Week 1: Sailor Moon the Arcade Game

Now, I know what you're thinking.

"Yes! A Sailor Moon arcade game! Just what I've always wanted!"

The same thing ran through my mind when I learned of its existence, and so it was with much anticipation that I downloaded the ROM for MAME. For some tragic reason, this game never made it to the States.

The first thing I noticed was the shocking amount of effort that was put into its presentation. Graphically, it is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not an arcade expert, so I can't make any comparisons -- all I really know is that nowadays, my N64 is sometimes more attractive than the stuff in arcades. However, when Sailor Moon came out, I have a feeling it was much closer to the cutting edge. You can see every stunning detail on the tennis racket-wielding monsters! (No joke.)

As for gameplay, it's pretty much your typical Final Fight clone: a mindless side-scrolling beat 'em up with utterly impossible bosses at the end of each level. (Hey man, this is the arcade. Gotta make that money.) You get to play as your favorite sailor senshi, with the caveat that it only features characters from the first season -- which shouldn't be a problem unless you're like me and you actually know that. Each girl has different elemental attacks/special moves, as well as strengths and weaknesses in certain categories (speed, power, and so forth). By collecting crystals throughout each stage, your power level will increase, and it allows you to unleash a "Super" move (which range from massive fireballs to breaking down into tears. Peach has nothing on these girls). Nothing really groundbreaking here, and the controls are as basic as you'd expect.

I happen to be a fan of side-scrolling fighters, so I started playing with gusto. However, the difficulty in some points is almost ludicrous -- it's a Sailor Moon game, for crying out loud -- but hey, lucky for me, I was able to insert "coins" all day long. I think it would have been a lot more fun to play with another person, because while it was amusing and entertaining on its own, the sheer volume of monsters required me to use my special attacks pretty frequently. And in most games like this, it drains a bit of your life every time you do, so I was slowly committing suicide as I tried desperately to defeat the tennis racket fiends. At least the Super moves were really cool to watch, although I found it lame that you could only activate these elemental attacks by having enough crystals.

Ultimately, though, you need to ask yourself only one question. When it comes to Final Fight clones, does it get any better than controlling a jailbait character sprite who screams garbled Japanese and uses "Rolling Heart Vibration" against her enemies?

Nope. It sure doesn't.

ETA: Now with screen caps!

WHO DO I CHOOSE!?
He's so dreamy.
Incoming Jupiter!
Mars and Venus team up (unfortunately not against tennis racket monsters).

RA position always an option for students

Students looking for a job, financial aid, involvement, or even all three have an option right here on campus for consideration.

“Well, at first I wanted to be an RA because I wanted my own room, and it helped that it paid and stuff too,” Carmen Wiggins admitted with a laugh. A third year media arts student currently working at Capstone, Wiggins needed a means to help pay for her schooling – and also wanted to get involved in a positive way.

According to University Housing’s website, last updated October 11^th, 2007, Resident Advisors are student staff members responsible for mentoring students in a particular residence hall or area. Apart from spending time with their residents, RAs are expected to work four hours a week at the front desk, serve as tour guides during Open House, and respond to crisis - all while maintaining at least a 2.75 GPA.

“It’s a lot more work than it seems, and you live at your job,” Wiggins explained.

Kim Painter, a former RA in the women’s quad and first year grad student, agreed. “You have to know how much work and dedication it actually takes.”

Still, there are benefits.

Currently, first year RAs get 50% off on housing fees, a 25% discount on meal plans 14 and up, and receive a $3,335 stipend in addition to those lowered rates. Should a student decide that he or she would like to continue being an RA, the yearly stipend increases to $3,477. This financial compensation could be a compelling factor for students struggling to pay ever increasing tuition and fees.

“The half off of housing was definitely motivation,” Painter said.

Besides the monetary incentive, being an RA can be a valuable addition to a student’s work history, and could potentially bring professional benefits.

“It looks great on resumes,” Painter explained. “To this day I still get ‘Wow, you were an RA for two years.’”

But perhaps the best payoffs of the job are social.

Painter described the experience as one that made her more outgoing and extroverted, adding that the number of people she met and interacted with during her time as an RA will likely never be topped. Wiggins agreed, and cited the satisfaction she gains from seeing her residents come together.

“I enjoy watching them get closer,” she said. “I’m excited that I feel like I’m doing a good job.”

Of course, the beginning of the school year is never easy.

“I feel like most residents are like, ‘You gotta watch out, they’ll write you up for doing stuff!’” Wiggins joked. “But I’m not here to write them up, I’m here to help them take care of themselves. I’m like, ‘Hey, I want you to do this for yourself.’”

When asked if the positives outweighed the negatives, Wiggins readily agreed.

“The positives are so awesome. It makes it worth it,” she said.

Painter concurred, saying that she would recommend the job to others.

“If you really have some kind of desire to help out, then I’d say go for it.”

Students interested in becoming an RA should submit an application, cover letter, and resume online at www.housing.sc.edu no later than November 7^th. Interviews will be conducted November 11^th, with rolling offers made until the beginning of the spring semester.

Students must use precaution to reduce vehicle crimes on campus

Even though vehicle related crime has seen a decrease on the USC campus within recent years, students still need to take preventative measures to protect themselves and their personal property.

According to the USC Law Enforcement website, there were 12 reported motor vehicle theft incidents in 2006, a marked decrease from 24 in 2001. Unfortunately, there is no further breakdown regarding vehicle-related crime, which belongs to the broad category of crimes against property. This includes larceny-theft (528 incidents in 2001, with 428 in 2006) and breaking/entering (16 in 2001 and 46 in 2006). While these statistics, overall, display a more positive trend, student awareness of such crimes remains critical in keeping them to a minimum.

The first and perhaps most obvious way students can avoid vehicle break-ins is to park in well-lit areas and as close to campus as possible. However, with recent parking congestion, this is often easier said than done. Therefore, as USC Law Enforcement Officer Kenneth Adams of Crime Prevention & Community Relations explains, the next best thing students can do is to keep all items in their car from plain view. Leaving items out in the open often provides the temptation needed to break and enter, and is what Adams cites as the “number one reason” for auto break-ins. While valuable gadgets like GPS systems, iPods, XM radios, and other pieces of technology are often primary targets, even seemingly innocuous items like clothing and text books can be stolen. “We’ve had problems with people taking books and selling them back to the bookstores,” Adams said.

Unfortunately, missing mp3 players may be the least of students’ concerns. Car jacking is also a reality at USC, and carries dangerous consequences. Officer Adams advises against going places at night, and to use the buddy system if being out late is necessary. “Have your keys in your hand, don’t hang out in the parking lot, and lock your car as soon as you get in it,” Adams explains. If there’s anything that he’s heard from experts and others, it’s to not let anyone take you anywhere. “If someone approaches you with a weapon, yell, scream, do whatever you can to attract attention,” Adams clarified.

While some vehicle-related crimes on campus can be costly or even dangerous, others are just frustrating. Many a student has experienced dents and scrapes from the careless parking of others, and such incidents can be difficult to resolve, particularly if the guilty party has fled the scene. However, recourse does exist in these cases. Students are advised to leave their car where it is in order for the police to inspect, and if they can’t wait, they can fill out a self reporting report of the damage to go on file.

In the event of these automobile emergencies, Officer Adams advised against students touching or moving the car. Adams also encouraged calling the University Police immediately to report any suspicious activity, suggesting that students program the number (911 or 777-4215) in their cell phones. Lastly, Adams recommends trusting your instincts: “Go with your gut if something doesn’t look right.”

An example of an incident that would require a self-reporting report.

Recreation Project

Here it is. For reasons unknown to me, it exported in something similar to podcast size. Therefore, even though I have it on Google Video, I'd recommend viewing it on Photobucket, since it displayed correctly there.

Trump card project

Also linked on my Google Pages site.

PDF version

Original EPS

FIRST Robotics Competition

So today I went to the robotics competition in the Colonial Center, which was very cool. I'd never been to one before, and I actually picked the right time to go since today was when the finals were held. I didn't think I'd stay there long, but I ended up sticking around for nearly two hours! I walked in on the middle of the games, so I was a little lost as to what the actual rules and procedures were, but I was able to figure out that the robots were supposed to pick up the inner tubes and stick 'em on the rack for points.

Given how impressive all the machines were, it's hard to pick out just one to talk about. Some of them had really cool telescoping arms that could reach up incredibly high, while others were very good at maneuvering (and screwing other bots up). Others were very clumsy and almost sad, and while I laughed, I couldn't help but think that they'll eventually be taking over the world some day...

However, if I had to pick one robot to highlight, it'd have to be the pink R2D2 that was scooting around randomly in the hallways. Aside from the color, it appeared to be a very faithful replica, complete with R2's bizarre repertoire of sounds. Much kudos to whoever put it together!

Dreamweaver/GooglePages project

Due to a strange twist of fate, the following site is best viewed in IE. And by that I mean Firefox hates it.

My website