Is It Important To Train My Puppy? Yes It Is !

BY:  Laurie Brzostowski, President, Snaggle Foot Dog Walks and Pet Care-Round Lake, IL

This post is very personal to me.  I recently adopted a 12 week old puppy whom I named Bandit.

Having a puppy is a lot of fun however it is also really important that you start getting the basics down to how you want your puppy to behave now and when he/she grows up.

Getting started with puppy socialization classes is a great beginning.  Also, getting him socialized with friends, family, neighbors, kids, etc., is also really important.  Behaving around people, kids and other dogs helps your puppy by understanding what is and what is not acceptable behavior.

I am currently in a puppy socialization class with Bandit.  We had our 2nd class last week and each week we work on simple things like sit, down, recall (aka come when called).  These are just some basics to help your puppy understand and focus on what you want him/her to do.

Puppies don't know how to behave so it is important that we teach them.

Here are some of the things you can expect at a puppy socialization class:

• Sit
• Down
• Recall (come when called)
• Playtime with other puppies (socialization)
• Target training

You can continue with his training after puppy class is over.  Most training facilities offer basic obedience and leash training.

Giving your new puppy the foundation to begin his life as a well behaved and confident adult doggie is worth all the time you are taking for him/her.  In return, your puppy will give you years and years of unconditional love and happiness !!!

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Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (SNES)

Developer:

EA

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Release Date:

1995 (EU)

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Systems:

Super Nintendo

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Today on Super Adventures, I've found you something from the first half of the 90s and I didn't even need to glance at the copyright year to know that.

Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City has been on my list forever and I've no idea why it's taken me this long to get around to it. I mean look at that title screen; even if the game's bad it'll be good. I'm not sure you're even technically allowed to bring two elementally charged balls onto the court, but I wouldn't want be the one to tell him that.

I haven't looked too deep into how the game was reviewed so for all I know this is actually a well regarded piece of quality entertainment. But I have discovered that it was the first game designed by artist Amy Hennig, who ended up in the role after the first designer quit. She then transformed into 'head writer and creative director Amy Hennig', and went on to develop the Soul Reaver and Uncharted games. Still no sign of Chaos in the Windy City 2 though.
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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (PC) - Part 1

Developer:

Starbreeze

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Release Date:

2004

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Systems:

Xbox, Windows

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Today on Super Adventures I'll be taking a brief look at the first few hours of sci-fi movie spin-off The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut. I've played through the game before and I remember liking it well enough back then, but then I remember liking a lot of things and my fuzzy memories don't always match up to the truth.

The game was originally released for the Xbox (and later PC) back in 2004, but it received one of those HD makeover type of things three years later to port it across to the shiny new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. They enhanced the visuals, tweaked the AI, added multiplayer, included a sequel campaign, and called it Assault on Dark Athena. But I'm not playing that one.

The Dark Athena version may have the big advantage of having way more content and actually being sold online, but it seems to be built on the Xbox original, skipping the PC port's improvements like quicksaves and developer's commentary. Which is a bit of a deal breaker for me as I happen to like quicksaves and developer's commentary!

The original version does have one problem though and that's that it flat out refuses to start up on my PC. Well, it didn't until PC Gaming Wiki saved me yet again. It turns out that Nvidia owners can fix the game by "downloading Nvidia Inspector and setting the Extension Limit to 0x00001B58". This also reactivates Shader Mode 2.0++, so I can pretend I've got a GeForce 6800 Ultra in my case and push the graphics to max.

(Click the screenshots to view them at their original 1280x720 resolution.)
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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (PC) - Part 2

The chronicle of my epic prison break concludes!

Click this link to return to Riddick's cell: Part one.
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I Got A New Puppy.. Now What?

By:  Laurie Brzostowski, President, Snaggle Foot Dog Walks and Pet Care, Round Lake, IL

We, at Snaggle Foot Dog Walks and Pet Care - Round Lake, IL, LOVE puppies.  We always get calls from new clients who now have a puppy and not sure what happens next.

This post is also very special to me as my beloved Sebastian passed away in April of this year.  He was a yellow lab and almost 15 years old.  On May 30th I adopted a puppy and he has now been with me for a little over 3 weeks.  His name is Bandit. 

Since it has been awhile since I have had a puppy in my home, I thought this blog post would help anyone who now has a new brand new little furbaby !

1. Create a Place:  Before your puppy comes home, make sure you have an area picked out where he/she will "live".  Common choices include the kitchen, laundry room, or den. This allows your puppy to have a limited area to explore, and a place to feel safe and at home and it provides you with a limited area to clean up after your puppy.  Also make sure the area is safe.  No wires or anything else he/she can chew or eat on that could hurt him.
2. Crates: Crate training is a powerful method of working with a puppy, but it is not required. If you have to leave the puppy during the day this is the best bet to keep your puppy safe.  Just like you would NEVER leave a 2 year old home alone and running around, it is the same with a puppy. Wire crates are often used because the dog can easily see everything around them so they don't get the feeling of punishment and reinforcing the feeling of security and are easy to keep clean. Puppies are used to being confined and look at their crate as their home (den). This is their own space and should not be 'invaded' when they want to be alone.  Crates SHOULD NEVER be used as punishment. This is their little home where they should feel safe and should never be treated as a punishment.
3. Bedding:  Purchase bedding and any other supplies to let your dog sleep comfortably. Dogs, and especially puppies, suffer stress just like humans. Coming home to a new place is liable to make your puppy tired, and you'll be glad of how much he may sleep.
4. Potty breaks during the day.  If you work a fulltime job, it is really important that you find someone to let your new puppy out mid-day.  Puppies can only hold their bladders for a certain amount of time.  Usually for 1 month of age = 1 hour they can hold their bladder.  If you cannot find a friend or family member to help out during the day, hiring a dog walker is a wonderful option. Make sure a leash is used each time so the puppy gets used to being on a leash.
5. Potty training: Potty training your puppy is very important.  Making sure you take them out to the same place each time while they are learning.  If you have a family or friend or dog walker during the day, make sure you show them where that "special" place is that the new puppy goes.  Again, make sure a leash is used each time so the puppy gets used to using a leash.  Even if you have a fenced in backyard, using a leash early will allow the puppy to become used to it.
6. Chewing and Toys:  Getting the right types of toys for puppies is very important.  Puppies have new teeth and they like to chew.  Some excellent choices are ropes, kongs, "teething" rings.  DO NOT give your puppy rawhides.  Rawhides can damage intestines and cause severe damage.  Even as an older dog, they should never have rawhides.  Other bones like natural antlers are a much better choice.
7. Collars and Leashes:  Make sure you buy collars and leashes that fit your new puppy.  As they grow, you will need to "update".  Leashes should not be "long" leashes.  You want to make sure your puppy is close to you when you start walking him or her.  Regular leashes give you control over your environment when walking.  DO NOT EVER buy retractable leashes.  They are dangerous as they can cause injuries and loss of control if anything should happen to your puppy during your walk.
8. Food and Treats: Make sure you purchase a good QUALITY puppy food. Do not be fooled by a dog food's brand, reputation or claims on the packet. Many, many commercial dog foods are made from questionable ingredients. It may say chicken, but, do you really know what parts of the chicken are in it? Talk to your vet or pet food supplier, or do your own research on the Internet. 
9. Training:  Getting a puppy into a puppy class is a great idea.  Your puppy will learn basic obedience and commands.  It is not a bad idea to continue that training once they "graduate" from puppy class.  It is your responsibility as a pet parent to raise your puppy to become a great dog.

Getting a puppy is exciting and fun.  Your new puppy will give you years and years of happiness and contentment and they will love you unconditionally for the rest of their lives.  Make sure you do the same for them. 

Bandit and I are getting along splendidly and I love him with all my heart and soul.  

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Player interaction patterns

Today we have an excellent image to understand the complexes video games ecosystems and the multifaceted relationship between players and games (FULLERTON; SWAIN; HOFFMAN, 2008, p.52). We can bring some interesting examples to our discussion: single player vs. game (Super Contra); multiple individual players vs. game (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade); player vs. player (Mortal Kombat - versus mode); unilateral competition (Evolve - one monster vs. four hunters); multilateral competition (multiplayer games like Quake); cooperative play (Pandemic board game); team competition (Soccer).

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Reference:

FULLERTON, Tracy; SWAIN, Christopher; HOFFMAN, Steven. Game design workshop: a playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Burlington: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2008.

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A qualitative approach for gaming research

As a game designer, I always try to understand methods and practices that can help me in the developing process of a ludic interface. The iterative design - based on creating, testing, modifying and recreating until reaching an error-free product - is a methodological approach that allows excellent hybridizations with other research methods. In my last two projects, I tried to establish a qualitative interview during the iterative process with different players, to discover the potentialities and faults of my game.



Organizing a dialogue between different kinds of players is an inspirational key to open new passages in the game design process. Some feedbacks from players in interviews are fundamental guides to improve the game’s mechanics, dynamics, narrative and layout.

In this context, it’s always essential to remember that “videogames are fundamentally interactive, relying on communication between the player and their character, the player and the content, and even players with one another” and it’s crucial to ponder that “while games are developed in a studio, at least part of their meaning and significance is created at the moment of play and through the people who play them” (COTE; RAZ, p.93, 2015).

The qualitative method is one of many good ways to understand the creation of meaning and significance in a gaming interface. To conduct a quali interview, it’s necessary to have a good script with clear objects imbricated in the questions. Cote and Raz (2015, p.104) teach us how to write a very intuitive qualitative interview guide, adapted for a gaming universe:

1. Create an introductory script to open the interview and remind the study goals;
2. Warm-up questions to put the participant at ease and build rapport. Some examples that the authors use are “How long have you been playing videogames for?” and “What’s one of your favorite gaming memories?”
3. Substantive questions to collect deeper data that answers the research questions. This part is nuclear in the interview, here you will ask player’s feedbacks about gaming interface, mechanics and other aspects;
4. Demographic questions to gather data needed to describe participants in the final research report.

Applying qualitative process with iterative design is a great challenge for game designers. It requires more and more studies to generate better practices in our field. About this subject, I strongly recommend the second part of this Game Research Methods book.

#GoGamers

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Reference:

COTE, Amanda; RAZ, Julia. In-depth interviews for game research. . IN: LANKOSKI, Petri; BJÖRK, Staffan (Eds.). Game research methods: an overview. Halifax: ETC Press, 2015. p.93-117.

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Ys Origin (PC) - Guest Post

Hi, I'm Ray Hardgrit and the following words are not written by me. They were put there by some guy called Jihaus who wants to show off the first hour or so of a game called Ys Origin and infect my site with his opinions.

I've never seen the point in asking guest posters to stick with my rating system though, as everyone's got very different taste and it seems like it'd be misleading somehow. You can only really trust a rating when you know the critic and can compare it against their other reviews. Basically what I'm saying is don't flip out if this doesn't get a 'gold star' badge at the end, as Jihaus doesn't hand the things out.

Developer:

Nihon Falcom

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Release Date:

2012 (WW)

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Systems:

Windows

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Today I'm finally playing Ys Origin on PC, an action RPG with platforming elements and fast-paced combat. I've played my share of Ys games so I'm no stranger to their brand of anime-style characters combined with rockin' music combined with crushing difficulty, and this one in particular uses the same engine as its last two predecessors so it should be relatively familiar territory. I always did find it extremely amusing that the correct pronunciation of "Ys" sounds a lot like "ease", because that is entirely the opposite of what these games tend to be.

Unlike the other games in this series which deal with the adventures of the red-haired swordsman, Adol, this game instead goes in a different direction - specifically, 700 years before the first Ys game in the chronology. Despite the the huge departure, it treads a lot of familiar territory, and fans of the first and second Ys games will see familiar people, places, and terminology. In particular, most of not all of the game takes place in the enormous demon tower of the first game, which has changed little on the outside but got a serious renovation on the inside. That's about the extent of what I know going in anyway, so I can't wait to see what we'll find.

I've heard horrifying things about the difficulty in this particular installment but I will proceed to flagrantly disregard such warnings and play on its hardest difficulty, nightmare. Without further ado, time to die!

(Click images to view them at their original weird-ass 1024 x 578 resolution)
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Resident Evil 5 (PC) - Part 1

Developer:

Capcom

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Release Date:

2009

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Systems:

Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

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The PC version of Resident Evil 5 doesn't use the hated Games for Windows Live any more! Well okay it does if you want it to, but a few months ago it also made the transition to Steamworks. So to celebrate, today on Super Adventures I'm going to give the game a few hours and write down some of the things that come into my head while I'm playing.

I might have mentioned once or twice in my Resident Evil 2 article last week that I'm not a huge fan of classic survival horror games, and I may have mentioned a few reasons for it too. I think the core of it though is that I've got no interest in being scared, and when you strip out the tension there's little left to enjoy in the mediocre combat, awkward camera angles, and endless backtracking.

Resident Evil 5 on the other hand has very little to do with survival horror, so we've always gotten on pretty well... I think. It's been half a decade since I played the game though so it could be that my memory lying to me again. I can't even remember if the sinister announcer is going to say "Resident Evil... 5" when I press start. Though he better had.

(Click screenshots for a significantly higher resolution image, though still nothing to brag about.)
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Resident Evil 5 (PC) - Part 2

Welcome to the epic finale of my two part Resident Evil 5 article. Usually I'll play a game for an hour or so before I turn it off; long enough to start forming an opinion without going crazy on spoilers. But this time I'll be jumping through all 10 hours of gameplay because there's no way I'm leaving out the boulder punch scene. It's truly a defining moment in video game history, as it's the moment Capcom defined Chris Redfield as being the Incredible Hulk.

Click this link if you want to return to where this all began: Part 1.
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Dog Friendly Beaches In Chicago !

By: Laurie Brzostowski, President, Snaggle Foot Dog Walks and Pet Care, Round Lake, IL

Woo Hoo !  We are FINALLY getting into late Spring and moving into Summer.  What an excellent time to find out where the dog friendly beaches are in the Chicagoland area.

I am sure there are lots of doggies out there that would love to get into the water this Spring/Summer.

Don't forget.. some local Forest Preserves have dog parks that include swimming lakes so check those out also if the Chicago beaches are too far to travel.

Below is a list of dog friendly beaches, however, it is always a good idea to check and make sure you don't need any special permits or pay any other fees associated with using these areas.  Also make sure you follow the rules once you are there.


Montrose Beach Harbor
4400 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL, US
Hours: Daylight Hours
Cost: $5 tag fee

There is an off-leash dog beach at the NW Corner of Montrose Beach. Entrance is where the old boat dock area was. Look for steel walls and dogs coming and going to find the entrance. Free Parking all along the street. Weekends can be crazy with tons of dogs in and out of the water. Make sure you watch your dog, and others, as some owners don't always pay enough attention to their dogs. Beach is pretty clean, and most owners are very good about picking up after their dogs. Make sure you bring your own pick-up bags as none are supplied.

Evanston Dog Beach (Members Only)

Sheriden Road and Church Street
Evanston, IL, US 60201
847.448.4311
parks@cityofevanston.org 

Hours: 7 am to 8 pm, April - November
Cost: A pass is $60 per dog owned by an Evanston resident; nonresident passes are $120 per dog 

Evanston's Dog Beach is located just north of the Church Street launch facility, where Church St. meets the lake. The dog beach is open from 7 am to 8 pm, May through October, weather permitting. No dog is permitted on the beach without a dog beach pass.

Belmont Harbor Beach

US 41 & W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL, US  

Belmont Harbor has a small fenced in beach for dogs.

Moraine Dog Beach and Park

2501 Sheridan Rd
Highland Park, IL, US
(847) 579-4087

To visit Moraine Dog Beach & Park you must register at Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Road, with proof of license and rabies vaccination.  

Winnetka Dog Beach

N Sheridan Rd and Fuller Ln
Winnekta, IL, US 60093

Pet owners rave about this off-leash dog beach, which is fenced in with a hose for washing off your pet. No human swimming permitted.

So get out there and have some fun this summer with your doggie !  So ready for Summer to get here.

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Resident Evil 2 (PSX) - Part 1

Developer:

Capcom

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Release Date:

1998

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Systems:

PlayStation, Windows, N64, Dreamcast, GameCube

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I don't like Resident Evil.

I mean I like the universe and the characters just fine, I just don't generally like the games. But it's been over two years since I last played one of them and the site's been survival horror free for almost as long, so today on Super Adventures I'm going to be taking a quick look at Hideki Kamiya's PlayStation masterpiece Resident Evil 2!

And there'll likely be whining under every screenshot. Whining and analysis.

To be honest, this just isn't really my genre. I get the theory behind using tank controls, limited saves, awkward camera angles and a tiny inventory to enhance the tension, but in all the games I've played it's mostly just increased my frustration. But I'm determined to at least pretend that I'm giving the game a fair shot, for as long as it takes for me to figure out if it's any different to the first game.

(This article contains screenshots of explicit violence and gore.)
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Resident Evil 2 (PSX) - Part 2

Hello, this is the last page of my first impressions of the survival-horrifying Resident Evil 2 (aka. Biohazard 2).

Click this link to return to the streets of Raccoon City: Part one.
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Call for papers: 9th International Conference on the Philosophy of Computer Games

An excellent opportunity for game researches. This year’s conference is devoted to the philosophical exploration of how meaning phenomena contribute to the nature as well as the socio-cultural role of computer games. Click here for more information.



#GoGamers

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