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About this Journal
I work in the games industry as a QA tester. This blog is here for me to keep friends and family up to date, as well as for me to note down any thoughts or ideas I may have.

If you have anything to say on any of these posts please feel free to leave a comment.
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Aug. 18th, 2011 @ 01:09 am Cowboys & Aliens
Current Location: Cambridge
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Went to see the Inbetweeners movie after work today. Strangely it was so popular that it had sold out long before we got there. :( So instead we opted for Cowboys & Indians Aliens.

Being that it was directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and Starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, it sounds like it would be good. But somehow the trailer just didn't do anything for me and managed to put me off despite the cast. So you can imagine that it was a huge disappointment to have to see it instead of the purile comedy I was looking forward to.

So how was it? Well, actually, it was suprisingly good! I'm not sure if this was partially down to my low expectations, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definately made more sense to me than the also remarkably enjoyable 'Super 8', which I think kind of faultered towards the end.

If I had to give Cowboys & Aliens a score I think it easily deserves a solid 7/10. I probably won't bother getting the Blu-ray, but it kept me entertained for its duration.

Hopefully I'll get to see 'The Inbetweeners Movie' soon enough. I've also heard good things about 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' despite it's silly name.

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Mar. 22nd, 2011 @ 07:45 pm TT Games Japan tsunami fund raising.
Current Location: Reading
Current Mood: calmcalm
Current Music: Muse
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As I am sure you have all heard, areas of Japan have recently been hit by an earthquake and Tsunami causing unimaginable amounts of damage.  In order to do a little fund raising Jamie, my friend from work, decided she would bake some cakes and 'sell' them in the office, with all the money going to the Japanese red cross to help with the rescue and clean up effort.

On Monday evening she baked two large cakes (chocolate fudge and Victoria sponge), along with some smaller cupcakes.  Asking for a minimum donation of £1.50 for each slice, she had managed to make about £57 from the first shift.  With the cake being as popular as it was she decided to make two more cakes on Tuesday (with a little help from me).

She also inspired the producers from TT Games Publishing to raffle off a brand new kinect we had in the office, again with all money collected going to Japan.

Unfortunately I didn't win the kinect... but all in all it was a good laugh with plenty of tasty cake involved.  In total I believe about £255 was raised, with over £100 coming from the cakes alone.  Every little helps, and as a small office, this is an impressive amount, Jamie has a lot to be proud of.

If you wish to give any money to help those in Japan then you can do so here.




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Mar. 2nd, 2011 @ 08:29 pm Pokémon Black and White
Current Location: Reading
Current Mood: excitedexcited
Current Music: A whole new world - Aladdin
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I am going to admit, I am a little embarrassed about this, but I am now getting extremely excited about the new Pokémon games that are to be released in Europe on Friday (4th March).  (For those of you who are interested, I have ordered the Black version.)

For the first time in a little while these are completely original games instead of a rehash of an old Pokémon game which the last few have been (ie Heart Gold and Soul Silver).  From what I have heard about it, it will be bringing the Pokémon series to an older audience, with players playing as an older trainer, and with an entirely new set of Pokémon to catch and train.

The thing that surprised me the most is that well over half of the people in my office are also getting it.  It is very unusual to find people my age who enjoy this type of 'childish' game, but to find so many people in one place... and to be able to talk about it freely is a nice change. :D 

I ordered my copy from Amazon, and unfortunately mine hasn't been dispatched yet, so almost certainly will not arrive on Friday...  People who ordered from play.com or shopTo have had theirs dispatched now...

Ah well, I will get it when I get it... Expect a review soon :D
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Feb. 22nd, 2011 @ 10:32 pm LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars Demo
Current Location: Reading
Current Mood: accomplishedaccomplished
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For those of you who are interested in what I am currently working on, you can download a demo of the project I have been working on for the last five months.

If you have access to the Xbox Live store, or the PSN store, you can now download a playable demo for LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars.  I haven't tried the demo myself yet, but I have heard that you are able to play two levels from it... Not sure which levels these are though.

So yes, go download it and have fun.  :)
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Feb. 18th, 2011 @ 07:56 pm Overslept this morning...
Current Location: Reading
Current Mood: sleepysleepy
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Last night I forgot to set my alarm on my clock, or my ipod.  This morning I woke up, and as I always do when I realise I am awake I look over at my clock to see how much longer I have in bed before I have to get up.

This morning my clock said 6:15...  I usually get up at 5:30.  In fact I am usually on my bike heading off by 6:15.  Thankfully I was still able to get ready, squeeze into my leathers, and ride to work on time.  I was taking it carefully as the road looked a little frosty, I also stayed within the speed limits.

This has me thinking though... Why have I been getting up so early???  I think I will get up between 5:45 and 6:00 tomorrow :D
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Feb. 16th, 2011 @ 09:31 pm A little update.
Current Location: Reading
Current Mood: chipperchipper
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So after a long time of inactivity I have decided to start posting again, at least occasionally.

First off I now have a new job after being made redundant by Realtime Worlds when they went into administration.  I now work at TT Games Publishing, where I test upcoming games, mainly LEGO games, such as LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, which will hit shelves on the 25th of March in all good video games retailers, on all major consoles... [End shameless of Plug]

LEGO SW3 Box Art
 
As a result of getting this job I have now also moved to Reading with Chris and Liz, who were my house mates in my final year of university.  I do have to say it is nice not having to cook every night, or as it seems any night at the moment.  I guess I am not trusted with food... oh well their loss :P

And finally I have recently purchased myself a motorbike.  While my tests didn't quite go as planned... Long story short I failed the first one just, and never took the second one because... well lets just say the scar on my knee will be a constant reminder of my mistake.  Since then I haven't had another attempt, but plan to again soon.  For now I am happy riding my learner legal Honda CBR 125R, until I pass my test and upgrade to something a bit more powerful.

And that is a quick overview of where I am at the moment. :)
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Sep. 9th, 2010 @ 11:56 pm Driving test is getting tougher
Current Location: Dundee
Current Mood: contemplativecontemplative
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So according to this article the car driving test is being changed to make it harder.  There are two details that are being changed.  Firstly new routes will be designed and not published.  This means that instructors cannot take their learners on these routes so that they can practice.  The second change that is being made is a 10 minute drive where the examiner does not give directions for every turn, which simulates everyday driving once the learner starts driving alone.

While this will most probably cause a few extra fails when learners get confused about which way to go, I can't really see that this will reduce the number of accidents caused by new drivers.  I like to watch all the police TV shows such as 'Police Interceptors' or 'Traffic Cops'.  In fact I am watching a show called 'Motorway Cops' while I write this.  It seems that the majority of road accidents that are caused by new drivers is over confidence and showing off by driving fast and dangerously.  I really do not see these changes helping with these cases at all.  The only thing I think they can really do to reduce this number of accidents is to increase the driving age, which I don't mind saying since I already have my licence (and am now plenty old enough).

Oh well I guess we will see when the changes are implemented on October 4th.
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Sep. 6th, 2010 @ 03:19 pm Bike module 1 test now booked
Current Location: Dundee
Current Mood: anxiousanxious
Current Music: We are Sex Bob-omb - Sex Bob-omb
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I have finally got around to contacting Alasdair's motorbike instructor Barry from Saferiders in Witham, and now have my lessons and first test booked.  Last year they changed the way the bike test was conducted.  It used to be very similar to the car test, where you have an instructor follow you around telling you where to go using radio communications.  During this ride you would have a number of manoeuvres to perform, such as a U-turn, Emergency stop, Hill start, etc.

Now the test is split into two parts.  The first part, or module 1, is all done off road on a big tarmac area with cones for markers.  This will test the rider on manoeuvres such as walking the bike, slalom, figure of 8, swerve test, emergency stop, slow riding and u -turn.  All in all this takes about 10-15 minutes I believe. 

See this video for what I shall have to do:

The second part, or module 2, is a 40minute ride out on the roads.  This is much like the old bike tests but without the manoeuvres, and can't be taken until module 1 is passed.  I could have booked both together, but wasn't in that big of a rush to get my licence.  If I failed the module 1 part of the test then I cannot take the module 2 part, and wouldn't get a refund on it.  So I am playing it safe and will book my module 2 after I have passed module 1.

I am heading home from Dundee on the morning of Sunday the 19th of September.  On the morning of the 20th of September I have my first lesson, so I am wasting no time getting started.  On Thursday 23rd I have my module 1 test, and if I pass that (fingers crossed) will then book my module 2 for sometime in the next week or so.

Needless to say I am really quite nervous about it now.
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Aug. 19th, 2010 @ 12:41 pm Bike Theory Test down!
Current Location: Dundee
Current Mood: accomplishedaccomplished
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This morning I passed my motorcycle theory test. I'll be honest I kept it fairly quiet, so I could save myself the embarrassment if I failed it.   It was pretty much exactly the same as the car test, with a few different bike specific questions, even the Hazard Perception clips were filmed from within a car.

This made me feel a little better after the unfortunate things that happened yesterday.  I had it booked for Thursday because this was supposed to be my weekend, turns out I had plenty of time to do it whenever I wanted, who would have guessed?

Out of the 6 or 7 people taking their test at the same time as me, I was the only one that wasn't 17, and the only one with a pink licence card.  I was also the only one not taking a car test.

So now on my quest to gain motorbike riding skill all I need to do is get in contact with Alasdair's bike instructor Barry from Safe Riders, and get my Direct Access lessons and test booked for when I get home.
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Aug. 18th, 2010 @ 12:40 pm Goodbye Realtime Worlds, it has been a pleasure.
Current Location: Dundee
Current Mood: sadsad
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As some of you may already know, Realtime Worlds has recently entered administration because APB did not sell as well as they had originally hoped.  It was a big, expensive risk and unfortunately it did not pay off.  So what does this mean for me?  Well yesterday we were told by the administrators that over night they would cut down the company from 220 staff to around 40-50.  This means around 170 of us would be made redundant.  Well our QA department went from about 45 people to... 2, and no I was not one of those 2.

So now I am out of a job, will not be getting paid for last month and have a flat until December.  Lost wages, holiday and short notice will be compensated by the government, so I will still get that money, it may just take a while...  In the mean time we have a number of companies coming to visit us up in Dundee, holding recruitment events, so fingers crossed I will be able to get a job at one of them, we will see.

It is not so much the job or the city that I will miss.  It is the people... Realtime Worlds, especially the QA department had some top guys in it, who I have become very close to, and it is a little sad that I will probably never work with such an awesome group of people.  When we found out last night at the start of our shift, we all went back to one of their houses and had the best impromptu party ever.

So I will say this... Thank you guys for the memories, the laughs and the parties. :D
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