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Well, since Quake Live is now out of closed beta, and is in open beta, I can finally talk about it, in public, without disrupting the NDA I’ve been under.

Since I first logged in, I knew id Software where going in the right direction, and once I had invited some more “casual” players in, and saw their reaction to the game, its going to be hard to swallow if this game dies off at all.

First thing which strikes me, is how easy, and not complicated the interface is to use. Really, finding things is simple, and if you don’t know what soemthing is in the interface, you can simply click on it, for a pop-up to explain it.

Introducing new players to movement is also, in my opinion done really well. In training, you get ranked not just how good you go vs Crash, but also your movement now, you CAN NOT be ranked at the top two teirs of skill without knowing how to strafe-jump properly, its just impossible, and the training environment is set up in a way, that those who wish to learn can try over and over again until they understand how to get to the “expert” gate.

Then there is the weapon re-balance. LG and Rail are no longer “opponent has so I die now” guns, the game rewards you for using the “hard” to use weapons like rockets and such, which is brilliant, no longer can you come flying into the main chamber on DM6, quickly flick with your rail, and keep moving collecting the frag. And nope, going up a jump-pad against me is not suicide now, since the LG, whilst will still be attached to you, doesn’t basically insta-kill you.

Then there is match-making, which now works brilliantly, the new maps, the tweaked maps, the integrated clan system thats coming, the integrated XMMP client for chat, and game communications (already accessible by Pidgion, or any other XMPP aware client), oh and a full awards system.
Speaking of which, I actually took a read through what awards, and man, there is going to be some fun getting them! Gauntleting someone midair, whilst you yourself are mid-air? FUCKING AWESOME!

Oh, and my favorite, linkable game stats. Finaly I can prove to the world that rapidDazz DOES NOT SUCK.

And when it gets added, make sure you join either DA or the #atomicmpc clan!

Proof!

I just want to state again, Left 4 Dead is freakin awesome!

Little anoying. I’m running an Intel E2160 cpu, now normaly these chips sit on around 30*c in a normal case, and barly even spin the fan.

Now for some reason, my CPU is sitting on 46*c idle, this is just annoying. I know I’ve got a small case, but shouldn’t the ICE2 cooler offset that? Maybe not since it also acts as the exhaust fan, but still, you would expect similar cooling, and not as much bloody noise from the fans (still can’t decide if this is due to the PSU or the CPU’s HSF.

Any way, after the laptop upgrade, might go back to a full sized case. maybe get a motherbard that runs SLI.

I’m feeling a little… I dunno, into audio at the moment, I’m sure its just a phase.

I picked-up a while back, a nice old Sound Blaster Live! 5.1, and have been holding off isntalling it since I didn’t know if it would actualy be any better than the standard AC97 that comes on many standard Intel G31 based motherboards.

So after installing it, and using some custom drivers, I was presented with only the rear-speaker output, and line-in inputs working. Defintly wasn’t a driver issue. So some tweeking ensured, and I eentualy got all outputs pushed through the one jack. Wow, the sound was so much better than I expected, a real soundcard that works is defintly going on my list of “want to get for an upgrade”.
This is ontop of getting a new speaker set, since my Cambridge SoundWorks 4.1 set today, well the subwoofer threw in the towl. I’ve got a small tear between the casing, and where the subwoofers’ cone makes contact with it, so I will be looking to fix/replace that as soon as i can.

The next thing I figured I’d talk about is peoples voices over phone lines, or more recently, VoIP. Excepcily people you have never heard talk before, and only chatted to via text means (such as IRC or MSN).
After getting Left 4 Dead, it was only natural that I would get a microphone for my system that actualy works. Yeh, I have to clip it onto my headphones cable, but it works, and now having heard many peoples voices online playing L4D, I figured I’d give my run-down.

rapidDazz: Sounded alot higher pitched than I expected, but all the manerisums that are in his writing were present, first time I’ve actualy heard someone talk the way they write online.
Count: 24 my arse, he sounds more like a 17 year old, not girly, just… young, and not as developed vocal cords. Also weird how he types fairly formaly and properly, yet his spoken language is filled with alot more… gramacl mistakes.
SirSquidness: Considering hes only just leaving high-school, and moving to University, he sounds alot older than he is. However, having said that, he has the most “generic” internet voice, that is, what I typicly expect to hear in-game. Excepcily the heavy use of in-game terms and online… slang.
Ycros: Also what I would consider a “typical internet voice”, I was honstly expecting something alot more… proper in speach, and maybe something missing from his voice from all the concerts he attends. Not that this is a bad thing.

Whilst all the voices have been a supprise, I have yet to encounter a “bad” voice from anyone I’ve played with.

Well I finaly got this game, after resisting for so long thinking it defintly wasn’t going to be my style, I got it.

And I have to say, I can’t believe how much time I wasted resisting getting it, its quite simply an amazing game.

To say its complex, or brings something new to FPS would be a lie, but like many games in history, the fact that its kept simple, and done in a stylish way, proves to be what makes it fun.
Theres nothing like iron sights to weapons, you can take tones of hits before falling over, and even then you have a fair wait before you actualy “die”.

I really like the way that the game pushes palyers to work together, being on your own gets you taken down more quickly, and the whole idea of sitting up for ambushes, and such brings a great feel to the game.

Oh! And come-on, the witch isn’t that bad! Just a few rounds from the shottie and shes pushing dazies!

What is happening to the LAN scene?

I never noticed it at first, but slowly over the years… it seems to have moved away from what it used to be about.

Back when I first started LANing in 2000, it was about the games. You could spend hours playing games, all sorts of them, and when you wernt playing, you were sitting back and chatting. It was awesome, it was fun.

Now it seems to have changed, slowly three types of LANers evolved: The Leacher, The Pro Gamer, and The Social Player.

The Leacher is the worst offender, they have uber quad core systems, with SLI and 8 gigs of ram, and 15TB of HDD space, and they sit there in DC++ leaching. Thats all they do, scour everyones computer, and download as much as they can.
I don’t think they even watch/listen to/play half the stuff that comes through there. Its pathetic, and stupid. They have beefy rigs, and all its used for, really, is a file server.

Then you have The Pro Gamers. These guys sit on ONE game only, and refuse to move to anything else. They take the game WAY to seirously, and generaly ruin it for everyone else who joins.

The Social Player is basicly the same as the LANer of old, he will play anything, basicly doesn’t leach, and palys for fun. He is a dying breed, very rare to find. This person typical only has a computer of specifications that many would consider woefull, most still use 4:3 screens, most still are on single core, or extreamly low powered dual core systems.

I know I now fall into the last category (altho I did fall into the Pro Gamers category at one stage). And its so frustrating at LANs sometimes. Thank christ for the GTL people, we actualy play games, any games, we will give anything a shot… but the first type types of LANers, is the main reason I refuse to go to LANs like Respawn, or the like. Its just……… wrong.

A little while back, and me a mate sat down to figure out why numbers to GTL, and other LANs had dropped, and why other LANs had closed. We thought it was the WoW effect, everyone wanting to play that game… but no, its really the Leachers and Pro Gamers that are turing away those who really love LANs for what they are, and are ment to be. LANs have closed because they forgot that, or the admins runing them were sick of the two groups.

Bring back the LANs of old, and all you Leachers and Pro Gamers, please, seisourly, go fuck yourselfs.

Good to hear Craig finally got home, and the fire missed his place (even if it was just), and Mr McGuire got through to Warrugal and his family, AND Millie missed the fires just too apparently.

Some pictures, sent from both Craig and Millie, I’ll give ya a look at ‘em:

The second two pictures, I think were taken by Craig’s mother. Bloody close if you ask me.

Bloody sad day for Victoria.

ANYWAY

Much bigger post comming later with normal ramblings.

Well I’m getting extreamly frustrated. REALLY frustrated. This is almost 1 month now that I have been forced to do NOTHING.

I have to call up work tomorow, and deliver the news that, yep, its ANOTHER week that I wont be able to work.
I feel like a bum. I feel like I’m wasting away doing nothing. I want to work. I want to get out. I want to DO SOMETHING.

Yes, I know this will be over with quicker than the alternative, but atleast with the alternative I can make use of my self.

Ok, enough whinging, more nerding for me.

I bought Halo 3.

Yes, I know I made that youtube video smashing it but I figued, its had enough time that the ‘tards will have left it, so I figured I would give it a shot now.
Sofar I’ve been playing through the single player, and supprisingly its alot better than the first Halo for SP (i though that was really tight).
I’m interested in seeing how he MP stacks up compaired to Halo1, which I though was really good, not as good as Q3/QL, but still fairly awesome.
Halo2 was good, but lacking, excepcily in MP, with ALOT of things that were nagging and anoying. Apparently Halo3 goes back to how it was in #1, I guess I will find out soon enough.