One question about me

[D--]

God, this should be interesting

[Nightcrawler]

Alright D! Stepping up to the plate!

Here's a simple starter..

What do you do for a living/income?

[D--]

Live off what minimal funds I have in the bank and whenever I can find time, try to get an article published free-lance though it doesn't help much.

I also translate stuff as people dangle money in front of my nose like a carrot then cause eternal delays so I never get paid for my work. Some day I will learn to be an asshole about this.

Aside from that, nothing much because I'm still finishing my studies (journalism and sinology) at the university and spend more time stuck in class or working on research than most people spend at their jobs.

Next year I plan on teaching at a high school or univeristy in Beijing. I'd really like to have an opportunity to teach students something beyond the conversation English they learn in class like archaic forms, old English, middle English and maybe specializaed forms.

If nowhere wants to offer those kinds of classes, I'd really like to get something set up like an independant study thing for the kids who really want to learn, kind of my way of giving back given my Chinese teacher has had to do this for us since the university doesn't offer beyond second-year.

[TechMaster]

I want to say something, but I can't think of the question right now.  Actually, I think I just thought one up right now.

How many homemade instruments have you already constructed ^^?  I was gonna ask what's your favorite book, but that's way too common.

[D--]

Hrm... I haven't really kept a good count and there's certainly quite a few I've junked... I'd say somewhere around... 16? Maybe? I know I've made at least 7 quena, a xiao, pan flutes, a (very shitty) ocarina, a couple reed instruments, three transverse flutes, a fife, maybe a few others... there's quite a few I don't keep because I don't like how they turn out. If I kept everything my closet would be nothing but a big stack of instruments

I'm thinking of trying to make a Pi some time (that Thai instrument that uses 4 reeds) but I haven't been able to think of a good way to mount a reed in a stick of bamboo.

As for favorite book, I'm not too sure. I'd probably have to say The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I've read it every year since I was 7. The Neverending Story is good too. Hate me if you will, but The Lord of the Rings just isn't my thing...

[mades]

well, well. D, here's a very simple (or complex) question:

how, where and why do you have the nickname 'D'? and is it really a nickname?

Mades

mwuahahaha, mwuahahahah!

[D--]

My actual name is Derrick, but D actually comes out of the old cartoon Tekkaman Blade. After Blade loses his memory he gets named "D-BOY" though in the OAV (when he's like 35) it became D or D-san. The Chinese subtitles say D-xiansheng (Mr. D) so I use that a lot as an alternate if the board won't let me have a one-letter nick.

[Matow]

Is Hydlide 2 any good? Also do you know what the differences is between Hydlide and Hydlide Special? Finally were there any Hydlide games made after Virtual Hydlide not counting remakes?

[D--]

Hydlide 2 seriously sucks balls. Its music is even more annoying.

Hydlide Special is just the NES version of Hydlide in Japan. In the US it was simply renamed Hydlide. Hydlide Special added magic to the game (if you playt he Windows remake I translated or the original PC-88 game, Hydlide does not have magic).

Virtual Hydlide was the last new game made in the series (3D remake of Hydlide I isn't it?) that was new. There was a remake for PC release that had a new version of Hydlide III in it but stillt he same old shitty Hydlide II.

T&E Soft appears to be out of business now.

[Matow]

I don't think Virtual Hydlide is a remake of the first Hydlide. I've played the NES version twice and the MSX version once. I might give your patch a try one of these days. The gameplay in Virtual Hydlide is completely different. It's first person versus the kind of overhead view that all the other Hydlide games have. I think you had both a short weak sword swing as well as a slower more powerful sword swing. Not to mention the game also had that random world generation thing so each time you paly it the world would be a little different. I never played that far into the game but I remember the first place you go to was a cemetary.

One other question. Did you have any luck finding a Vain Dream 1 HD Disk for the FM Towns?

[D--]

Virtual Hydlide, as I recall, is a remake of the first Hydlide's story (Jim saving Anne). How the game plays is another mater entirely.

No luck with Vain Dream.