Time for another BBI update, keitai-style. (So brace yourself for plenty of typos and examples of horrifying grammar. ^^) As I said previously, I am currently away, hence the lack of updates and the fact that this one is coming to you from my phone. I should return on Tuesday, so don't expect any major updates until then.

I am currently enjoying my week away from the 'net and work, spending time with my family and so on. It's made a nice change from the particularly hectic period that was the past few months. In fact, this is the first time I've been able to properly relax for over 6 months, so I plan on enjoying it. This evening, I'm off to Windsor to listen to a musical recital in which my cousin is performing. Not normally my cup of tea, but I'm going along to lend my support. Besides, she is enormously (annoyingly?) talented, so it will likely be an enjoyable evening.

Anyway, enough about SoZ. It would seem that while I was away, BBI saw its 1000th visit. Thank you to everyone who has visited BBI over the past 3 months. I think 1000 visits for a site with no real content is pretty good going. ^^;; And a special thank you to Yuriko who both pointed out to me the visit count and drew a nice picture to commemorate the event (which I will try to post here later with her permission). Regarding the (lack of) content situation, I have plans for a few new additions now that I have a little more time to work on the site. The oft promised shopping guide is still not quite ready though (gomen).

In other news, the iRO beta programme has finally come to an end. As of next month, the game will become a paid subscription service. As with the transition from closed to open beta, characters and stats will be moved to the new system intact. However, players will be pleased to hear that this time, items and equipment will also be retained. When paying by credit card, subscription costs around $10 per month, which I feel is quite reasonable for a service of this type. (The exact cost depends on the length of subscription. For credit card payments: 1m $12, 3m $32, 6m $57) Gravity will begin accepting payments from tomorrow. I have decided to continue playing, an experience which I hope will prove much more enjoyable with the much lower user-to-server ratio promised with the subscription service.

Right, thats all from me for now you'll be glad to hear. Ja ne.

I'm tired again. Not the kind of tiredness brought on by lack of sleep but the work/stress-related one that makes you wish you could just vanish for a couple of weeks and hopefully come back feeling refreshed and bouncy. I'm looking forward to meeting up with friends tomorrow and over the next weekend, which should help to lift my spirits. The long-awaited Colindale shop will doubtless help too. I should also add, before I go on, that I will be away-ish over the next week or so. If anything of note happens, I may update BBI, but otherwise it will probably be quite quiet.

Something occured to me the other day - I haven't been gaming much recently. In fact, over this last year, I seem to have been neglecting games somewhat. It's only recently, with the acquisition of a Playstation and the launch of the iRO open beta that I've rediscovered gaming. The screenshot on the left is from Moon Stone's Ashita Deatta Shoujo released on May 30th. Unfortunately, it's rather too ecchi for my taste, but the art is cute and the production values are quite high. I suppose one of the reasons this game appealed to me is that it is in the visual novel format I love so much. This allows for far more detailed, fluid storytelling than a 'standard' renai sim with a text window at the bottom - see any of the Leaf VN games for a good example of a visual novel. All of the characters' lines are fully voiced and the music is also above par for a renai game. There are a couple of demo versions out there for the curious. The official demo can be downloaded from various sites on the download page. Another, more modem-friendly demo can be found at Colorful PureGirl.

Well, SoZworld is fairly dull at the moment - even more so as I've just got back, looked at the IRC channel and discovered that everyone went to bed 10 minutes ago. T_T

Anyhow, I thought I'd bring news of the new Leaf games that were announced last month. Technically, only one of the games is truly "new" as the other two are new versions of old classics. I'll start with the new title first - Tenshi no Inai 12-getsu, due for release in July. I can't say too much about this game since detailed information is still a little hard to come by. Visually, it's all you would expect from leaf. The character designs are cute (almost Key-like in a way - not quite as radically different as those in Routes though) and well drawn. The story promises to be reasonably engaging, but I'm unsure if it will prove more ecchi than more light-hearted Leaf games such as To Heart and Comic Party. The advertisements I have seen so far do suggest this may be the case. It's hard to draw any firm conclusions at this stage, but I will try to keep you informed as information becomes available to me.

The other two games Leaf has in store for us are what many people have been awaiting for quite some time. These are Comic Party DCE and To Heart PSE, the PC ports of the Dreamcast (Comipa) and Playstation (To Heart) versions of these games. As you may know, these two games were originally released on the PC and were adult titles (although refreshingly, the adult parts were infrequent and never got in the way of the story). Later, as Aquaplus grew and developed, these two classic Leaf games were chosen to be ported for a console release. Perhaps "port" isn't a strong enough word. The games were entirely remade from the ground up. New graphics, new sound, new story (non-H, since these games were intended to be suitable for all ages). Now, these games are being ported back to the PC so we can enjoy the new graphics, minigames and other extras we didn't get the first time around. Plus, we get the console versions of the stories, free of the adult scenes of the originals. While I would love to get my hands on these games, there's still something about the original PC versions that makes me feel nostalgic - the 8-bit VGA graphics, the nice cardboard boxes covered with cute art (none of these cheap DVD cases PC games seem to ship in now). Perhaps Key will also take the initiative and decide to convert a console version of Kanon back to the PC. While there was a PC rerelease of Kanon (which removed the one or two H scenes present in the original), the character voices were only added in the DC and PS2 releases. Key isn't really in anyone's good books at the moment though, with the continued delays on Clannad and their unwillingness to divulge any more information concerning possible release dates. Anyway, I'm rambling. Comic Party DCE will be released on May 30th. To Heart PSE will follow shortly afterwards on June 27th. Both games will be shipped in regular and limited editions (which include a collectable phonecard).

Sorry for the lack of updates. When the powers of work and Ragnarok combine, it would appear that I don't have much time left to devote to website updating.

Regarding iRO, I'm still enjoying the game, although I won't be posting any more playdiary-type things here. Instead, they have been relocated to a new temporary home at ITP Online while the main site is being worked on. The game is going well now, although levelling up is proving a challenge.

I don't have much else to say, so I will bore you with random news that you probably already knew and comments you didn't want to hear. I'll start with Atelier Violet, the latest instalment in Gust's ongoing series of RPG fun continuing the adventures in alchemy in the land of Gramnad. Fans of Jun Futaba's fantastic character illustrations will be pleased to hear that he is once again responsible for the game's character designs. If we're lucky, we may even see another Gust Illustrations artbook featuring his work, similar to the one released around the time of Atelier Judie. For those with the bandwidth, the opening is available to download from the site. Atelier Violet will be released for the PS2 on the 26th of June.

Fans of Ragnarok Online (and MMORPG fans in general) should keep an eye on the continuing development of Nexon's Asgard. Since the game is currently in the beta stage and the (469MB) client is freely available to download, it is hard not to draw a comparison with that other popular MMORPG at the moment. Although the new version of the client has been sitting on my hard disk for a while now, I still haven't got around to looking at it due to a lack of time. At first glance, it's not quite up to Ragnarok Online standard (RO is the clear winner in the graphics department with its 3D terrain rendering). However, for true MMORPG fans who can see past the eye candy, I think you'll find a game you can enjoy. I will endeavour to give it a test play at some point, but in the meantime, Softbank Games has a nice overview of the game if you'd like to learn more.

Finally, I'll leave you with some random news from The Register that I found interesting. There have been a number of recent successful attempts to bypass the security/identification devices that governments hope will one day enter everyday use - smartcards, finger print scanners, etc. The techniques used to fool these systems are noteworthy because of their sheer simplicity and highlight the fact that smartcards and biometric identification technologies still have a long way to go. So, from The Register this week, we have hacking with light bulbs, hacking with Gummi Bears and hacking with marker pens. Okay, so the last one doesn't really have anything to do with personal identification, but I enjoy posting anything that spites the RIAA. Besides, if the Mac-eating Key2Audio CD corruption becomes more widespread, I think consumers are well within their rights to protect themselves and their equipment from harm. First there was the planting of viruses on filesharing networks and now this. The RIAA has never been in the business of making friends, but this is starting to get ridiculous.

Time for another not-a-playdiary update. ^^ A fair bit has happened since the last one, so I'll try and cover the main events briefly. Also, you'll be pleased to hear I've cut back on screenshots... a little.

After becoming an archer, AzieƖ continued to level up in and around Payon. After a while I decided it was time to take AzieƖ out past the newbie area (Pay_fild01) to see how she could manage. In doing so, I discovered a new area to level up in (Pay_fild02). This is south of Payon and is home to a large wolf population - a reason I had avoided it in the past. However, wolves are harmless unless provoked. Since many newbies stick to the starting map for leveling up, the monster to player ratio here was much higher making leveling up a far easier task.

After that initial success in venturing further afield, I decided to attempt the trek to the neighbouring port town of Alberta. This turned out to be a fairly enjoyable trek through fairly easy country, with interesting scenery and new monsters to square up against. Alberta itself turned out to be quite a pleasant town, but lacked the vibrant feel of Payon. This was partly due to it's overwhelming lack of population. It would seem that merchant is not a common profession. On the way back to Payon, AzieƖ was savagely attacked by a pack of wolves. As a result, she now keeps at least one teleport item on her at all times. -_-;;

Forgetting the incident with the wolves, I was encouraged by these successes in adventuring to continue journeying to new areas. The next I discovered was a great area for leveling up, just south west of Alberta. There were no wolves to worry about, but there were plenty of spores, allowing AzieƖ to level up much faster and in relative safety. Unlike wolves which hunt in packs (attack one and any others in the vicinity will come to its aid), spores will happily sit around watching while you slay one of their ilk.

AzieƖ has improved considerably and is now level 25/19. Her archery skills are also reasonably impressive as her range and aim now allow her to attack monsters some distance away and even fire down on monsters from safe positions.

There have been many other interesting happenings along the way, but I am sure you're not all that interested and I don't really have time to list them all. As usual, I will leave you with a few screenshots.

	A Yoyo appeared in Payon and went on a brief killing spree before it was taken out by a group effort. Afterwards, we had a game of musical corpses.
	Outside the Merchants' Guild office in Alberta.
	Onboard a ship docked at Alberta.
	The bustling centre of Alberta...
	Falling prey to a pack of wolves on the way back from Alberta.
	A hunter! And the Payon blockade.
	AzieƖ's first wolf!
	En route to level up.
	The leveling up continues.

No SoZ updates so I'll cut to the chase and continue with AzieƖ's Ragnarok Online pseudo-playdiary. ^^

AzieƖ is continuing to enjoy life in Payon. It's a warm forest area in the South East of Rune-Midgard and an attractive environment in which to learn the ways of Ragnarok.

AzieƖ has now completed her basic training, and after a small quest was accepted into the Archers' Guild. She is now well on her way to mastering the bow, although she was sorry to say goodbye to the sword she had loved and spent time and money upgrading. She is currently a level 8 Archer (character level 14) and is learning both the Double Strafe and Arrow Shower offensive skills. My eventual aim is to convert her job from Archer to Hunter (an extension of the basic Archer job type).

I still haven't plucked up the courage to take her far beyond the outskirts of Payon and the "noob" forest area to the south of the town. On the one occasion I did venture into a wilderness area, I stepped out from the map teleport point to see three foolhardy adventurers being shredded by a pack of wolves. The wolves made quick work of the players and then turned their attention towards the newbie. Needless to say, I dived headfirst into the teleport point without waiting to see what might happen.

I also had first hand experience of 'MMORPG sexual harassment' today. A number of female players of other MMORPGs have commented in the past that they often find themselves on the receiving end of crude comments and unwanted attention from male players. If I really want to know what other people think of my "ass", I will ask them, thank you very much.

Onto the screenshots!

	AzieƖ resting by a tree, admiring a curious Willow. Unfortunately, the fact that the Willow was preoccupied meant that its attention was distracted from the sword-wielding youth who entered the picture from the left about five seconds later and reduced it to firewood.
	This character (the girl with the bow in her hair on the right of the picture) caught my attention and was also subject to a brief stint of stalking. She carried no weapons and was enormously strong in hand-to-hand combat.
	Level up! AzieƖ reaches level 10.
	A Fabre about to be minced by this adventuring duo.
	This is the commercial centre of Payon holding a number of stores including those of the all important weapon and armour merchants. Note the merchant with cart. The smiley mask he's wearing is part of an event currently underway in Payon in an attempt to "boost the happiness" of the residents of the town. In addition to looking ugly, it also acts as a defensive item.
	The Engrish in the game isn't too bad. Actually, it's a darn sight better than the majority of those players for whom I know English is their first language. Still, the NPCs can amuse at times. ^^ Not only is Granny perverted, she's apparently blind as well - AzieƖ wasn't a "young man" the last time she checked.
	At the Archers' Guild after being accepted as an Archer and where I received my bow and fetching blue tunic.
	On the grass outside the Archers' Guild, equipping my new bow and arrows.
	Double Strafe, my first special offensive skill. This unsuspecting Willow is about to get a nasty surprise.
	I'm not sure how, but a Golem somehow found it's way to the centre of Payon where it started to wreak havoc. Although predominantly a newbieville, the centre of Payon sees quite a few high-level travellers passing though who were happy to assist. Everyone who could fight chipped in and eventually we beat it. =^^=
	And now, a few of the sights of Payon. These are the steps leading up from the main driveway to the courtyard of Payon Castle, home to the Chief of the town.
	Another view looking towards the bridge. AzieƖ is seated on the bank behind the pub.
	On the road to the Archers' Guild.
	In the woodland to the north of Payon, near to the Archers' Guild. The global messages from the OPs relate to a couple of unscheduled restarts of servers on the Loki and Chaos networks. The RO staff seem friendly, polite and give everyone plenty of warning of impending shutdowns.
	A raised area of open land near the Guild, used mainly as a meeting place. The kit shop is to the left and just off the edge of the screen is the entrance to the Payon caves.
	The approach to the plateau mentioned above.
	After discovering that my bandana was no longer effective as a defensive item at my level, I traded it in for a nice blue ribbon which has a small amount of magic defense. Here's AzieƖ showing it off.
	The centre of Payon during a slightly busier period.

Hmm... maybe I overdid the screenshots a little...

This is it. The end of real life as I know it.

Yes, I finally got my sticky mitts on the International Ragnarok Online client. The download completed at about 4am this morning and I rushed to get it installed as fast as my ATA-133 IDE interface would allow. A couple of minutes later and I was ready to play.

Since I had specified in my profile that I was female, I had to choose a female character. (I have a strange subconscious thing at work in my head that makes me play female characters in most games, probably because in many RPG/adventures, the story often makes them out to be less aggressive than their male counterparts, so I feel closer to the characters. That's the best explanation I can come up with for my strange behaviour so far.) Anyway, I chose "generic female character" with "ponytail" and "red hair" - your initial character customisation choices are quite limited. For stats placement, I tried to balance out everything fairly evenly so as to be as versatile as possible until I have a feel for the game.

Upon entering the game, you must undergo a three stage training process which serves to introduce the player to Ragnarok. This takes about half an hour if you do it properly, after which you are let loose in the Ragnarok world. The final part of the training is a personality test to gauge which job you are most suited to. It determined that I would be idealy suited as an archer, which is the path I eventually chose.

So AzieƖ (for that is the name of my character) is now building up the experience she needs in order to apply to become an archer at the Archers' Guild in Payon. This is achieved through the mindless slaughter of small woodland creatures. I have only died twice so far, although embarrassingly, both times at the hands (paws) of Pythonesque killer rabbit-like-creatures (somewhat aptly called Lunatics). Now that I have purchased a Big Sword™ and have a little more HP, I am taking my revenge on the rabbit population of Payon. I think that's all I can say for now. I'll leave you with a few screenshots I snapped this morning. Hopefully I'll be back in a couple of years... ^^

Nooo... I've now finished all eight episodes of Moerin that have been released to the world so far. Not one cliffhanger in the entire series, apart from episode 8. >_< What perils await Moerin on her journey? Will Moerin-tachi be able to rescue Aoi-chan from the clutches of the evil quizmaster of "Who Wants To Be A Moe-onaire"? (groan) Will the needless fanservice ever stop? Why am I playing this game?

I am now wasting time fiddling with Densha De Go 2 while waiting for the Ragnarok Online English language client to bittorrent its way to me. As well as discovering that I should never, ever be put in control of several hundred tons of locomotive, I have also had a little time to work on the Osaka shopping guide, pushing it ever closer to completion. I'll start on the maps soon in anticipation of a possible upload towards the end of May.