July 23rd, 2011
Posted by pftq

New Stocks and Investing Section

     This is something I've been meaning to do since I first got my Virtual Stock Trading System online.  If you go to the website now, you will find a new link on the navigation bar called Stocks, which will take you to a modestly detailed section of the site on how to invest, stocks to discuss, and whatnot.

     Most useful will probably be the "how to invest" part, aka the Trader's Guide as it is called on the site.  If you don't know how to invest yet or have been wanting to learn for a while, definitely check it out.  The guide is basically most of the factors that I consider when I choose a stock and what I consider most important.  If it seems rather short, it is.  Trading isn't that hard, but you have to be very consistent.  Some of the traditional investors may be put off by this style of thinking, so I warn you to read it with an open mind or bypass it entirely. Tongue

     The layout and content is still being worked on, but definitely check it out and let me know what you think:
    
     Any suggestions let me know.  And hopefully I see you trading as well. Grin
221 unique view(s)
June 22nd, 2011
Posted by pftq

New Song Finished - Sparkle

     Yet another abandoned song I picked up on from more than a year ago.  This one is more simple and uplifting, which is ironic since I was working on the "Fraying Strands" at the same time.  Some of you might remember me playing this on piano a few times, but the piano alone isn't that interesting - hopefully the other instruments help here. Smiley

      I had more ideas in mind but haven't been able to add anything for about 2 weeks now, so I think it's time to wrap up.  Sadly, this is one of the shorter pieces I've made in a while.  Suggestions and feedback welcome as usual.


"Sparkle"

Enjoy!

221 unique view(s)
June 7th, 2011
Posted by pftq

New Piano Solo: Fraying Strands

     It seems like I'm running out of new ideas lately, so I'm just going back to old songs I haven't finished.  This is another one of the songs I stopped working on a long time ago but picked up again recently, this one from January 2011.

     I basically woke up with the beginning of the song in my head and eventually played out the rest once I got comfortable with the key signature of the song.  There was supposed to be a violin playing by itself somewhere in the song, but I've forgotten where I wanted it. I guess I'm leaving it as a piano solo based on the feedback I've gotten so far. The second half of the song was played as an improvisation all in one go, so sorry for any repetitiveness. Tongue


217 unique view(s)
May 29th, 2011
Posted by pftq

Songs in Progress: Sparkle and Fraying Strands

I seem to be running out of fresh ideas for songs lately. Instead, I'm turning back to some older projects I've abandoned and seeing if I can go back to finish them.

I'm still having trouble keeping ideas in my head once I sit down at the piano, but the funny part is that I usually have the other song I'm working on still fresh so I can work on that instead.  It's a bit weird working on a light, cheerful song (Sparkle) and a slower, more moody song (Fraying Strands) simultaneously but eh, it works out.

"Sparkle"

"Fraying Strands"
Any suggestions, let me know as usual.  Hopefully I can finish them before the summer is over... -_-
188 unique view(s)
April 26th, 2011
Posted by pftq

Norse Wars Site Back, Fort Wars Revived

Sadly I still find myself craving to play Norse/Fort Wars every now and then, so I hope some of you are still out there.  It seems like the nail was put to the coffin after the NorseWars.com site went down, but I hope that isn't the case.

1. Norse Wars Site Reinstated
I went ahead and setup Norse Wars under a new domain NorseWars.net, since I wasn't able to obtain the .com version.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get in contact with Mike, so I don't have any of the forum/ladder data from the old site - everyone has to re-register again.  If Mike does ever get back to me with the backup though - I'll quickly restore it. Tongue

If anyone is still up for the occasional game (or even if you're too busy), it'd be nice have you around.  If you have emails of anyone else who used to play, please let them know too. Grin


2. Fort Wars Fixed for TWC
Yes Fort Wars is back online for AOE3 TWC.  It turns out the only thing that kept it from working was that ES changed the Unit IDs - a quick run through the script and rematching up the IDs did the trick.   It is unfortunate that it took this long to address.  The map might be a bit unbalanced because of balance changes (though unlikely from what I've tested so far), but it works now. Smiley

Latest version can be downloaded here: Fort Wars
1699 unique view(s)