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[permanantly]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20100329/bs_nf/72456

With the release of FFXIII and a lot of other stuff going on, I hadn't gotten around to updating my PS3 to the latest version until today.

It's a god-damned good thing I read the agreement first.

With the 3.21 version update, players are forced to make a choice:

• Update to the new version and permanantly lose the ability to install or boot to another OS on the system, losing access to any data you have installed on that partition and the space on the partition itself (unless you do a complete reformat and lose everything.)
  
  
• Don't update and lose access to the Playstation Network, games that require access to the Playstation Network, your friends list, synchronized trophies, the ability to watch content with certain DRM restrictions, and all future features and updates.

The official reason Sony is making this change is due to a claim that installing another OS on the PS3 facilitates piracy. Considering the fact that there are physical limitations in place that prevent most of the system's resources (most of the cell processor, access to GPU and all but ~128mb of RAM) from being accessed outside of the PS3 OS, this statement is complete bullshit. Having a third party OS installed on your PS3 no more facilitates piracy than does having a second computer and using it to move files onto your PS3 with a flash drive or USB cable.

I doubt anyone else on this board was affected by the update, but given the huge precedent this sets, I figured I'd alert people.

[Make sure you click "play hi-fi."]

Well, I figure I've spent enough time lurking on the boards. Might as well throw my stuff out here to get bashed like everyone else's.  

A few quick notes:

• Make sure you click "play hi-fi." I'm using Soundclick for third party hosting right now, and their lo-fi option takes just as long to buffer and sounds terribad.


• Please do not redistribute or use these songs yet. In the future, I will make them freely available and will almost definitely allow others to use them for their own projects. For now, they are part of a work in progress, and I don't want fifteen versions of my unfinished work floating around. I ask that you respect this.


• I've included a spoiler with all of the songs that include optional context. Most of my pieces are "scene pieces," written with a specific scene or purpose in mind. All of them are part of an as-yet unannounced project that is currently in production. As such, I included background information for those interested.


• I'm currently not taking requests. I am fully scoring the DSC project, and at the moment it has about 36 tracks planned. This is going to keep me busy for quite a while. I may or may not take requests in the future.

Lightning Assault - An up-tempo orchestral battle theme. It channels a bit of Ogrebattle 64. ~75% complete. Updated!

Spoiler: ShowHide

This is a battle track used in the upcoming DSC project. It's a relatively fast-paced and heavy piece, and is used mostly for specific battles that are important to the story or boss fights. The image below is not using final enemy sprites/backgrounds, but just meant as a general indication of setting.

Heart of the Forest - A relaxed harp & string melodic piece that's very atmospheric.

Spoiler: ShowHide

An ancient ruin lies in the heart of the forest, receding into the trees and vines that surround it. The strange, archaic runes that remain carved across the alter's surface suggests a formidable power was once laid to rest here, but any traces of such an artifact have long since disappeared.



I wish I had a better screencap of this. It's only a small part of the map, which uses ForeverZero's Ccoa Advanced Weather Script edit to produce a light rain of leaves as the player goes deeper into the woods. This combines with a series of events that slowly change the screen tone towards grayscale as the player approaches the shrine, resulting in a very eery, but tranquil effect.

City in the Sky - A strong atmospheric piece featuring synthetic pads, harp background and piano melody. ~40% complete.

Spoiler: ShowHide

In a long-forgotten age, there existed a powerful civilization that was capable of building their empire in the very heavens. A great tragedy strikes this celestial capital, rendering it forever frozen in time.

Sorry, no screenshot yet. This is an extremely important and emotional part of the game for several of the characters, and I'm still working on a tileset that will bring this environment to life the way I want it to.

Call to Arms - Orchestral battle theme with some heavy percussion impacts. A bit lighter than Lightning Assault. ~80% complete. Updated!

Spoiler: ShowHide

The other main battle track for the DSC project. Call to Arms is the "main battle theme" of the game, while Lightning Assault is used for certain story-important fights and possibly bosses.

Since it's a battle theme, I suppose it's only fitting that I give it screenshot of the combat engine in action. I'll update this description with a spoiler photo very soon!

...More to come later.

Please feel free to post any constructive criticism you have! I'm in this to improve; be ruthless if you need to. If you can't think of a way to improve one of the songs, let me know what you think sounds "off" about it. Specifics are fantastic, and I will not be offended by genuine criticism. "The song is terrible." Doesn't really help me improve. "The trumpets are terrible." or "The middle part feels off to me" gives me something specific to look at, so I can try and improve the piece. Thanks, and enjoy!

Edit: April 8th, added a new demo track: "Call to Arms."