The Rusted Blade Audio Book Part Two (of Two)-Free

 The Rusted Blade Audio Book Part Two - Free

  

Synopsis:Gail O'Brien hates her life… Working at her dead-end job at the local U-Store-Yer-Stuff, she is tasked with emptying a long forgotten storage unit. Inside she discovers a mystic blade covered in rust and a puzzle which offers her power, truth, purpose, and most importantly a life!
The catch? She only has 24 hours to figure out the clues of the enigmatic poem and restore the blade to its full potential.
Solve the puzzle or die.
Simple terms.

The things she'll have to do to solve the puzzle will test her will and her sanity.

I felt like releasing an audiobook format of The Rusted Blade.  Here's the second part (of two) for you to enjoy.   

If you'd like Podcast:

 

Enjoy!

The Rusted Blade Audio Book Part One - Free

 The Rusted Blade Audio Book Part One - Free

Synopsis:Gail O'Brien hates her life… Working at her dead-end job at the local U-Store-Yer-Stuff, she is tasked with emptying a long forgotten storage unit. Inside she discovers a mystic blade covered in rust and a puzzle which offers her power, truth, purpose, and most importantly a life!
The catch? She only has 24 hours to figure out the clues of the enigmatic poem and restore the blade to its full potential.
Solve the puzzle or die.
Simple terms.

The things she'll have to do to solve the puzzle will test her will and her sanity.

I felt like releasing an audiobook format of The Rusted Blade.  Here's the first part (of two) for you to enjoy.  If you want to get the Audio only for it, just let me know.  

If you'd like Podcast:

 

Enjoy!

StreamTalking.com is a great solution for Live Streamers!

 

 STREAMTALKING.COM - brings sanity to the chaos of Live Stream

One of the problems with doing Live shows is audience participation.  It's not hard to engage them and have conversations, but more a problem with the technology and also audience content cultivation.  

The major problem is LAG... There's latency with live streams and to make it easy to follow, if I ask a question, "What's your favorite color?" It will take a few seconds to get to the viewer and then a few more for them to respond.  In some cases this LAG will be around 21 seconds.  This makes it difficult for a lot of new streamers to work with.

Then add in the problem of streaming to different platforms at the same time.  Some streamers are lucky to have a staff of some sort to moderate and hand pick answers.

Add in the chaotic nature of live chat.  Asking a question where you are trying to do any real data-mining is reduced to a majority answer of "Yes or No"...

That's where StreamTalking.com comes in.  It allows Streamers to ask questions BEFORE the stream and then they can present the results in the live stream.

How do I use it?

With the Real-Time Storytime show, there was a huge time sink in the beginning of the show where users would chat their keyword or phrase and then I had to write it down and have it in a book.  The users couldn't see the list in front of them to remind them.  When I used the keyword or phrase, I would toggle "Keyword Used" on the screen but they had to remember the words.

You can see samples of the recent show submission here: https://streamtalking.com/RobertRRicks/the-real-time-storytime-show/NtwxFN0Y-16018713 

You can see it in the video of the show embedded into it:

 

 By using StreamTalking.com the users login and submit them, and then when the show begins I can choose which ones to display on the screen and it stays there for the show.  Users can see it, and it also shows the world who has been providing these amazing keywords/phrases.  

It has saved me about 10 minutes from what I used to do and that's an extra 10 minutes of actual content for the viewers.

I've also used it on the Angry Jackalope show where I ask questions like "What are some things you'd like to know about me?" and then I would activate only a single User Question at a time and it would show up on my Live stream.  

On the Angry Jackalope show I also used it to test and ask questions like "Who do you think will be the next president?" and "How many people do you know who got Covid19?" both of those questions were good tests to see charts.

As a Viewer it is really easy to setup an account... Here's the explanation for Viewers:

You can be part of the shows by signing up as a Viewer at:

https://streamtalking.com 

If you're a Streamer, this could be a useful tool to help mitigate the chaos of viewer engagement!

It's been useful for me.

 

Real-Time Storytime is coming back!

 

So after a break, the show will be resuming and will be streamlined with new technology to speed things up.  Traditionally, the show would start and then we'd allow viewers to add a keyword or a phrase.  Then as they chatted it into the show, I would transcribe into a book and then have it for reference.  It could take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.  Sometimes a little longer.  Now there's a new way to handle the keyword/phrase submissions.  

Introducing StreamTalking.com

By using this system, it will speed things up immediately!!!  So, if you haven't, please create an account and then check it out.

 

You can see the old episodes at http://www.realtimestorytime.com and the live show is at YouTube.com/RobertRRicks 

See ya on the show!

MAGIC REALLY SUCKS - Book One "Revelation" Podcast Series is complete...

MAGIC REALLY SUCKS - Book One "Revelation" Podcast Series is complete...

The Podcast began about 10 weeks ago and now it's done so you can check it out by watching the videos below or heading over to your favorite Podcast Sites listed below...:

Original Episodes on YouTube:

Episode One

Magic Really Sucks - Podcast has OFFICIALLY started

Magic Really Sucks - Podcast has OFFICIALLY started

I got permission to do live readings from my publisher and decided the Real-Time Storytime platform would be a good spot to do it.

You can watch the replay of the LIVE show at the Real-Time Storytime Website (http://www.realtimestorytime.com)  or you can check out the PODCAST which has some cleanup and effects added to make it clearer when telepathy is being used with characters.

The podcast is on:
SPOTIFY
ANCHOR.FM
Apple Podcast
Google Podcast
CASTBOX

These reading episodes will become a regular fixture on the RTST show.  The next two shows will be Magic Really Sucks readings and then back to normal show style and then more reading.

You can learn more about the Magic Really Sucks trilogy at http://www.magicreallysucks.com




Enjoy!

Rob

LAST SECOND XMAS PRESENT FOR READERS!!!!

Here's a last second Christmas Present for Readers!

LIVE NOW!!!! 
You have until MIDNIGHT Christmas day (PST) to get it... Looking for a last-second Christmas gift for the voracious readers out there? The entire RAIMAZ catalog of eBooks available 23rd, 24th, 25th & the 31st! You can print the image and slip it in a stocking if you'd like and they can download all of these books for FREE... And if they're too busy on Christmas, they can grab it New Year's eve! ENJOY. You can share this post or send them to http://www.robertrricks.com/2019promotion/ via email if you don't want to do a printout...

SNEAK BLXXKOUT REVIEW - VIDEO

SNEAK BLXXKOUT REVIEW - VIDEO

Borderlands 3 - What you NEED to know...

Borderlands 3 - What you NEED to know...

So you've heard about this game called Borderlands 3 and go out and pick up a copy.  Then you put it in your console and wait for the UPDATES which could take 45 minutes or more as you wait, and wait and wait.  Then you start the game and you wait again for it to load and as you start out you get the obligatory start of how to move, jump, shoot, etc... But then what?  Some of the game is very intuitive.  Some of it not so much.  End game content also is kinda left for you to to discover...

I've been playing Borderlands since the very first game and then played, Borderlands 2, Borderlands Pre-Sequel and now Borderlands 3.  I've loved it from the first iteration and so it was somewhat easy for me to progress through the games but then there is ALWAYS something new with each game...

I have recently come across some really good resources on YouTube and felt this was a good resource to help new players.

Borderlands 3: Beginners Guide - Tips & Tricks For Newcomers To Get Started - Level 1/10 guide

DPJ is a Borderlands Resource who is always putting out solid content.  If you're unfamiliar with him, make sure to check him out and then subscribe to his channel.

Borderlands 3 | DROP RATES EXPLAINED!

Inevitably, you're gonna wanna get SOLID loot, more powerful weapons and understanding how things drop (how often, how rare, etc.. can be maddening) this is a good guide explaining drop rates.

Ki11er Six is another Tuber who has great content regarding Borderlands 3...

There's a few other Tubers whom I follow to get my Borderlands 3 info... Here's a few more.

Glitching Queen

Check her channel HERE
She has a TON of good info on Glitches and other fun things... (Hence the nickname Glitching Queen)

Arekkz Gaming

Check the channel HERE
There's a good dedicated playlist for Borderlands 3 here...

Borderlands OFFICIAL Channel

Check the channel HERE

HAPPY GAMING!!!!

Borderlands 3 - "Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot!" DLC Trailer

The New DLC Trailer is out...
"Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot"

 

 

Holy shit, I am excited.  This looks great... LOOT... LOOT... LOOT... and a HEIST?!!!!  Yeah this looks brilliant.

The DLC drops December 19th

INFERNAL JUSTICE (FREE KINDLE EBOOK)

INFERNAL JUSTICE FREE KINDLE eBOOK

If you are quick, you can grab it for FREE until 12am 11/15/19 (A little less than 5 hours from now)

Grab it from: AMAZON.COM

The Promotions 2019 Contest is LIVE!!!!

Contest is LIVE!!!

So it's simple answer the question by emailing me the answer or message me at creator@raimazpublishing.com .  This post is on twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  Good luck!

Diablo 4 - HOLY FUCK BALLS!!!!!! - Trailers

Diablo 4 - WOWOWOWOWOWOW Dark.

Um fuck wow... When I saw this I was like DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN Gena... Watch and you'll see what I mean... And then there's This little beauty as well.

Are... You... Fucking... Kidding... Me?!!!!! This looks so fucking EPIC.  yeah, I'm excited.

Thoughts?

You can learn more on the official website:
https://diablo.blizzard.com/en-us/

Stranger Things - Season 3 [B-]

Stranger Things - Season 3  [B-]

Yes, it came, it went, it KICKED ASS (and kinda sucked just a little bit...)

My oh my as a Gen Xer so much scenery and experiences that the characters are going through I could relate to (minus the supernatural horror aspects and the Russian invasion aspects of it)...

The mall, arcades, fast food, movies... Ahhhh you younguns ain't never gonna experience fun shit like that... You'll just have to make due with your Augmented reality, virtual reality, internet computing from quantum space... FUCK.  I guess each generation has it fucking awesome shit.  Anyways for me it was like going down memory lane and just enjoying the nostalgia.

 OK, so the show has been a HUGE fucking hit for Netflix and Season Two was good but had some shitty parts right near the end... This season learned a lot from the previous installments and didn't have any painful slow downs.  Each episode was balanced nicely and overall things progressed nicely and some of the mystery was revealed in a way that was super duper satisfying.

One of the surprising things for me was the Billy character who was mean and shitty in Season Two and really had some major moments in Season Three.  I would argue that he stole the whole fucking show. 

His role was vital and he brought soul to the character and he stands out the most for me.

Then there was big, lovable, Hopper.  The dad who loves but doesn't know how to communicate for shit.  And this was truly believable.  I LOVED Hopper and it was evident that the writers worked extra hard to build him up for the sacrificial (You and I both know he ain't dead.) climax.

Eleven and Mike continue their relationship and it was pretty weak.  I liked Eleven's story arc but often found myself saying "bullshit" and shaking my head.  The girl is fucking powerful and yet she kept fucking herself up.  Mike would try to warn her and she would push on with some bullshit that is probably more reflective to this generation than a girl from the 80s.  So when she maxes out her powers and then is powerless I was waiting for Mike to be like "See bitch, I fucking told your dumb ass not to over do it and now look.  NO FUCKING POWERS... Shit, you can't even fetch me a pop!"
(J/K but I'm sure if she had her powers she'd read Mike and those would be his surface thoughts for sure...) [And yeah, we know she'll get her powers back again]

Lucas and Max added comedy and was meh....

Dustin and Suzie... Well this was one of those 80's hooks that the 80s was famous for.  Cheesy romance and mysterious, "does she exist?" "is she ugly?" etc.  And it played out well, except for the pivotable moment where she forced Dustin to sing their song and in my opinion Suzie was responsible for Hopper's (not) Death...

And then there was Will... Oh Will... Useful and not useful at the same time.  His sole role in the show was to point out time waits for nobody and you can't go back to the way things were... He also was a walking spider sense to help the other characters know when the bad shit was near.

Nancy and Jonathan.  FUCK ME.  I hated her character about 20% Season One, 15% Season Two and 75% in Season Three... In fact there was only one other character I hated more in Season Three (I'll get to her in a second).  My GOD... She was so fucking pretentious and granted the assholes at the newspaper were complete fucktards and I'm sure people like existed then and even now, but even that shit was like "bullshit".  She was so self absorbed and really didn't give two shits about anyone other than herself.  So character growth was pretty lame and pathetic, but I did like how the mother daughter scene played out and I laughed when I saw the (so so so close whore) mother speech.

Steve and Robin.  I LOVED Robin and I thought she brought some fresh blood to the show.  The revelation later that she was gay was kinda gay.  I mean it was there and it did add a little twist, and it was only because it added a twist to the relationship development between the two characters that I'm not irritated with it.  And the scenes where Dustin is hanging out with them adds more magic to the scenes.

Joyce has had enough of Hawkins and has decided after the death of Bob she's torn up... And then the relationship between her and Hopper begins to take a stronger position he apparently dies.  So she takes Eleven, Will and Jonathan and moves... Causing the breakup of Eleven/Mike and Jonathan/Nancy leaving the viewers to wonder what will happen in the future.

And then I come to the one character who annoyed the shit out of me and I was like what the literal fuck is this shit?  Who am I talking about?  I am talking about ERICA... You can't have America without the Erica... (That actually was a good line).  I found her character to be somewhat stereotypical and that attitude was killing me.  I don't like to use the word hate.  But I hated her character.  Even when she was useful and insightful.

How about the bad guys?
- Russians trying to get into the Upside Down (and the menacing bad guy kinda reminder me ARNOLD... Terminator)

- The MindFlayer is taking a page from "the Thing" and doing its Thing... (See what I did there?)

Overall I'd say this was second place to Season One (Fucking Classic) and that makes Season 2 fall into third place.

The story was entertaining and the mixing of diverse genres and lovable characters equal hours of enjoyment. 

GRADE: B-

Borderlands 3 - Love it (and hate it a little too) [B+]

Borderlands 3 Review (XBOX One Edition) [Review] B+

So I am a HUGE Borderlands fan.  Loved BL1, BL2... Was kinda so-so on BL Pre Sequel (I actually haven't played it all the way through... Watched my son do it many many times... But wasn't really too thrilled with BL-PS.) So I was cautiously optimistic and hopeful for Borderlands 3.

It was released and I saw they had four playable characters and a decent set of customization via skill trees and abilities, as well as OVER A BILLION GUNS... Seriously.  They claim and it has been verified that there are over a billion variations of guns and loot.  FUCK ME!

Characters:
As I mentioned there are four playable characters.

Amara is the new playable Siren, and Vault Hunter, in Borderlands 3. She has three skill trees for you to explore - Brawl, Mystical Assault and Fist of the Elements. In Borderlands 3, Amara joins the ranks of the Siren class, alongside Lilith and Maya.

My wife is currently playing this character and I'm glad because she is my least favorite of the four.

FL4K is a pet-based Beastmaster class. Many of their abilities augment FL4K and FL4K's pet as well. FL4K also has a custom spot for their pet, so players can choose the companion that works best for them. FL4K can also customize their Action Skill with two augments at once.

This is the second character I've been playing.  This is the character I play when my wife and I do co-op.  He is FUCKING FUN!!!!  I like to run with MONKEY!  No monkey no... Put bandit's head back on body... BOOOOOOM!

Moze is a battle-hardened former Vladof army soldier who specializes in mechanized combat. She uses an action skill to digistruct and climb into her bipedal tank, Iron Bear, which has hardpoints suitable for mixing, matching, and mounting high-velocity Railguns, rapid-firing Miniguns, semi-automatic Grenade Launchers, flamethrowers, pneumatic fists, and homing rocket launchers.

I haven't had a chance to play her yet, but my son has and he has been having a blast with her.  (Is that PC for me to say?)

Zane the Operative is Borderlands 3's resident tech expert, with an ingenious gadget at the ready for any life-or-death situation. Zane can equip two Action Skills at once, though choosing to do so will replace his ability to toss grenades.

This badass mother fucker is my main and I have been having a grand oh time blowing shit up and killin with him.  I like to run the digi-clone and make shite go boooooom.

OK, so now that we have the playable characters out of the way let's discuss the good the bad and the ugly.

Good: 

- END GAME is fucking amazing... 

- Combat is fast and fun

- Lots of Bosses and mini bosses 

- Lots and lots of loot

- Lots of side quests, crew missions, etc... to satisfy the completist out there...

- Redemption for Lilith.  (I actually was getting to hate her after the stuff in BL-PS)

- Two-Player scaling of low level player with higher level is balanced brilliantly.

- HUGE player locations

- REPLAYABILITY!!!! 

- FREE additional content... Take for example the free Bloody Harvest

- DLCs (There's much more coming for Borderlands 3!)

- Celebrity guest appearances in the game made me laugh and was awesome. 

- Humor and pop culture references are here as usual and I love it.

- The villains in the game are truly worthy of being slaughtered over and over and over again.  I could not wait to fucking kill them.  Good job on creating character we could hate.  Make no mistake they aren't Handsome Jack.  And his humor is sorely missed.  But they are their own characters and helped fuel the game forward.

Bad:

- Bosses can be frustratingly hard!  I mean like "throw your controller at the screen and yell" hard.

- Some of the early game doesn't 'feel' fresh and exciting... In fact, it's not really until part 4 that I really got into the game

- I don't like the voice actor for Claptrap

Ugly:

- Holy shit!!! Frame rates SUCK hard, there's times when me and the wife are playing and one of us opens the menu and the game literally stutters and freezes and then slow renders

- Graphics on XBOX compared to PC SUCKS ASS!!!! Looks horrible on certain details

- Two-Player CoOp is a fucking pain in the ass, when you want to set one player on top of the screen and the other on the bottom...

- Non-Skippable cut-scenes? WTF?!!!!! This hurts bad when you want to roll another character and have to sit through a shit-ton of vid you've already seen.

- AIM assist seems really fucking broken.

- Audio issues, there were a few spots where audio just completely cut out for dialog.  Fortunately I had the subtitles on so I didn't miss it.  But it was for the Ice-T bear missions and I was a little bummed out.

On the plus side, they are working their ass off and patching like crazy.  So far I have been thoroughly impressed enough that I give this bitch a B+ where any other game which suffered from all the ugly would've gotten a D+.  The gameplay and content saved their asses.  If they keep on improving, then I imagine by the time Christmas rolls around some of this will be resolved.  If you're on the PC the good news for you is many of the issues listed in the Ugly section don't exist.  So yay PC users.

Summary?  For me, this is easily Game of the Year and I can't approve it enough.  If you love Borderlands, this is the same formula with a LOT more added to it.  :)

TRAILER - FANTASY ISLAND (HORROR?!!! WTF?!)

FANTASY ISLAND - TRAILER

Are you fucking serious?!!!  They took the TV Show Fantasy Island and made it into a horror flick?! 

I mean if that's what they were going for they should've kept Tattoo in there cause that little mother fucker was terrifying to me.

I was kinda like hmmm I think I've seen this concept before, but fuck it... I'm game.  I'll watch this shit when it pops off.