'd rather protest if I were the sniper that they will jump to get the clear shot. If you jump and the adrenaline is pumping, the real sniper can't get a clear shot because of the increased pulse rate of the sniper.

Therefore, many players play kangaroo while spraying bullets.

9. Filipino MMOFPS players are very insulting players

This is an example of a Filipino player insulting the makers of Special Force 2.

A comment seen on Playpark Special Force 2 Facebook Fan Page. To be honest, this person don't know what he is saying.

Pardon the written comment above but what Filipino players chat in-game (regardless of what they may be) are very insulting in terms of content.

For an instance, this happened to me twice in Special Force 2 PH Server. The general idea is: when you react to a persons action or speech, they will presume you as "crying player," which is insulting. Filipino players can't deal to the fact that they are wrong in the argument, and they have the balls to use the term "crying" for people making pee-noises on the chat for people who had an argument in a public chat; where in fact that they have no idea how to deal with the problem, or how to confront/answer people in a polite manner.

Whereas, most of the Filipinos have the outlook of being the "insulting players" around online gaming world because of their "sensationalized, telenovela like behavior." The hyperlink otherwise have tidbits of point but the thing is: Filipinos are cultivated by mass media to have unnecessary behavior and attitude that they got from the Internet (esp. Social Media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter) and the television; whereas, they don't notice that their speech and actions are insulting on the perspective of others.

Summary of the entire thing

If you're eager to make a kill, better stick with your skills, and not with your pride. Not with a sniper rifle... but with what you have in your equipments. What makes a real player armed to the teeth is his skills, and his skills alone.

If you got hit with these reason, it only means one thing: all of my statements are true and the reality is tattooed to your core as that kind of gamer. If you will comment on this blog post, please be sure that it is of civilized manner.

I never tolerate things that are bad, even though we are of the same bloodline,  same comrade-in-arms, or the same nationality as I am. Even though I am an avid Filipino MMOFPS player, I never show these symptoms (even though I was in my high school days). I've been through all the gaming cafes and internet shops in different places, and base on my observation for years, these are the things that I gathered.

No offense. Just saying what is the reality going, on and let the others (foreigners or fellow countrymen) know the entire thing. Deal with it!

Bato bato sa langit. Ang tamaan, makakaramdam ng kiliti ng kulog at kidlat.
(A stone thrown heavenward, if you got hit, you will be thunderstruck by reality)

P. S.
For foreigners who resiliently read the entire blog post and want to know what Filipino profane words are, kindly refer to this link and this link.

Ask le Error Girl [WIP] Update 2

Upon my wonderings and curiosity around the Konami Codes of Ask the Almighty Helix Fossil, I suddenly thought of the same thing... Anyway, I've made certain changes around the game itself.

I fixed the issue of clipping characters around the game... however, the text has certain limit of characters. I added some instructions (How to Play) and the About feature on the menu. This is just a little spoiler on the game but the release date of the game remains uncertain because of adding certain features, remixing audio, and other related stuff.

Take note that Ask le Error Girl game has no intention to infringe copyright matters, or steal intellectual property of certain medias used along the way.

Please keep on following the blog posts regarding Ask le Error Girl game if you're excited on its release.

Ask le Error Girl [WIP] Update

The Ask le Error Girl project of mine has made some progress.

Just a back track, Ask le Error Girl is inspired by the Cat Errors seen in the game, Kantai Collection. It is not a college project but it is a by-request work of a community of players of Kantai Collection (KanColle)

There are tentative stuff along the way I'm doing the project as time passes by. These are just spoilers of the ongoing work of the game.

I'm working on changing the Ask Portion's background... since this one's (refers to background) pretty common and I have to make the background unique.

There are instances that Cat Errors might occur along the progress of asking the Error Girl. I'm not gonna spoil how often or how many percentage of success that this screen will occur in your gameplay. You may either press F5 or click the "Refresh Game" button to refresh the game.

Why there is a Cat Error in your game?

Since Error Girl is the queen of all Cat Errors, she even managed to invade the screen scenes of the game.

I even managed to make and add SFX (sound effects) on the buttons on the main menu. I'll work on making sounds on the response, on the buttons, etc. Credits are on its way as well as revamping the UI of the game.

I'm having a tough time debugging the text entry of the ask portion... but I'll notify you when the game is ready to be released.

The game itself is free. The game will be released in Mac and Windows platforms. About Linux... I'll have to get an installer of Linux for me to release a Linux version of the game.

My First Game [WIP] - Ask le Error Girl

Ask le Error Girl game is not a TRPG (Tabletop RPG) and currently under development on GDevelop. If you know the Helix Fossil site, Ask Guru Joe, and the Magic Eight ball, this is how the game I'm trying to make will work on.

I shared the word on the (KanColle) groups I belong. However, I wanna clarify this...

I'm developing this game for fun and I had no intention to own the entirety of the graphics/media used upon making the game.

The idea upon making this game came from the Magic Eight Ball I had at home. Then, I asked myself, "Why not I make unique responses for the program I'm trying to make?" I asked other people's to suggest me a character. I received few replies that include Yukikaze, Shimakaze, Hatsuyuki, and the error girl (Musume). I did a bite on the error girl 'cause I suddenly got an idea of making a chance that cat error can occur on the game proper that I'm developing (more like 1% - 2% chance that it will occur).

Since the Magic Eight Ball has 20 responses (10 Yes, 5 Neutral, 5 No), I made the game/program has 45 responses (20 Yes, 12 Neutral, 13 No). I currently work on the text field and the die roll of response/cat error chance code/variable (where Error Girl can make a random response out of the stash text I'm working on, and the die roll of chance that cat error can occur in-game). The game itself is offline... Meaning, it's not directly connected to DMM and can be played by anyone at their desired time. I don't want to spoil what responses will the Error Girl will make; so stay tune on my blog about the updates of my work.

My KanColle experience

I first heard of Kantai Collection (or popularly known as KanColle) on January 2014. It was featured on Imagine-Nation, a Japanese magazine show in NHK World that features anime, manga, and games.

 

 

KanColle is a flash browser game (a naval strategy game to be specific) where players (known as the admirals or teitoku) battle against the Abyssals to free the seas. The game was based on the World War 2 era whereNew players need to get in the lottery for them to get in the game. To be honest, getting in the lottery as a noob is seriously hard... You don't know what to do... You don't know how to get in... You don't know how to deal with the lottery.

 

 

 

So here's the thing!

 

For those who aspire to be a player of the game, they have to check their Twitter account regarding the lottery. The time mentioned in their tweets are always in a 24-hour format. I use the Google Translate in order for me to understand their tweet. To get a slot in the lottery, you should be at least 30 minutes before the official lottery starts.

 

For more of the lottery stuff, refer to this page.

 

I consulted my friend who also plays KanColle... and he helped me get in the lottery.

 

It needs to set up a DMM account first before you play in the game because the game is set in their site.

 

Welp... I got in the lottery and set up my IGN. Many people said that the IGN should be in Japanese. Since I got an English keyboard, I wrote the whole thing in Romaji.

 

It is a strategy game where the players need to fight enemy fleet, engage in in PvP exercises, and venture into expeditions. The basic resources in the game are fuel, ammo, steel and bauxite. Special resources includes furniture coins, repair buckets, DevMats, and instant build (not displayed in the image). The ways to increase your resources are (1) by natural regen for 3 seconds (where 3 fuel/ammo/steel; 1 bauxite is regenerated); (2) Expeditions; and (3) resource nodes in the sortie map.

 

 

I find it hard to use since I don't know at first that there are quests to fulfill. However, the walkthroughs and tutorials from the Internet really helped me a lot. Moreover, some tips from my friends and veteran TTK (shortned for teitoku) on the Facebook groups I joined in really helped a lot.

 

A certain friend of mine (foreign friend) suggested to join Himeuta Channel, a known Kantai Collection forum around the Internet. I did her suggestion and joined that forum. I asked a lot in their forum.

 

Just to be honest with it, it is not a friendly KanColle community because there a lot of troll users and new players will easily get out of place (OP for short) in the conversation along the threads, especially in their chat thread. Their community system is rigged up. It's not a friendly community because of their rotten reputation system. People will just give you negative reps for silly, nooby, and out-of-place questions/replies (on certain sections of the forum) where they give the negative reps out of no reason (just to troll your profile).

 

The wiki can help you a lot in knowing much about the game. Joining Facebook groups about KanColle can also help you get to know more about the game, since it is a more convenient way to know more about the game instead of joining forums (as they can be means for phishing your game credentials). However, the rules set by Facebook groups may vary from group to group... just make sure you abide by their rules.

 

For now, I've been playing for two months... and there's an upcoming event by summer... for which, I'm preparing my resources for it.