I was thinking recently, and seeing a LOT of videos of Lemmings, people posting Custom levels with thousands of views and comments asking how to play these levels and/or create levels of their own... and...

I mean, one of the people I subscribe to for general video game related played just now recently started and appears to have no desire to stop a full Gold run of Lemmings 2.... (YouTube account is ZetaPlays, for the curious, I mean yea he admits to when he gives up and consults a walkthrough, but someone who is basically making it a goal to play all NES, SNES, and Genesis games of all languages giving L2 the full completionist playthrough treatment literally as I speak should give you an idea of how underexposed Lemmings and the IRS genre is.)

So, what I'm saying is, there's a much, MUCH bigger demand for this game, its expansion packs, and the multiplayer support than any central focal point can understand. And, there's the pretty well playable game, and a lot of single player packs from the nostalgic to the reasonable to the Hopeless for these potential players to play, if only they knew Lix existed.

So, how do we showcase this work to all those who don't really remember the game now but would see this for 2 seconds and go "Awww yeah, Lemmings was a pretty sweet game, I should totally nostalgia trip and play this remake (on YouTube)" and then realise (and make a couple dozen followers also realise) that this project is amazing?

So, last Thursday started like most other Thursdays in the last couple months. Get up at stupid'o'clock for work, take an unnecessarily long shower, prepare myself for work, leave the house 5 minutes later than expected, and compensate by taking the literal shortest route to work to get there on time. This route involves traveling for about 4 miles on a multi-lane expressway, 80/94 on the Illinois/Indiana border.

For those unfamiliar with American highways of this sort, 80/94 is a 5 lane highway where the "slow" lane on the far right has people going about 20% over the speed limit, and the left lane runs at about 30-40% faster. I am in the second to right most lane, going about 70 mph/110 kmph passing along the right hand side of a semi-truck which is going slightly slower.

All of the sudden, the semi-truck driver flips his right-turn signal and immediately goes back to fanning starts to change into the lane on his right. If you've been paying attention, you'll note that this lane is not exactly empty (that is to say, there is now a semi-truck that is very content with ramming the left side of my car). As luck would have it, I notice this and have juuuuuuuuuust enough time to merge into the rightmost lane to avoid this truck. I, unfortunately, do not have enough time to actually see if there's any cars in the rightmost lane right next to me which may make a lane change fairly difficult.

It of course goes without saying that there is a car exactly alongside me on the right when I try to make this lane change, and since I do not have a magical transmuting car that passes through solid objects, I hit this car and can't make the lane change. I have just enough time to swear about getting into the third car accident this month and fourth in three months and make the odd observation that the car I hit is speeding away instead of stopping (when the accident is not at all his fault) before I learn that the semi-truck STILL is insistent on getting into my lane at all cost, first slamming the front end of my car merging, spinning the rear driver's side end into the truck bed, and causing my car to immediately begin a very hard right hand turn into a solid concrete wall.

Fortunately, I recognise that things have officially gotten real and very reflexively jerk the wheel hard left while hard braking. The car skids nearly parallel to the lanes for a couple seconds before friction does its thing and forces the car towards the wall uncontrollably. Luckily, I kept the car in this state just long enough for the collision with the wall to be angular instead of direct, causing me to spin 540 degrees back into the highway and come to a full stop in the center of the rightmost lane. Fortunately, that extra half rotation causes the driver's side door to align nicely with the shoulder, and the driver's side door was the one door not damaged in the crash, so I was able to abandon the car quickly and run into the shoulder. My immediate thought at this point is "wow, I can actually still run after that?!"

My next immediate observation is the shards of broken windshield everywhere, and the stuffed fish I had in the back seat being... unsettlingly far away from the crash site, having been thrown out the rear windshield. I immediately call my parents at work to tell them what happened, which was great when the loud noises of passing traffic drowned out everything from the other end and I couldn't hear anything, while my parents got such awesome lines as "I totaled the car" and "you almost f___ing killed me" (directed at the truck driver who had just walked over to the crash site at the time).

Now, imagine you're a truck driver who has just been in an accident, and you see a mangled car leaking all kinds of fluids and a panicked guy on the phone who may or may not have serious injuries standing next to it. What is the first thing you say to this person? If your answer was similar to "There's really no way that could've been avoided," and to walk away back to your truck, then you may have a future career as a truck driver. You may also be lacking a soul, but thems the breaks.

At this point I notice emergency crews closing the right lane, a tow truck approaching, and a car on the shoulder that appears undamaged with someone standing next to him. I approach the man and he immediately asks if I'm hurt, and tells me he saw everything that happened in the accident and stopped to see if everything was ok. After a short talk the first police arrive at the scene. I give them my information, in the meantime the witness explains to the police what happened. Afterwards, I hop into the passenger side of the police car to give my side of what happened and to actually explain this to my parents, since I now can actually hear them and they're in complete hysterics over what they overheard in the first call.

About 50 feet in front of the crash, on the Illinois/Indiana border, there is an electronic sign. It flashed the message "195 traffic deaths in Illinois this year | buckle up and drive safely." In a bizarre coincidence, 196 is now my least favorite number.

I notice that the truck driver doesn't even seem to notice or care that there was a 3rd party witness, but is already telling the police about how my negligence damaged the cab of his truck (hint: I didn't even so much as touch the cab of his truck). I overhear that he's driving on a suspended license. Spiffy. Right before the officer went to drop me off at a local Burger King to meet up with my parents, he tells me he needs to issue a citation to the truck driver first. He does this, heads back in the car, and takes me to Burger King.

I get to Burger King, and it's about at this very point where the gravity of what just happened hits me like, well, an irresponsible semi-truck driver. Sentences start to become very difficult to form, and my mind immediately does its best to run a stochastic analysis of the probability of me being dead right now (I estimate it at about 30%). Either way, I get picked up, and stay home from work that day because I'm pretty much freaking out at this point.

The very next day we get a letter in the mail stating that the driver is suing us for damages to his truck, postmarked THE DATE OF THE ACCIDENT. I mean, wow, really? As for me, my right hand was a bit sore the day of the accident, but it stopped that night and I was able to go to work and do my job which involves a lot of writing with no problems.

Long story short, the truck driver was obviously found at fault, the car was totaled, and I actually got a higher than expected amount from the insurer for it. For reference, here's pictures of the car (attached). Remember: I was not injured in any way whatsoever.

I attribute me surviving this accident to either the amazing reflexes I gained from playing way too many video games, or picking the best time ever to throw a natural 20. Either way, I'm both happily alive, and a gigantic nerd.

So, yea, near-death experiences. Anyone have any?

So I received an offer from someone online to write a 1000+ word article on the topic "motorcycle tent camping tips." I'd be remunerated $1.50 for this article. I jumped at this opportunity, but I want to make sure the article is good enough before I send it in. It's weird to ask for such things, I know, but your advice would be much obliged.

The new and exciting sport of motorcycle tent camping has exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. There are many reasons to be enthralled by motorcycle tent camping: for one, it provides all the exhilaration of motorcycle riding with the outdoorsy, family fun of camping in a tent. However, there are many things one must know before diving into the sport. As a semi-professional motorcycle tent camper myself, I hope to both pass on my experiences from my 2 and a half years of experience, and get all of the readers of this article hooked on this high-speed sensation that's sweeping the nation.

First of all, you will, of course, need a motorcycle and a tent. If you already have a motorcycle, great! One of the major barriers to beginning your motorcycle tent camping adventure is the cost of a motorcycle. If you are just starting out, I'd recommend the Kawasaki KX250F. It's economical, and provides the right balance of control and speed for the novice motorcycle tent camper. I personally use the Kawasaki KX450F, as it's a fair bit bigger; I'd recommend upgrading once you get your road-camping wings. The difference in speed will be noticeable and once you get the tent setup that is right for you you'll be flying across the country. I'd not recommend Harley-Davidson cycles (though if you already own one it's ok to use them), as their design can lead to problematic aerodynamics.

Quite a few more people own tents; however, that dusty old tent you have kept in your garage will be a very poor choice, and I'd recommend buying a new one even if you own one. In fact, if you use an old tent that you've all but discarded, veteran motorcycle tent campers will ridicule you. We even have a term for people who do this: "Garagers." If you don't want to be a Garager, you'll want to get a new tent. Tent selection is very heavily based on both the cycle you use and your own personal body features. The larger you are, and the larger your bike, the larger the tent I'd recommend. For a normal-sized person on the KX250F, a good starting choice is the Coleman Hooligan 2. It's reasonably sized for good speed and control but not so small as to make your bike overshadow your tent. It's also very reasonably priced. More advanced motorcycle tent campers may wish to upgrade to the Coleman Helios X2, but this is a bit of an investment. Branching out to other brands may be a good idea; indeed, the tent is arguably the most important aspect to one's enjoyment.

Once you have the right motorcycle and tent combination, you can get on the road and begin your adventure! For beginners, I'd recommend starting with just the motorcycle tent, and incorporate the camping later (I was a motorcycle tenter myself when starting out. It's not a bad thing). Figuring out how your motorcycle and tent interact with each other is integral to ensure your safety once you incorporate your camping elements. However, once you're on track, you can slowly incorporate beginning camping elements. Don't try anything complex like the bonfire right off the bat; for one, I've seen too many people start it by the gas tank and completely ruin their bikes, or worse... (R.I.P. James) Good starting tricks include singalongs, bug catching (both in the tent and on the front of your bike), and scary stories (there are sidecars for your bike if you want an audience). Once you get more experience, you can incorporate more camping tricks. The number of possibilities is limited only by your imagination!

Of course, for the hardcore motorcycle tent campers out there, there are plenty of chances to show off your new skills. Novices and experts alike can participate in the U.S.M.T.C.A. (US Motorcycle Tent Camping Association) competitions. These competitions are broken into five tiers based on experience, and contain three events: speed, stunt, and freestyle. The speed event is as it sounds; contestants must drive their motorcycle tent camp from one point to a finish as quickly as possible. This is a good starting event, as the camping elements are diminished somewhat. The stunt event focuses very heavily on the camping element, and judges contestants based on the camping tricks and their level of difficulty. I still remember when my idol, "Roadkill Dan" Madson, pulled off the first ever double S'more wheelie in motorcycle tent camping history. I was literally in tears... maybe one day I'll be able to do the same. Maybe... Anyways, the freestyle event is a bit of a combination, where your routine is judged by a panel of experts and the best combination of stunts and speed emerge victorious. Or, at least they would, if not for the "scores for bribes" scandal last October. The freestyle community is still recovering from the tarnish on their reputation. Of course, if competition isn't your thing, the thrill of just being on the road is reward enough.

One of my personal favorite experiences as a motorcycle tent camper was my participation in the annual Mototentcross last year. The Mototentcross is a gathering where recreational and competitive motorcycle tent campers alike get together and ride. There are several different paths of various lengths and difficulties that a rider can embark on. I participated in the grueling cross-country ride, which took me from Ashford, New York, the birthplace of motorcycle tent camping, to Sacramento, California. Even halfway there, I thought I wasn't going to make it all the way; my S'mores were looking lopsided and I could hardly keep up with the endurance experts. Despite this, and an incident in Las Vegas I'd really rather not discuss (I still don't know where my left kidney went), I made it. It was the greatest sense of accomplishment I've ever felt in my life.

So what are you waiting for? Motorcycle tent camping is the outdoor sensation that's sweeping the nation. Don't let your neighbors leave you in the dust. Get in on the action today!

So, now that the school year is over and I managed to somehow pass all my courses despite about 1/10th the work the professors probably expected would be required for a passing mark, I have decided to take my talents in game design and complete lack of talents in artistic ability and make a game using a pre-made engine. I redownloaded RPGMaker and am planning to make a game out of it.

...there's a catch, though. A very interesting twist. During my intense last couple of weeks in college, I discovered this Youtube account. One of his pet projects is to encourage people to make terrible, terrible, RPGs and watch him play them, blind. My personal favorites, and based on the views, the viewers', are in order, Ketchup (the true inspiration for what I'm doing), and Gulpy Gulpy (pretty sure posting a link would violate this site's NSFW rules, so just Youtube search it if you can handle it.

As would be expected, the Muse of terrible gaming forced herself on me a couple days ago. The bastard child: MOST POWERFUL!!!1 -- an intentionally horrible RPG purposefully designed to be awful in every way possible. I plan to send this to Draikyth when it is finished and hope I can get a review in the next 2 years or so (lol WoW), but in the meantime when it is done I will post it here and all the people willing to view a project with mature themes that is a disaster in every sense can try it out. If you played Yoshi's World: the Game!, you'll see what kinds of humor I'm incorporating, but in a somewhat more "mature" sense, and with "Game Over" screens everywhere, instead of only after you press the lead to do something truly stupid..

As the demo ends in a month, I'll post the "finished" version here when it's done. Again, it is "M" (17+) rated, and will likely not be suitable for people of sensitive disposition (if I have to, wrt forum rules, I'll just ask for PMs from people who want it).

But yea, that's my current project. If my work is actually reviewed by the terrible game reviewer, I'll post that here as well.

so I have an avatar I want to use, but it's stretching to the full-possible size for the avatar space, which is a bit annoying and not good looking.

How do I upload the image and have it retain its original dimensions?