Updated 02:11 EST 3/22/98>I've been up late updating the hell out of my personal home page. I think its a lot better now. If only the clan web master would devote such attention to this site...
That's the problem with trying to do work surrounding Quake, you invariably end up just playing it and not getting anything done. I can't believe those guys at id ever finish anything.
I thought I'd use this forum to again voice my protest against warez. I think they've become much too prevalent, and as internet speeds increase, will only get worse. Would you go up to John Carmack, beat him up, and take fifty bucks? I doubt it, so why would you steal $59.99 from him, the publisher, and the retailer by not paying for your copy of Quake. No games would be made if people didn't make money on 'em, and the more money they make, the more and better games are made. That's how capitalism works. Theft undermines the economy, making things worse for everybody, so don't do it.
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Updated 15:40 EST 3/19/98
It seems none of our distinguished web masters have the initiative to update our site so hopefully, this posting will spur them to action. Not playing video games sucks, but its amazing the stuff you'll do to amuse yourself in the mean time. I've been listening to a lot more MP3z, writing stupid Java stuff, and have even sat down to read the Almanac (I'm easily amused). I've also taken up reading the Dune series. All I'd read previously was Dune, but since MDF keeps going on and on about how cool it is, I picked up Dune Messiah and started reading it. So far it seems mostly concerned with court intrigue, and less with battles and Fremen than the first book, but I'm only half way through so I don't really have enough to go on.
DHnet, our dorm network here, is getting some kind of overhaul, which should end in the connection of my South hall network with the East/Weaver network. It doesn't really matter though, cause after this summer, I'm no longer welcome in the dorms. Its apartment life for me.
But, then, if your reading this, you probably don't really care about my life. You want to hear some more of my incredibly insightful comments on gaming. The problem is, I haven't played any games, and I haven't read any PC Gamers, so I'm kinda short on material. I've heard some stuff about how Rebellion is supposed to have a Master of Orion type interface, but being real-time with multiplayer support. This is something I'm going to have to see. If done right, it could bring all new systems of game play to traditionally turn-based games, however, it could end up the way of tradtional RTSs (Warcraft, C&C, etc.) and turn a complex system into a simplistic race where the outcome is decided 10 minutes into the game, but still takes 2 hours to resolve.
If any of you care, you can see my site.
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Updated 17:20 EST 2/17/98
Grrr....Everybody else was updating their fingers, so I feel obligatedto update mine. I haven't been playing too much Quake lately, and I don't know why. As soon as I'm done writing this I think I'll play some.
Some loser has gone and installed Jedi Knight on my computer and keeps playing that. I just can't get into that game. I really like simplicity in my action games, and with all those force powers to keep track of, Jedi Knight is definitely not that. You can really see the difference in graphics from Quake 2 to Jedi. Jedi's polygons are huge, and the colored lighting in Quake really makes a difference. (Sorry to all you unaccelerated guys out there.)
I thought today I'd talk about something completely off topic, Real-Time Strategy games. I bring this up because the same fool that installed Jedi on my computer also installed this game called Total Annihilation, and he keeps telling me to get good at it so I can give him some competition. Mostly because I kick his ass at Quake so badly. This game looks really nice for an RTS, and they try to keep it simple by making only two types of resources that you generate with structures rather than go out and collect or anything, but the game still irritates me. It seems there is little emphasis on tactics, you just build a shitload of units and overwhelm your opponent. No defensive fortifications, just guns. It seems to me that if I were to make an RTS, it would be either all tactics a la Close Combat or Myth, or all resource management like in Settlers 2. I don't find resource management all that interesting, but some people enjoy it, so that kind of game wouldn't be too bad.
One game that seems to have a very good grasp of this concept is Lords of the Realm 2. My parents sent me this for my birthday, and at first I was skeptical, but its actually quite intriguing. All the resource management and army building is done with a turn-based interface, and then all battles are real-time. This type of game, but with some added features such as technological advances, a campaign story, and heroes or veteran units or something that carries over from scenario to scenario. The RT element could use some more tactical options, such as the ability to entrench or create coherent formations. Lords 2 is a good start, and I hope they keep it up. If not, I know what my first game is going to be.
Finally, and even more unrelated, I've included this link to console all those guys who play Quake and wish they had a girlfriend. You'll be able to empathize with this guy. Girlfriend Diary. Its this guys diary on how he tries to get a girlfriend, and mostly he chickens out a lot. Really good read.
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Updated 21:31 EST 1/27/98
I've got a few interesting Quake stories today. First, my roommate, Cockbreath, was playing on the cltonline.com server and this guy Chaotic was destroying everybody. I told him to get up while I tried to show him the proper way of playing, but even I got beat by a fairly high margin, 35-20. I could've sworn this guy was a 'bot. Everytime I encountered him he would jump around me in a circle and never miss. None of the evasive techniques I used worked once. I ssent him a chat message to see if he was a bot and he responded. Fucking amazing. He is by far the best Quake player I've ever encountered.
I tried my first game of CTF today, ended up in the middle on rankings, but I never once captured the flag. Too many people, a level a never played on, and a grappling hook I could'nt get used to. But that's what it takes to be a good Quake player. The ability to adjust.
I'm still using the FOV strategy I picked up from Brian Hook's .plan file. Here's my init string:
+mlook90 is the default field of vision, anything lower is varying degrees of zoom. Very useful when you want to use the railgun and sometimes even the Hyperblaster at long range. Especially if you're a camper like MDF.alias +bond "fov 35" \\Zooms to 35 (bound to Enter)
alias -bond "fov 90" \\Zooms back to normal