Thursday, May 23, 2019

Esports: - MSSA's Annual South African Schools National Championships - 15 & 16 June 2019

Which school teams will walk away with the titles at MSSA's 2019 Annual South African Schools National LAN Championships?

Registrations are now open for MSSA's Annual South African Schools National LAN Championships.

Registrations will close on the 31 May 2019.

Late entries will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.

Championship Details:

Host Club: Fakkel School of Skills, 20 Jan Smuts Ave., Sasolburg

Date: 15 & 16 June 2019

Entry Fees: R34.00 per Registered Player per Period

Computers: Bring your own. Please ensure that all game updates are done prior to arrival.

Schedule: The LAN Schedule for all 2019 is:

SATURDAY:
Time	Paladins PC/PS4	FIFA'19	PES mobile	Clash Royal
09H00	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts
09H45	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues
10H30	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts
11H15	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues
12H00	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts
12H45	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues
13H00	LUNCH
Time	Paladins (continued)	FIFA'19 (continued)	PES mobile (continued)	Clash Royal (continued)
14H00	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts
14H45	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues
15H30	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts
16H15	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues
17H00
18H00	Awards Ceremony
19H00	Doors Close
SUNDAY:
Time	Counter Strike	League of Legends (LoL)	Dota 2	Hearthstone	Street Fighter V
09H00	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts	Round 1 Starts
09H45	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues	Round 1 Continues
10H30	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts	Round 2 Starts
11H15	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues	Round 2 Continues
12H00	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts	Round 3 Starts
12H45	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues	Round 3 Continues
13H00	LUNCH
Time	Counter Strike (continued)	LoL (continued)	Dota 2 (continued)	Hearthstone (continued)	Street Fighter V (continued
14H00	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts	Round 4 Starts
14H45	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues	Round 4 Continues
15H30	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts	Round 5 Starts
16H15	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues	Round 5 Continues
17H00
18H00	Awards Ceremony
19H00	Doors Close

In keeping with Mind Sport South Africa's policies re development programmes, entries are free and gratis to registered players who are unable to afford to enter such championships should the member club formally request assistance. Such applications must be directed to the MSSA at: e-mail: mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com

Players who are registered with any school may participate.

Players are reminded that the majority choice of rules as at the closing date for entries shall be used.

Entry fees can be deposited directly into Mind Sports South Africa's account, held at ABSA Bank, account number, 90 4766 7676.

No entries shall be accepted without MSSA having received proof of payment.

All entries must be entered onto the entry form that may be downloaded from https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VEYdTjmTj6FvqNDftSz9QdAYsiOiRaaI7EUY_rKxDUI/edit#gid=0

Schools that require accommodation must please read: Sasolburg achieves another first in 2018 .

The following Medals may be awarded at MSSA's 2018 Annual SA School National Championships:

HIGH SCHOOL (FEMALE): Medals shall be awarded to the first three high school scholars.
PRIMARY SCHOOL (FEMALE): Medals shall be awarded to the first three high school scholars.
HIGH SCHOOL (MALE): Medals shall be awarded to the first three high school scholars.
PRIMARY SCHOOL (MALE): Medals shall be awarded to the first three high school scholars.

Colours and National Team Trials:

National Colours: All Players who win all of their Matches at MSSA's 2018 Annual SA School National Championships will earn National Colours.
Provincial Colours: All Players who score within the top 50% in a specific Period at a Provincial Championship, and who also score within the top 50% at MSSA's 2018 Annual SA School National Championships in the same period and in the same year, shall earn Provincial Colours.
National Team Trials: All Players that score within the top 20% or top three places, whichever is greater, in a specific Period at a Provincial or National Championship will earn an invitation to National Team Trials. National Team Trials shall be held in the event that a National Team must be selected to represent South Africa when competing in such Period in an International Championship.

PUBG VS FORTNITE! Which One Is Better?

PUBG VS FORTNITE has been a trending topic nowadays. To find out the winner click the 'Read more' option.

PUBG and FORTNITE both are online shooter games. Many arguments are arising among players choosing the better game among both. So here we created a difference between them. We hope you enjoy it :

1. WEAPONS :

In PUBG there is a high variety of weapons and items(including clothes etc.) available in PUBG crates. For each ammo type of a weapon class, you just have to cross your fingers that your gun has a decent scope.

In Fortnite, the weapons are very different and much more accessible than that of PUBG. Fortnite has a color indicated rarity system in their guns as grey, green, blue, purple, and orange standing for common, uncommon, rare, epic and legendary respectively.

Combining both we can say that if you are new to shooters then Fortnite game might be the better one to try first.

PUBG vs Fortnite guns

2.GRAPHICS :

These two games have totally different graphical style. Fortnite is better looking and more animated while Player Unknown's Battleground looks more realistic. Also, the color in Fortnite is more vivid and clear than its counterpart. Fortnite might look more appealing but who wins out in the war of Fortnite and PUBG graphics stakes really depend on personal judgement.

Pubg vs fortnite graphics

3.MAPS :

The maps in PUBG are more in number in Fortnite. And players in PUBG need to use vehicles to move through the islands. Fortnite has also decided to expand and improve its existing map. Fortnite's developers have said that more maps will be added to the game in the future. But for now, we can arrive at the decision that maps of PUBG are better than that of Fortnite.

Pubg vs fortnite map

4. PLATFORMS :

PUBG can be enjoyed in the following platforms-
Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Android, iOS & PlayStation

Whereas Fortnite can be played in-
Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS & Android.

Pubg vs fortnite platforms

N.B - The above data has been taken from WIKIPEDIA.
(PUBG, Fortnite)

It is a time-wasting topic to decide which game is better. Some like PUBG whereas some like Fortnite. We should stop arguing and enjoy both games.

Well, it is my opinion. If your opinion is different or you agree with my opinion please let me know in the comments section below.

Well, Hello There.....

Those of you that have been around from the pre-Kickstarter days remember a time where I was very open in my communications, where my interactions were FAR more timely and personal.

Involving other companies in that flow complicated things on my end quite a bit. I had a few very heated conversations over various issues concerning what could or should be said. For right or wrong, this changed my way of interfacing with all of you, and IMO, not for the better. But such is the reality of having partners… You need to keep that relationship working and healthy, and there are times you will not agree, and times where you cannot discuss what you would like to with your customers. No this is not turning into a 'tell all story' I am simply saying that I miss the days where I felt as if I were part of the community and that I could just let information flow and get feedback from all of you on a kit or a direction or a specific item.

I think it fair to say that WGF and I are not doing much business together, the agreement we had ended when I took distribution over, this changed the responsibility's and payment scheme. We worked out a verbal understanding of how much I would send them for each sale after expenses and we have had very little contact since the transfer, it did not end badly, just faded into me sending commission payments and not much ell's. I will simply leave it at this; I am and will forever be grateful for the opportunity Wai Kee and WGF provided me, having the opportunity to have 30 plastic kits produced was an amazing, frightening and monumental experience.

Having changed the nature of that relationship allowed me a little more latitude, but still being in the supply chain, I know that, and public statements may have repercussions for my retail and distribution partners… I cannot tease a kit or ask for feedback if I am not planning of following closely with a release. It would not be irresponsible of me to set them up for questions or expectations when they did not have the answers.

I removed myself from distribution at the end of last year and spend the last couple of months mulling over the next steps. (I will go into that more in the next posts)

All the concerns listed above have pushed me further away than I would have liked and help establish a very poor habit of being tight lipped. Hopefully with this message I can start to break the habit I have developed and get closer to the more open flow of ideas and feedback that I and I am sure, you miss.

I will simply say, all excuses or reasoning aside, I am sorry for not being as transparent as I would like or as communicative as you deserve.

I will be posting much more to my blog as I used to and frequenting old haunts like DAKKA for a more open exchange.

To close this message, I will simply say again, that I apologize for not being here, talking with all of you and hope that if you are still interested, that you comment or follow along as I attempt to return to some facsimile of what I was when I started this creative journey.

Warsaw Pact Reinforcements Arrived

Just in time to hit the battlefield a week or two after the end of our Firestorm Campaign... but they are here.

I just got some air defense systems and some heavy artillery support. The ADA comes in the form of a pair of ZSU-23-4 "Shilkas" and SA-13 "Gopher" missile tracks. The Artillery is a trio (battery) of 2S3 Acacias.

SA-13 "Gopher" (NATO designation)

9K35 Strela-10 (Pact)

2S3 "Acacia"

SO-152 Akatsiya

ZSU-23-4 "Shilka"

Named for the battery of four 23mm cannon... tricksy Russians!

Now if I can just get them painted... but I think I have come across a quick paint solution for Soviet vehicles, which, let's face it, don't have the most difficult paint scheme of solid green. I'm trying it out on some BM-21 Hail MRLS trucks and a battery of Czech DANA SP guns. Wish me luck.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

ALICE: AN INTERACTIVE MUSEUM

Before the influx of multi-media CDs flooded the market, even before Myst or The 7th Guest popularised it, a Japanese computer artist named Haruhiko Shono created a hallucinatory game loosely based on an equally hallucinatory children's book. Originally released in 1991 in Japan and 1994 elsewhere, Alice: An Interactive Museum stands as being one of the most trippy experiences ever put on CD.

Read more »

Something Oddish In Cerulean

Local Cerulean trainers were hosting a tournament of sorts on Nugget Bridge, but by the time I got there the tournament was over. In fact, the tournament was exposed as a recruiting ring for Team Rocket and was overturned by a trainer quite a few years younger than me. Although Team Rocket was gone, the trainers were still there accepting challenges and I took them on one by one without hesitation or incident. After trouncing Wolf and the Nugget Bridge trainers, I was feeling pretty proud of my team and confident in our ability to succeed.
Beyond Nugget Bridge which spans Route 24 was a short hike along Route 25 to the Cerulean Cape. Bill lived out there in a small cottage and welcomed trainers to come visit and discuss all things Pokémon with him. Just west of Nugget Bridge, I caught a second Pidgey whom I named Charlie. He was a bit stronger than Kiwi when we first met, but now that Kiwi had evolved into Pidgeotto, Kiwi was a star member of my team.
League rules dictate that trainers can only carry six Pokémon at a time in Kanto, so Charlie would soon be stored away waiting for his day to train and battle alongside his teammates. The sixth member of the team was about to be Arnold, a small Oddish I caught on Route 25. This tiny little sprout was unexpectedly strong. He single-handedly toppled an Onix in his very first trainer battle on our way to meet Bill. I knew in that moment that he would be a great asset when I went to challenge the Cerulean Gym, which was known for its fierce water-type Pokémon.

When I first met Bill, he was recovering from some rare illness. He assured me it was not contagious, but he was still not feeling quite himself. I could tell he didn't really want to talk about it, so instead I steered the conversation to our absolute favorite topic: Pokémon. Bill is a self-proclaimed PokéManiac and no one has ever really challenged it. His obsession with Pokémon has very few rivals.
Bill is credited with inventing and operating the Pokémon Storage System that was available in Kanto at the time, and that system's descendants are still in use today. At that very moment, Charlie was sitting in a subsection of the Pokémon Storage System that was allotted to me for my own personal Pokémon needs. Much like the Pokédex, this would prove to be an invaluable tool to help me kick start the Pokémon Sanctuary that I run today. It's because of people like Professor Oak and Bill that Kanto was such a tremendous hot spot for aspiring Pokémon trainers back then and is still somewhat of a legendary region to this day.
Bill was delighted at my idea for a Pokémon Sanctuary. He was also interested in my resolve to not let any Pokémon faint in battle. He was shocked I was able to let go of Rascal (Sr.) and Nibbles. I assured him then and I assure you now, it was not easy. It truly broke my heart, but it was an important part of my growth as a trainer. Bill offered to help in any way he could with my project. He also offered to look after or find aspiring new trainers to take care of any future Pokémon I was forced to release by my own personal code. His love for all things Pokémon was abundantly clear.
Bill was eager to show me his favorite Pokémon, one I had never heard of before meeting Bill. He had numerous files on his computer system about the Pokémon Eevee, and Bill had been doing research into its wide variety of evolutions. Bill was a leading expert on the Kanto Evolution Stones which included Moon Stones first found on Mount Moon, as well as Fire, Water, Thunder and Leaf Stones. More would be discovered in time, but these were among the first known to transform certain Pokémon when exposed to their faint light. Bill showed me some pictures and sketches of Flareon, Vaporeon and Jolteon.
Bill and I spent several hours passing the time in conversation, but eventually it was time to head back to Cerulean City to rest up before my gym challenge. I was really happy I had taken the time on my trip to meet Bill and shake his hand. As I said, I couldn't have gotten where I am today without Bill and his amazing work on the Pokémon Storage System.

The day after I met Bill, I challenged Misty at the Cerulean City Pokémon Gym. Unlike my devastating loss to one of Brock's junior trainers, my new friend Arnold made short work of the two trainers in Misty's gym. They simply couldn't hurt him more than his own absorption could repair. All the Pokémon of the Cerulean City Gym were powerless against Arnold's ability to drain their energy and bolster his own.

I was worried about facing Misty. I had been warned that her Starmie was one of the most powerful Pokémon in the region, so I came prepared. After defeating Misty's Staryu efficiently with Arnold, I put her Starmie to sleep with a soothing powder that spreads from Arnold's leaves. Though, Starmie's powerful psychic attacks had the potential to cripple or even knock out Arnold instantly, it simply slept peacefully while Arnold nuzzled up to it and sapped its energy. Misty was soundly defeated and Arnold was the super star of the Cerulean Gym challenge.
It wasn't the most exciting series of battles in Kanto, but sometimes strategy and planning is more important than a fast paced battle of strength and determination. I was lucky to have found such a great Pokémon like Arnold just a day or two before challenging a tough gym leader like Misty.

Current Team:
Attacks in Blue are recently learned.

Bill's Storage: Charlie (Pidgey)

Monday, April 1, 2019