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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Epic Cards Battle v2.10 Crafting System

Version 2.10 of Epic Cards Battle was released recently and players are given another opportunity to gain higher rarity cards through the Crafting system. Five cards of the same rarity and faction can be combined in the hopes of successfully creating a card of the next level of rarity. Five one star cards will result in a two star card.

So I'll share what I have been able to come up with so far.

1 apprentice swordsman + 1 silent archer + 3 dual daggers rogue = 1 haste
1 dryad + 1 harpee + 3 elf sentry = 1 tauren axe
2 hero + 3 sweety pirates = 1 kendoka girl
1 blade shield + 1 the crusader + 3 silver knight = 1 frost trap
1 kobold + 1 bear warrior + 3 harpy = 1 meteor
2 blessing of mother earth + 3 overpower = 1 centaur warrior
2 sweety pirate + 3 amplifier = 1 kitty girl
3 sweaty pirate + 2 amplifier = 1 kendoka girl
1 skeleton archer + 1 dire wolf + 3 cyclops = 1 queen of spiders
3 overpower + 2 blessing of the mother earth = 1 pit trap
3 slashing strike + 2 apprentice swordsman = 1 blade shield
3 queen of spiders + 1 troll + 1 black widow = 1 skeleton king
3 shadow assault + 2 dire wolf = 1 hellhounds
3 silent archer + 1  dual daggers rogue + 1 ice elemental = 1 silver knight
3 Centaur warrior + 1 Treant + 1 Tauren Axe = 1 Master Druid


I don't know if these results are repeatable since I didn't have the same set of cards to reproduce the same results. If it is, please note it in your comments below. And I'm hoping other players will post their results in the comments below.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

How to Add More Voices for Text-to-Speech In Windows 7 32-bit

Warning: The following steps involve editing the registry. Continue at your own risk.

This tutorial is based on Voran's guide found here. The steps he outlines is for Windows 7 64-bit. If you have a 32-bit system, then follow the instructions below. Also, please note that I was only able to make this work with US voices when used with Microsoft Word. For an excellent tutorial on how to enable text-to-speech in Word, watch this video.

Now, on with the steps.

1. Download the SpeechPlatformRuntime.msi file for x86 systems from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=27225


2. Just double-click the file and follow the installation instructions.
3. Download the two US voices Helen and ZiraPro from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=27224 . As I said earlier, these were the only voices I got to work.

I tried the procedure with GB_Hazel and CA_Heather but no joy. If you get these voices to work, please leave a link or comment below on how you were able to make these work.

4. Again, just double click each .msi installer for each voice and follow the installation instructions.
5. Now it is time to edit the registry. Run regedit. Initially, if you go under Under - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech\Voices
you should only see Microsoft's default voice Anna. While if you look under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech Server\v11.0\Voices
you should see the two voices you installed (Helen and ZiraPro). If you're wondering why my image has four voices, refer to my comments above.


Our goal is to edit the registry so that the image above becomes like the following image
 
6. To do that, right click the "Tokens" folder under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech Server\v11.0\Voices
and choose Export. Save this file to your desktop as voices1.reg so it will be easy to find later.

7. Open voices1.reg in Notepad. Then do a Find-and-replace. Enter \Speech Server\v11.0\ into the "Find What" field and enter \Speech\ into the "Replace With" field. Click "Replace All". Then save the file. Note, after you save the file, its icon might change into a notepad icon, meaning you might have saved it as a text file instead of a registry file. If this happens, make sure you save the file with a .reg extension instead of a .txt. If the file still won't open using the registry editor, try right-clicking it and opening using regedit.

8. Double click the newly saved voices1 registry file. You will then receive a registry warning prompt. Click Yes.
9. To check if you were successful, go to Control Panel > Ease of Access > Speech Recognition > Text to Speech.
10. You should now be able to select additional voices (Helen or ZiraPro) aside from Microsoft Anna in the dropdown box. You can then press on Preview Voice to check if they sound right. If you're satisfied with the voice, then click on OK. Now, you should be able to use the new voice to read portions of your word document. Really useful in proofreading, and hopefully less annoying than Anna.
I hope this tutorial was able to help you out. Feel free to leave me feedback below.

Addendum: I tried changing the voices in Narrator and it was able to recognize GB Hazel and CA Heather. But MS Word still wouldn't recognize these two non-US voices. Again, if you are able to come up with a solution to this issue, please let me know. Thanks.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Clash of Clans: Hearbroken or a Proposal?


The image above, to me, seemed so funny, I just had to write about it. Three theories come to mind.

First, the player who made this is madly in love. He (or she) is so in love that he has ceased to be rational and has forgotten about the basic principle of protecting one's resources in Clash of Clans using the walls. Instead, he has used the walls to declare his undying love for the other person. He is probably in love with a fellow Clash of Clans player, a clan mate perhaps. Maybe they met through Clash of Clans and this is the most memorable way for him to tell the other person about his love. Maybe it is a marriage proposal, or maybe a be my partner proposal.

The second theory is that the two players are already in love. But they are in rough patch. And this is one of the player's way of saying sorry. He's probably a Clash of Clan addict and gives the game more time and attention rather than his partner. So, in order to say "Sorry" and to make amends, he sacrifices his well built town, allowing any other player, even novices of the game, to completely obliterate it because of poorly constructed defenses.

Finally, the last theory still revolves around lovers. But they have broken up, and it is a complete split up. The other person refuses to get back with the player who made the town set up. He is completely heart broken. In utter frustration, he allows other players to trample on his town in the same way that his partner trampled with his heart.

I rarely see poorly made defenses on Clash of Clan. I've seen people who use the walls artistically. I've even seen a bat symbol reminiscent of the logo used in the Christian Bale movies. But I haven't seen a player do what has been done in the image above. Out of the three theories, I probably like the one where the player quits Clash of Clans for good to devote more time and attention to his girlfriend or wife. So he leaves the game completely, and this town setup is his proof for his loved one that she is more important to him.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Globe Acquisition of Bayantel, A Worsening of Service

Bayantel used to at least send technicians within a promised period of 24 hours. Now that Globe Telecom has acquired it, they are instilling worst practices in order to minimize on expenses. And that probably includes downsizing on manpower, and using technology that is prone to failure.

This year alone, I've had to deal with internet connection failures for the past three months, and a no dial tone issue this month. Instead of receiving service, all I get are sloppy excuses and insincere apologies. "We are upgrading our services", "Sorry for the inconvenience".

The no dial tone issue is still unresolved after six days, and Bayantel won't even give us the courtesy of sending a technician. "Your phone is ringing whenever we call it." That doesn't mean that the phone works. I've tried calling our number with the unit disconnected and it is still ringing. Shouldn't you as a service provider verify that you can actually talk with the customer before closing the case?

So for people who are thinking of applying for a Bayantel connection, think twice. Better yet, just find a different internet and phone service provider. If you don't believe me, just look at all the customer complaints on Bayantel's Twitter page. ( @askbayan )

And as for you, Bayantel, don't be sorry. Just refund the payment for the days when we can't avail of the services we paid for.

Post Script: It took Bayantel 11 days to fix the issue.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Hexagon Abstract Art

Here are some of my attempts at abstract art.

Diversity

Global Warming

Arctic Sub

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Do all Bible books have a 3:16?

The short answer is no. You can check below to see which books have a chapter 3 and verse 16.

Old Testament (Only 28 out of 39 books)

Genesis 3:16
16 Then God said to the woman,

“I will cause you to have much trouble
when you are pregnant.
And when you give birth to children,
you will have much pain.
You will want your husband very much,
but he will rule over you.”


Exodus 3:16
16 “Now go and call together the elders of the people. Tell
them that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—appeared to you. Give them this
message from me: ‘I have been watching over you and have seen
what people in Egypt have done to you.


Leviticus 3:16

16 Then the priest will bring that food as a sweet-smelling
gift to the Lord. The fat belongs to the Lord.


Numbers 3:16

16 So Moses obeyed the Lord. He counted them all. (Levites
when the Lord appointed them as his special servants)


Deuteronomy 3:16

16 And to the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad, I gave the
land that begins at Gilead and goes from the Arnon Valley to
the Jabbok River. The middle of the valley is one border. The
Jabbok River is the border for the Ammonites.


Joshua 3:16

16 immediately the water stopped flowing and piled up like a
wall. The water piled up high a long way up the river—all the
way to Adam (a town near Zarethan). And the water flowing down
to the sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off.
The people crossed the river near Jericho.

Judges 3:16

16 Ehud made himself a sword with two sharp edges that was
about 12 inches long. He tied the sword to his right thigh and
hid it under his uniform.


Ruth 3:16

16 Ruth went to the home of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi
went to the door and asked, “Who’s there?”
Ruth went in telling Naomi everything that Boaz did for her.


1 Samuel 3:16

16 But Eli said to Samuel, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Yes, sir.”
(Samuel was about to tell Eli of the Lord's judgement on him
and his sons)


2 Samuel 3:16

16 Michal’s husband, Paltiel, followed them, crying all the
way to Bahurim. Finally, Abner said to him, “Go back home.” So
Paltiel went back home.

(David reclaims his wife Michal who was given to Paltiel)


1 Kings 3:16

Proof of Solomon’s Wisdom

16 One day two prostitutes came to Solomon and stood before
the king.

(Story of the baby and two mothers)


2 Kings 3:16

16 Then Elisha said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig holes
in the valley.’

(The Lord's provision for the Israelites)

1 Chronicles 3:16

16 Jehoiakim’s sons were Jehoiachin, his son, and Zedekiah,
his son.

(Rulers who did evil in the sight of the Lord)

2 Chronicles 3:16

16 He made chains in a necklace and put them on the tops of
the columns. He made 100 pomegranates and put them on the
chains.

(Solomon builds the Lord's temple)

Ezra has no 3:16 verse

Nehemiah 3:16

16 Nehemiah son of Azbuk repaired the next section. This
Nehemiah was the governor of half the district of Beth Zur. He
made repairs up to a place that is across from the tombs of
David. And he worked as far as the man-made pool and the House
of Heroes.

(Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem)

Esther has no 3:16 verse

Job 3:16

16 Why wasn’t I a child who died at birth
and was put in the ground?
I wish I had been buried like a baby
who never saw the light of day.

Psalm has no 3:16 verse

Proverbs 3:16

16 With her right hand, Wisdom offers long life—with the other
hand, riches and honor.

Ecclesiastes 3:16

16 I also saw these things in this life: I saw that the courts
should be filled with goodness and fairness, but there is evil
there now.

Song of Solomon has no 3:16 verse


Isaiah 3:16

16 The Lord says, “The women in Zion have become very proud.
They walk around with their heads in the air, acting like they
are better than other people. They flirt with their eyes and
make tinkling sounds with their ankle bracelets as they take
their quick little steps.”

(The Lord pronounces judgement on his people)


Jeremiah 3:16

16 In those days there will be many of you in the land.” This
message is from the Lord.

“At that time people will never again say, ‘I remember the
days when we had the Box of the Lord’s Agreement.’ They will
not even think about the Holy Box anymore. They will not even
remember or miss it. They will never make another Holy Box.

Lamentations 3:16

16 He pushed my teeth into rocky ground.
He pushed me into the dirt.

(Crying out to the Lord for rescue against enemies)

Ezekiel 3:16

The Watchman of Israel

16 After seven days, the word of the Lord came to me. He said,
(The Lord was appointing Ezekiel as a watchman to warn Israel
about their sins)

Daniel 3:16

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king,
“Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to explain these things to you.
(Just before being thrown into the fiery furnace)

Hosea has no 3:16 verse

Joel 3:16

16 The Lord God will shout from Zion.
He will shout from Jerusalem,
and the sky and the earth will shake.
But the Lord God will be a safe place for his people.
He will be a place of safety for the people of Israel.

Amos has no 3:16 verse

Obadiah has no 3:16 verse

Jonah has no 3:16 verse

Micah has no 3:16 verse

Nahum 3:16

16 You have many traders who go places and buy things. They
are as many as the stars in the sky. They are like locusts
that come and eat until everything is gone and then leave.

(Bad news for Nineveh)

Habakkuk 3:16

16 My whole body shook when I heard the story.
My lips trembled.
I felt weak deep down in my bones
and stood there shaking.
But I will wait patiently for destruction to come to those who
attack us.

(Habakkuk's prayer)


Zephaniah 3:16

16 At that time Jerusalem will be told,
“Be strong, don’t be afraid!

Haggai has no 3:16 verse

Zechariah has no 3:16 verse

Malachi 3:16

16 Then the Lord’s followers spoke with each other, and the
Lord listened to them. There is a book in front of him. In
that book are the names of his followers. They are the people
who honor the Lord’s name.

 
New Testament (Only 21 out of 27 books)
Matthew 3:16

16 So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the
water, the sky opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on
him like a dove.


Mark 3:16

16 These are the names of the twelve men Jesus chose:
Simon (the one Jesus named Peter),


Luke 3:16

16 John’s answer to this was, “I baptize you in water, but
there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I
can. I am not good enough to be the slave who unties his
sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with
fire.


John 3:16

16 Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but
have eternal life.

Acts 3:16

16 “This crippled man was healed because we trusted in Jesus.
It was Jesus’ power that made him well. You can see this man,
and you know him. He was made completely well because of faith
in Jesus. You all saw it happen!


Romans 3:16
16 Everywhere they go they cause trouble and ruin.
(The whole world is under God's judgement because no one can
be made right with God by following the law)


1 Corinthians 3:16

16 You should know that you yourselves are God’s temple. God’s
Spirit lives in you.


2 Corinthians 3:16

16 But when someone changes and follows the Lord, that
covering is taken away.

(The agreement with Christ has greater glory than the Law)

Galatians 3:16

16 God made promises to Abraham and his Descendant. The
Scripture does not say, “and to your descendants.” That would
mean many people. But it says, “and to your Descendant.” That
means only one, and that one is Christ.


Ephesians 3:16

16 I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit.


Philippians 3:16

16 But we should continue following the truth we already have.
(A call to press forward after the goal)


Colossians 3:16

16 Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1 Thessalonians has no 3:16 verse

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Final Words
16 We pray that the Lord of peace will give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

1 Timothy 3:16

16 Without a doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great:
Christ was shown to us in human form;
    the Spirit proved that he was right;
he was seen by angels.
    The message about him was told to the nations;
people in the world believed in him;
    he was taken up to heaven in glory.


2 Timothy 3:16
16 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live.

Titus has no 3:16 verse

Philemon has no 3:16 verse

Hebrews 3:16
16 Who were those who heard God’s voice and turned against him? It was all the people Moses led out of Egypt.

James 3:16
16 Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there will be confusion and every kind of evil.

1 Peter 3:16
16 But answer them in a gentle way with respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then people will see the good way you live as followers of Christ, and those who say bad things about you will be ashamed of what they said.

2 Peter 3:16
16 That’s what he says in all his letters when he writes about these things. There are parts of his letters that are hard to understand, and some people give a wrong meaning to them. These people are ignorant and weak in faith. They also give wrong meanings to the other Scriptures. But they are destroying themselves by doing that.

(Peter on Paul's letters to believers)

1 John 3:16
16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters.

2 John has no 3:16 verse

3 John has no 3:16 verse

Jude has no 3:16 verse

Revelation 3:16
16 But you are only warm—not hot, not cold. So I am ready to spit you out of my mouth.
(Jesus' letter to the Church in Laodicea)

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Epic Cards Battle v2.0

Version 2.0 of Epic Cards Battle was rolled out yesterday. Players are in for a treat since there are some new cards available that will spice up their stale decks. Here are just some of the cards that I was able to check out.





Amplifier is the Overpower / Slashing Strike / Shadow Assault for cards with Special Attack. Monk users can now boost their card's attack to up to 200% given its innate ability and with the help of this card.

Is your opponent always beating you to the punch? Why not add in this card to your deck which might guarantee that your units attack first (that is if your units have a low base cooldown - no point using this on Treant). Art has some Quicksilver influence. This card can be easily obtained by beating Quest 8-8 in Normal mode. And speaking of Quests, v2.0 comes with 5 additional ones. This was kind of disappointing. I was hoping there would be more quests and opportunities to get more cards.

When I first encountered Panda Man in the new quest, I thought it was pretty strong. But once it is weakened, his attack goes down. Boost him with HP adding cards.

Priest is one of the cards to watch out for IMHO in this expansion. (I think they should have called the card Nun) She heals adjacent units whenever she attacks. Want to test her out in a Succubus deck.

Are you tired of those Tauren Axe and Kitty Girl decks? Perhaps you can try to counter them with White Tiger Taoist since he has an edge against cards with Chaos Attack Type.

I don't know if the invite code still works since this can no longer be found in the rewards menu. But in case you are starting out, and you see an option to place in an invite code, you can try 844cb. Hopefully, you'll get a three star card.

The Gallery no longer shows all available cards in this game. It only shows the cards you own, and what's sad is that you have to use your coins in order to unlock them and see their stats and abilities. (Just go to "My Cards" to save money).

So if your an Epic Cards Battle Player, this new update should be fun for you and should renew your interest in the game. I hope that in the future, the developers of this game will allow free players (those who spend time instead of money) a more realistic means of getting access to 4 star and 5 star cards. Kudos to the makers of this game. I really enjoy the idea of designing a simple deck and just observing (instead of actively making decisions in real-time) how it fares against other decks. I hope that this game lasts for many years. As long as the devs make sure that there are frequent events and infusions of new cards, even if its just a few, it should prevent the fan base from losing interest. And that is important in keeping a game relevant.

P.S. For the next update, why don't you change the Epic Cards Battle logo. It's a piece of _ _ _ _!

Addendum:

The invite code reward is back. Again, you can use 844cb if you want.





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