Sorry to derail a bit, but just going back to the Avatar / Korra chat from before... Season 3 of Korra is so far shaping up to be great! They ended S2 on such a high note, and I fully anticipated it to get mediocre again, but it totally hasn't. Seven episodes so far, and only one or two aren't up to par. Awesome stuff.
You guys been keeping up with it? Every Tenzin and Bumi episode is fantastic.
Forum posts
I'm definitely going to make a 'TWHL OST favourites' playlist on Youtube with everyone's suggestions. Some of these are truly great. I'll share the link when it's done.
Someone start a new topic, I've got a few ideas but I think it's about time someone else took the helm!
Someone start a new topic, I've got a few ideas but I think it's about time someone else took the helm!
I've only ever used Cinema 4D, sorry.
Maya tends to be used by animators more, whereas 3DS Max seems to be the common choice for game devs.
Maya tends to be used by animators more, whereas 3DS Max seems to be the common choice for game devs.
That's Maya.
Her right (our left) thigh seems to go behind her left leg at too low a point. For that perspective to work, her left leg would have to be quite far in front of her right, and not so straight on. That thigh angle is more like if we were looking towards her left shoulder rather than straight on.
Top 5 Game OSTs, Gentlemen.
Love this suggestion.
1. Homeworld (1999, Relic Entertainment) Sample
Homeworld is widely regarded to have one of the most chillingly beautiful environments ever. A huge part of this was down to the phenomenally sad and powerful soundtrack by Paul Ruskay. It simultaneously captured the excitement and adventure of the final frontier whilst adding so. much. weight. to the horrific tragedy that triggers the events of the game. SO. MANY. FEELS.
2. Mass Effect 3 (2012, Bioware) Sample
Not as chilling as Homeworld, but again this is a soundtrack that manages to keep up with the beautiful galaxy you're exploring and make each climactic moment seem so epic. This is also one of my favourite soundtracks to listen to whilst mapping. Something about it just gets my creative juices flowing.
3. World of Goo (2008, 2D Boy) Sample
This soundtrack is way better than it has any right to be. Kyle Gabler released all these tracks for free and they make such a great ambient playlist for working to it will double your efficiency. Some are bouncy and fun, some are cold and depressing, all are dripping with character (and goo).
4. Rayman Legends (2013, Ubisoft Montpellier) Sample
So stylistic and so much fun. This game, unlike any other I've played makes the soundtrack so much part of the action that they're completely symbiotic. Absolutely love some of the tracks from this, but there are so many that it feels somewhat thinly spread compared to the others on this list. Still, some excellent moments here.
5. Evil Genius (2004, Elixer Studios) Sample
Absolutely NAILED the James Bond parody styling that excellently surrounds this game. Every track has that familiar heroic crescendo, but it's always slightly off-kilter, hinting at the nefarious nature of the game. You're part of the same movie as the hero, but you're the villain. The music captures this suitably epically.
Honourable Mentions:
Feel bad leaving Hitman: Blood Money, Red Alert 3 and Theme Hospital off this list, but I just couldn't not include the others.
Love this suggestion.
1. Homeworld (1999, Relic Entertainment) Sample
Homeworld is widely regarded to have one of the most chillingly beautiful environments ever. A huge part of this was down to the phenomenally sad and powerful soundtrack by Paul Ruskay. It simultaneously captured the excitement and adventure of the final frontier whilst adding so. much. weight. to the horrific tragedy that triggers the events of the game. SO. MANY. FEELS.
2. Mass Effect 3 (2012, Bioware) Sample
Not as chilling as Homeworld, but again this is a soundtrack that manages to keep up with the beautiful galaxy you're exploring and make each climactic moment seem so epic. This is also one of my favourite soundtracks to listen to whilst mapping. Something about it just gets my creative juices flowing.
3. World of Goo (2008, 2D Boy) Sample
This soundtrack is way better than it has any right to be. Kyle Gabler released all these tracks for free and they make such a great ambient playlist for working to it will double your efficiency. Some are bouncy and fun, some are cold and depressing, all are dripping with character (and goo).
4. Rayman Legends (2013, Ubisoft Montpellier) Sample
So stylistic and so much fun. This game, unlike any other I've played makes the soundtrack so much part of the action that they're completely symbiotic. Absolutely love some of the tracks from this, but there are so many that it feels somewhat thinly spread compared to the others on this list. Still, some excellent moments here.
5. Evil Genius (2004, Elixer Studios) Sample
Absolutely NAILED the James Bond parody styling that excellently surrounds this game. Every track has that familiar heroic crescendo, but it's always slightly off-kilter, hinting at the nefarious nature of the game. You're part of the same movie as the hero, but you're the villain. The music captures this suitably epically.
Honourable Mentions:
Feel bad leaving Hitman: Blood Money, Red Alert 3 and Theme Hospital off this list, but I just couldn't not include the others.
Weirdly I'm exactly the same with Morrowind. I consider it my favourite Elder Scrolls game, despite it being the only one I've played that I haven't finished.
So, if you're not playing Space Engineers yet you're seriously missing out. Imagine it as a cross between Minecraft and DayZ, in space.
All structures and ships are completely player-created in-game. All structures and ships, down to every individual steel plate are realistically damage-modelled. Even moon-sized asteroids are fully destructible, allowing you to tunnel into them and create asteroid bases.
Fairly realistic physics affect everything. Momentum will carry you infinitely in space if there is nothing to slow you down.
You can create ships from the size of a large car to the size of the Empire State Building. You can then dock SMALLER SHIPS inside your larger ships. You can cut them in half with mining tools and watch as the two halfs float away from each other. You can make daring jetpack repairs to your engine while your opponent banks round for another missile strafe. It's incredible.
An early construction effort resulted in many, many deaths to me and Urby
My 2,000,000KG mothership is torn to absolute shreds by Urby and Mike, but the reactor and some engines were still in-tact, allowing me to continue.
Constructing a fleet of small ships in my hollowed-out asteroid base
Urby claims he never noticed that his first construction had a face 
A passing meteor shower absolutely wrecks the entrance to my asteroid base. Urby helps out with repairs
My latest quick scout ship design leaves Archie Station for its maiden flight tests
All structures and ships are completely player-created in-game. All structures and ships, down to every individual steel plate are realistically damage-modelled. Even moon-sized asteroids are fully destructible, allowing you to tunnel into them and create asteroid bases.
Fairly realistic physics affect everything. Momentum will carry you infinitely in space if there is nothing to slow you down.
You can create ships from the size of a large car to the size of the Empire State Building. You can then dock SMALLER SHIPS inside your larger ships. You can cut them in half with mining tools and watch as the two halfs float away from each other. You can make daring jetpack repairs to your engine while your opponent banks round for another missile strafe. It's incredible.
An early construction effort resulted in many, many deaths to me and Urby
Zoner's tools (ZHTL) and Vluzacn's tools (VHLT) are not the same thing, though I believe the latter is based on the former, albeit vastly improved.
Minecraft: The complete freedom to explore, survive, dig tunnels or build things that weren't preset in the game world other than the one basic building block and so few arbitrary limitations, it's about everything I ever wanted from a game since I knew games existed.You should check out Space Engineers. It's like Minecraft mixed with DayZ in space. Minecraft got really boring for me really quickly. Space Engineers resolves this by having realistic physics and proper damage modelling.
I love the idea of doing game OSTs next. Great suggestion!
Top 5 games is impossible, but here's a vague list:
1. Dota 2 - Valve
So sue me, it's a cash cow based on an existing idea with well established alternatives (read: LoL) already on the market.
But seriously. Has a game ever been this polished? Really? Has a Western company ever taken e-sports so seriously without removing the core element of fun from the game? Not a chance. This is the current pinnacle of competitive gaming. As entertaining to watch as it is to play, Dota 2 is almost flawless when it comes to hammering your heart and raising the hairs on your arm. Every game is thrilling, every play is important and every mistake has lasting consequences. It's a game that rarely rewards you for being the best player, but instead rewards you for being a good team mate. For being friendly.
The frustrating games are doubly so due to the intensely competitive nature of the recorded stats attached to your profile, but a win in Dota 2 feels like scoring your high school crush and acing your driving test rolled into one perfect moment.
You're pushed back to your tier threes, your Venge is feeding like an all-they-can-eat buffet but you're stubbornly not backing down. You step up to the plate, patiently allow them to five-stack mid as you sneak round the back. The team bares the brunt of it, and your enemy's ults go down. A last balls-to-the-wall attempt shines in its boldness as you approach from behind. Riki is stunned under the tower, you melt his hitpoints in an instant. Nature's Prophet hasn't noticed you yet, still focusing on the tanky Doom Bringer. You slice him into oblivion, leaving only one ability not on cooldown. It's your ult. The remaining foes have spotted you by now, but in the confused reaction to you, they've stopped focusing on your team and the few survivors rally to your call. You throw down your ult. It's a wipe. 5 enemies down, 2 friendlies down. No buybacks remain. You push back up mid and take the ancient. It's game. You won. You worked for it. You feel incredible.
2. Mass Effect 2 - Bioware
It might as well be a love letter to gamers everywhere. "So we've created an incredible universe and lovable characters in ME1? Fair enough. Now let's make the gameplay reach that standard as well."
and. they. did.
3. Half-Life - Valve
Go figure, an active member on a Half-Life mapping forum fucking loves Half-Life. And I do. I really do. I was about 12 when my uncle introduced me to it and my world FLIPPED. I'd only really played Age of Empires on the PC before then, content that games only needed to exist on the SNES and Megadrive. All of a sudden games could contain entire novels. Entire worlds. Who's the guy in the blue suit?! WHY ARE THE MILITARY SHOOTING THE SCIENTISTS?! HOLY SHIT WE WERE EXPERIMENTING ON THEM BEFORE THE DISASTER HAPPENED.
Narrative and pacing suddenly existed in my world of gaming.
4. Mariokart 8 - Nintendo 1st Party
This is very difficult, actually. This slot is heavily contested between all my favourite couch-em-ups, from the original Super Mariokart, through MK64, Smash Bros., Goldeneye, etc. But none has been so polished and so immediately accessible as Mariokart 8. This is not a series milked; this is a series refined.
Mariokart 8 is so universally fun it has legitimately gotten me laid. Drinks and a movie are all well and good, but when you need to break the ice, tickling someone over fourth place is a surprisingly effective move.
Also it still has Yoshi's Valley. Fuck yes, Yoshi's Valley.
5. Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks
I can't really make a list of games without putting this on it, purely by number of hours sunk. This is a world that was beautifully communicated to the player, despite very rarely pointing them in the 'correct' direction. Loads of games let you explore at your own pace, but few offer the freedom of Fallout. You find a note with an obscure reference. There is no marked quest; no objective on your map. But hey, it just so happens you recall someone mention something similar fifteen hours ago and all of a sudden a vague lead becomes hours of content that the developers had no guarantee you'd ever see.
It's rich in areas that most people would brush over, and for that alone I consider this to be a masterpiece. It's buggy, the facial animation is abominable and some of the expansions are laughable, but this is a world that I desperately want more of.
Honourable Mentions, in no particular order:
Dungeon Keeper 2
Evil Genius
Civ 5
Worms Armageddon
F1 2013
Portal 2
Arkham Asylum
Hitman: Blood Money
Jedi Academy
Top 5 games is impossible, but here's a vague list:
1. Dota 2 - Valve
So sue me, it's a cash cow based on an existing idea with well established alternatives (read: LoL) already on the market.
But seriously. Has a game ever been this polished? Really? Has a Western company ever taken e-sports so seriously without removing the core element of fun from the game? Not a chance. This is the current pinnacle of competitive gaming. As entertaining to watch as it is to play, Dota 2 is almost flawless when it comes to hammering your heart and raising the hairs on your arm. Every game is thrilling, every play is important and every mistake has lasting consequences. It's a game that rarely rewards you for being the best player, but instead rewards you for being a good team mate. For being friendly.
The frustrating games are doubly so due to the intensely competitive nature of the recorded stats attached to your profile, but a win in Dota 2 feels like scoring your high school crush and acing your driving test rolled into one perfect moment.
You're pushed back to your tier threes, your Venge is feeding like an all-they-can-eat buffet but you're stubbornly not backing down. You step up to the plate, patiently allow them to five-stack mid as you sneak round the back. The team bares the brunt of it, and your enemy's ults go down. A last balls-to-the-wall attempt shines in its boldness as you approach from behind. Riki is stunned under the tower, you melt his hitpoints in an instant. Nature's Prophet hasn't noticed you yet, still focusing on the tanky Doom Bringer. You slice him into oblivion, leaving only one ability not on cooldown. It's your ult. The remaining foes have spotted you by now, but in the confused reaction to you, they've stopped focusing on your team and the few survivors rally to your call. You throw down your ult. It's a wipe. 5 enemies down, 2 friendlies down. No buybacks remain. You push back up mid and take the ancient. It's game. You won. You worked for it. You feel incredible.
2. Mass Effect 2 - Bioware
It might as well be a love letter to gamers everywhere. "So we've created an incredible universe and lovable characters in ME1? Fair enough. Now let's make the gameplay reach that standard as well."
and. they. did.
3. Half-Life - Valve
Go figure, an active member on a Half-Life mapping forum fucking loves Half-Life. And I do. I really do. I was about 12 when my uncle introduced me to it and my world FLIPPED. I'd only really played Age of Empires on the PC before then, content that games only needed to exist on the SNES and Megadrive. All of a sudden games could contain entire novels. Entire worlds. Who's the guy in the blue suit?! WHY ARE THE MILITARY SHOOTING THE SCIENTISTS?! HOLY SHIT WE WERE EXPERIMENTING ON THEM BEFORE THE DISASTER HAPPENED.
Narrative and pacing suddenly existed in my world of gaming.
4. Mariokart 8 - Nintendo 1st Party
This is very difficult, actually. This slot is heavily contested between all my favourite couch-em-ups, from the original Super Mariokart, through MK64, Smash Bros., Goldeneye, etc. But none has been so polished and so immediately accessible as Mariokart 8. This is not a series milked; this is a series refined.
Mariokart 8 is so universally fun it has legitimately gotten me laid. Drinks and a movie are all well and good, but when you need to break the ice, tickling someone over fourth place is a surprisingly effective move.
Also it still has Yoshi's Valley. Fuck yes, Yoshi's Valley.
5. Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks
I can't really make a list of games without putting this on it, purely by number of hours sunk. This is a world that was beautifully communicated to the player, despite very rarely pointing them in the 'correct' direction. Loads of games let you explore at your own pace, but few offer the freedom of Fallout. You find a note with an obscure reference. There is no marked quest; no objective on your map. But hey, it just so happens you recall someone mention something similar fifteen hours ago and all of a sudden a vague lead becomes hours of content that the developers had no guarantee you'd ever see.
It's rich in areas that most people would brush over, and for that alone I consider this to be a masterpiece. It's buggy, the facial animation is abominable and some of the expansions are laughable, but this is a world that I desperately want more of.
Honourable Mentions, in no particular order:
Dungeon Keeper 2
Evil Genius
Civ 5
Worms Armageddon
F1 2013
Portal 2
Arkham Asylum
Hitman: Blood Money
Jedi Academy
Rimrook I love you and respect all your work, deliberately citing it as an influence for my entire mapping portfolio.
With that in mind, that tram station is terrible, haha!
Careful you don't go over 50 wpolies, my PC might melt.
Get some Rimrook charm in there!
With that in mind, that tram station is terrible, haha!
Careful you don't go over 50 wpolies, my PC might melt.
Get some Rimrook charm in there!
I'm not convinced Supernatural makes it into the category of 'web series'
I don't have to, if you come up with a good idea at the end of the week then just go for it! :]
This one comes from Urby:
Top 5 Web Series
This is simultaneously way more open and way more restricted than the top 5 TV shows, but hey, if you like the sound of a recommendation, at least you can just click right through to watch it!
1. Bravest Warriors - Cartoon Hangover, (2012 - )
What started out as merely Adventure Time in space, Bravest Warriors has found its own niche and is currently the best sci-fi comedy series on the web in my opinion. It retains Pendleton's love for the wacky and unexplained but expands to, painstakingly slowly, reveal an epic overarching story that is both exciting and hilarious. Even touching in some moments. The characters are phenomenal and whether it's a story about Chris being in the friend zone or about planets being aligned to prevent the annihilation of a species, the intensity of the characters never ebbs. It's fantastic. Give it time to find its feet - season 1 is substantially weaker than what follows.
2. Freeman's Mind - Accursed Farms, (2013 - )
A playthrough of Half-Life with a twist, Freeman's Mind makes our beloved Gordon Freeman the most identifiable asshole you've ever heard. Consistently funny with only a few poor episodes, this is a properly well-written series with an emphasis on gag timing and poking fun at Half-Life's endearing flaws and plot holes.
3. Video Game High School - Rocket Jump, (2012 - 2014)
Does it still count as a web series when it's landed on Netflix? Hell yes it does! FreddieW, one of the founding fathers of Rocket Jump is the reason I got into VFX, and now it's my career. This is what he made with his Youtube success, and for the most part it's great. Full to bursting with references and a hilarious universe to experience. Fairly weak writing and a slightly irritating protagonist aren't enough to stop this being loads of fun to watch. The final season has been funded and will be out later this year.
4. Epic Rap Battles of History - Nice Peter & EpicLloyd, (2010 - )
It's fairly pointless even adding this to the list since everyone on the planet has seen each of these videos fifteen times. The success of this series is not an accident - the mix of hysterical writing, performances and cameos make it endlessly entertaining, despite being the same joke every time. Particular highlights are Frank Sinatra vs Freddie Mercury, Mozart vs Skrillex and Miley Cyrus vs Joan of Arc. Glorious.
5. Pure Pwnage - ROFLMAO Productions, (2004 - 2008)
You can't make a list about great web series without a tip of the hat to Pure Pwnage. It's raw as hell, the protagonist is insufferable and some episodes are unbearably awful, yet I still got the DVD, got the soundtrack and got the T-shirt. There's something inherently likeable about the whole thing, from the cheapness to the ham-acting. There's a little voice in the back of every gamer's mind and Pure Pwnage tickles it ferociously. Somehow one of my top 5 all time web series whilst still undermining just about everything I usually take into account with what makes a show good. It is good though, I just don't know why. Avoid the TV show and all the vlogging stuff, they're horrific. Stick to the original web series.
This one comes from Urby:
Top 5 Web Series
This is simultaneously way more open and way more restricted than the top 5 TV shows, but hey, if you like the sound of a recommendation, at least you can just click right through to watch it!
1. Bravest Warriors - Cartoon Hangover, (2012 - )
What started out as merely Adventure Time in space, Bravest Warriors has found its own niche and is currently the best sci-fi comedy series on the web in my opinion. It retains Pendleton's love for the wacky and unexplained but expands to, painstakingly slowly, reveal an epic overarching story that is both exciting and hilarious. Even touching in some moments. The characters are phenomenal and whether it's a story about Chris being in the friend zone or about planets being aligned to prevent the annihilation of a species, the intensity of the characters never ebbs. It's fantastic. Give it time to find its feet - season 1 is substantially weaker than what follows.
2. Freeman's Mind - Accursed Farms, (2013 - )
A playthrough of Half-Life with a twist, Freeman's Mind makes our beloved Gordon Freeman the most identifiable asshole you've ever heard. Consistently funny with only a few poor episodes, this is a properly well-written series with an emphasis on gag timing and poking fun at Half-Life's endearing flaws and plot holes.
3. Video Game High School - Rocket Jump, (2012 - 2014)
Does it still count as a web series when it's landed on Netflix? Hell yes it does! FreddieW, one of the founding fathers of Rocket Jump is the reason I got into VFX, and now it's my career. This is what he made with his Youtube success, and for the most part it's great. Full to bursting with references and a hilarious universe to experience. Fairly weak writing and a slightly irritating protagonist aren't enough to stop this being loads of fun to watch. The final season has been funded and will be out later this year.
4. Epic Rap Battles of History - Nice Peter & EpicLloyd, (2010 - )
It's fairly pointless even adding this to the list since everyone on the planet has seen each of these videos fifteen times. The success of this series is not an accident - the mix of hysterical writing, performances and cameos make it endlessly entertaining, despite being the same joke every time. Particular highlights are Frank Sinatra vs Freddie Mercury, Mozart vs Skrillex and Miley Cyrus vs Joan of Arc. Glorious.
5. Pure Pwnage - ROFLMAO Productions, (2004 - 2008)
You can't make a list about great web series without a tip of the hat to Pure Pwnage. It's raw as hell, the protagonist is insufferable and some episodes are unbearably awful, yet I still got the DVD, got the soundtrack and got the T-shirt. There's something inherently likeable about the whole thing, from the cheapness to the ham-acting. There's a little voice in the back of every gamer's mind and Pure Pwnage tickles it ferociously. Somehow one of my top 5 all time web series whilst still undermining just about everything I usually take into account with what makes a show good. It is good though, I just don't know why. Avoid the TV show and all the vlogging stuff, they're horrific. Stick to the original web series.
That off-kilter arched roof really sits well with me, Jeff. I like it a lot - simple and understated, but adding so much. It'd benefit from some nice custom fitting textures to really sell the shape.
Second one is a bit too WIP to comment on, but I'm sure it'll turn into something awesome :>
Second one is a bit too WIP to comment on, but I'm sure it'll turn into something awesome :>
Oh man, that reminds me. IL-2's 1946 expansion was phenomenal.
Opposing Force is officially called "Half-Life: Opposing Force" and is listed as an expansion pack on wiki. Certainly the version I had initially required HL to be installed. There was an Anthology version released with Blue Shift, Ricochet and Counter-Strike that all installed as separate games, though. I think it's still officially an expansion pack, though.
I forgot about Point Lookout, Urby. That shit was awesome. The Fallout series' Shivering Isles!
I STILL haven't even played op4 or blueshiftYeah, this isn't really OK. Op4 is so freakin' good. Blue Shift is a fun little distraction and, while I'd still recommend it, isn't all that important. Op4, though. Op4.
I forgot about Point Lookout, Urby. That shit was awesome. The Fallout series' Shivering Isles!
Awh, I was gonna do just Top 5 games, but I thought something a bit more left field would promote more interesting chat. Ach well.
I did not know SWAT 4 had an expansion pack! I loved that game
I did not know SWAT 4 had an expansion pack! I loved that game
Top 5 Expansion Packs / DLC / Add-ons
Remember the good old days when an expansion pack was an expansion pack and provided days and days of extra content? Good times. List your top 5 and why!
1. The Shivering Isles [The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion] (2007)
2. Dark Crusade [Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War] (2006)
3. Opposing Force [Half-Life] (1999)
4. The Conquerors [Age of Empires II - The Age of Kings] (2000)
5. Brave New World [Civilization V] (2013)
This is quite a tricky list to compile. There have been a lot of great expansions packs over the years. Honourable mentions must go to Northern Strike for BF2142, almost every expansion pack for The Sims 3 and the cosmetic items store for Dota 2.
So, reason to my rhyme?
The Shivering Isles is a no-brainer to put in my number one spot. It was Bethesda's apology for the hilarious horse armour controversy (nobody would bat an eyelid at DLC like that today) and oh boy did it make amends. Not only did it add an entirely new region to the game, it also added arguably one of the best characters in gaming history - Sheogorath the Daedric Prince of Madness. This expansion pack added hours of new questing, loads of new items and some of the greatest laugh out loud dialogue trees I've ever experienced. "Wonderful! Time for a celebration... Cheese for everyone! Wait, scratch that. Cheese for no one. That can be just as much of a celebration, if you don't like cheese, true? You've run a maze like a good little rat. But no cheese for you yet. Well, maybe a little."
Dark Crusade is the perfect example of how to do game-altering content in a hugely popular multiplayer game and not split your playerbase and piss off your audience. TAKE. NOTE. BATTLEFIELD.
It added two intense new races (Taking the running total within Dawn of War to 7), tens of new units, tens of new maps and completely reworked the AI of the game. Sounds like it'd completely separate the people who didn't have it from those who did, right? Wrong. Every Dawn of War player got the new content in a patch so they could connect to games hosted by people with the expansion packs even if they didn't have them. They just couldn't play as the new races or host the new maps themselves. This is how you DLC and it must have done wonders for sales. Players without the expansion pack were teased with its glorious content, without ever being ostracised or left out. Even if the content itself wasn't great (but it was great) this expansion deserves to be in this list for that reason alone.
Opposing Force. What do I even need to say? It carried the torch of Half-Life and breathed a whole new life into one of the best game worlds ever realised. I'm sure I don't need to speak of its value here.
The Conquerors was a proper content expansion. Five new playable races, four new full-length campaigns, 26 new techs, new gameplay modes (including the first inclusion of King of the Hill in an RTS) and loads of new maps. I'm pretty sure I've still not seen everything this great expansion added. And considering it was about five pounds and readily available on the high street, it suffered no lack of players enjoying it online.
Brave New World. While there are many modern DLC packs I actually really enjoy, this is the only one I'm going to include on this list. Why? Because as its title suggests, it is brave. Civ V initially got a fairly bad reception from the core Civ 4 audience. It was different. Simplified on the surface, and fans worried that the series had been dumbed down. Of course we now know that beneath the much more accessible front-end, the game is deeper than ever and Firaxis stuck to their guns about it. This latest expansion pack then came along and fucked with the now established systems to such an extent that it's almost an entirely new game again. They did to Civ 5 what Civ 5 did to Civ 4, and as before despite a frosty initial reception, its value has become more than apparent. The game is so rich now and some 200 hours of gameplay in, it's still vastly different every time I play it. Fantastic.
Remember the good old days when an expansion pack was an expansion pack and provided days and days of extra content? Good times. List your top 5 and why!
1. The Shivering Isles [The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion] (2007)
2. Dark Crusade [Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War] (2006)
3. Opposing Force [Half-Life] (1999)
4. The Conquerors [Age of Empires II - The Age of Kings] (2000)
5. Brave New World [Civilization V] (2013)
This is quite a tricky list to compile. There have been a lot of great expansions packs over the years. Honourable mentions must go to Northern Strike for BF2142, almost every expansion pack for The Sims 3 and the cosmetic items store for Dota 2.
So, reason to my rhyme?
The Shivering Isles is a no-brainer to put in my number one spot. It was Bethesda's apology for the hilarious horse armour controversy (nobody would bat an eyelid at DLC like that today) and oh boy did it make amends. Not only did it add an entirely new region to the game, it also added arguably one of the best characters in gaming history - Sheogorath the Daedric Prince of Madness. This expansion pack added hours of new questing, loads of new items and some of the greatest laugh out loud dialogue trees I've ever experienced. "Wonderful! Time for a celebration... Cheese for everyone! Wait, scratch that. Cheese for no one. That can be just as much of a celebration, if you don't like cheese, true? You've run a maze like a good little rat. But no cheese for you yet. Well, maybe a little."
Dark Crusade is the perfect example of how to do game-altering content in a hugely popular multiplayer game and not split your playerbase and piss off your audience. TAKE. NOTE. BATTLEFIELD.
It added two intense new races (Taking the running total within Dawn of War to 7), tens of new units, tens of new maps and completely reworked the AI of the game. Sounds like it'd completely separate the people who didn't have it from those who did, right? Wrong. Every Dawn of War player got the new content in a patch so they could connect to games hosted by people with the expansion packs even if they didn't have them. They just couldn't play as the new races or host the new maps themselves. This is how you DLC and it must have done wonders for sales. Players without the expansion pack were teased with its glorious content, without ever being ostracised or left out. Even if the content itself wasn't great (but it was great) this expansion deserves to be in this list for that reason alone.
Opposing Force. What do I even need to say? It carried the torch of Half-Life and breathed a whole new life into one of the best game worlds ever realised. I'm sure I don't need to speak of its value here.
The Conquerors was a proper content expansion. Five new playable races, four new full-length campaigns, 26 new techs, new gameplay modes (including the first inclusion of King of the Hill in an RTS) and loads of new maps. I'm pretty sure I've still not seen everything this great expansion added. And considering it was about five pounds and readily available on the high street, it suffered no lack of players enjoying it online.
Brave New World. While there are many modern DLC packs I actually really enjoy, this is the only one I'm going to include on this list. Why? Because as its title suggests, it is brave. Civ V initially got a fairly bad reception from the core Civ 4 audience. It was different. Simplified on the surface, and fans worried that the series had been dumbed down. Of course we now know that beneath the much more accessible front-end, the game is deeper than ever and Firaxis stuck to their guns about it. This latest expansion pack then came along and fucked with the now established systems to such an extent that it's almost an entirely new game again. They did to Civ 5 what Civ 5 did to Civ 4, and as before despite a frosty initial reception, its value has become more than apparent. The game is so rich now and some 200 hours of gameplay in, it's still vastly different every time I play it. Fantastic.
Should I recommend Look Around You?This is one of those shows that just floors me laughing. Watch it with the right group of people and even jokes you've heard a hundred times before will have you doubled over, tears streaming down your face.
Watch out for the release of the new albumen! It's out now!
So. Good.
Hey now, little mouse.
Server has been up the whole time. For some reason they changed the IP address slightly and never told me 
It's now:
85.236.105.29:27015
Could an admin change the first post?
30 days of uptime left, probably won't continue it afterwards. The initial surge of popularity faded really quickly.
It's now:
85.236.105.29:27015
Could an admin change the first post?
30 days of uptime left, probably won't continue it afterwards. The initial surge of popularity faded really quickly.
Anything to show yet, CT?
I've never really enjoyed any anime. I don't know why that is, really... they just don't tend to click with me.I'm totally the same. I was told I had to watch Akira and I just sat through it like... Kay? Is this it? If that's a genre-defining anime, it's not a genre for me!
That's one of the reasons I was so pleasantly surprised by Avatar. It completely sucked me into the world and characters, which no other anime has ever managed to do for me.
Why cant they just have a global channel for good shows, immagine the ratings it would get.This exists. It's called Netflix.
Enjoying the amount of Archer love on display here. It's so good!
I'll have to check out SGU again, then! Obviously four episodes was not judging it fairly, does it take a while to find its feet? I wonder if it's because I've always been a big ST:Voyager fan so I've already seen the beacon of humanity travelling through alien space plotline.
Strider and other Avatar fans, what do you make of Korra so far? I thought season 1 was terrible. Real shame as the baddy was brilliantly scary and a lot of the world is cool, but it just seemed so rushed compared to the absolute deliberateness of everything in Avatar. Also I could do without soap-levels of teen angst and love triangle bullshit completely mis-handled and stupid.
Season 2 didn't start off much better, but the last 6 or so episodes are absolute dynamite. The crushing defeat right at the end is ultimately crushing. Brave, brave writing.
I'll have to check out SGU again, then! Obviously four episodes was not judging it fairly, does it take a while to find its feet? I wonder if it's because I've always been a big ST:Voyager fan so I've already seen the beacon of humanity travelling through alien space plotline.
That's good to know about the Avatar Series. I'll have to see if it's on Netflix.It's definitely on UK Netflix, so unless Nickelodeon have exclusive rights in the US, you should be able to see it there. You'll probably enjoy it right from the start, but it's about three quarters of the way through season 1 where it just clicks and becomes a total binge-watching show. I think I watched all of season 2 in a weekend, and the three-part finales are DISASTROUSLY good.
Strider and other Avatar fans, what do you make of Korra so far? I thought season 1 was terrible. Real shame as the baddy was brilliantly scary and a lot of the world is cool, but it just seemed so rushed compared to the absolute deliberateness of everything in Avatar. Also I could do without soap-levels of teen angst and love triangle bullshit completely mis-handled and stupid.
Season 2 didn't start off much better, but the last 6 or so episodes are absolute dynamite. The crushing defeat right at the end is ultimately crushing. Brave, brave writing.
I must admit I never made it past four episodes of Stargate Universe. Thought it was awful, which really surprised me since I'm a big Stargate fan and a big Bobbie Carlyle fan. I thought I'd forgive it for more than I did.
But then I was already slightly bitter since SG-1 saw a massive decline in story cohesion & quality as well, which is an utter shame. Season 7 of SG-1 is, I think, one of the finest examples of action Sci-Fi ever broadcast. The two-parter episode 'Heroes' was truly touching, saddening and hilarious all at once. Then season 8 forgot how to Stargate. Then season 9 was just embarrassing and I stopped watching.
But then I was already slightly bitter since SG-1 saw a massive decline in story cohesion & quality as well, which is an utter shame. Season 7 of SG-1 is, I think, one of the finest examples of action Sci-Fi ever broadcast. The two-parter episode 'Heroes' was truly touching, saddening and hilarious all at once. Then season 8 forgot how to Stargate. Then season 9 was just embarrassing and I stopped watching.
Hopefully get some chat going with this thread. The topic will change weekly, but the basis will always be "Top 5..."
Post your top 5 in the category and discuss it with others. I'm gonna start with TV Shows.
In order;
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender
2. Arrested Development
3. Archer
4. Parks and Rec
5. Spaced
Narrowly knocked off the list is Breaking Bad.
Avatar is one of the most difficult shows to sell to people because on the surface it is just an Americanised anime kids' show. But goddamn if it isn't one of the best realised fantasy worlds ever created with a global, looming threat and a planned three act structure spanning three full seasons. It's phenomenal story-telling.
Post your top 5 in the category and discuss it with others. I'm gonna start with TV Shows.
In order;
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender
2. Arrested Development
3. Archer
4. Parks and Rec
5. Spaced
Narrowly knocked off the list is Breaking Bad.
Avatar is one of the most difficult shows to sell to people because on the surface it is just an Americanised anime kids' show. But goddamn if it isn't one of the best realised fantasy worlds ever created with a global, looming threat and a planned three act structure spanning three full seasons. It's phenomenal story-telling.
My flatmate has a WiiU, it's brilliant. Far, far superior to the PS4 and Xbone from the perspective of a PC Gamer because it's the only one doing anything my PC can't.
The sofa games don't come better than Nintendo. MarioKart 8 is so charming I almost proposed to my TV.
Aside from a smattering of vaguely interesting exclusives, there's really no reason for a PC Gamer to get one of the other two. It'll just gather dust like my 360 did.
The sofa games don't come better than Nintendo. MarioKart 8 is so charming I almost proposed to my TV.
Aside from a smattering of vaguely interesting exclusives, there's really no reason for a PC Gamer to get one of the other two. It'll just gather dust like my 360 did.
Prediction:Ding ding ding ding!
Next Gen & PC release date announcement for GTA V
Prediction:
Next Gen & PC release date announcement for GTA V
Next Gen & PC release date announcement for GTA V
15 degree snapping is set up exactly as it is in Hammer 4, and you can use shift to override it. It's also toggleable to switch it off in the 2D view options.
Love a good shotgun. What are you recording it with? I can recommend a few good external recorder options if you've not got one yet.
That's beautiful, Striker.
That's beautiful, Striker.
mm, my f1.8 45mm is my absolute go-to lens for just about every situation. It's so unbelievably useful having that sensitivity, and the shallow DoF is gorgeous fully open. I'd highly recommend you get yourself some ND filters for it if you don't already so that you never need to stop down and can get that sexual shallow look all the time.
1.4 is almost excessive
1.4 is almost excessive
I almost feel like that would even be more frustrating, akin to accidentally leaving your brush tool on Cylinder when you want to make a block
For me, at least, just making it null every time would be the tits!
For me, at least, just making it null every time would be the tits!
While you're on texturing, I had an idea that'd speed up workflow (for me at least) significantly.
Can you make a (presumably togglable) option that would automatically texture the 'new' faces created down the split during a clip with NULL/NoDraw and automatically align said faces to 'World'?
Reasoning: The new faces created during a clip in Hammer seem to be textured in the texture most prominent on the brush being clipped. I can't think of a single time where that's been the texture I've actually wanted, as trim textures for holes and NULL for detailing are almost always the better option. Setting it to NULL by default will easily show which faces still require texturing after a clip. Further, always aligning clipped faces to World by default will prevent any TEXTURE AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO FACE bugs often created during clipping.
Thoughts?
Edit: Or even just let the user choose a texture to be applied during the clip?
Can you make a (presumably togglable) option that would automatically texture the 'new' faces created down the split during a clip with NULL/NoDraw and automatically align said faces to 'World'?
Reasoning: The new faces created during a clip in Hammer seem to be textured in the texture most prominent on the brush being clipped. I can't think of a single time where that's been the texture I've actually wanted, as trim textures for holes and NULL for detailing are almost always the better option. Setting it to NULL by default will easily show which faces still require texturing after a clip. Further, always aligning clipped faces to World by default will prevent any TEXTURE AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO FACE bugs often created during clipping.
Thoughts?
Edit: Or even just let the user choose a texture to be applied during the clip?
dm_voidtemple is now on the rotation!
Right, rolling out the new (and final) version of Altdel to the server now that I've had some big playtests and feel confident about the changes.
I'll let you know when it switches to the new version on the map cycle so you can still play the current version until Multiplay upload the new one. (I wish I just had FTP access so I could do it in like 3 secs )
Anyway, to celebrate it being finished and to thank you for all your feedback, here's the RMF for the final version.
Don't judge the lazy brushwork too harshly, it was such a short timescale for production that I couldn't afford neatness.
DM_Altdel RMF
I'll let you know when it switches to the new version on the map cycle so you can still play the current version until Multiplay upload the new one. (I wish I just had FTP access so I could do it in like 3 secs
)Anyway, to celebrate it being finished and to thank you for all your feedback, here's the RMF for the final version.
Don't judge the lazy brushwork too harshly, it was such a short timescale for production that I couldn't afford neatness.
DM_Altdel RMF
Another full server tonight led to some utter hilarity. The game's still going so jump on in!
Here are some 3200x1800 screenies of tonight's action:
Here are some 3200x1800 screenies of tonight's action:
Anyone up for a game tonight?
Why did you shoop the monitor?
And 720 24? Come onnnn. We're moving onto 4k for most projects now, at least give it the 1080 treatment
And 720 24? Come onnnn. We're moving onto 4k for most projects now, at least give it the 1080 treatment
Rim, I do love you, but read the damn question before you post
Leaf errors do not display brush numbers - only coordinates.
Leaf errors do not display brush numbers - only coordinates.
Hey Noxx,
Unfortunately Hammer 3.5 doesn't have a 'go to coordinates' feature. However, Sledge does and could well be the solution to all your problems.
Hammer 4 also does, so you could potentially open your RMF in there and go to coordinates, then switch back to 3.5 once you know what the problem brush is, but to be honest, Sledge is the better option here.
Best of luck :]
Unfortunately Hammer 3.5 doesn't have a 'go to coordinates' feature. However, Sledge does and could well be the solution to all your problems.
Hammer 4 also does, so you could potentially open your RMF in there and go to coordinates, then switch back to 3.5 once you know what the problem brush is, but to be honest, Sledge is the better option here.
Best of luck :]
Wellp, I must say I'm still surprised, but I can't go against that many negative comments about the light bridges.
I think you'll really miss them gameplay-wise, but I'll remove them.
Other changes from last night's big playtest:
:o: The Gauss gun will be more easily accessible in the main chamber. As Dimbark put it, it doesn't make sense to use the Gauss as a method for reaching the higher areas when you've already had to get to a higher area to pick it up. A further Gauss gun will be added in the back halls somewhere.
:o: The rotating gears will be set to spin in alternate directions and slightly slower. They were initially only intended as a trap to hinder access to the RPG, but they actually ended up being a really fun way to get to the higher level of that room last night. More loot than just the RPG will be added to tempt players through the gears.
:o: A couple of areas will be clipped to avoid potential sticking issues in corners due to wall detailing.
:o: The secret room will be removed.
:o: Snark Cave will be added, assuming it doesn't bring the Allocblock: full error back (though getting rid of the animated light bridge texture will probably deal with that)
:o: Minor lighting changes in areas mentioned in comments.
:o: More weapon drops will be added to the machine room to account for its multiple spawn points, and ensuing boring pistol fights.
:o: Rushed machine room will receive a detail pass and hopefully the lighting errors in there will also be resolved.
Anything else? Thanks so much for playing last night, that was really fun!
I think you'll really miss them gameplay-wise, but I'll remove them.
Other changes from last night's big playtest:
:o: The Gauss gun will be more easily accessible in the main chamber. As Dimbark put it, it doesn't make sense to use the Gauss as a method for reaching the higher areas when you've already had to get to a higher area to pick it up. A further Gauss gun will be added in the back halls somewhere.
:o: The rotating gears will be set to spin in alternate directions and slightly slower. They were initially only intended as a trap to hinder access to the RPG, but they actually ended up being a really fun way to get to the higher level of that room last night. More loot than just the RPG will be added to tempt players through the gears.
:o: A couple of areas will be clipped to avoid potential sticking issues in corners due to wall detailing.
:o: The secret room will be removed.
:o: Snark Cave will be added, assuming it doesn't bring the Allocblock: full error back (though getting rid of the animated light bridge texture will probably deal with that)
:o: Minor lighting changes in areas mentioned in comments.
:o: More weapon drops will be added to the machine room to account for its multiple spawn points, and ensuing boring pistol fights.
:o: Rushed machine room will receive a detail pass and hopefully the lighting errors in there will also be resolved.
Anything else? Thanks so much for playing last night, that was really fun!
If we basically make it this competition, but for HLDM, I think we'd have a really good fun time.
That way Zeeba could do a bounce-styled map, but with his own layout to fix the gameplay problems, etc.
Make the theme recognisable, but still make it a new map.
That way Zeeba could do a bounce-styled map, but with his own layout to fix the gameplay problems, etc.
Make the theme recognisable, but still make it a new map.
Contorl!
^^^
There's a difference between a map being 'ambient' and a map being 'unplayable'.
There's a difference between a map being 'ambient' and a map being 'unplayable'.
Then check out this properly wacky alternative to Hammer, rufee:
Microbrush 2
Definitely not my cup of tea, but some pretty cool ideas.
Anything worth your time in there, Pengy?
Microbrush 2
Definitely not my cup of tea, but some pretty cool ideas.
Anything worth your time in there, Pengy?
I sometimes forget that Strideh is basically a god when it comes to Source mapping because he releases content so rarely. Good grief that's beautiful.
I'm in work so I can't check the RMF, but there are a few things that might be the culprit.
First, always build your train so that it is facing 0 degrees (east, in top view). It will teleport to its first stop target on mapload, so you can have it set to change its orientation based on the direction of the path_track it's following in the entity properties, rather than rotating it in Hammer.
Second, trains require an Origin brush. They will not behave properly without one.
Third, trains should have UserControl as a flag option without needing a separate trigger entity.
Hope that helps!
First, always build your train so that it is facing 0 degrees (east, in top view). It will teleport to its first stop target on mapload, so you can have it set to change its orientation based on the direction of the path_track it's following in the entity properties, rather than rotating it in Hammer.
Second, trains require an Origin brush. They will not behave properly without one.
Third, trains should have UserControl as a flag option without needing a separate trigger entity.
Hope that helps!