November 19, 2007

Crysis physics bug, cryengine 2 bug, crysis water bug

Filed under: FPS, General — Justin @ 12:59 pm

Crysis wood physics bug

At the moment i’m playing my way through the full game, and im happy to report I have not found any physics bugs like this in the final release of the game. So far I have only seen a gun get stuck in a wall and make a really loud crashing noise?!?

This video was recorded using fraps and shows a crazzy piece of wood in the pre-release! Have a look below:

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October 12, 2007

The Black Box gone, no more, removed, lost, forgotten, Valve suck….

Filed under: News and Reviews, General — Justin @ 10:27 am

I have been happily enjoying using Steam. At first I thought it a bit NAZI authoritarian the way I had to register every single file through Steam before I was able to play. Some people griped that to play a single player game they needed an internet connection (also broadband, or it took 6 years to register your products!)

But as time went on Steam improved and recently has become half decent due to the “Friends” integration that allow you to join your friends online with a click. Nothing novel here (Crossfire) I might add but it worked.

Having battled my way through Half Life 2: Episode 1 in about 4 hours, I eagerly awaited the arrival of Episode 2. When I heard of its impenitent arrival I was a little disappointed to learn that it was being sold as a bundle of games. The marketing wizards in Valve offered us:

  • The Orange Box, 5 games in one (HL 2, Episodes 1+ 2, TF 2 and Portal)
  • The Black Box, this pack was initially set for release with 3 titles (Episode 2, TF 2 and Portal)

So it was not all bad, The Black Box was obviously the choice for me…..that was until Valve decided to bin it!!!! Yes Valve, you decided to turn your back on millions of PC gamers who already own Half Life 2 and Episode One, and in some silly marketing move decide to bin The Black Box and force PC gamers to but 5 games, 2 of which 99% of them have? Why did you do this you horrible freaks!

The retort: Valve have made it clear that you will get 2 keys for HL 2 and Episode One, and if you do not use them you can give them away…….Well thank you Valve. Maybe when you release Half Life 3 you can sell each person 5 copies of it….that way they can give 4 to their friends…and be the coolest kids in school…..SAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What makes more sense is this…..The cretins of console gaming are being served up The Orange Box, so they can play through Half Life 2, just really slowly as they desperately try to focus on The Combine with there awkward game controllers. So they get the 5 games…..all nicely bundled…but PC gamers get screwed to buy products they already own!!!!!!!!! Simple matter for Valve I guess, Xbox = Bigger Market….sell one product. Don’t forget where it all began. Gordon didn’t jump over mushrooms and climb down green pipes you know. Keep consoles for playing virtual tennis in your living room, racing rally cars, kicking football or climbing down green pipes with a slice of pizza in your hand!!!

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October 1, 2007

Red Orchestra Ostfront 41-45 – Revisited

Filed under: General — Martin @ 12:19 pm

After a recent LAN I decided to buy this at last. I played it as a free trial about a year or two ago when it came out on STEAM. At the time I wasn’t playing many FPSs with variety. I was playing Call of Duty religiously online. Then upgraded to Battlefield 2 for a while. So Red Orchestra was a nice change, I think I was so interested in it because it was Russians v Germans. Some of the levels in CoD had this too.

Without a doubt Red Orchestra gets 10 out of 10 for level of detail. The weaponry is nicely detailed, each class has a different primary weapon to choose from, like all the mainstream FPS nowadays. On the larger maps when tanks and vehicles come to the fore, there are about 8 classes to choose from, giving the player a healthy choice.

They have also removed the option of the cross hair, which can be annoying if you’re used to playing CSS or BF but it adds a touch of realism. You must look down the iron sights for an accurate shot!

The vehicle element in the game is also nicely done. You have an extensive choice when it comes to the larger tank battle maps, which is a great introduction to the game. The maps, although not unlimited in size like Armed Assault, are large all the same and suitably spacious and designed for volleys of tank shells to and fro. There is also an element of teamwork in the game, as no one man/woman can drive a tank on their own. They can but with great difficulty and will not operate effectively. You can have up to three players in a tank : Driver, Gunner and Commander. Many games out now are reproducing this, it’s now the norm and we love it.

I think BF1942 was the first game to have co-operative driving/shooting in vehicles (if I’m wrong please inform me!)

I really like the level design. I was playing a few games the other day and each level was filled with nicely destroyed buildings, obstacles, burnt out tanks etc. Each map has an element of path finding to it. A lot of the buildings are accessible too which I always like myself, lots of high windows make the life of a sniper all that easier!

However, there are some drawbacks. Bare in mind I’ve been playing Day of Defeat:Source like a lunatic lately, so it and Battlefield 2 are my two main datums for this judgement! Gun battles in DoD are ferocious and very intense. The maps are small and closely knit so close quarters fighting is constant. Red Orchestra, in my opinion, misses out on this. It loses out on the fierceness and intensity that the gun battles in DoD have. I think it’s down to the speed at which the players or bots move at, everything seems to be in slow motion. It must be down to programming, the men don’t move fast enough and they look ridiculous at times!

Perhaps DoD seems faster with the small maps but the men move a lot more realistic. I wonder can they mod this in Red Orchestra and bring some pace into the game. I tell you, one level, wide and open with no vehicles, as I was running across the map to find my prey it felt like I would reach my pension before I’d reach the frontline!

Can Tripwire Interactive or the guys in Steam mod this one fatal flaw?

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September 14, 2007

Kwari Teaser video, kwari cash for kills

Filed under: MMPORG, FPS, General — Justin @ 9:48 am

Got this Kwari video sent on to me. Not a gamplay movie but it kind of shows who they are targeting with their advertising campaign. “Angry Teenagers of the World…..spend your money getting fragged!”

Kwari Teaser video

I have a few new screen-shots. I must say im not trilled with the engine. There screens look very average, however its the concept behind Kwari that will either make or break it. Its not like they are going head to head with Bioshock and Crysis now is it ;)

Information regarding the Kwari engine was released some time ago. Its the “BigWorld Engine”. There is a technology article about it here. Its no Unreal 3 or CryEngine 2, but as I said before its not the visuals that will draw players to Kwari, its the gameplay that will make or break Kwari…..and of course the €$€$

More to come!!!

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August 30, 2007

Kwari, earn money playing fps, online gaming for money

Filed under: MMPORG, FPS, General — Justin @ 2:29 pm

I like the idea of making money playing computer games, and I’m not talking about playing a PSP under your desk in work either! Kwari, a Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter or MMOFPS ;), offers to give you the chance to turn your gaming skills into cold hard cash!

Kwari Logo

Now I’m not good enough to go head to head with the internets best…..but pro gamers will no doubt be licking their fingers at the possibilities Kwari offers! Basically Kwari sell ammunition for their game (which will be free to download). You purchase this ammunition and join online game servers (Please don’t say GameSpy….please). The ammunition (or money €€££$$) is then gained (as you frag people) or lost (as you get fragged). The idea here being the better player will get shot less and do more killing, hence earning more money!

The game is in development at the moment, but here are a few screen shots of the game in action, no idea what engine it is using?

So apart from earning your keep shooting and avoiding bullets, you can also capture the “Pill” (lol). By holding onto the Pill you gain extra money. The player who held the Pill for the longest wins the “Pill Jackpot”, presumable a little more than a handful of herbal ecstasy :) Well I must say I’m intrigued. Will this generate yet another profession…….stand clear….i’m an online gamer!!!

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