Journals
It's not common that I do something stupid but which requires some balls at the same time, I just do stupid things all the time. This one was going to a fancy dress party as the completely wrong theme. The theme of the party was "Around the world"
SO! There everyone was, dancing, drinking and talking in the club all dressed up as Greeks, Indians, Chinease and whatnot, then next minute Lord Vader and two fucking Stormtroopers walk in.
We pulled it off though, more people were amazed that Vader and two Stormies were walking around the party than the theme, and if asked we just said "But we are from around the world... In a galaxy far far away"
Good times. <=)
SO! There everyone was, dancing, drinking and talking in the club all dressed up as Greeks, Indians, Chinease and whatnot, then next minute Lord Vader and two fucking Stormtroopers walk in.
Good times. <=)
Hey all,
I have decided to make a new forum for my site. It is going great...I have a member from Allied Mods' forums helping to maintain it and everything...
I even have RPG Inferno installed on it so that now when we finish configing it you can play a massive RPG...
You can view the forums here: http://forum.stixsworld.com
I have decided to make a new forum for my site. It is going great...I have a member from Allied Mods' forums helping to maintain it and everything...
I even have RPG Inferno installed on it so that now when we finish configing it you can play a massive RPG...
You can view the forums here: http://forum.stixsworld.com
I've just played through John Romero's Daikatana. If you don't know about this game, which is one of the most massively over-hyped titles in gaming history, read the Wiki on it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daikatana).
I've gotta say, this game could have been really good. After like the third patch, the sidekicks are not as useless, as they were in v 1.0, and some maps are quite impressive. Too bad that the game as a whole is inconsistent - just when you're starting to have fun, it kicks you in the balls with some terrible design and gameplay decisions.
And why did I bother playing through this shit?
1.: Probably because I wanted to share the frustration of players , who - at the time, when this game finally came out after 3 years - felt bad about waiting for a game, that turned out to be such a mess in the end.
and 2.: Because I love ROFLing at a game this bad.
Overall: A game that had potential, but was brutally fucked up in the end.
I've gotta say, this game could have been really good. After like the third patch, the sidekicks are not as useless, as they were in v 1.0, and some maps are quite impressive. Too bad that the game as a whole is inconsistent - just when you're starting to have fun, it kicks you in the balls with some terrible design and gameplay decisions.
And why did I bother playing through this shit?
1.: Probably because I wanted to share the frustration of players , who - at the time, when this game finally came out after 3 years - felt bad about waiting for a game, that turned out to be such a mess in the end.
and 2.: Because I love ROFLing at a game this bad.
Overall: A game that had potential, but was brutally fucked up in the end.
Why did i do this to myself? Seriously.
Let me throw some facts your way. Here's my usual week.
Monday - Wake up at 9:30AM, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00, Do homework and study until 1:00, go to class until 4:30, drive another 30 minutes home (Or to my apartment, which i really don't consider home) 5:00 - Wonder why i did not eat lunch. 5:30 - get some dinner. 6:00 - Do some more homework. I force myself to work until 8:00, or whenever something happens to distract me (usually my girlfriend coming home and telling me she's bored and wants to do something, but she obviously can't see that i'm busy trying not to fail) 8:00 - take a break from studies, pack my stuff for tomorrow, chill out/ watch TV, go to bed.
Tuesday - 9:30Am -wake up, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00. Physics II class at 11:00-12:30. 12:30 - Hit up the computer lab to study some more and do some homework - 3:20 -6:50 (no, i'm not kidding, it's straight 3+1/2 hours of class) i have electronics with the most hated professor at my school.. YAY!! 7:00 - Calculus 9:10 - Drive my 30 minutes home. 9:40 - Exhausted from the day, i'll eat whatever i can before passing out to wake up the next morning.
Wednesday - Wake up at 9:30AM, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00, Do homework and study until 1:00, go to class until 2:30, then hang out in the computer lab for however long it takes to do my assignments. (Every monday and tuesday, there's assigned lab-reports. Each have to be roughly 8 pages long, and take around 2-3 hours to complete. Not to mention the daily homework of about 10-25 problems. Each with parts a-d. Now take 25 and multiply it by 4, and you get 100. Then multiply each problem by how long it takes to actually complete them, and you will soon find out there's plenty of time on wednesday to get everything done.)
BUT WAIT!!! My manager finds out that i get home earlier on wednesday than i do on monday. So what does she do?
She schedules me to come in at 4:00 and close the restaurant. And if anyone has ever been to an Applebee's before, they know they close at 11:00. Wonderful. There goes my wednesday
Thursday - (Panic starts settling in as i couldnt complete anything from yesterday) 9:30Am -wake up, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00. Physics II class at 11:00-2:30. 2:30 - Hit up the computer lab to study some more and do some homework which i did not complete the day before, which leaves me pretty much wanting to kill myself. - 5:30 -6:50 Electronics class 7:00 - Calculus 9:10 - Drive my 30 minutes home. 9:40 - Exhausted from the day, i'll eat whatever i can before passing out to wake up the next morning.
Ohhh the weekend is here
Friday - I usually open the restaurant. So i have to wake up, once again at 9:30, get in by 10:30, work until 3:00, get a break, come back on the floor at 4:00, and work until about 9:00. Now anybody in their right mind is nuking futz to go home and study after being at work for 11 hours. So thats when i relax, or try to relax because there's always a fucking party at mi-casa every damn friday and saturday night.
Saturday / Sunday - Same exact schedule as friday, i do not lie.
So that's my week. Hectic, long, frustrating, exhausting. And somehow i still find time to describe it to you right here, right now. There's literally not enough time in my week to do everything i need.
Which makes it all worse is that i'm losing 4 hours a week of my life sitting on my ass traveling 74MPH down interstate 84 to and from my school.
that 4 hours can be put forth to mapping, or playing guitar, or maybe doing some work that i didn't have time for earlier..
It's hard to keep in mind that all this will be worth it someday. I just don't see it yet.
Let me throw some facts your way. Here's my usual week.
Monday - Wake up at 9:30AM, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00, Do homework and study until 1:00, go to class until 4:30, drive another 30 minutes home (Or to my apartment, which i really don't consider home) 5:00 - Wonder why i did not eat lunch. 5:30 - get some dinner. 6:00 - Do some more homework. I force myself to work until 8:00, or whenever something happens to distract me (usually my girlfriend coming home and telling me she's bored and wants to do something, but she obviously can't see that i'm busy trying not to fail) 8:00 - take a break from studies, pack my stuff for tomorrow, chill out/ watch TV, go to bed.
Tuesday - 9:30Am -wake up, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00. Physics II class at 11:00-12:30. 12:30 - Hit up the computer lab to study some more and do some homework - 3:20 -6:50 (no, i'm not kidding, it's straight 3+1/2 hours of class) i have electronics with the most hated professor at my school.. YAY!! 7:00 - Calculus 9:10 - Drive my 30 minutes home. 9:40 - Exhausted from the day, i'll eat whatever i can before passing out to wake up the next morning.
Wednesday - Wake up at 9:30AM, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00, Do homework and study until 1:00, go to class until 2:30, then hang out in the computer lab for however long it takes to do my assignments. (Every monday and tuesday, there's assigned lab-reports. Each have to be roughly 8 pages long, and take around 2-3 hours to complete. Not to mention the daily homework of about 10-25 problems. Each with parts a-d. Now take 25 and multiply it by 4, and you get 100. Then multiply each problem by how long it takes to actually complete them, and you will soon find out there's plenty of time on wednesday to get everything done.)
BUT WAIT!!! My manager finds out that i get home earlier on wednesday than i do on monday. So what does she do?
She schedules me to come in at 4:00 and close the restaurant. And if anyone has ever been to an Applebee's before, they know they close at 11:00. Wonderful. There goes my wednesday
Thursday - (Panic starts settling in as i couldnt complete anything from yesterday) 9:30Am -wake up, shower, eat breakfast, drive 30 minutes to school for 11:00. Physics II class at 11:00-2:30. 2:30 - Hit up the computer lab to study some more and do some homework which i did not complete the day before, which leaves me pretty much wanting to kill myself. - 5:30 -6:50 Electronics class 7:00 - Calculus 9:10 - Drive my 30 minutes home. 9:40 - Exhausted from the day, i'll eat whatever i can before passing out to wake up the next morning.
Ohhh the weekend is here
Friday - I usually open the restaurant. So i have to wake up, once again at 9:30, get in by 10:30, work until 3:00, get a break, come back on the floor at 4:00, and work until about 9:00. Now anybody in their right mind is nuking futz to go home and study after being at work for 11 hours. So thats when i relax, or try to relax because there's always a fucking party at mi-casa every damn friday and saturday night.
Saturday / Sunday - Same exact schedule as friday, i do not lie.
So that's my week. Hectic, long, frustrating, exhausting. And somehow i still find time to describe it to you right here, right now. There's literally not enough time in my week to do everything i need.
Which makes it all worse is that i'm losing 4 hours a week of my life sitting on my ass traveling 74MPH down interstate 84 to and from my school.
that 4 hours can be put forth to mapping, or playing guitar, or maybe doing some work that i didn't have time for earlier..
It's hard to keep in mind that all this will be worth it someday. I just don't see it yet.
WAVE #2
I recently worked out why I prefer playing RPGs (Preferably FPS RPGs)
In most titles such as Half-Life or Far Cry or Crysis, you are perscribed a character, with a backstory and a motive and a set fate. This always kills immersion for me, even in Far Cry 2 when you have a selection of characters the overall game is the same regardless.
Fallout 3 is currently my top game and with good reason. After your characters birth you make your own story starting with your name and how you look. From then on things can change dramatically. I am currently playing 2 games in Fallout.
In one, I have created myself, as closely as possible appearance wise, but mostly in the choices I have made so far. As a baby I became intelligent, observative and agile but not overly strong. On my 10th birthday I annoyed Butch (the bully character) and used my wit to get out of a fight. I also thanked everyone for their gifts regardless of how crap they all were. When the shit hit the fan in the vault I helped out everyone I could and used my agility to sneak around or run from the guards so that I didn't have to kill anyone. Since leaving the vault I have been friendly with everyone, even lying occasionally to make them feel better (or for my own benefit. Hey, thats just how I am)
In my other game, I am playing as Crystal, who is pretty much my opposite. Female, attractive and a complete and utter bitch queen. As a baby I trashed my room, throwing toys all over, and made myself very strong, very charismatic and quite stupid. On my 10th birthday I told everyone how crappy their gifts were and got in a fight for calling Butch's mum a drunk. I even got told off for being ungrateful. I then shot my dad in the eye with a BB gun he gave me. When things went loopy I took a bat and smacked the living shit out of everyone, including those asking for help. I would often loot their bodies as well. I got some nice stuff out of it. I also locked a Butch's mom in a room with some radroaches (big fucking cockroaches) who ate her alive whilst I snagged all her booze and killed her son with a security baton. (I wanted his jacket.) Since leaving the Vault I have become addicted to Whiskey. At one point I broke into a woman's house and beat her to death with my fists so that I could get my fix.
Thats what makes Fallout such an immersive game. Imagine how crazy Half-Life would have been if Gordon was a medkit junkie and needed a fix in the middle of a shootout. The tension would have been double what it was. Or if you could make deals with the militia in Far Cry 2 so that they could give you supplies or be called on to help with missions.
Role-Playing is often shunned because of its slow combat mechanics and levelling systems but in my opinion its the best type of game for interativity and a truely immersive experience.
Oh, I also drank from a toilet in a dank and rusty saloon. Got quite sick.
tl;dr? RPG's are the best source of immersive and interactive worlds.
Wow, it's been what.....over 4 months or so I have not posted anything on this site, and I must say it was not by my choice. To make a long story short, I was a U.S. Naval reservist that got called up to finish my last remaining few months in my 8 year service commitment as an active service member. I just got back 4 days ago from a surprise trip somewhere in the south Atlantic ocean onboard a certain naval ship I am not at liberty to identify or it's purpose of it's mission. Sorry, but that's the extent of what I can say without going to a military brig. Now, what I can say is that it was one of my most boring 3 months of my life. I was not allowed to have my cell phone and laptop with me, so no phone calls or internet for all that time. Normally it is not like this on a Navy ship, but due to the specific nature of my deployment, maximum restrictions were put in place for the ship's crew. All that is behind me now, my military commitment is done both in active and reserves modes. I am back home with my family and that's all I care for. So, been looking around all the new postings in TWHL and I see there are a lot of neat things being talked about, so I can't wait to engage in some of them, especially the ones by satchmo and Penguinboy.
I've been promising it for a while now ... and here it is! I've just released my ninth HLDM level: Canyon: Redux.
I'd love to hear what you all think!
Edit:
On a related topic, when uploading I notice it says "Upload your screenshot. You can add extra screenshots later." How exactly would I go about adding additional screenshots? I can't seem to find it...
------Journal combinatorial services by TheGrimReafer-------
In the comments to my last journal post, I got asked why I bother writing such extensive documentation for "levels nobody gonna play more then 1 hour max?" I replied there, but felt my reply deserved a post of its own. So, uh, here 'tis:
Uh ... why?
For one thing it's DM, not SP, so I sorta hope people will play it more than once.
I write big documentation because every level I build - every HLDM level - has its own story. It's part of the process. Maybe people want to read the story, and maybe they don't. I write big documentation because it's what I do. When I'm not a level builder, I'm a writer. (Well, gamer, and reader, and general-time-waster, and watcher-of-DVDs, and writer. It's in there somewhere...)
Much of the time involved in FINISHING the documentation - 'cos, y'know, most of it is worthless waffle that nobody will read anyway - is getting the credits right, giving due and proper acknowledgement of all the textures I've used which were made by other people. Getting THAT right is important -- anything less would make me a lowly scumsucker who passed off other people's work as his own!
And sure, I'm sure there are people who think my writing four novels was a waste of time too.
shrug
As for why I continue to build levels for goldsource at all ... well, didn't think that would need to be explained on THIS site. But I build 'em for myself and my friends to play, and HL is one of the few games we can run without difficulty at work where we most often play. That's all. I choose to make them available here to give back something to the community from which I learned a trick or two over the years ... but that's a bonus. Certainly the half-dozen or so comments I get on each level are nice - the positive, and even the negative - and they teach me something too, but they hardly repay the months (even, in some cases, years) of work I put into each level. No, I build them for private use!
Since I'm also working on tweaking the SDK, this may well be the last level I release that will work (almost) properly without my PetesDM mod. OTOH, since I've pushed the engine about as far as it can be pushed, maybe it IS time to branch out, to find something else we can put on the machines at work. shrug
Edit:
For those who are interested, I've got two novels completed and two awaiting completion. They're self-published (partly because of legal reasons - by some definitions they're fanfic - and partly because I wrote them for much the same reasons I make my levels...) but that doesn't mean they're bad. Admittedly, I'm a little biassed, but I think most people here who know my mapping practices know that I wouldn't make it public if I didn't like the quality...
The two completed ones are available as PDFs at http://www.petesplace.id.au/array_wars/ (and at LULU, but not yet publicly searchable; if you're really keen let me know and I'll give you the link!) They're, basically, Star-Wars/Matrix parody crossover novels.
I'd love to hear what you all think!
Edit:
On a related topic, when uploading I notice it says "Upload your screenshot. You can add extra screenshots later." How exactly would I go about adding additional screenshots? I can't seem to find it...
------Journal combinatorial services by TheGrimReafer-------
In the comments to my last journal post, I got asked why I bother writing such extensive documentation for "levels nobody gonna play more then 1 hour max?" I replied there, but felt my reply deserved a post of its own. So, uh, here 'tis:
Uh ... why?
For one thing it's DM, not SP, so I sorta hope people will play it more than once.
I write big documentation because every level I build - every HLDM level - has its own story. It's part of the process. Maybe people want to read the story, and maybe they don't. I write big documentation because it's what I do. When I'm not a level builder, I'm a writer. (Well, gamer, and reader, and general-time-waster, and watcher-of-DVDs, and writer. It's in there somewhere...)
Much of the time involved in FINISHING the documentation - 'cos, y'know, most of it is worthless waffle that nobody will read anyway - is getting the credits right, giving due and proper acknowledgement of all the textures I've used which were made by other people. Getting THAT right is important -- anything less would make me a lowly scumsucker who passed off other people's work as his own!
And sure, I'm sure there are people who think my writing four novels was a waste of time too.
shrug
As for why I continue to build levels for goldsource at all ... well, didn't think that would need to be explained on THIS site. But I build 'em for myself and my friends to play, and HL is one of the few games we can run without difficulty at work where we most often play. That's all. I choose to make them available here to give back something to the community from which I learned a trick or two over the years ... but that's a bonus. Certainly the half-dozen or so comments I get on each level are nice - the positive, and even the negative - and they teach me something too, but they hardly repay the months (even, in some cases, years) of work I put into each level. No, I build them for private use!
Since I'm also working on tweaking the SDK, this may well be the last level I release that will work (almost) properly without my PetesDM mod. OTOH, since I've pushed the engine about as far as it can be pushed, maybe it IS time to branch out, to find something else we can put on the machines at work. shrug
Edit:
For those who are interested, I've got two novels completed and two awaiting completion. They're self-published (partly because of legal reasons - by some definitions they're fanfic - and partly because I wrote them for much the same reasons I make my levels...) but that doesn't mean they're bad. Admittedly, I'm a little biassed, but I think most people here who know my mapping practices know that I wouldn't make it public if I didn't like the quality...
The two completed ones are available as PDFs at http://www.petesplace.id.au/array_wars/ (and at LULU, but not yet publicly searchable; if you're really keen let me know and I'll give you the link!) They're, basically, Star-Wars/Matrix parody crossover novels.
Water splashes up the side of the ship, just didn't catch it in the screenshot, there's also thunder and lightning and the skybox will be changed.
Everything you see in this picture involving lighting isn't final, just progress.
Kudos to Huntey for making the badass textures for me.
And Happy Easter guys!
Almost there...
sigh
I have finished the documentation for my new Canyon: Redux level -- it took a bit of work to get the acknowledgements section right, to list all the people who created the textures I used, but it's finally done!
Meanwhile, I have been running the final compile of the level. For consistency, there were just a few minor details which needed tweaking, so I did that last night and started the compile. On my computer at work, with its 3Gb of RAM, the VIS portion of the full compile takes around 14 hours. On my laptop, with its meagre 1Gb - well, let's just say it probably won't be finished today. Neither of my desktop machines has more RAM than that either - although possibly it would compile a little faster on one of those...? Definitely time for a hardware upgrade, methinks!
If all else fails, I'll run the compile overnight at work -- but I won't be back there till Wednesday afternoon at the earliest!
Sometime in the next week, I'll be releasing the darn thing. Until then, I've got screenshots up on my Mapping Page if anybody wants to take a sneak peek...
sigh
I have finished the documentation for my new Canyon: Redux level -- it took a bit of work to get the acknowledgements section right, to list all the people who created the textures I used, but it's finally done!
Meanwhile, I have been running the final compile of the level. For consistency, there were just a few minor details which needed tweaking, so I did that last night and started the compile. On my computer at work, with its 3Gb of RAM, the VIS portion of the full compile takes around 14 hours. On my laptop, with its meagre 1Gb - well, let's just say it probably won't be finished today. Neither of my desktop machines has more RAM than that either - although possibly it would compile a little faster on one of those...? Definitely time for a hardware upgrade, methinks!
If all else fails, I'll run the compile overnight at work -- but I won't be back there till Wednesday afternoon at the earliest!
Sometime in the next week, I'll be releasing the darn thing. Until then, I've got screenshots up on my Mapping Page if anybody wants to take a sneak peek...
CamSpace, The ultimate experience in game controllers
Kiss your keyboard, mouse and
joystick goodbye, and start playing
games with your webcam!
CamSpace is Super Easy & Super Fun
I tried this software and it's really something new and very cool. I played a game much like pinball or something like that, using a marker. I then made a profile config for GRID ( you can make game profiles), and I should say, you can configure it for a lot of movements( it detects almost any kind of movement).
The result was literally a disaster( my webcam is under MP and it isn't that good ...). The car was driving by itself almost :))
You have to get used to stand with your hands in air with an object. The object must be something contrasting with the ambient light.
Download it from HERE and also type "CamSpace" on youtube to see what I'm talking about.
Try it out yourself, it's quite cool and it provides some minigames that are already configured, for a "warm-up" with the program
Kiss your keyboard, mouse and
joystick goodbye, and start playing
games with your webcam!
CamSpace is Super Easy & Super Fun
I tried this software and it's really something new and very cool. I played a game much like pinball or something like that, using a marker. I then made a profile config for GRID ( you can make game profiles), and I should say, you can configure it for a lot of movements( it detects almost any kind of movement).
The result was literally a disaster( my webcam is under MP and it isn't that good ...). The car was driving by itself almost :))
You have to get used to stand with your hands in air with an object. The object must be something contrasting with the ambient light.
Download it from HERE and also type "CamSpace" on youtube to see what I'm talking about.
Try it out yourself, it's quite cool and it provides some minigames that are already configured, for a "warm-up" with the program
We went to several open houses for daycare centers this morning.
There's this one that's very tough to get in. The application process is almost like getting into an university. My wife and I dressed up in our best business attire to the interview.
There's this one that's very tough to get in. The application process is almost like getting into an university. My wife and I dressed up in our best business attire to the interview.
New avatar. Epic Devin Townsend looking like a hunter pircture is epic. 
W00t much work over the past few months...
I have made 3 diff maps within 1 week...each very very diff than any other map...
My first, Stixsworld, was just a conversion of the Stixsworld 1 map that is available here with he source that was made for HLDM...got converted to Sven Coop as a horde map...
Stixsworld 2 is a map to demonstrate how awsum the new AI system in v4+ of Sven Coop is...
Stixsworld 3 is my own personal lounge map for Sven Coop...has nothing special to it...you just join and there are multiple rooms and in each room you can hit a button and you just hear a song start to play in the room...and you can party, hang, and do anything but violence in the server...well except for when majority wish to leave the map...
I have also found and rerelease sum map packs that many thought lost for Sven Coop...and I also helped to fix sum maps via ripent...and I released sum map packs of other's maps...
All shall be revealed...just visit the following url: http://wiki.stixsworld.com
---Stixsmaster
I have made 3 diff maps within 1 week...each very very diff than any other map...
My first, Stixsworld, was just a conversion of the Stixsworld 1 map that is available here with he source that was made for HLDM...got converted to Sven Coop as a horde map...
Stixsworld 2 is a map to demonstrate how awsum the new AI system in v4+ of Sven Coop is...
Stixsworld 3 is my own personal lounge map for Sven Coop...has nothing special to it...you just join and there are multiple rooms and in each room you can hit a button and you just hear a song start to play in the room...and you can party, hang, and do anything but violence in the server...well except for when majority wish to leave the map...
I have also found and rerelease sum map packs that many thought lost for Sven Coop...and I also helped to fix sum maps via ripent...and I released sum map packs of other's maps...
All shall be revealed...just visit the following url: http://wiki.stixsworld.com
---Stixsmaster
Wave 1
YouTube and Warner Music Group have really rubbed me the wrong way as of late. Muting an entire video because it contains 10 seconds of music is the most fucking ridiculous thing I have ever heard. OK, so an entire song I can understand even though my crappy GMOD music videos are still up. However my Santa's Revenge Review for Mod of the Month contained no more than 20 seconds of the track "12 Pains of Christmas," a god awful song by some god awful artist nobody had ever heard of yet WMG saw fit to mute it for this very reason. Never mind the fact that the rest of the video took a week or so to prepare and put together and that the artists were all credited accordingly.
If they had sent a message and told me, then I would have gladly downloaded the movie, altered the 20 seconds of footage and then uploaded it with a different track. But no, the vid was muted without my knowing and I no longer have the files to fix the issue. So, my Santa's revenge review is silent, making it overall pointless.
Warner Music can choke on a cock.
I have been working on a 3d environment, in 3dstudiomax. For a school assignment, we have to design a gameconcept and make a animation/trailer about it.
Here are a few tree's i made:
I think these could look pretty good in goldsrc.
Here are a few tree's i made: