The Download Munkey : Download This, Download That :)

Found two cool illustration applications off Snap2Objects’ Best 45 Design Software (don’t we all love lists of goodies?).

I recommend Inkscape and SmoothDraw NX mainly for their simple and intuitive interface which are less intimidating to casual doodlers like me and more importantly, fun to experiment and play with

Inkscape is an open source vector graphics drawing application. While I can’t tell you how well it fares against commercial offerings like Adbobe Illustrator and Freehand or CorelDraw, I can definitely tell you that the Calligraphic Brush rocks!

Above is a quick doodle of my lovely wife using just the Calligraphic Brush (mainly because that’s the only tool I know how to use )

SmoothDraw NX by Li Qingrui is more of a freehand drawing application. The configurable ink flow for each brush allows you to produce interesting brush strokes from dreamy watercolours to bold felt pens. I especially like the image hose which essentially allows you to use any suitable image as a custom brush which opens up a lot of fun possibilities. Some of the effects like Dodge and Burn are applied with brush strokes which really adds to the drawing feel.

Another of my crappy stuff done in SmoothDraw NX, playing with the Watercolour and Just Add Water brushes.

For a more representative feel of what you can actually accomplish with SmoothDraw NX with real skills, take a look at the image in the About Box above

Download Inkscape or SmoothDraw NX.

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Android Jones - Musical Art & Much More
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Most food preparation games focus on the more interesting aspects of the F&B industry and cut out or minimize the dull parts like the mundane cleaning chores and the real-life pressures of dealing with crazy lunch crowds and the occassional nasty customer. This Flash game Sushi Go Round, where you play a sushi chef on a one week probation in a conveyor belt sushi resturant (kaiten-zushi), is no exception to the rule. Sushi Go Round incidentally is another name for this type of sushi resturant.

Like other games of this genre, Sushi Go Round requires that you remember the correct combination of ingredients to prepare delicious sushi that will cater to your customers’ exacting tastes.

Preparing sushi in this game is a breeze - simply click to select from six different ingredidents and click again on the bamboo mat (makisu) to automatically roll and slice your creations for consumption. To prevent the pace from becoming too leisurely (since making sushi in-game is incredibly quick), the game requires you to call the grocer regularly to deliver additional supplies when your stocks run low.

The game starts off deceptively easy with relatively simple to make onigiri rice rolls before advancing to more complicated sushi like dragon rolls (similiar to the delectable golden roll in thoo2’s photo taken @ Sushi Tei Vivocity) after a few days. There’s an in-game recipe book for the forgetful ones like me but with the limited number of recipes available, chances are that you’ll master them all after several plays.

It’s perfect for the sushi fan but purists may be put off by the simplified gameplay which does not take into account the sequence of ingredients placed on the makisu. Since all you serve is sushi (and sake to appease the occassional angry customer), it does get a bit samey after a few games although the charming art style does wonders in keeping you engrossed in your role as a virtual sushi chef.

Some tips for Sushi Go Round.

• While empty plates eventually clear themselves, click on them manually to clear them and free up space for the next hungry customer

• What you can purchase at the grocer is limited by the cash balance shown at the top - I initially thought that the grocer was out of stock for certain ingredients

Read the JayIsGames review where I found this game (and most of my Flash games ) or play Sushi Go Round.

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Sushi Wallpaper
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© Avalon Style Entertainment

Some beautifully illustrated wallpapers of rugged offroad vehicles - I love these type of vehicles especially after the previous few trips to Sabah where 4×4 pickup trucks with their distinctively high ground clearance are almost as common as ordinary cars - older models of Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Land Rovers are dime a dozen - no Hummer though

© Avalon Style Entertainment

The wallpapers in the first UAZ Racing 4×4 featured mainly Russian offroad vehicles like the Jeep-like UAZ-469 and GAZ-69 as well as the UAZ-450 truck while its sequel depicted American SUVs like the iconic Hummer and offerings from Chevrolet and GMC (below).

© Avalon Style Entertainment

More information on UAZ Racing 4×4 can be found at the official English site @ 1C Publishing. The sequel featuring the Hummer is only available in Russian at the moment.

© Avalon Style Entertainment

For those who prefer their offroad vehicles accompanied by ladies (see above), the calendar section is definitely for you - I like my UAZs’ rendered and uncluttered though like the ones below I’m curious about the third vehicle below - can anyone help to identify it?

© Avalon Style Entertainment

Download wallpapers from the official Russian site for UAZ Racing 4×4. Originally found these wallpapers from GameWallpapers.ru, the best site IMHO for discovering wallpapers of Russia-only games.

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Another BBC History game, this time focusing on the anti-submarine tactics of the Allied convoy escorts against the U-boat raiders of the German Kriegsmarine.

© BBC

The game first explains how submarines are detected by surface vessels with a combination of ASDIC/sonar, searchlights and visual sightings before their approximate positions are calculated by HF/DF (High Frequency Direction Finding) readings from multiple escorts and finally destroyed with depth charges or guns.

© BBC

The most interesting part of the tutorial is the clear explanation of the different tactics used by the convoy escorts to trap and destroy the submarine or at least deter it from approaching the defenseless merchant ships within the convoy. The animations that accompany the text are nicely done and help a lot in illustrating the actual manuevers.

© BBC

With names like Raspberry and Pineapple, you’ll wonder whether the Allied seamen of WWII were so fruit-deprived onboard their ships as to name these manuevers (akin to plays in American football) after their fruity namesakes. The Creeping Attack whereby a ‘blind’ attacking ship is directed by another ship actively tracking the submarine with ASDIC/sonar at standoff range was probably a precursor to the post WWII tactics of using specialized AWACS aircraft to dispatch and coordinate fighters to counter any threats detected using their powerful radars.

After going thorough the tutorial, the game will randomly select a scenario and let you decide the best manuever to undertake for that particular situation before playing out the actual encounter. Choosing the appropriate tactics will allow you to turn the hunter into the hunted and save the precious lives of the sailors onboard the vulnerable merchantmen.

© BBC

Play The Battle of the Atlantic at BBC History Channel.

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A recently released mini-novel based on Crafty Games’ Spycraft : World on Fire CCG campaign setting made free for your reading enjoyment. (you do need to register for a free DriveThruRPG account before downloading)

© Crafty Games

If you enjoy reading espionage thrillers of shady underground organizations and ambiguous superspies, hackers and mercenaries whose actions keep you guessing who’s really on which side and whose’s the double (or triple agent), Operation Nightfall will definitely keep you engrossed for an hour or so.

© Crafty Games

There’s enough intrigue, double-crossing, superhuman feats (and legions of cannon fodder minions) in this action-packed 49 pages to warrant a good read (or two). I didn’t really get what was actually happening on my first read since there’s a confusing number of characters in this fast-paced story but things began to fall in place after a second time.

The story in Operation Nightfall is continued in Extinction Agenda but I have no idea whether it’s going to be a similiar free download

As a sidenote, I don’t know why I keep thinking of Sony’s The Agency while reading Operation Nightfall. Hmmm…

Download Operation Nightfall from DriveThruPRG.com.

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Blood in the Boardroom & Other ShadowRun Cover Artwork