Farmers in the UK are worried about a new livestock disease.

This past Monday, multiple farms in the United Kingdom reported an outbreak of the new Schmallenberg virus (SBV). The BBC News has taken a look into this new concern.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16704067

This new livestock disease was first discovered in the Netherlands last year, and has now been spotted in the sheep populations of three farms. The farms, located in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Sussex, have had their sheep tested by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). The AHVLA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) believe that the cause of the infection comes from infected midges which blew across the Channel.

Very little is known about the disease at present, but research is ongoing. The lambs which were found to be infected were either stillborn or died shortly after being born. The farmers who owned the infected animals reported that it seemed similar to the bluetongue disease, which is also spread by midges. There is question though, as to whether the cause of the infection is truly midges, or from livestock that was imported.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control do not believe that this disease will be infectious in humans.

Farmers in the region are asked to stay vigilant. There is currently no vaccine for this new infection, so preventative measures should be taken, and farmers should avoid importing livestock from infected regions of Europe.

Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning... the next Fable.

So I've spent quite a bit of time playing the Kingdom of Amalur demo that was released on Steam. Including making use of the convenient glitch to get around the 45 minute play time limit. This let me explore all that the limit area in the demo has to offer. And gave me a good feel for the game overall (at least of what we've been given access to).

I have to say, it's a pretty good game. A very fun action game. Hack-n-slash done very well, with some RPG elements implemented in interesting ways to make it more than just another Diablo style game, where you kill everything without much explanation.

When rated as an action game, along the lines of Fable and such, it scores very highly. Giving us a large linear world to explore, and many interesting battles to enjoy. On the flip side, if you're looking for a deep RPG, this is definitely not the game for you.

While the writing is absolutely brilliant, thanks to R.A. Salvatore's contributions... the way the game is designed, all the story and plot is essentially optional. You can easily skip all conversations and just run around killing everything, progressing quite easily. However you can't do the opposite. There's no "non-combat" route through this game. The best you get is the occasional option to skip a small fight here and there, though you're forced into 99% of the battles in the game.

There's not really much in the way of character options. You have one type of character to play as, the combat god. All your skills are essentially just a choice of HOW you're going to run around and kill everything in sight. While the game supposedly offers you the classic "warrior/thief/mage" selection, they all play mostly the same. The mage will run around smashing enemies with a staff instead of a sword, but the play style is mostly the same. The thief can sneak around (as can the warrior and mage), but combat with daggers or a bow will work the same as for everything else. All in all, the character options are very disappointing, and lack much depth.

The combat system itself is decent. Very similar to Devil May Cry or God of War. Where you string together combos with your two equipped weapons. As you level, you unlock skills which expand your combo selection. Though honestly, relying on the basic attack-stun two hit combo will get you easily through most encounters. So if you're not good at stringing together big combos, you can survive with minimal action skill.

Back to the story. The world is beautifully designed, and many of the larger story elements are just as beautifully written. Many characters unfortunately have very little story or background to them, and just seem to be there to serve as filler for the world. And there's not too many who you'll really get attached to beyond the main cast.

Quests generally are very linear, and involve you going to a place, killing everything there, and coming back to the quest giver. Now and then a quest might have some options to it, usually the typical "nice guy or jerk" options. But for the most part, your decisions have no real impact on the world. You can cause the slaughter of a town, betray people left and right... and you'll still get praised as a hero. Even being caught committing a crime in a town only lasts until you leave the town. After which you can stroll back in as if nothing ever happened. This is quite disappointing.

Overall, if you're looking for a good action-RPG along the lines of Fable or Jade Empire, this game should fit well in that niche. Like most modern games, it's been dumbed down to accommodate the casual gamers of today who have very little experience with depth in their games. But it's still quite enjoyable. If you're looking for a deep RPG, move on, because you won't find it here.

India might be facing a livestock disease crisis.

The project directorate on animal disease monitoring and surveillance in Bangalore has spread the warning through The Telegraph in Calcutta, India. The Telegraph has released an article on this issue today.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120119/jsp/frontpage/story_15025299.jsp

According to the directorate, who have made a study using information gathered over the past 25 years, an outbreak is due to hit Northeast India in February and March of this year.

The affected region consumes about 50 per cent of the country's pork. They are facing the threat of swine flu, haemorrhagic septicaemia, black quarter and foot-and-mouth disease. The directorate is working with the government to try and take all possible steps to combat these outbreaks. It is their hopes that by ensuring such information and warnings are readily available, outbreaks such as the ones predicted can be contained and even prevented.

Steam is evil. EVIL!!!

Okay, so maybe Steam is an amazing platform. A great way to get games online. I have more money in games on Steam than I'd like to admit. An ever growing collection of over 300 games now.

Steam runs silently in the background, taking practically not processing power. Which is great, as there are other similar programs that eat up so many resources, it hinders the games you're trying to play through them.

And Steam has amazing deals on games. You'll see daily deals, weekend sales, and other events where games are being sold for 50 per cent off or more. And this is where the true evil nature of the system appears. Why? Because I have no self control!!! And admit it, if you see a $30-50 game no sale for $5, can you honestly say you're not tempted to pick it up based on that price? You never know when you'll be able to find it that cheap again. And even if it's not a game you "must" have, if it's something that you've looked at and thought "Maybe, if it was cheaper"... well, now it is.

Steam's currently having an Autumn Sale. From November 23 to 27, most titles are on sale for about 50 per cent off, with bigger deals on select items each day.

I've already spent far more money than I had planned on this sale. As have my friends. Yesterday alone my gaming library has expanded by about 20 games or so.

Evil! Evil I say!!!
Though admittedly I'm still waiting to see what special deals they have today.

Spiral Knights: A truly Free-to-Play experience.

Free-to-Play. We've all heard it. Seen countless games out there that label themselves this way. And time and again, you'll find out just how misleading it is.

Oh yes, you can play for free. Briefly. Most of the time, it ends up being more of a "demo" than anything else. You can freely play the first level of a game. Or get to maybe the first ten levels in an RPG, out of the 50 or 100 that's in the game. But if you want to progress further, or see that next zone... well, you'll have to pay up. World of Warcraft is even now "free-to-play". Of course, what that means is you can start off and do the newbie zone... but then you're cut off. If you want to see the full game, you have to pay. Meaning all you're really getting, is a brief demo.

Then there's other games, usually ones with a Player vs Player focus, that also hide behind this label. And in these, you can often play all the way through the game, or access all areas. However, if you want the better gear, better weapons, and basically what's required to give you a fair footing against other players... well, that will cost you. You hit max level, and have your nice +10 sword... and face another max level player with their +100 sword which was only available to those who paid into the game.

For many players, the whole Free-to-Play thing is just a scam. They know that they're not going to get much out of the game unless they pay up. And they're not going to bother.

But once in a very long while, a game comes along that breaks that tradition. Spiral Knights is one of these games.

Created by Three Rings, and published by SEGA, Spiral Knights is a multi-player dungeon crawler. Similar to Diablo and the many clones it has inspired. Players hack-n-slash, shoot, or bomb their way through the levels. Going further and further down, facing increasingly dangerous foes of many varieties, and of course collecting their "phat loot".

The game has a somewhat cartoony feel to it. And the graphics are definitely highly stylized. It's a fun environment, full of bright and vibrant colours.

The gameplay is deceptively simple. While the basic controls are very straightforward, there's a lot of skill required to survive deeper levels. And of course, you need to equip yourself well. With weapons and armours that focus on various elements and attack types, as well as supplying resistances to varying types of attacks.

You can easily play the game solo, but a lot of the fun comes from grouping with others. Joining up to three other players, to take on challenges together. The game balances for this. The more players in the dungeon, the tougher the enemies are. But teamwork will help you pull through.

The story of the game is rather straightforward. The players are explorers who have crash landed on a strange world. They explore the clockwork dungeons to try and uncover the planet's secrets, and find a way home. There are various bosses along the way, and a nice story to tie everything together. Though it's quite easy to just enjoy the game without worrying about the underlying story.

The dungeons themselves are varied. They will focus on various enemy types (slimes, gremlins, etc) or specific elements (fire, shock, etc). And the dungeons are actually created by players. There are four open dungeons, which slowly cycle out and are replaced by the next closed dungeon on the list. These closed dungeons are modified by players adding in crystal shards, which they collect on their travels. These shards and the amount and types added to closed dungeons will help shape just what each level will contain.

A big aspect of the game is crafting. Players will craft their own gear, out of components collected during their dungeon runs, obtained by defeating various enemies.

Everything in the game, from exploring the dungeons, to crafting, requires energy. And this is where Spiral Knights' free-to-play model comes in.

All players receive 100 Mist Energy over a 22 hour period. It slowly fills up over that time (one point every 13 or so minutes). This energy can be used to do anything, from traversing the dungeon to crafting and upgrading new gear.

You can also get Crystal Energy. Which will supplement your Mist Energy, and be used to craft even higher quality items. Things requiring over 100 Energy, that would take more than your daily allotment of Mist.

Crystal Energy can be bought. Now, you can pay real money to get yourself large quantities of it quickly. However, the beauty of the game, is that you can buy this Crystal Energy with Crowns, the in game currency. This means that you never have to spend a cent on the game if you don't want to. In a day's run, going through your 100 free Mist Energy, you can often make enough Crowns to buy yourself 100 Crystal Energy. While it may take you longer than someone who just pays real money to stock up, you'll get the same results as everyone else. You are not punished for not paying money into the game, unlike other supposedly Free-to-Play models.

Crystal Energy bought with Crowns actually comes from other players. There's a market where all players can buy and sell CE. The prices will fluctuate, as any open economy will. Many players "play the market", stocking up on CE when prices are low, and selling when high. Others simply stockpile all they can for whatever crafting they wish to do. But either way, it's up to the players to set the prices, and decide what works for them.

This Free-to-Play model has been working well for Three Rings. Spiral Knights has been making quite a name for itself, and has been padding their pockets nicely. It seems that when given a choice, instead of being forced to pay for game content, players are a lot more willing to donate. Whether you choose to spend money for a quick boost, or prefer to just earn your way up in game, everyone gets to the same standing in the end.

Three Rings deserves praise for giving us a game that is truly free to play. A game that anyone can enjoy. It's available both on Steam or through their official site. I highly recommend this wonderful title.

Another thumbs up to the Dean Blundell Show.

This morning, one of the callers during their Psychic Nikki had a problem with an ex who was stalking her. She has a restraining order out on the man, but whenever she contacted police about him breaking it, it turned into a "he said, she said" argument.
Blundell took a stand, and helped get her in touch with an officer he knows in her area, who would definitely take action to make sure something was done about this stalker.
It's good to see people helping others, in whatever way they can.
Good job, Dean.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Review

A.K.A. SPEEEHZ MAREEEEEEEEN!!!!!!

At least among the Warhammer 40K fans. And this game is definitely one for the W40K fans. Because it’s likely they’re the only ones who would truly appreciate what this game has to offer.

Not to say that this is a bad game. Because it most definitely isn’t. It just isn’t anything special. Just like Halo and Call of Duty, it’s another shooter. Just like all the rest, it’s rather linear, giving you scripted encounters at set points in the path. You have a variety of ways to dispatch your foes, and the combat system is quite entertaining (and gory).

The story is rather well developed, but it does assume that you have an understanding of the Warhammer 40K universe. You can definitely play it without that knowledge, but you’ll probably be left scratching your head about the comments and actions of the characters at times. The story will make sense, but there’s a lot of lore and references that fans of the setting will pick up on instantly, while newbies will not pick up on. I’ve spent a lot of time on the GameFAQs forums explaining to people the meaning of various comments, actions and items seen throughout the game. The story itself isn’t too long, which is typical of shooters these days.

The combat is solid. An interesting combination of ranged and melee attacks. The melee basically has set combos with each weapon, which is basically the attack button hit X number of times followed by the interrupt button if you choose. This will let you stun the enemy (hopefully) and let you perform a finisher to kill them off and regain health.

The shooting in the game is quite standard for third person shooters. A decent variety of weapons, that all play their own roles. The main weapon you start with is the classic bolter. A combat rifle that fires explosive rocket propelled slugs. Makes a wonderful mess of the enemy. You have a sniper rifle, laser cannon, grenade launcher, and plasma weapons. Whether or not you know the W40K world, you’ll quickly find the functionality of each of these weapons.

The AI in the game is fairly simple. The enemy either sits back shooting at you, jumping behind cover now and then, or you’ll be rushed by a swarm of melee attackers. What they lack in skill, they more than make up for in numbers. It’s common to be fighting 20 or enemies at a time. Fortunately, during parts when your fellow Marines are with you, you can use them as a handy distraction, as they seem to be invulnerable. So if you need a breather, just break out of combat and run for cover, letting your allies keep the enemy busy.

Now for the multiplayer.

It’s fun. Really.

Sure, it’s currently imbalanced as all hell, and has major technical issues that need fixing. But all in all, it’s something you can jump into for some quick and easy violence.

You get to play as Space Marines or Chaos Space Marines. For those who don’t know the setting, Chaos Space Marines are basically regular ones corrupted by the forces of Chaos. Simple.

You play as one of three customizable classes. Tactical Marine, which is your basic soldier with a wide array of weapons. The Assault Marine, a jetpack equipped melee expert. And the Devastator, the heavy weapons specialist.

There are two game types.

There’s Seize Ground, which is a score based game. Each map has a few control points. For each point that a side controls, they slowly increase their team’s score. First team to 1000 wins.

The other mode is Annihilation. Your standard team death match. First team to 41 kills takes the victory.

Seize Ground games will last a lot longer than Annihilation. Plus they tend to be a much easier source of XP for players. As you gain XP, you level up, unlocking new perks and abilities.

There’s also weapon perks that can be unlocked by using the weapon and scoring kills as well as other specific objectives, such as kill streaks, or multi-kills. These perks can really turn the tide of battle for you. And when killed by an enemy, you get to re-spawn with their weapon and perk load out, which gives you a chance to keep up while you’re still learning.

One of the great things about multiplayer is the customization. As you play, you unlock various armour sets to use on your character (for both sides). You get to select every part of your armour. Helmet, left/right shoulder pad, left/right glove, breastplate, left/right leg, and backpack. And each piece can be coloured with primary, secondary and an optional colour is you like. This leads to you seeing all sorts of interesting designs in game. Though many people like to select pre-made official chapter colours.

The problems with multiplayer however, are many.

Firstly, there are no dedicated servers. And as any shooter fan will tell you, this is a horrible mistake for a shooter. A host is randomly selected from the players in a match. This leads to a lot of lag and connection issues.

There is also no push to talk option. Everyone’s microphone is ALWAYS on. Naturally, this leads to a lot of feedback… not to mention morons munching a sandwich into their mic, or arguing with their girlfriend to the entertainment of everyone else in the game. The polite players unplug or mute their mics so as not to irritate others.

Team balance is another issue. Basically, there is none. Players are randomly tossed together on teams. And it’s quite common to see a team full of pros up who can snipe someone at full run from across the stage up again a team of newbies who are still learning the controls. Seize Ground games will often end with a 1000/0 victory, which is a big turn-off for a lot of players, who will get a pounding and then give up on the game.

The balance for weapons and perks is also iffy. Some weapons are basically one-shot kills, while others will leave you emptying a clip into the enemy in vain. A lot of skill is needed to get good at the game, and even survive basic encounters with the enemy. And the perks suffer from this as well. Some are just downright useless, while others are pretty much a must have. You’ll see the same setups coming up on most players.

Then there’s the basic game bugs, such as clipping issues, stuttering, disconnects, graphical bugs and all the rest. These tend to not be as big an issue as in many new releases, but there have been complaints by quite a few about them.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with Space Marine. Of course, a big part of that could be because I’m a huge W40K fan. And as I said, for those who don’t know the world, you’ll probably enjoy it, but you will miss a lot of the little things here and there.

Once they’ve fixed the issues with multiplayer, the game will definitely be a must have. As it stands now, I’d recommend it to Warhammer 40K fans… but for the rest, you might want to wait for a price drop.