Fatal_Papercut~SPARTA~

I'm not sure why, but one of my favorite features from the PC Gamer Podcast comes near the end when the crew discusses what they are currently playing. So I'll start: * Arma 2: TacDom on Fridays, plus a few missions on the public server some other night. * Need for Speed - Shift: racing with the guys on Sunday. * Left 4 Dead 2: just getting into this, playing with Slain and some buddies from my old clan. * Borderlands: trying to finish a single player campaign with my Hunter. * Team Fortress 2: for a nice change of pace. And what I will be playing in the near future: * Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter: looking forward to playing on our server. * Dragon Age: the next single-player game I'll focus on once I finish Borderlands. * Serious Sam HD: pre-ordered from Steam, unlocks (hopefully) on Nov 24th. I also have a rather long list of games that I plan on playing "one of these days", but it's too long to go into detail here.

Funny you should ask, as God is in one of my Steam groups. So I went to see what he was up to: Doesn't look good for us.

Wow, I've never seen Best Buy carry that many copies of any PC game. The location I usually go to had all copies of MW2 in a locked case by the register, and I was in there just a day or two after release. It looked like they had only one row of PC copies, maybe 20 copies total, and a friend of mine who works there said that the PC copies were barely moving. I guess it just varies by location. I would have to imagine that the large volume of sales has to do with the fact that a Steam account is required to play online; has anyone ever heard of Steam games being hacked to allow online play without a Steam account? Not that I'm interested in that, as I don't pirate games, and I'm getting MW2 as a gift. What I'm wondering is what the future holds for online gaming: five or ten years from now, will the idea of dedicated servers seem quaint and archaic? Peer-to-peer has been the standard for consoles ever since they incorporated Internet connectivity, and for the time being, it looks like consoles are shaping the future of the gaming industry.

I wish I was, but here's a link to the actual post by none other than FourZeroTwo, one of the IW staff: http://www.infinityward.com/forum/viewtopi...art=20#p3035514 You'll need to click the above link, enter your birthdate, then come back and click the above link again to see the post. Again, this is for the "official" post. Otherwise, you can just read about it here: http://www.destructoid.com/modern-warfare-...ss-155655.phtml

I had the impression that comms were a real mess, but somehow the two missions I was a part of were carried out successfully, if not very smoothly. And as Zeno mentioned, everyone seemed to be crash-prone; I was going along well until the server restart, after which my game crashed three times. Hopefully things will run better next Friday!

Just thought you'd all like to know: In spite of all of the backlash, boycotting, etc, after 1 week of sales, the PC version of MW2 has already outsold the PC version of the original Modern Warfare. So much for sending Infinity Ward/Activision a message.

My Steam name is fatal_papercut. We have a thread where you can add your to our ever growing list: http://www.legionofspartans.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=4875

Agreed. The entire Phenom II X4 series can go toe-to-toe with Intel's offerings when it comes to gaming. It's true that the i7 series offers better performance for other processes like video transcoding (assuming the application supports multi-core CPUs), but when it comes to gaming, they are generally equal (and in some cases, superior) in performance. And since AMD's chips are also cheaper, you can budget for a better GPU. I have my X4 965 OCed to 3.8GHz with the voltage tweaked to 1.45; it runs well at 4GHz EXCEPT for Arma2, hence the step down. Gee, Athlon64, I would have never guessed that you ran an AMD CPU.

Indeed. I was waiting along with everyone else for the Midnight Launch that was delayed for 90 minutes. When I finally got in game, my Internet connection died after 30 minutes of play, which is the first time my service has gone out (so far as I know) in 18 months. Brilliant game, even better than the original.

If it's one of AMD's "Black Box" editions and you have a decent mobo, overclocking is very easy. How to do this varies on your BIOS, buy you would start out by increasing the CPU multiplier. Odds are that the default setting is something like 15, and each half-step increases the clock speed by 100Mhz. So if the stock speed was 2.8GHz with the multiplier at 15, then 15.5 would get you 2.9GHz, 16 would be 3GHz, etc. Asus, Gigabyte, and FoxConn are very good at supplying boards that make this process easy, and I'm sure other boards come recommended as well. Look around in your BIOS or, better yet, the documentation for your motherboard to find out where these settings are located. If they're not listed, see if a recent BIOS update supports changing your multiplier. Obviously heat is a factor; unfortunately, AMD's stock fans are inadequate for OCing by more that 200MHz or so, so a very good after-market HSF assembly be comes a necessity. Between AMD's software disc and the support disc for your mobo, there should be utilities included that will allow you to monitor the processor temperature. Testing the stability of your OC is important, and I recommend a free tool call Prime95 for this purpose. If your machine can successfully run Prime95 for 6 or more hours without crashing, your OC should be stable. Assuming that you have adequate cooling in place, you'll eventually reach a point--usually after an increase by 300/400MHz--where you'll also need to increase the voltage to the CPU. This is where having a high-quality motherboard and PSU are mandatory, and it's also where you need to be most careful, because you can fry your CPU. Generally, you'll be increasing the voltage by increments of 1/100th of a volt until the OC is stable again (and remember to keep an eye on the CPU temperature!) If, on the other hand, your CPU does not have an unlocked multiplier, I almost have to question whether overclocking is worth it, because you can still overclock, but you'll be doing so by increasing the reference clock speed, which in turn raises the HyperTransport link speed, northbridge speed, and memory frequency/voltage. This will usually require an after-market cooler for the northbridge chipset. Changing these settings usually requires "enthusiast" motherboards, which translates into "expensive" motherboards. Hopefully, your motherboard already supports these features. So, short version here: Unlocked CPU multiplier + decent mobo = very easy OC. Hope this helps. ** EDIT: Some mobos, like the one I have from Gigabyte, also have "easy-overclocking" utilities that allow you to change these settings from within Windows. This makes it easier to find stable settings and to monitor the effects of changes on factors such as heat without having to constantly reboot your system for BIOS tweaks. Once you've found good settings, you can make the changes in BIOS permanently.

It's been quite some time since I installed AVG for any my clients, because I switched to Avira more than 18 months ago. Personally, I'd recommend Avira as a free solution, or Kaspersky for a subscription service, and I've never had a problem with either. Avira is ranked by CNET and other sites as the best free AV package, whereas Kaspersky actually has a "gaming mode" that not only suspends AV services but can also be configured to suspend other unnecessary tasks that could potentially boost performance. However, if you're particularly keen on AVG, packages as recent as Version 8 could be installed from the command line with various switches that would bypass the installation of services such as Firewall or SafeSearch. I'll have to dig through my custom installation discs to find more info if you need it, but odds are that you can get a list of what switches are available by running the installation EXE with the /? parameter, as is common with many applications. A Google search should also yield some informative results.

The server is up and running. It is currently open to the public; the join IP is 63.209.32.57:27015. The server name is--what else?--"Legion of Sparta". *** EDIT: Duh. More info: If you create a game lobby and want to join this server specifically, at the console you type in: mm_dedicated_force_servers 63.209.32.57:27015 If you want to search for the server to see if it's active, at the console type: openserverbrowser The server is located in Dallas, TX, USA. Closest thing I could get to something centrally located in the US. Have fun!

I was part of the Left 4 Dead 2 Launch last night--for all of 30 minutes before my Comcast Internet service stopped working. I've had Comcast now for almost 18 months, and I've NEVER had a problem with it until now; figures it would go out when I needed it most. Anyhow, it's working again, and I wanted to let you guys know that I'll be hosting a L4D2 server from GameServers.com (I've used them before, excellent service) just as soon as Valve fixes a certain bug; there's a console command that allows you to force your lobby to join a specific server, but it's not working at the moment. The server will be open to the public, but it will also have the ability to be password-protected in the event that any Spartans and our guests want to play a game without any random asshats jumping in. The server will run from one of two data centers, either Dallas or Seattle. If Seattle is available, I'll use them, because I getter a better ping there. As soon as it's up and running, I'll post the IP and any other necessary info. I have no problem branding the server with Sparta-related info, although I'll hold off on doing so until discussing the matter with the senior members.

Proof of the above statement: In relation to the video that started this thread: if this kid is THAT disappointed over a video game, I can't wait to see the video he posts after he leaves the house and has to deal with real life.

Why does Michael Jackson come to mind when I watch this?

There are several things about DA:O that set it apart from Oblivion, but the two biggest are: * Companions! You don't have to save the world alone; your character can travel with up to three other companions, and there's a lot of interaction between the party members. So even if you don't have a social life, you can pretend to have one with DA:O. * Tactical combat. The game, for the most part, was meant to be played with frequent pauses to issue orders to your party members.

The GOTY edition is a decent value, since it includes all of the DLC released for the game. Unfortunately, most of that DLC is mediocre, if not outright dull. You could save yourself some money by purchasing the original release from last year; it retails in my area for $19.99 USD (Best Buy, Wally World, etc). Otherwise, a very good game, and very much deserving of all of the "Best RPG 2008" awards it received.

With Arma2 being so processor intensive, a stable OC is a must. I use an AMD Phenom II X4 965; stock speed is 3.4GHz, and for a couple of weeks, I had it running just dandy at 4GHz. Just dandy, that is, except for Arma2. There were a couple of times that I was able to run the game without problems, otherwise it would crash no later than 10 minutes into a game. I had to setp back down to 3.8GHz to get the game to run. So I would suggest stepping down your OC and see if that helps.

The author of this article, Evan Lahti, part of the PC Gamer magazine editorial staff, is also a regular guest on their podcast, which can be found at: http://www.pcgamerpodcast.com I listen to it every week, mainly because I get paid to do so.* The show is a more mature take on PC games and the industry behind them, and listeners (that would be you) are encouraged to send in questions; the podcast crew will make a sincere effort to address those questions in the show. It's an hour long, give or take a few minutes, and Evan has spent quite a bit of time talking up Arma 2. There's also a UK PC Gamer podcast which I find to be slightly less informative but even more entertaining, because it sounds like the crew spends a considerable amount of time at the pub before recording the show, and they don't care about censoring their show like their US counterparts do. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to download and listen to the show, but it's something that's fun to listen to while doing other things. *I listen to the podcast at work.

Perhaps you should just stick with Arma, Durka. Then you won't have any redheads or chests to worry about. I'm afraid DA:O would make you too excitable.

I have the game, too; I downloaded it from Steam about five minutes after it became available. I haven't played the game in two weeks, except for some testing on a mod that I've given up on. So the game would be relatively fresh, and I'd be up for some co-op. My GameSpy ID and my Steam ID are the same: fatal_papercut.

There is a solution to the above problem, but it'll cost you. The first major piece of DLC for the game--which has been available since launch day--is an expansion module called (I believe) The Warden's Keep. In addition to providing more adventuring content and background on the Grey Wardens, the Keep also allows you to store additional inventory. The cost is $7 USD. Sadly, I've had the game since launch day, I've downloaded the DLC items that came in the box AND I've already paid for and downloaded Warden's Keep, and I've even applied the first patch, but I've yet to actually PLAY the game beyond the first 20 minutes, and that was only to make certain everything worked okay. I'm trying to finish both GTA IV and Borderlands, while at the same time putting some time into Arma2 and racing on Sundays. As soon as I finish GTA and BL, I'll dive into Dragon Age. By the way, for those of you that might be interested, Neverwinter Nights 2 is also an excellent game (I enjoyed it more than the original). A "Gold" edition is also available; it includes the first expansion, "Mask of the Betrayer", which has an excellent story. Sure, it's not as shiny and new as DO:A, but you can get the Gold edition at Best Buy and similar retailers for $30 USD, which for 100+ hours of content is an excellent value.

Make sure you have the appropriate software installed, which would probably be one or another version of MS Intellitype (I would assume a disc came with your keyboard, but if not, you can download the software directly from MS). http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/download...spx?category=MK I use Microsoft's other gaming keyboard, the Sidewinder X-something-or-other. It requires its own version of Intellitype for the macro functions to work, which, oddly enough, I haven't used for gaming yet, but I DO use for other everyday purposes.

I do my best to keep up here in the forums, and I'm interested in playing again in TacDom; I did a few weeks ago, but my Fridays since then have been booked. In any event, would it be possible to start a new thread for TacDom, since this one has grown to the size of a Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Novel, and if not, and perhaps more importantly, could we get a sticky post that details what is needed (mods, etc) to play TacDom? I think this would help some of the newer members who want to play but don't want to have to read the equivalent of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare to be up-to-date. Any consideration of this matter would be greatly appreciated!

fatal_papercut