For those not aware, there are other emulators out there for the Nintendo 64 apart from Project64, however nearly all of them have been left out in the dust. Over the years many other projects have gotten little attention. This isn’t a big tragedy apart from the fact that Project64 is closed-source, and win32-only (although it does run well in Wine).

The only F/OSS emulator for N64 had always been Mupen64, which was often criticized for being quite a bit less mature than Project64 and some others. In any case, it was in development so we all figured it would ‘get there’ eventually… Until 2005 shortly after the release of version 0.5.1 (win32), when the project just froze. Then 2006 came and went, then 2007… And seemingly no progress was being made. It was a sad state of affairs because Mupen64 was essentially the only hope for Linux users to have a native N64 emulator for their platform.

Now, finally. After a few years, a new team has come together to work on the Mupen64 codebase, they have dubbed their project “Mupen64Plus” (a little generic if you ask me), and they’re hard at work, hacking away. From the little research I’ve done, it would seem the leader (Richard42) of this new project was a long-time contributor to Mupen64, and the original head of the Mupen64 project (Hacktarux) was planning on adding some of Richard’s new work back to the original project. I’m not sure if this merge happened or not, but it seems that on the Mupen64 homepage, the last version is still 0.5.1 for Windows and 0.5 for Linux. So who knows what happened.

I’ve been hanging out in the IRC channel for the new project for a few days now, it’s more of a developer channel, so I’m a bit out of place, even so, I like hanging out, I figure maybe I’ll learn a thing or two from the masters. :)

It seems everything is well underway. Their homepage already has a release, version 1.3, which worked pretty well for me barring a few issues. This is obviously only an initial release, so don’t expect it to be light-years ahead of the original Mupen64, but with time it could evolve to be the best out there. If you have any problems with this release, make sure you file a bug report in the “Issues” section of that page (I filed one for Ogre Battle the other day), developers need info on problems to be able to fix them, and if you’re not a developer, this is the best way to help. Make sure your report is detailed, provide the md5 hash for the rom you’re using, and list which plugins you were using. Trying different settings on the plugins and seeing if there are different results, and adding this info to your bug report(s) can go a long way towards helping along with debugging.

So now we mere mortals can only wait and see how this unfolds, but it definitely looks very promising. A big thank you to all the individuals working on this fork, and keep up the good work. The N64 and Emu fans of the world are all rooting for you! (I’m such a ham…)

A note on closed-source emulators:

I must say I’ll never understand the concept behind the “closed-source emulator”. After all, the philosophy behind the emulation community at large is to make sure that old classic games do not become forgotten or die off just because a console is no longer in widespread use. After all you can only have so many game systems hooked up in your living room at once, and a lot of these old games can often be more fun then many newer titles. To me, a closed-source project is always more vulnerable for many reasons, not only does it not benefit from the open-source “with enough eyes, all bugs are shallow” philosophy, but I would imagine that a closed codebase is easier to attack if you’re a company. Think about UltraHLE and Bleem! back in the day, if they had been Open Source, it would’ve been impossible to stop the code from spreading and evolving. Neither Nintendo nor Sony would have any legal recourse to stop individuals from hacking on the code. If preserving the classics, and making sure they can run on modern platforms is your goal, then opening the code under an OSI-compliant license is the only realistic option to achieve that goal, otherwise companies do have the power to stop you if they choose.

Run Soldier Run is a side-scrolling game of survival.  Missiles and balls drop on you and you have to avoid them and keep your soldiers alive.

http://armorgames.com/play/1535/run-soldier-run

You get more soldiers if you lose them, but you don’t want to lose them.  For the most part keep your soldiers together, especially at the beginning.  The balls always jump the same distance each bounce so use that to anticipate where the ball will land and make sure you don’t have a soldier there.  This prediction becomes vital later in the game.

It’s not that hard, and it’s not that fun, but the soundtrack is great.

The newest game on addictinggames.com is Icescape 2.  Here is the review and walkthrough.

http://www.addictinggames.com/icescape2.html

The whole premise of this game is that it’s a puzzle and you get to click around and find stuff and move.  Then you get to this control panel to open the door you can’t get through, and you’re stuck.  You can’t get out, and the game is over.

It looked pretty good, but it’s way too short.

The playoffs are in the air at SimYard.com, with single elimination wildcard playoffs leading into tomorrow’s quarterfinals. SimYard went live at the beginning of February with the goal of simulating a full season of baseball each month. In February, we have succeeded.

Hundreds of teams were created and thousands of games were played. Fifty-three of those teams made the playoffs. Some of the teams used all their pitchers at the end of the season to get their spot and now face a tired bullpen. There is a lot of excitement in the air.

Every two hours, there’s another round of games. This gives your bullpen a bit of time to rest leading up to a hectic 20 minutes of 48 teams all facing elimination at once in the first round of the playoff wildcard tournament. The top 5 teams get automatic entry to the quarterfinals, guaranteed to have their pitchers rested tomorrow when they start. The next 48 teams have to win four straight to get the same quarterfinal spot.

We’re going to do this every month.

Nothing pisses me off more than paying for something and then getting spammed with ads.  You see this most commonly with television.  I pay like $75 / month for DirecTV, and almost all the channels are loaded with advertisements.  It sickens me.

A couple of people have asked me why I don’t put ads up on SimYard.  (For those of you who don’t know, SimYard is my new fantasy baseball management simulation webgame.)  The answer is, I will be charging next month to join leagues, and I don’t think it’s right to charge money for something and then make more money advertising to those people.  People are going to play my game because it’s fun and it makes them relax, and advertisements steal from that environment.

So, no ads.  That’s the way I like it.  Please, enjoy SimYard, a brand new webgame that has no ads.

If you want to play baseball on the web, there’s only one place to go: SimYard!  SimYard is a new kind of fantasy baseball.  You can sign up and make a team in minutes, and then go into the Public Fields and find an opponent.  The game takes under 20 minutes to play, and you get to choose your lineups and pitching rotation.

If you like webgames, and you like baseball, and you haven’t tried SimYard yet, then go there right now and sign up.  Seriously, you will enjoy this game a lot!

 Slacker 2 (like Slacker 1) is a point and click adventure game. It has a very basic story line, which follows one path. That means, you can’t really get lost in the adventure. You can only get stuck, since nothing advances until you finish the next task. For the getting stuck part - the game itself has tons of hints, which should get you through the game (i’m adding a walkthrough, but hopefully you won’t need it). The graphics are pretty basic - but very cute in my opinion. The game has no replay value - since of all the things mentioned above. The mini-game doesn’t really have any extra value, and actually it’s pretty dumb. Overall, for those of you who like point and click games, and have a couple of minutes to spend, you should check the game out.

 http://www.addictinggames.com/slacker2.html

Walkthrough

1. Go to the bar. Inventory > use the badge. This will blind the bartender and let you click the beer mug. Leave.
2. Go to the gas station.  Inventory > use the mug. Now you have a filled mug. Leave.
3. Go to the back-alley. Inventory > use the mug. Now you have the comb. Take the spray can that sits next to the table. Leave.
4. Go to the arcade. Inventory > use the comb. Now you got tickets! (yey!). Inventory > use the tickets. Now you have the pirate hat (OMG!). Leave.
5. Go to the pawn shop. Inventory > use the pirate hat. You get a dollar bill, and a quarter. Leave the shop.
6. Go to the back-alley. Inventory > use the dollar bill. Now you have the plastic gun. Inventory > combine the spray and the gun. Leave.
7. Go to the bar. Go to the pool table. Inventory > use the quarter. Pick up the glass eye. Back to the bar. Inventory > use the eye. Got an eye-patch. Leave.
8. Go to the pawn shop. Inventory > use the eye-patch. Now you have a mask. Leave.
9. Go to the gas station. Inventory > use the mask, then use the gun.
10. MINI GAME: Click the exclamtion marks on time (on fast computers it might be very quick, but you can retry until you succeed). Take the lottery ticket on the floor to the left.
11. Go to the gas station. Inventory > use the lottery ticket. MONEY! Leave.
12. Go to the back-alley. Inventory > use the money. Now you have the ridiculously expensive cd. Leave.
13. Go to the factory. Inventory > use the cd.
14. MINI GAME: Click the exclamtion marks on time (on fast computers it might be very quick, but you can retry until you succeed). Press one of the buttons.

And you’re done!

Doron.

Now that football is over, turn your attention to baseball, and join the brand new fantasy baseball management simulator, SimYard! Own your own team and make your own lineup decisions. Choose your opponent and the starting pitcher. You call the shots. You own the team.

http://www.simyard.com/

Features:

- Create your own team, choose your name, colors, and logo.
- Recruit and dismiss players as you choose.
- You create the lineups and the pitching rotations.
- Play live games against other players.
- New season every month, ending in a huge tournament.

Sound like fun?

http://www.simyard.com/

It’s free, so try it out!

This weekend, I launched my new webgame: SimYard. It is a brand new type of webgame, allowing you to play live games in real-time against internet opponents. You choose your lineup and the starting pitcher. You can call for subs during the game. Your pitchers get tired, and you have to rotate your starters and your bullpen.

You get extra players on your team by interacting with people at the park. You can use this to raise Buzz for your team also, which results in more fans being generated if you win. The more fans you have for your team, the more money you can make once the leagues start next month. The more money you can make, the more money you can bid on players, and the better team you can put together.

Each month will bring a new season, and new growth to SimYard. The game will grow and change along with the players and the seasons. Join now and help to write a new fantasy baseball history!

The funny quiz (highly impossible quiz), an imitation of the original impossible quiz is really nothing new in this popular quiz trend. Here is a complete walkthrough - with explanations and comments

the question numbers get messed up during the quiz, but that’s not my fault

http://www.addictinggames.com/thefunnyquiz.html

1. 6 points (touch down, meaning 6 points in football)
2. damnitfilms (how do you spell)
3. N (???) or you can press apple - this will bring you to a screen with 3 apples. yellow will send you to question #37, red to #27, green to #33.
4. a toy (look carefully and see the “made in china”)
5. click the dot in the question number next to the five (it is the smallest)
6. no
7. click the 1 after the the exclamation point (it’s the biggest one (number))
8. click on the question number (7+3-2=8)
9. click on the explosion - second on the left
10. click the pink paint bucket (the color of the word “name”)
11. click the “u” in the question (when you hover the words with your mouse, that’s the secret message)
12. click the blue rectangle (biggest and the green color are suppose to distract you)
13. click continue (red blue yellow blue is for later)
14. click the 39th 39 - the first one in the last row (pick the 39….)
15. questoin 16 (i guess it’s cause you advance to 16)
16. hover the button and then go to where it reappears (it will then disappear but will reappear again when you get to the second position)
17. same as last question
18. click on the words “the answer” (pick the answer, as in the words “the answer”)
19. click the hyperlink on the bottom left corner
20. jaw (words game - chews food)
21. click the first button (when you hover the button you see rainbow colors)
22. smurf - bottom left (this question is written in mirror writing - what animal is blue)
23. click top right button (the arrow points to where you answered in the last question)
24. see picture http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4158/number24oa9.jpg
25. see picture http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3946/number25di2.jpg
26. continue (watch the movie)
27. he slipped on a banana peel (according to the movie)
28. a hamburger and hold the lettuce (according to the movie)
29. japan (serious answer)
30. asia (serious answer)
31. greenland (from the map in last question)
32. red blue yellow blue (from question #13)
33. There is an arrow above the word “button.” mousehover the point the arrows points to. a button will appear, click it. (”the” button)
34. click the first smily - top left button (it’s the one that is IDENTICAL in appearance).
35. Click the “k” in OK, the “i” in winter berry, then the “w” in winter berry, and the “i” in pineapple. Click the kiwi to continue (spelling kiwi).
36. Drag the black square to another location. It reveals a button to click. (do as told)
37. Move the censor bar and click the button. (do as told)
38. Use the arrow keys to move the person (blue circle) to get into the car. drive to the black rectangle at the bottom. (do as told)
click continue (this is to get your mouse out of the screen for the next question).
39. DON’T ENTER THE MAZE! go all the way around and then go to begining and follow the path to the green button -or- click the mouse and hold. go to the green button and release. then click it.
40. drag the question to another spot. Click the button.
41. click the “e” in the word puzzle at the top. (after you put the puzzle together the arrow shows yo need to press on the (e). it’s the “e” in the “solve this puzzle”)
41. Use the arrow keys to move the hook to the shark - just move it straight down. (do as told)
42. just move all the clothes and click the revealed button. (when you dress him, you move all the clothes)
46. go to the end of the brown arrow, and drag the white cover somewhere else. click the revealed button. (you just follow instructions…)
47. click the “.” on “47.” (do as told)
48. type “grapes” below the instructions without the “s (do as told)
49. continue. (it’s a lie, the next screen will be the last one)
50. click on the blue button (drag the black dots at the bottom, and place them corectly on the right shapes)
51. monkey (this is a monkey after all), banana gets you to banana world (yellow to lvl 90, green to lvl 70)
52. click (this is to get your mouse out of the screen for next question)
53. again, you can go through the maze, or simply click and hold the mouse, go to the button, release, and then click it (go through the maze)
54. click the picture of the sea (”s” is replaced by sh, like someone is talking with the tounge up)
55. wait, then click the red button (do as told)
56. click (this is to get your mouse out of the screen for next question)
57. go up, removing your mouse from the screen. go all the way around, and press the button (don’t touch black)
58. click the button 5 times. then click the other button (do as told)
59. FAST! click 2 (1+1=2)
60. FAST! click 3 (2+1=3)
61. FAST! click the bomb (do as told)
63. click (bolony)
64. click (bolony)
65. fatty (that is what the pencil is writing)
66. drag the circle from the question number away, and click the button (to win as O’s, you need a circle)
67. kickflip (that’s what he’s doing)
68. live! (unless you wanna die)
69. press the 9 in the begining (although the real answer is 10, go figure) :-O I-: will get you the secret cartoon
70. no (since the is no “wrong” answer among the answers)
71. yes! (?)
72. click the first button, the one that is the biggest with the “smallest” writing (the instructions address the writing and not the size)
73. my mouse is very clicky (listen to the sound. it keeps clicking)
74. first button on the left (when you hover, it nakes a woop sound)
75. drag the clouds away. click the button (make a full moon)
76. click continue (remember the colors you’ve seen)
76. black blue yellow white red (since you consider the button as well)
76. glass(?)
77. shoot the guy in the head (do as told)
78. shoot the guy in the head (like last question)
79. get in the car and drive to the rectangle. start going forward and slowly press left until you get in direction (do as told)
80. click the button (for next question)
81. use the arrow keys to get to the other red dot (dont move your mouse)
82. click the button (for next question)
83. use the arrow keys to get to the other red dot (dont move your mouse)
84. click the button twice (???)
85. drag the red dot to the ball (they said to make them touch, they didn’t say WHAT to move)
86. click the red dot (???)
87. place the circle around the question number in the right place for the win. click the circle to the middle right (win, and then do as told)
88. click the 1 inside the question number (I is one)
90. type in the letters as told (using your keyboard duh)
91. type in “monkey” (using your keyboard, without the “s of course)
92. click the question number (the question is written backwards - click the 92)
93. drag the or away and click the button (making the sentence to “pretty ugly”, funny stuff)
94. click the button
95. wrong (this is the the word that is spelled “wrong”, funny stuff)
96. click button
97. click the top left button (it’s the one pointing to the lower left button, which was the answer for question #3)
98. race car (???)
99. drag the scoup to the cone. press on the circle around the question number (do as told)
100. click the ! in the “u win!” (that’s what he tells you to do in the very first question).