Fallout 4

Fallout 4 was released last week and I can tell it's going to be a very engaging game.

All the standard FPS Fallout 4 stuff is here.  I like the expanded Fallout New Vegas style modifications for armor, weapons, etc. However, I miss the ammo creation from FONV.

I kind of miss the min/maxing aspect of creating the perfect starting character and carefully planning out perks.  However, I do enjoy that I don't necessarily have to start over if I choose the wrong thing... I can keep going knowing that I have plenty of other levels to gain.

A cool new feature is settlement building.  This takes a book from State of Decay in which you build up a settlement and recruit people, setup food/water, and defenses.  I like that this gives a much more survivalist perspective on how towns could be formed. 

Steam showed me at 139 hours for FONV.  Fallout 3 probably had a similar count but I had discs, not Steam for that.  Skyrim was over 160 hours as well, another Bethesda title.  All in all, I can tell that I'll be spending a lot of time in Fallout 4 

-The Engineerd

Kinda Funny Shoutout

This is a shout out to Kinda Funny Games.

I started following them late last year:  www.kindafunny.com

Many are former IGNers who went out and are producing a much more mature and honest approach to video game dicussion.

I relate to them on many topics especially regarding my diminishing time to play games and the nostalgia regarding older games

If you're looking for some great discussion, check them out.

-The Enginerd

Vikings Win

Vikings win against KC.

It was a pretty dull game actually.  Only a few memorable plays, such as Teddy's toss to Rudolph and then KC's long screen on 3 and 10 when the Vikes did an all out blitz.

I'm glad for the win but it was not a real decisive victory against a poor KC team.

Hopefully they keep the momentum going as they need to win these next 4 as well since that's the soft part of their schedule.

-The Enginerd.

Wasteland 2 Director's Cut

Started my party in WL2 DC and so far I'm enjoying it.  Game has a very nice graphical upgrade and the new menus are easier to navigate.

Game feels buggy though.  A few odd bugs that keep cropping up with this new version.  Nothing crazy but just doesn't seem as polished.  The character portrait capture cuts off the top of the character's head and you can't re-position it.

More annoying is sometimes skill bars disappear on the character screen.  Relaoding the game appears to correct this.

These are pretty minor complains compared to the upgrades to how skills can be used by right clicking and the addition of perks (haven't gotten any yet, but looking forward to them).

Anyone else enjoying Wasteland 2 DC?

-The Enginerd

Fallout 4

Fallout 4.  I can't wait.  This game is going to be awesome.

As I posted about Wasteland 2... I'm more excited for Fallout 4.  Wasteland will be a great bridge into November when Fallout 4 is released.

I love the Fallout franchise.  It's been one of my favorites since I played Fallout 1 back in the 90's.  The atmosphere is fantastic.  The humor was great.  The character customization was awesome.

Looking forward to getting lost in that game when it comes out.

I'm sure I'll post more on Fallout 4 as it gets closer.

-The Enginerd

Wasteland 2 Director's Cut Approaches

Wasteland 2 Director's Cut is scheduled to be released October 13th.

I am highly anticipating this release as I was a kickstarter backer for Wasteland 2 (creators of the original Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 games when Interplay owned the Fallout series rights, I used to play a ton of F1 and F2 and also Fallout Tactics: BOS).

I have played a little bit of Wasteland 2, a very fun isometric post nuclear apocalyptic role playing game.  The problem is that as soon as I started getting into it, maybe 10 hours in, I discovered a better party.  So being the Min/Max player I like to be when possible, I restarted.

Then I discovered that they were releasing a Director's Cut version with Perks and Quirks and a bunch of other updates and features.

However, your saved game files would NOT be comparable with the new DC version.

So I decided to shelve the game last spring and wait for summer's release... which got delayed until October.

So now it's fast approaching, which means, I need to get my head into survival nuclear mode!

And Fallout 4 is also around the corner in November.  I'll write more about that as we get closer to November.

But for now, Wasteland 2 DC is what I'm looking forward to and will be high on the priority list when released.

-The Enginerd

Video Game Backlog Status Oct 2015

After posting about my backlog, I thought I should publish my current top 10.

Game	System
Diablo 3	PC
Dragon Age II	Xbox 360
Wasteland 2	PC
NCAA FB 2012	Xbox 360
LOTR:  Shadows of Mordor	Xbox 360

1)  Still continuing to play D3 pretty regularly, especially with Season 4 out and patch 2.3, which introduced cube items, adding another great customization to how you spec your char.  This is an ongoing thing for me, I just like smashing through baddies on my Barb or Sader.  Just a good off and on proposition if I'm bored and have 30 min to kill.

 2)  DA2 has been on my list for a long time.  I'm about 60% through it.  I waited a long time to start this one, bought it for $10 on a black Friday sale years ago.  I had always heard it was not as good as DA1 Origins and you just spent all game in town.  I like DA2 and find it really fun, and wishing I would have played it sooner.  The problem is not with the game itself, it's finding time on the main TV with the Xbox to be able to play it when my wife and kids often want the TV or are awake.  It's my top Xbox 360 game to finish.  Then I can add DA Inquisition to the list.

3)  Wasteland 2 Director's Cut.  Highly Anticipating this one.  I'll post a separate topic on this one tomorrow.

4)  FB 2012... yeah 2012.  It was the last one I purchased.  It had custom conferences which made it basically as good as any future year's game.  The gameplay is solid and I kick ass in it.  I created my sons and nephews in the game at about the age they would be going to college and then recruited them and made some superstar teams.  I think I have about 25 seasons completed on this dynasty.  Just need to finish a few more seasons with my latest son now!

5)  LOTR:SOM is freaking awesome.  It's like part Batman Arkham Asylum, part RPG, part action game, plus it's LOTR.  I really need to get back into this one and finish it off.  It suffers from the same fate as #2 DA2 because of the TV thing.

Fall and Winter are approaching which means I may get more Video Game time.  Or let's at least hope!

-The Enginerd

Video Game Backlog

This may seem like a crazy comment but I have a stressful Video Game backlog.  I started to keep a spreadsheet of all the games I own and what I consider the status of each game is.

Why you ask?

I needed to prioritize my gaming, not only on the PC games but also console games. 

But WHY?

Because Steam and GOG.com sales cause me to buy way too many titles that I passed over 3-4 years ago because I don't have time to play video games much anymore because I have children!!! OK?!

I found myself buying $50 worth of games on a Steam sale, which could be like 10 Games  I'm finding it remarkably hard to not purchase games that I want to try or I know are AAA titles.

However, I feel like I need to back off a bit.  Focus on only the games I really enjoy.  And also not purchase every good RPG... I don't have time for them, I can only purchase the truly GREAT RPGs. 

So what do you think?  Do you ever suffer from a video game backlog?

-The Enginerd.

Vikings vs Denver

What a fun game to watch even though the Vikings lost due to a fumble in the final minute when trying to drive down to tie or win the game.

The Vikings have a good team, not great, but good team this year.  Their Defense is exciting to watch under Zimmer with lots of blitzes and pressure on the QB.  Their secondary has improved a lot and their linebacking core is solid and full of emerging stars.  You know the D plays well when they hold Peyton Manning to a 200 yard, 1 TD, 2 INT stat line.

The offense is solid, not great, but they can move the ball.  With Peterson in the backfield, we should always have a competitive offense as long as the line blocks well, and Peterson can break one at anytime like he did today for 48 yards and a score when it was 4th and 1.  Teddy is poised in the pocket and regularly gives us 250 yds, 1 TD performances.  He throws the ball well and the WR are getting open frequently.   We just need Teddy to start stepping up for another 50 yds and a 2nd Score... a solid 300 yds and 2 TDS every week plus a TD or 2 from the ground game plus a couple of field goals (if Walsh gets out of his own head and starts making them consistently again) and you got yourself a winning combination.

The bottom line is these Vikings are FUN TO WATCH.  It reminds me of 2009 with Favre.  They aren't as high powered but I haven't enjoyed them as much the past few years as I am this season.  I find myself watching all of the game, instead of shutting it off at halftime to go do yardwork!  I'm saving my yardwork until after the game.

Skol Vikings!

-The Enginerd

Minnesota Twins 2015

Well, the Twins are out of the playoff hunt with another loss to the Royals.

I'll be honest and say that I haven't followed them as closely this summer as I would have liked.  I finally have cable TV again for the first time in 4 years and I just didn't have time to watch them.

I guess it's the 2 kids and a pregnant wife all summer that prevented it.  That and crazy hours at work. 

I made a bet with a coworker on Joe Mauer's HR over/under.  I posed the question:  Mauer, 14 HRs, over/under, loser buys a round of beers.  He said over, easily.  Mauer ended up at 10.  I win.


It would have been nice to watch Torii Hunter again.  I have a authentic jersey from his first stint with the Twins.  Good ol #48.  I chose his jersey over a little rookie called Joe Mauer many years ago.  I  ended up having my wife remove Hunter's name from the jersey after he left Minnesota.  Couldn't find the flap of fabric when he joined the Twins this year.  Oh well.


Hopefully next year I'll be able to put the game on and do other things while it's on in the background. 

-The Enginerd

2015 FF

I'm in 2 leagues this year.

League 1 ($100):  My old college buddies 10 team league in which we've all been doing this for 10+ years.
6pts TD for all, including QB
1/25 Yds QB
1/10 Yds RB/WR/TE
No PPR
K and Def required.

Auction League.  Way fun for drafting, so much better than snake.

As of week 3, I'm 2-1 in this league and leading the league in Points scored.  My RB's SUCK (CJ Anderson and D Martin with some Sankey, Woodhead, and Spiller, sounds like a bad porn lineup)

My WR are kicking some ass:  Dem Thomas, Antonio Brown, Keenan Allen and Mr I score 2-3 TD's each week Fitzgerald.  (Nice article in SI this last week on Carson Palmer... makes sense why Fitz is playing well).

League 2 ($20):  Work League with people I used to work with.... that means before I took my latest job I was in this league and they invited me back for a 3rd year even though I havent worked direclty with them for 2 seasons now...

My WR in this league are the 2008 All Stars... and my RBs look similar to my College Friend League.

I'm 2-1 in this league as well.


I've also been playing quite a bit of Daily Fantasy Football the last few years.  I sign up for some free promos and win with the free house money, gain like $3 and turn it into $10... then lose it.  Maybe I'll take it seriously someday.

Ok, better help get the 3 kids to bed now.

-The Enginerd.

Trump for real?

I'm a republican, always have believed in the American Dream of working hard and being rewarded.  I'm not against helping people who are in need, but I don't like the loopholes in society that allow those who don't really need it to siphon off the rest of us.

Anyway,  I enjoy the political dramas as much as the next person (How amazing is Netflix's House of Cards, seriously, so good).

I've been watching the debates, reading articles, etc... but is Trump for real?  Will people really vote for him as the polls suggest?

It feels like when Minnesota elected Jesse Ventura.  Everyone was so fed up with the same old politics that any outsider could do better.  Trump sort of feels like that right now too.

And maybe he can run the economy well.  I don't know.

What I do know is that Trump would assemble the best team possible, that's what a businessman would do.  He doesn't have to be the expert, he has to have a good team.  Politicians have too many favors to fill, to give back to those who helped them rise.  A businessman does not necessarily have that, as he needs a strong team, and he may play favorites but he knows that person will have the strengths for the job.

-The Enginerd

The Enginerd is Back!

Yes, you heard correctly.  After a very long hiatus, the Enginerd is back.

You may be asking the following: 1)  How did this come about?  2)  Why are you back?  3)  Where the heck have you been?  4)  What have you been up to?

Well, here are the answers you seek.

1)  I noticed my gmail sign out button in the upper right had a different logo today.  Most people probably have a picture but I just have the first initial of my name.  So I clicked on said initial and it said "change" so I clicked and it brought me to a menu that let me select pictures.  One of the pictures was of the beer at Target Field from 2011 from this very blog.  So I thought I would see if I have this blog link and now I'm here writing again.

2)  Why not?

3)  Not writing on this blog for reasons in #4 below

4)  Oh you know, just having 2 more children and relocating my family for work last year...

I saw the topics across the top and thought: Hey, I could write something about each of those, and so I'm going to try doing that and then also posting more regularly.

Enjoy to those who stumble across this blog.

-The Enginerd

Asphalt Driveway Repair

I've been putting off repairing the sunken asphalt near my garage apron for a little while because I knew it was going to suck.  Overall, it wasn't too bad but it's probably only ok now that I am finished with it.

The Problem:
There are cinder blocks that are supporting the asphalt next to the cement garage apron and the sand and dirt in the holes in the blocks erode away.  This is due to builders taking shortcuts by not properly filling the holes in and also by improper drainage of water away from the house which erodes the sand away from under the blocks (from the previous owner who never cleaned the gutters....)

The Expensive Solutions:
The asphalt began to sink last summer and not knowing how to repair it, I called for many quotes.  Most asphalt companies wanted $600 to repair it by taking out a 3ft section and filling it all in.  They said it may not completely solve it and the whole thing may need to be replaced eventually.  I called a concrete guy next to see how much it would be to put in a concrete driveway.  He was quoting around $3300 which was cheaper than a whole asphalt driveway.  If or when I need to replace the whole thing, I'm going concrete.

Temp Fix #1:
For a temporary fix, I used some driveway blackjack stuff to seal up the space between the  asphalt and the cement for a quick fix before winter to keep water from freezing and doing some major damage.

Temp Fix #2 (only temporary until I need to replace the whole driveway):
Fast forward one year and I'm thinking that fix might hold again but nope  I drove over the apron two weeks ago and a chuck about the size of a softball fell through.  Now I have a major problem that needs to be fixed before winter, and I'm not putting $3k down for a new driveway with the holiday's coming up.

So here's what I did:

Step 1:  Use a hammer to remove the remaining sunken areas along the apron.

See the 3ft deep holes in between the cinder blocks?  This is bad.  This step took about 2 hours with a hammer, chisel, and a superbar.

Step 2:  Fill in the holes with class 5 gravel, pack down as best possible, then fill with crushed limestone.

I used a 1"x1"x5ft long pine board to tamp the class 5 gravel down.  I filled about 4" then tamped.  It was the longest part of the process and the most grueling.  I went though about 1/2 cubic yard of class 5.  On top of the class 5, I used some larger crushed limestone, tamped it down and left about 1" to 1.5" of space from the top which would be used to put the asphalt patch in.  This was all found at our local gardening and landscape center, much cheaper than buying bags of stuff from a home improvement retailer.  Afterwards, I sprayed water over the apron and the freshly laid rocks to clean off dirt and provide a better surface for the cold asphalt patch to adhere to.  I also figured the large limestone rocks would be less dusty than the class 5 gravel and having large chucks to support the asphalt patch.  This whole step took about 3 to 4 hours including trips to the store.


Step 3:  Fill int he rest with cold asphalt patch. 

This stuff is nasty.  It's sticky, and gets everywhere.  Use gloves and pour some into the hole, stopping every 1" of depth to tamp down with a 2"x4" board turned on its side.  I had some fantastic help from my wife who scooped this out of the bag with a wood shim while I held the bag and massaged the pebbles of patch up to the spout we cut from a corner.  This step took about an hour.

I need to have the whole driveway sealed (previous owner never did that either...) so this was an important repair to get done before I have it sealed.

Just very glad to have this project done.  The beers are tasting very good right now.  Now to relax for the rest of the Labor day weekend!

McNabb to Vikes deal

Sounds like this deal is almost a go.  Couple of 6th rounders for McNabb at a reduced contract sounds like a pretty good plan for the Vikings.

I'm 100% supportive of Ponder for our long term option but giving Ponder some time to Ponder and learn the NFL will be good.  McNabb still has some gas left in him and the Vikes still have a decent team, not great, but we'll see.  All it took was Favre to come in and show them they had a kick ass offense.  Just need to get that O-line locked down and I think the offense would be a lot better.  On the D side, they still need to lock down the secondary which has plagued them forever. 

We'll see though, I'm just glad to be able to discuss football again!

The Best Weight Loss Plan Ever!!!

My wife and I have been walking frequently this summer.  One of us pushes the stroller with the baby and the other holds the leash for the dog.  At a specific point in the walk, there is a small hill by a pond and whoever has the stroller begins the race.  The dog on the leash usually is the hold up but it's a close race between stroller pusher and dog puller.

Today, my wife mentioned that this could be considered a routine exercise plan involving 20 ft sprints.

I have lost some weight recently and I am going to attribute it to my new weight loss plan.  Here's the sales pitch:

"Have you wanted to lose weight?


Well, you can lose a ton of weight by just doing ONE 20 ft sprint each day!  Yes, only ONE 20 ft sprint.  Here's how it works:


Step 1)  Put on your shoes
Step 2)  Run a 20 ft sprint
Step 3)  Rest and repeat tomorrow


Oh and also, just follow this minor supplemental nutrition guide of only eating 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1 grilled chicken breast, 1 orange, and 2 glasses of water each day. 


That's right, with only ONE 20 ft sprint each day (and following the nutrition guide), you can lose as much weight as you want! "

So, what do you think?

NFL Lockout ends

Finally, the lockout has ended and we can get back to discussing football!  It will be a very large flurry of activity the next few weeks as teams prepare for the season, sign players, trade, etc.

My Vikings are already talking about signing a veteran QB with Donovan McNabb.  I used to be utterly opposed to this earlier this year before the draft but I'm warming to the idea.  If the compensation is right to the Redskins (I heard 6th or 7th rounder, worth it) and the right deal can be made with McNabb on renegotiating his contract (which he may do because of his play lately) and he can deal with being a backup eventually later this year or next year (which he might again because of his play lately), then I'm for the deal.  We'll see what happens. 

Maybe Sid Rice will stay if we get a veteran QB with some experience.  I do like Christian Ponder but I understand some people's concerns with a rookie starting.  There just isn't that many Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, or Sam Bradford's out there which can be effective as a rookie.

At least the NFL lockout is done and we can begin talking football again!

Backup hard drives

I recently took a sale opportunity at an online computer parts retailer to order two external hard drives.  The purpose was to create multiple back ups for all of our family pictures and other important documents (and a few pc game save files!).

The hard drives I purchased are:

Hitachi Mobile 500GB External USB 2.0
Iomega eGo 500GB Portable Hard Drive SuperSpeed USB 3.0

Both Hitatchi and Iomega have good general reputations for low failure rate of products. 

Some people may ask "Why two external hard drives?  Why not just your PC and one external hard drive?  Wouldn't this provide enough redundancy backup?"

Although the Redundant Department of Redundancy may have an official ruling on the absurdity of this idea, the reasoning behind a second external hard drive is in case of fire or natural disaster.  "But how would having two external hard drives prevent a natural disaster from destroying all 3 of your save locations?" you may ask.  The second hard drive has been taken to my place of work 20 miles away.

Each month, I bring home the hard drive from work, copy any new pictures and documents from both my PC and my labtop to each external hard drive, and bring one of the hard drives back to work.

I also purchased two different brands of hard drives, not wanting to get two hard drives of the exact same lot which may have an unknownly high rate of failure down the road and both fail during the same time frame.  Also, I did not want to purchase from the same manufacturer, since hard drive models may share parts from the same supplier between models.

Overall, I am happy with the purchase of the two hard drives and the backup method.

It was hot at Target Field, but the beer was cold!

Attended my first Minnesota Twins game of the season yesterday and my first nooner ever.  It was an important game as they were down 2-1 in the series with the AL Central leading Indians.  Went with a few co-workers to the game and we sure picked a good day... only during the most record breaking week in Minnesota.  100 degrees with a heat index of 115 degrees.  A $7.25 beer never tasted so good.  The second was also good.  However, I had to use the old 1:1 beer water ratio in the order of water beer beer water.  Was so hot that the beer was almost warm even when chugging it. 

The humidity as also so thick you could cut it with a knife and almost eat it on a hot dog.  Speaking of hot dogs, the Grill Dog has to be the best hot dog in the place.  They load it up with grilled onions and was fantastic. 

Twins ended up with a victory after being tied 4-4 at the start of the bottom of the either and then scored 3 runs on a couple of nice hits strung together and a 2 run RBI hit by new Japanese Twins player Tsuyoshi Nishioka.  Joe Nathan came in to close out the 9th, let up one homer but finished it out.

Tt was a great game, and as always, great to get out and see the gorgeous Target Field again.

External DVR

My desktop's internal combo drive crapped out a while back.  Luckily Fallout 3 had a built in work around to forcing you to use the cd to get the pop up auto play thingy to launch the game.  I have not been able to play Sim City 4 when I got the craving a month or two ago.

Anyway, I decided I needed a new combo drive when I purchased Fallout New Vegas.  I decided to get an external one for about $55 bucks on sale rather than get a $40 internal drive on a PC that I want to replace soon and not have to mess with installing it on the old tower, removing for a new pc, and installing it on the new PC.  So far I've been impressed with the external drive.  It has plug n play capability which is nice.  And if I ever get a tablet PC or something for the living room or my wife's CD drive on her laptop craps out, this thing will be nice to use to install software, read discs, or burn stuff upstairs.

I purchased a Pioneer DVR-XD10, slim portable USB2.0 DVD/CD Writer.  It does take up 2 USB ports that need to be close.

External drive:  recommended.