Topics

46

Help / Blockland completely messed up D:

« on: October 17, 2010, 01:48:37 PM »

First off, yes I did reinstall.

I decided to play blockland today. It updated from 16 to 17. I start map in bedroom.
Bedroom is black, if I F8 outside, everything is black, except the grass texture. There are no brick icons, nor decals. halp :c

47

Off Topic / Resolution question

« on: October 16, 2010, 06:10:55 PM »

I installed Vista, and my resolution is weird. It's at 1024 by 768 pixels. Before, I had it at, I think, 1200 by 800 pixels. How do I set it at that?

48

Games / DOTA from VALVe revealed!

« on: October 13, 2010, 07:37:27 PM »

The rumors and speculation can cease. Valve is making Dota 2, we've played it, and it's already amazing even though it's not coming out until next year. And we haven't yet laid eyes on Dota 2's biggest innovation: a radical approach to integrating the game's community back into the gameplay itself.

What's a Dota?

Dota 2 takes its name from the Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients, a drastic change to that stock real-time strategy title, which pits two teams of five players against each other in highly competitive, 40-minute or longer matches. Unlike most RTSes, DotA has each player controlling a single hero who levels up and stockpiles gold to purchase powerful equipment and consumables. As computer-controlled armies continually spawn and rush the enemy's base, players are responsible for using their powerful heroes to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.

DotA quickly gained massive popularity on Blizzard's Battle.net service, with the growing community utilizing user-created channels and the rudimentary custom game browser to connect players. As mods tend to do, it branched into several variations as time passed. Eventually, one rose to the top: DotA-Allstars, originally created by Steve "Guinsoo" Feak (now employed with Riot Games designing League of Legends). Allstars is currently maintained and updated by IceFrog (who declined to give his real name), who was hired by Valve in 2009 and is now working on Dota 2.

Improved source engine:

Dota 2 uses Valve's Source engine, so the game is much prettier. Source itself is getting a few upgrades, including improved global lighting and true cloth simulation.

What Valve has brought to the project:

Valve's approach to Dota 2 is unusual in that the gameplay itself is remaining almost entirely untouched... ...project lead Erik Johnson explains. "IceFrog is one of the smartest designers we've ever met. He's made so many good decisions over the years in building the product. He virtually never makes a decision that doesn't have some reasoning behind it and a way to pick apart the logic behind it."

Coaches:

Finally, a coaching system is being deeply integrated into the game. By logging in as a coach, veteran players can do their part to help out newer folks. Valve hasn't entirely decided on the specifics of how newbies and coaches will be matched up, but once they're together a few things happen. The coach sees the pupil's screen, and gets private voice and chat channels to communicate with them.

What Does Valve Bring?

Valve's approach to Dota 2 is unusual in that the gameplay itself is remaining almost entirely untouched. "Our first reaction is to assume that [design elements are] there for a reason," project lead Erik Johnson explains. "IceFrog is one of the smartest designers we've ever met. He's made so many good decisions over the years in building the product. He virtually never makes a decision that doesn't have some reasoning behind it and a way to pick apart the logic behind it." This approach means that Dota 2 basically is DotA-Allstars with new technology.

DotA-Allstars' roster of 100+ heroes is being brought over in its entirety. The single map games take place on is functionally identical to the one that you can download for free today in the Warcraft III mod. Items, skills, and upgrade paths are unchanged. Some hero skills work slightly better due to being freed from the now-ancient Warcraft III engine, but Dota 2 will be instantly familiar to any DotA player.

A few things will make significant differences to players making the transition. Dota 2 uses Valve's Source engine, so the game is much prettier. Source itself is getting a few upgrades, including improved global lighting and true cloth simulation. Dota 2's integrated voice chat is a huge step up from having to set up your own Ventrilo server, and the speed of voice communication is very nearly a requirement for a game as team-focused as DotA.

AI bots will take over for disconnected players, and will be available to play against in unranked training matches as well. However, don't get your hopes up for a full-fledged single-player game, though. Johnson says, "Our goal with the AI is just that their experience isn't destroyed just because one person couldn't finish the game."

The visual style is remarkable for retaining the somewhat cartoony feel that the Warcraft III version of DotA-Allstars is built around, while going in a few different directions. "I think there are functional aspects to the art that are pretty significant to the players," Johnson muses. The environment, particularly in the forests that fill in the map between the three lanes that the NPC armies follow, uses a desaturated color scheme to give the colorful heroes and abilities some visual pop. The sizable art team is putting a lot of work into making the shapes and animations of each hero distinct to the point that players will be able to instantly identify any hero they see and quickly gauge the threat level of any situation.

The game will also feature a ton of custom voice work. You'll get amusing lines from heroes as they deny the enemy team last hits on creeps, and champions who have backstory connections will trade quips when nearby.

The bulk of innovation in Dota 2, however, is ancillary to the gameplay itself. Valve is upgrading Steamworks (the company's backend technologies for matchmaking and other gameplay and community-related things) to allow them to create in-game rewards for participating in the Dota 2 community. The idea is to have everything a player does in or out of game tie back into their online identity. Like the improvements to Source, the Steamworks upgrades will be available to third-party developers who choose to use Valve's tools when Dota 2 launches in 2011.

At a basic level, posting useful feedback or participating in constructive discussions on the forums will contribute to your standing in the community in a visible way. Valve doesn't have the specifics on how this will work nailed down yet. Will you get points that contribute to a visible ranking, like a Gamerscore? Will your posts need to be recommended by other community members to count for anything? What counts as a constructive discussion? These questions are all being actively explored at the moment. Valve assures us that the designers have a slew of awesome ideas for how to implement rewards in a way that’s visible to the rest of the community, but there are no details to announce yet. "When we talk about this identity that exists inside and outside the game, we don't think we're anywhere near it with what exists on Steam right now," Johnson admits.

If this was just about getting points for posting comments, though, we wouldn't waste your time by telling you about it. Dota 2 goes much farther than that. Everything from unlocking new skins for your favorite hero to getting a unique title for writing a strategy guide is on the table. Valve has ambitious plans (for which, again, there are no specifics to share) to host everything themselves and provide the best framework for the community to interact with each other. The idea is to reduce the social friction inherent in having to dig around a bunch of different fansites and wikis to find what you're looking for.

source, info and more images - http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/10/13/dota-2-announced-details.aspx


 
Brb getting all the info.

49

Off Topic / Going to San Diego, what to do in flight

« on: October 09, 2010, 04:51:08 PM »

One hour flight. I already got some videos on my iPod. Im also taking my DSi. What2do
hurry leaving in 35 mins hue

50

Games / Half-Life 2 Campaign in Gmod

« on: September 21, 2010, 05:56:26 PM »

http://www.andrewtheis.net/tag/half-life-2-campaign

Half-Life 2 Campaign is a gametype for Garry’s Mod that allows you to play the Half-Life 2 saga in cooperative mode on a LAN or over the Internet.

    * Automatic difficulty configuration based on the number of players.
    * Custom auxiliary bar that is not tied to the player’s flashlight.
    * Delayed loading so everyone has a chance to finish the level.
    * Navigation marker for those who can’t find their way.
    * Player information is remembered between maps.
    * Support for Episode 1 and 2.
    * Vehicle spawning system so there are always enough vehicles.

holy stuff got to give this a try sometime

51

Games / GTA 4 Installation Problem :C

« on: September 18, 2010, 06:08:13 PM »

Kat just gifted it to me. It finished downloading. It did 7/8 steps on Steam. On the 8th step, it says:
Installing: Steam SecuROM Activation

And a dialog box that says
"Activation in Progress
with five bars right here and
Trying to Connect...

Start          Stop activation         Cancel"

I'll get a pic up. Help? :C

52

Off Topic / Steam Problems

« on: September 11, 2010, 01:24:06 PM »

Post your Steam Problems here.

-Gmod wont work
-Hl2: Ep1 doesn't start up
-Mw2 doesn't start up
-Keep loosing connection to server
-And recently, this.

What.

53

Off Topic / My grandfather passed away :<

« on: September 07, 2010, 08:09:56 PM »

6 hours ago. It all started out when he fell sick. Then, his liver stopped working, he was starting to forget things, got alzymers (?), and he couldnt talk. He also lost his eyesight. Im just glad now that he's gone, not in a bad way, but because himself and no one around him didnt have to suffer. He died piecefully, while sleeping. My parents left to India about 2 weeks ago, to India. The funeral is going to be today. I just wish I couldve been there. I hope, though, that he's playing cards right now with Jesus. He always loved to play cards, especially with me. Now when I play cards, it'll never
be the same.

:,C

54

Games / Open beta for team fortress 2 is coming soon

« on: September 05, 2010, 03:48:22 PM »

Source: http://www.kritzkast.com/?page_id=6 / http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Open_Beta

!!!

55

Off Topic / The Apple Announcement

« on: September 01, 2010, 07:36:28 PM »

The New iPod Touch
The New iPod Nano
The New iPod Shuffle
The New Apple TV
iTunes 10

The New iPod Touch
-Facetime
-Retina Display
-HD Video Recording
-A4 Processor

8GB $229
32GB $299
64GB $399


The New iPod Nano
-New Design
-Touch Screen
-About 1/3 size of iPod Touch

8GB $149
16GB $179


The New iPod Shuffle
-Small, Colorful
-Buttons
-New VoiceOver
-Multiple Playlists

2GB $49


The New Apple TV
-720p
-Smaller than original
-Streaming Movies, TV shows, etc
-Netflix
-Internet Videos (YouTube)

$99


iTunes 10
-iTunes Ping

Download

Discuss.
I personally don't like the new nano. It looks ew to me.
They also took off 4 GB, 16 GB for iPod Touch what

56

Off Topic / Where is the Windows Sounds?

« on: August 24, 2010, 08:01:14 PM »

Quick question:
Where are the Windows Sounds, such as like the startup sounds, USB insert sound, etc?

57

Off Topic / Google Chrome is borked, see page 2. HELP PLEASE! D:

« on: August 21, 2010, 12:31:27 AM »

I came across windows vista in my dads office room. He doesnt want it so I might as well take it. So i popped it in my cd drive and began to install it. It got
Copying Windows Files to 100%
Gathering Files to 100%
but then the installation stops, and now I couldnt remeber what it said

Right now im reinstalling it and its at Copying Windows Files at 65%. Any help? :C
I am running windows xp 32 bit.

58

Gallery / Transformers Teaser Teaser Trailer in Blockland: Teaser 3 Released!

« on: August 15, 2010, 09:37:51 PM »

Full length trailer coming next week, and the following week will be the second trailer.
Actual Transformers Trailer
Blockland: Transformers Teaser Teaser Trailer
Blockland: Transformers Teaser Teaser Trailer 2
Blockland: Transformers Teaser Teaser Trailer 3

The first one is basically an example how the whole trailer is going to be like.
Second trailer is uploading right now. It's a clip from the trailer and looks almost exactly like it.
Oh and everything was done with Blockland, Fraps, Camstudio, and Sony Vegas. Except for the audio derp

Tell me what you think <3

59

Off Topic / VALVe Summer Sale: Few New Interesting Things

« on: August 15, 2010, 02:26:03 PM »

VALVe Summer Sale

A few new interesting things that caught my eye:


iSapper


Turret


Aperture Skin


TF2 Trading Cards


I want the trading cards :c

60

Off Topic / Fraps Problems

« on: August 14, 2010, 01:52:18 PM »

Before, I could record Blockland with no lag at all. Now, when I start up fraps and run blockland with it, Im getting 5 fps. Literally. Then, also how do you record sound ingame with fraps? My version is 3.2.3.