|
Archived old news - September 1999:
News: Wednesday 29/9/99
Blah.
Okay, okay, I know last week I promised I'd write an article on single player vs. botmatch "soon"....but it ain't happening. I just can't motivate myself to do it (read: "fucking lazy"?). I have the
bare bones sketched out, and I feel the pressure when I see articles like Redwood's wittering on about Q3A "single player"....but I just can't make myself sit down and type it =(. So
it's on hold for the moment...
PeejnFribs columns??
Well Peej was kind enough to offer me a column, but I declined, simply because this site already serves exactly the same purpose - somewhere for me to rant on about various
FPS related stuff that doesn't fit into my other sites (and post some wacky demos too). So hopefully anyone who is interested it what's written in the columns at
PnFs (which of course are a cool idea and could be pretty entertaining....though they gotta stop the Real
Life™ pics!!) will also visit this site for the same thing.
PeejnFribs linkage....and what this site has for the general gamer:
What Peej did do was to link this site in the "Misc sites" section which was very much appreciated....and this got me thinking: This is my own personal site - I don't make any maps,
I don't review any levels here, I don't post other people's demos....so why do I deserve a link?? This question was also brought home to me by Gonzo grumbling at me in an IRC
chat - kinda like this: "Bah, Shambler, your site just has only your demos on it!!" - as if that made it insignificant. My reply?? "Okay....well my site is the only site dedicated to all the Unreal
speedruns in the world then!!" Which is about bloody right too, and thinking about it gives me confidence this site does have some worth. For example:
Attractions of this site:
For FPS gamers in general:
> The world's only Unreal speedruns.
> A few FPS Articles for a variety of games.
> Both humourous and seriously topical IRC chat logs.
> Some entirely original Quake and Quake II trick demos.
For gamers interested in custom maps:
> Many unique custom map Quake II speedruns.
> Some custom map Unreal speedruns.
> Recommended Unreal and Quake II single player maps' lists.
> Some custom map related FPS Articles.
For gamers interested in my views and actions because I run TEAMShambler and am part of the scene:
(I'm making this seperate as these aspects aren't unique to this site, you get similar stuff elsewhere)
> Regular updating and opinions on various gaming issues.
> Deathmatch demos so you can see how I used to play.
> List of personal favourite Quake 1 DM maps.
For a personal site, I'm not dicking around here....there should be at least something to interest just about everyone.
Finished Requiem!!
And I must say it was cool. Despite some very obvious flaws that the company should really have fixed, I think it's a fun and interesting game and very worthwhile overall - particularly for the
more complex angelic powers, but also for the style of the game in general. TEAMShambler recommends this one (but don't come whining back about all the glitches, okay!!).
Running repairs:
I've lightened the colour for the news headings to make them more visible (no I am *not* changing them from purple :P), I've added the
spektrum link to the side menu, and I've split up the old news page as it was getting too big (see bottom of
this page). Still no bloody article on botmatch though....
Kamikhazi is "flavour of the month" at the moment:
<KamiKhazi> i have a small penis!
Ho. Hum.
Laterz,
The badly motivated and flatulent Shambler
News: Sunday 26/9/99
Gosh Shambler, surely not more Unreal speedruns already??
Yes indeed, the force has been with me this week, and I've found two custom maps that were begging to be speedran:
> Crashonnapali: "Crash on Na Pali" - Easy skill run of
Map 2 in 1:00 ( version 2.25f )
> Strangeworld: "Strange World Part 1" - Easy skill run
in 1:20 ( version 2.25f )
Both of these are good, new maps and so are well worth playing anyway (I know, I just reviewed them), so you might as well try those funky 2.25f demos for added
entertainment (and yes, they do feature the Krall staff boost =)). These get added to the Unreal speedruns page.
Unreal reviews for da week:
As the perceptive amongst you may have cunningly spotted, Crash on Na Pali and Strange World 1 were the maps I reviewed for
Nali City (reviews should be posted later today). Happily enough they are both good maps (no shite this week,
huzzah!), and both get added to my recommended Unreal SP maps list in their respective positions. I've also added a reminder that to open the review of
the Unreal maps in the list, you should click on the rating in brackets.
'nother IRC chat log
I know of at least one (yes one!) person who really likes the logs, so here we go: a silly little slanging match about KamiKhazi's much maligned map. On the
IRC chat logs page with the rest of 'em.
What else??
Not much really....the Unreal speedruns took up a fair bit of time and energy. You may have seen I haven't posted any speedruns for a while, well I just wasn't in the mood, and running is
so intensive (traumatic?) that you have to feel like doing it. Since I did feel like it...well you can see the results =). Didn't have time to play much Requiem nor much else.
And finally:
<sheep> !rape KamiKhazi with a fish
-ChanServ- Unknown Command [rape]. Try HELP for help.
Bah! IRC suxx0rz!
Laterz,
The indefatiguable Shambler
News: Wednesday 23/9/99
A couple more of those Unreal speedrun type things:
Well, recently, I haven't been posting many demos for your viewing pleasure, so I whipped up a couple of new Unreal speedrun demos (on normal in-game
maps), and here they are:
> Ruins: "Temple of Velora" - Easy skill run in 1:24 ( version 2.25f )
> Extremecore: "Mothership Core" - Easy skill run in 1:02 ( version 2.25f )
Not as cutting edge as some of my other runs (no Krall boosts, bah!), but they still have some large 8Ball jump shortcuts involved. These were recorded in version 2.25f, so you
need that to play it back. More info on the effects of 2.25f and the demos can be found on the Unreal speedruns page. This also features all my other
demos (including some pretty radical ones), and an updated list of Unreal tricks, so go take a look.
Serious kinda IRC chat long thing:
There was this gnarly argument about botmatch not being "single player" in IRC the other night, you might want to read the log of it. Although I'm not really
putting my heart into it at first, some fair points are made. However, following from what Yogi@FreshTeam said
at the end, I will be writing a detailed article on this issue, hopefully soon, so stay tuned for that.
More stuff about Requiem:
Well, the game is getting rather fun now I've got the Possession and Resurrection angelic powers. Oh yeah baby, floating off to possess one of the huge power armoured soldiers, nailing
all his chums, then moseying along in my own body and resurrecting them all to fight for me. Fun fun fun!! A subway level was cool too...lurk in one carriage, possess someone in the next,
take everyone down, then resurrect them all to watch my back (damn appearing enemy!!). Repeat lather and rinse =). Bloody class stuff, wish there had been more like this earlier on...like
all the shooting and pentecosting is fine, but these novel powers make it a lot more interesting. This means I'd recommend it more than before...
And finally...
<sheep> there an awful lot of sheep in the world
Sometimes I am just too profound for my own good...
Laterz,
The Unreal pioneer, Shambler
News: Sunday 19/9/99
...ping...ping...ping...ping...ping...
That's the sound of the TEAMShambler sonar trying, without success, to find something entertaining to update about!! There really hasn't been much happening around the net, and I
haven't been doing anything like demos or rants to post either. Hence the slothful updates.
Requiem.
This is what I *have* been doing, steadily working my way through Requiem: Avenging Angel. Which is nice. Actually, I'm really enjoying it as it's good just to *play* something for a
change. What's it like?? Well this is convenient, hehe, as the game is very similar in quality to the demo, and I wrote a review of the demo a while back.
Hurrah! So go read that if you want to know my thoughts, as almost all of it accurately applies to the game too (the general conclusion is: nice style and gameplay, but glitchy control and
graphics). There are a few thoughts I'd add to the demo review - really about where the game is different (though few of the problems with the demo
were fixed!!): Angelic powers are more useful in the
game...powers take quite a bit of effort getting used to (a Half-Life style training course would be useful)....also some entertaining powers really need to last longer to be
worthwhile....game is more involving and gives a good sense of progression in places (when performing tasks), though in others it can seem a bit arbitrary....maps are quite nice, good use of
heavy, if arbitrary, structures (like Quake / QII)....map designs are better used in the game....some textures are really nice (the religious ones), but many are still rather faded and
undetailed....gameplay is fun and it is rather tough in places....getting stuck on things is common and annoying....etc, etc.... Overall, I'd recommend it, though the glitchy controls and lack of
cutting edge graphics may annoy some people, it's quite stylish and fun and I'm enjoying it.
Unreal reviews for the week and ratings too:
[Opens barn door and stomps out] "This week I will mostly be reviewing 13Mutants, Snam, and Urbanisum!!" [Stomps back into barn and slams door]. Heh. Some of you
might get that. Anyway, that's what I've done for Nali City, and 13Mutants is a pretty cool map that's
well worth a look, so it gets added to my recommended Unreal SP maps list.
On the subject of these reviews, I just want to shout about ratings a bit:
"GOD I FUCKING HATE RATINGS!!!"
Thank you. Seriously though, having to rate the Unreal levels I review brings me no end of heart-ache, trying to get an accurate rating that fits the level, and also fits in with all
the other levels I've rated - it often takes me hours to decide on a rating that I'm still not happy with in the end. Given the choice between using ratings in reviews and sodomising myself
with a cactus, I'd be picking spines out of my ringer before you could say "6.5/10". The moral of the story is, don't even trust *my* ratings implicitly, read the reviews and see for yourself
what the level is really like.
Couple o' IRC logs for ye...
If the excellent new QII DM map pack, KTimpakt, isn't the huge success it should be, don't blame me.
I tried really hard to get the KTimpakt lads, Killer and
Thanapositianisposis to use some fresh, daring, and avant garde advertising ideas, and would they listen?? Would they bollocks!! Well, good luck with
their tired old "show a cool screenshot of the level" format :P. The other silly IRC chat log is just the usual format of insults, nonsense and crudity. Oh yeah
and in case you were wondering:
<sheep> everything is entirely serious in those logs
And finally:
<than> my goats are very well house trained, they clean up their cum
<than> and mine
Remember folks, "entirely serious". Ahem.
Laterz,
The better late than never Shambler
News: Sunday 12/9/99
Updated spektrum:
Quite a worthwhile update too, as I've written some of my thoughts comparing the Daikatana demo and the Q3Atest, which should prove an interesting read, and I've
also added a "Demos" section...can you guess what sort of demos it will be for, hehe?? You know am de Uber-pioneer-new-game-speedrun-meister!! Also, I'd like to recommend people to
head over to PlanetDaikatana anyway - they've got good, regular news about the game and it's progress,
regular preview screenshots, and plenty happening in their
forums. Also, well worth reading is Gollywog's
(PDKT's honcho) oldish but good
E3 preview of the game - check out the screenies and read about the gameplay, monsters
and sidekick AI, and you'll realise just how cool Daikatana could be. So forget all the whining and negative bullshit, have an open mind, and head over to
PlanetDaikatana.
A bit o' new stuff:
I've updated my favourite Q1 DM maps list, as Malevola has finally released
Maldm6, which is cool. Now, I might have got this wrong, but I seem to remember Mal releasing a couple of maps
ages ago that were total arse...then he disappeared for a while. More recently he posted some cool screenshots at his site of a Q3A styled map - dunno what happened to that map, but
now he's released a solid, very accomplished map in Maldm6, which is nice to see - new talent is always welcome =).
Dum de dum dum...
Yeah, I know, a bit slack on the old updates. Well, not much has been happening, so there's not much for me to post or waffle on about. Besides, there's already plenty to check out here,
especially in the speedrun demos sections, go to it.
And etc...
<DaMaul> Shambler please stop quoting me telling you to shut up about my shed on your page
And now I'm posting *that* quote. Oh the irony!
Laterz,
The quote-meister Shambler
News: Wednesday 8/9/99
Everything is just kinda chill...
And about time too. It seems like the last month or two have just been a hectic whirlwind of reviews, beta-testing, demos and updating. Finally, things have calmed down, hell, I might
even get to play some stuff just for fun =).
Shock horror!! Shambler in deathmatch review scandal!!
Well, I did another DM review a while back, of Q1Finkodm2, on the "Stuff" page of Frib's site, but this
one is more topical as it's a review of Paul@MPQ's Phdm1. Pretty cool map, read the review
at MPQ (curiously enough) and download it. BTW, I did this review because obviously Paul himself
can't review it, and since we get along so sweetly (heh!), I thought I'd help him out...
That's all for now:
<DaMaul> SHUT UP ABOUT MY FUCKING SHEDS!
Laterz,
The peaceful Shambler
News: Monday 6/9/99
Some discussions for you:
Yes, discussions that "you", the people nice enough to visit this site, can actually partake in. Head over to ye olde
QBoard and have a gander at the two threads I added: "Why do people release bad maps?"
and "Underrated mappers, p1mp 'em here". Both of these are specifically designed to encourage discussion and other ppl's contributions, so go say your piece!!
Stuff wot I forgot:
I was in a bit of a "tizz-wazz" yesterday with more reviews to do and b0rked FTPs and all, so I forgot some random stuff I was going to mention: The IRC chat log
about Damaul's shed is actually a much-truncated version of the entire chat which went on for at least an hour
of indepth shed discussion!! But when Damaul started fucking with the channel, the log stopped saving. On the topic, I was going to do a "Map Damaul's shed" competition, which was a
very popular idea, but I can't be arsed - I need to spend less time on this PC, not more, so it's up to someone else to do it. Aside from Damaul's shed, the other hot topic in the mapping world
is of course cheese, and where better to go than Cheese.com?? Also, the
Frib has a cheese-related update at his site - he is planning some rigourous scientific research into the
possible "cheese consumption - creativity" correlation. Also the same Frib has more cheese news at
PeejnFribnDamauls - Christ there is just no escaping it, is there?? Coming up next:
http://www.planetcheese.com/teamcheese =).
More stuff:
Paul@MPQ has another picture up in his increasingly disturbing
"Shambler Gallery" (like, don't these people have anything better to do or what??). This time it's by
Odd who indeed produces an *odd* picture that has me rather frightened and almost amused too.
And finally:
<DaMaul> please stop talking about my shed
Laterz,
The getting things outta the way Shambler
News: Sunday 5/9/99
Sodding GSN!!
Well I'd just *love* to update TEAMShambler Quake Level Reviews with a cool new level, a bizarre
new contest and some good mapping news, but Gamespy Network's FTP is being what is technically known as "very extremely GAY". So I can't. Arse.
Unreal reviews:
Over at Nali City, I reviewed SpantobiUnexpectedThreat and Escafca last week, and
Bunker and DNSPU5 this week. DNSPU5 is definitely recommended, as it's a really nice level,
Jago's best designed and prettiest SP level yet. Also, SpantobiUnexpectedThreat is a nicely styled space level,
but is very hard, so only really fun for 1337 players. These have been added to my Unreal recommended SP maps list.
IRC dribblings:
Couple of potentially amusing IRC chat logs, in the silly section. This time about
Damaul's world famous "mapping shed", and also me ranting and raving about males who use the female skin
in Q2. Rant rant etc...
Will you stop releasing bloody Q1 DM levels please!?!
Yet another level that's caught my eye, Infect by Moloch, a cool map because it uses Q3A style
curves and gothic designs, but is almost entirely done in Q1 metal textures, rather than converted Q3A textures. This means my favourite Q1 DM maps list
is updated yet again. Q1 DM mapping is going strong people!!
And finally:
*** Knob is now known as TEAMNaliCity
<than> shambler you have more names than the phonebook. stick to one will you ffs
<TEAMNaliCity> what??
<Bal> lol
<TEAMNaliCity> all my names are for a reason
<TEAMNaliCity> depending on what i am doing
<than> even hungrypenis?
<than> hmm
<BobbyW[html]> lol
<TEAMNaliCity> so go stick your head up your arse
<than> don't want to know the reason behind that
<TEAMNaliCity> errrr yeah! even hungrypenis!
<than> <TEAMNaliCity> all my names are for a reason
<than> <than> even hungrypenis?
<than> <TEAMNaliCity> depending on what i am doing
<than> hehe
Laterz,
Shambler is about to kill GSN's FTP...
News: Friday 3/9/99
Amusement all round:
Thanks to Paul@MPQ who passed on this email he received, which accompanied an entry into his
frighteningly shrine-like "Shambler Gallery" (like, isn't it all a bit weird or what??). Anyway, I found
this very funny:
"Mr Shambler seems a nice enough sort of chap, so quite why you would want to annoy him in this manner is beyond me. Never the less, here is my contribution to your efforts to
harrass him."
NICE ENOUGH SORT OF CHAP?!?! What on Earth have I done to give that impression?? Sheesh...
* Shambler resolves to be even more obnoxious from now on
Q1 DM maps everywhere, and not a drop to drink:
I've updated my favourite Q1 DM maps list because people keep releasing maps I like at a rate of knots.
Updated spektrum:
Nothing tremendously useful, just some ponderation on recent Daikatana related events, check it out if you want.
And finally:
My turd was dark green this morning. Honestly. You really needed to know that, yes??
Laterz,
What is wrong with Shambler's bowels??
News: Thursday 2/9/99
Hi everybody! I'm back!
Cause for celebration I'm sure =). Anyway, I spent the weekend with my mate SCRAD and had a mellow and funky time. Now, SCRAD has a much more balanced
interest in computer games, so at his house I was able to check out some stuff I wouldn't normally play. Here's what I thought:
Battlezone 2 demo:
Ooooh...pretty...rain...plants...clouds...undulations... This demo *really* caught my eye, BZ2 is one sweet looking game, with some really nice effects, and good use of fogging to get a
nice looking outside world. I like the style too, alien worlds, organic enemy, cool hover vehicles, all very appealing. Control was, errr, ummm well you're in a floaty thing, with floaty controls.
Given I only play FPS games, this took some getting used to, and the control outside your ship is arse. There's a lot more to the game than just action though, and given how stylish
and atmospheric it is, I might even consider getting it.
C+C Tiberian Sun:
Yeah, quite nice, all the building bases and organising troops and stuff looks a lot of fun in a constructive sort of way. Quite good looking too, with good details and effects, though no
spinny rotatey maps. Not my sort of game though.
Mortyr demo:
Well, I'd seen a lot of whining about this over at sCary's message boards, so obviously it was a lot better than those morons
gave it credit for....but still rather flawed. The style, architecture (some great statues, castle designs and details), textures and effects were mostly good, but the control, physics and
slightly cartoony feel were less pleasant. There were also niggles like b0rked effects, ridiculous key set up and weapon changing and poor fluids. It reminded me a bit of the
Requiem demo which I reviewed, as in there were some really nice aspects, but also a glitchy and inconsistent feel that spoilt it. I dunno, I liked
some of the architectural style a lot, but I don't think I could put up with the solely human enemy or the feel of it.
Midtown Madness:
Any game in which you can drive a juggernaut truck the wrong way down a dual carriageway at 100+ mph has to be good =). A whole lot of fun and malarkey that surely encourages
lethal driving?!?! A blast anyway, though not my sort of game.
Q3ATest:
Ho hum, well, I had a brief wander around the first test version. Just as I expected given all the comments and screenshots: nice style, great themes and textures (if incomparable to
Unreal), good details and curves, cool map1, gay map2, weapons effects really get in the way, no sense of precision with any weapons, air control is arse and the whole thing is
very system intensive. The thing that stands out most is (as I have said before), the clash between graphics, effects, and precise, effective DM gameplay. There are a lot of contradictions
in this demo: The garish HUD and ridiculous bouncing guns are clear and obvious for DM, but look stupid with the gothic style. The weapons effects and flash graphics can look quite
good, but really get in the way of precision deathmatch. Overall, well, the folly of DM only games, eh?
Updated Q1 DM maps list:
Curiously enough, this means I've updated my favourite Q1 DM maps list. This includes some of the latest releases, and now my favourite Q1 DM maps
of all time, which no doubt will interest some people. Of course, this is an entirely personal choice...
New IRC chat log about "that" rant:
After I posted "that" rant, I got a lot of feedback agreeing with what I was saying (and only 2 complaints, from
Jesse@RDE and
Lowtax@PQ). Anyway, I was chatting at one point with various people (mappers and reviewers) on IRC, who
are well aware of this problem, so you can read the chat log on the IRC chat logs page.
Better Q2 SP maps list:
My list of recommended Q2 SP maps is now in more sensible html format, should be easier to read. So if you trust my reviews and want to know what Q2 SP
maps I recommend, head over to the list.
Help! I've run out of silly quotes!
No doubt I'll find some soon =).
Laterz,
That funky Shambler
Top
|
