Journals

This is my reaction when there isnt Internet in my house :^)

http://i.imgur.com/4O2kuPk.gif

So I finally got around to playing HL2 the other day (yeah nah don't ask why it's taken me this long).

Because the game was the first one to use the Source engine, I can't help but notice that a lot of the game puzzles and gameplay focus on the physics, as if Valve was attempting to exploit this part of the engine to the max.
ie. You get a tool that can pick up objects around the world. You can't shoot to destroy turrets, they have to fall over. You build see-saws in the sewers to escape, etc.
Maybe I'm just cynical but because I've played games post HL2 which feature similar physics engines that aren't exploited like this, I'm finding this part of the game a bit overkill. kind of like how there are games build to exploit a graphics engine, this feels like it was built to exploit a physics engine.

Also, the story isn't explained very well either.
And Alyx is actually pretty annoying.
But apart from that Its alright.

Time flies. It slips away like sand between your fingers every second you're not looking. One day you realise all that time has gone, we're not here long enough. Don't let it run past with impunity. Have fun, love others. Trap that time in your heart and make it last forever.

Now go out there and have a great 2016!

My book (electronic version) is available for only $5 until January 8th!
https://www.packtpub.com/game-development/source-sdk-game-development-essentials

Thought you all would like to know.

The time has finally come. I will return to the upper ranks of the PC Master Race! After sliding down the ranks over the last few years with old faithful:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0 GHz
Motherboard: EVGA nForce 750I SLI FTW
Memory: 8GB DDR2 800 4x2GB (2 native, 2 overclocked)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: XFX GeForce GTX 285 1GB
Case: Cooler Master Haf 922
Power Supply: Corsair TX850 850W
Keyboard: Generic Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech MX518

I've just ordered the parts to build my new rig, and it will be Glorious!!!

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII M4
Motherboard: MSI Z170M Mortar Micro ATX
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB 4x4GB DDR4 2400
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM HDD
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM HDD
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0
Case: Corsair Air 240
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fans
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fans
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Razer Naga Hex Wired Laser Mouse
Other: Razer Sabertooth

Before you say anything, yes, the HDDs will be in RAID 0, and while the risk of failure is greater, given their reputation and my personal experience, I'm willing to take the risk for the performance increase and reduced cost for my game installs.

Big year. Got married and had a kid. Mad decent.

I recently asked you guys for some advice about 1440p displays. After much deliberation, I went for the AOC Q2770PQU sitting at a glorious 27" which takes up my entire desk width - an impressive feat on a desk this big.I've now been living and working with these panels for about six months and I've got to say I haven't had a single problem. The colour reproduction - which is easily my most important priority - is staggeringly good. I had them calibrated to broadcast standards in mere minutes and the faithful, bright and vibrant colours are simply beautiful. I'm also running them on the absolute lowest power settings and they're still totally bright and rich. On the full power setting it's like looking out of a real window.

For work, the extra screen real estate of 1440p is phenomenal. I have almost all the tools I ever need on screen at once in After Effects and it creates a painless and efficient workflow that makes work so much less tiring.For games, I was worried that I would notice the slightly lower-end refresh rate. I don't, at all. Maybe if I was playing a twitch-fps like Counter-strike at an e-sports level I might see a difference, but for gaming for enjoyment, the beautiful picture, immersive screen size and ridiculously crisp resolution more than makes up for anything lost in the refresh rate. I was using a 144Hhz monitor for years and I don't feel any worse off at 60.

There are some nice bonuses like USB3 ports in the sides and I personally quite like the design of the bevel, though it's nothing mind-blowing. The stands are sturdy and easily adjustable and sit on lazy-susans so that rotating your displays won't scratch your desk. Nice touch.

Overall, I couldn't be happier. Would heartily recommend to anyone on here, but especially to those with jobs in design or video - I can't stress enough how stunning the colour is, even at basically a 180 degree viewing angle. What a display.

3000 days.

TL;DR: been here for 8 years. My deep thanks to the community. Youtube link to an unfinished project at the bottom of the journal

Three thousand. This is an interesting, if not cool number that probably make most of the geeks think of the future. How will life be in the year 3000? It's difficult to imagine, but it's fun to speculate. Flying cars, teleportation? Outdated concepts by that time. Are we going to be merely some spheres of energy having fun by shaping matter, that move through the universe in the ultimate quest of solving the last philosophical questions? Are we going to meet with other intelligent beings by that time, or, why not, ascend on a higher spiritual path and maybe discover new realms?

I don't know. But it's not about 3000 years, it's about 3000 days. I've been here for that amount of time and I thought it would be nice to present my respects to the community. It's a community that tolerated me in my internet youth and I'm grateful for that. People have very little patience in real life these days, much less in a virtual space. Although maybe it's not fair to suppose that it's virtual, because electronic communication is one of the greatest inventions: expanding our electrical impulses from the brain, through an interface, to thousands of miles away. It's... mind blowing, if you think of it.

I'm ashamed that, because of my very busy schedule, I couldn't work at a mapping project I had, and neither I could make a "gift" to the community, to say so. I can only present my thanks to you, the regulars, who give this community its unique appeal that had me stay for so long. It is still the first tab in my tens of tabs opened each day, because I'm quite honestly interested of the evolution of some members around here. It's heart warming to know the origins of some members and see them where they've arrived.

It's not fair to present thanks to only the regulars I know from the top of my head, I'd surely leave some out and that wouldn't be nice. But to you, the regulars: I tip my hat to you! Please continue to come to this site and share your stories :).

The project I was talking about was started quite some months ago, in preparation for this event. But college started and... well, those of you who went to college know what this means. I also work now as a programmer, so I have only about 2-3 hours of free time per day.
It was supposed to be an amalgamation of very intense and dynamic moments, as some of you know I hate "static" maps. It was supposed to be... a culmination of my restless mind in summer nights. Yeah this sounds weird :)).
Anyway, enough with the talk, this was the starting area:
=======================
HL2 mapping project
=======================
This can become a long term project where I could co-opt some members and expand it into a short mod. But I don't know for now. Most of my projects start by having an idea pop in my mind when having a shower, and idea that grows and expands into a couple of scenes that I rehearse repeatedly in my mind until I can't stand if I don't start implementing it. So, in conclusion, I don't have a real story. Do not consider this post a team project announcement, I'd be very clear if it was so.

Sorry for the long post ^^.

I find it kind of weird how in video games, sometimes the reload animation let the used ammo clip stay on screen, obviously showing you weren't switching it out.

Here's a gif I made to show what I mean:

Something something something roman numerals.
Something something something clever way of saying it's my birthday.
Something something something I'm 19 now.

Goddamn I'm bad at this. `-`
I'm getting some tea.

Will be test playing my ScoutzKnivez remake later today prolly around 5-6 pm central time.

Come join and check it out, cs 1.6 server.

Ip: 68.232.164.122

I find myself in need of a new graphics card, as it would seem that the one I have is likely the source of my recent computer woes.

Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about graphics cards or where to find info on them. Thus, I turn to you fellows.

I'm looking for something at least comparable in power (or better) to what I am replacing, which is an AMD Radeon HD 6800 (or something like that, anyway). Moreover, I'd like it to be relatively affordable, around the $200-$250 mark.

Can thou help me?

We're gonna be recording season 2 of Formula SnC soon. Just wondering if any TWHLers would like to join the roster?

At the moment it's still just Ant, Urby, Scoots and myself. I'd like to get one or two others for some more excitement and variety. Only requirement is that you can be available for a couple of nights (probably friday or saturday), can speak English conversationally on Teamspeak and don't mind putting up with Ant.

Any takers?