We Interupt This Reality

Over the next several weeks, blogging activity here at the Life & Times will be somewhat reduced. We mildly regret any inconvenience this may cause. Far more, we regret any indifference with which this news will be received. The Quizzes will continually to appear regularly.

The slowdown will likely affect not just the quantity and quality of daily blogging but also progress on ongoing blog-related projects such as The Reading List and Michael Reads the Bible. It is due to a conjunction of factors, not least of which are the busy season for the Friends of the Library, various events in the 5000 family, and the general hustle and bustle of early fall.

But mostly, Spore.

Spore

It came yesterday! I spent only a couple of hours installing it and playing a test run, during which I evolved a creature which had numerous rudundant parts (I didn't realize they were redundant) and no armor or weapondry whatsoever. I was commended for the pacifistic nature of my gentle, fragle, playful green beast! I made friends with a race of sentient pears! After that, I became an increasingly intelligent form of lunch for more well-rounded species.



The question, is, will Spore be...

a CIV, entrancing to the point of self-destructive behavior, played in all night binges for months and regularly for years afterwards?



a Master of Orion, providing enjoyable, captivating, yet managable periods of play for more than a decade?




A Morrowind or 1602 or SimGolf, played obsessively for a month or so then dropped like a hot rock?

Or a Galactic Civilizations, much-praised but unable to hold my attention for more than fifteen minutes? Well, that would have been nice in a way, actually. But it's already too late for that.

Playing Spore? I'll be playing as -- what else? -- michael5000. Designate me as your playing "buddy" to see my good-natured first creature, Michaelus Fivethousandous, which I'm sure you will find very tasty. Or maybe not. I'm getting the hang of things now.