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Archived old news - November 1999:
News: Monday 29/11/99
More new and exclusive Quake 2 speedrun demos:
Indeed, one on an older map and one on a newer map, and both contain serious shortcuts and trick jumps to get through the maps very quickly. These demos are posted with the rest
on the Quake 2 speedruns page, and right here:
> Frststrk: "First Strike" - Easy run in
0:24
> Alcatraz: "The Rock" - Easy run in
0:53
Both good demos, but it's the First Strike 0:24 demo that is essential viewing, as it involves an extremely good
shortcut using a double hand grenade jump off a monster!! As far as I know, this is the first time this trick has ever been done in a speedrun (I don't think any of the Id map runs that
SDA post would require it), so that demo would be the first place you would see this rather hard trick - go download!!
The Rock has some nice low gravity rocket jumps, so that's worth watching too. If neither of these are to your taste, don't forget that there are 38 unique custom map
and mission pack demos on the Quake 2 speedruns page as well, so have a look and see what takes your fancy...
Site information page:
To help any newcomers to this site, I've whipped up a Site Information page, which describes all the stuff this site contains. I'll be adding more information and
background information to this page in the future.
Unreal DM demos - gone, Unreal DM screenshots - still here:
I removed the final 3 Unreal DM demos I'd posted last week, to save space on the site and give me more room for "stuff". But I decided to keep the action screenshots taken from
within the demos, as I liked them so much, so if you missed them when the demos were posted, have a look at all 6 Unreal DM screenshots for some
great smakdowns =).
Shambler's recommended maps:
Okay, couple of things I can recommend: Firstly, for Quake II SP, I've finally got round to playing The Rock (big, simple Jail map, fun monster packed fighting with reduced
gravity) and Last Days on Stroggos (sizable, well made unit with a few cool designs and effects though plain in many places, solid and balanced gameplay). I've added both of these
to my recommended Quake 2 SP maps list. I've still got Deaf, Dumb and Blind to replay - it was very hard the first time, but I'll try again and see how well
the gameplay can match the generally good design.
Then for Quake DM, I've added ProdigyXL's latest, Xl1dm5 to my favourite Q1 DM maps list. The captain of misspelling and
poor grammar has produced a very accomplished map, and though I personally prefer his Genocide (yeah, I know, I'm the only one...), this is a stylish, original map that plays solidly.
I've also added a beta map courtesy of Mickey that I had the privilege of checking out and seeing it shows a lot of promise.
For something very cool indeed:
Check out this screenshot of that Vampire 3D RPG game.
Mmmmmm....Shambler likes. A lot =).
Some old game called Chasm??
There I was, innocently abusing people and idling away in #terrafusion, when that chap Killes starts pestering me about this old game called
Chasm, which came out just after Quake, and Killes reckoned it was actually rather good and superior to Quake in many respects. As you know I am a
little bit fond of Q1 SP so I gave in to Killes' exhortations and tried the 6 meg
Chasm demo, a pretty sensible option I figured. Now this game is rather old by anyone standards, but liking Q1, I can
still approach it with an open mind... As it turns out, some of it was rather cool: some nice textures and details, adequate weapons and monsters, cool decapitations and dismemberments, neat
lighting and atmosphere. Some of it was shit, and unfortunately that included the control, feel, mouse motion, head bob - which are all pretty damn crucial - also the very Doomy levels,
and the lack of hardware acceleration support. A pity, despite it's age, if the control and software only problems were fixed, I might have given it a try, but I just can't put up with something I
can't control adequately - especially when it was being compared to Quake which has perhaps the crispest control around. Ah well...
Finally...
<mickey> a moist shambler is a happy shambler
Indeed!!
Laterz,
The slightly moist Shambler
News: Saturday 27/11/99
Mmmm...
Nali City decided they wouldn't try to catch Shambler out by posting SP levels today after all. So pretty much a
free weekend for me, I've even got PQ's
Level of the Week done already. And there's bollocks all going on on the net too, time to chill I think. Maybe play a
few levels or something =). On Monday I'll have a bloody cool demo or two, so make sure you check back for that, with other news and stuff too I expect.
Laterz,
Relaxed and un-busy Shambler
News: Friday 26/11/99
Quake 2: The Reckoning - brand new speedruns!!
Shambler has attacked Xatrix's highly acclaimed Quake 2 mission pack, "The Reckoning" and produced 4 top quality
speedrun demos. If you have this popular mission pack, be sure to check out the following demos (all under 100k) :
> Xswamp: "The Swamps" - Easy speedrun in 0:20
> Xcompnd2: "Inner Compound" - Easy speedrun in 0:33
> Xhangar2: "The Hangars" - Easy speedrun in 0:53
> Xmoon1: "Cargo Bay" - Easy speedrun in 0:23
Major time-saving shortcuts and tricks are the order of the day in these demos (like all my other Quake 2 speedruns, really!!), with double jumps and stylish
grenade jumps in use. These demos get posted on the Quake 2 speedruns page, and like all the other demos there (custom map, Zaero mission pack,
and "Id maps from scratch"), are unique to this site, you will not find these runs anywhere else on the net. Hope you enjoy these latest demos!!
Q2 map I think is worth recommending:
I've added Citizen Abel 2 - Bargain Bin Saviour to my recommended Quake 2 SP maps list, as I've played it recently and it's an unusual, interesting little
unit that's worth a look for the neat ideas and humourous touches. I'm also going to try to play some more recent maps/units to keep that list a bit more up to date.
HL reviews? Or not, as the case may be...
One thing of interest this week was getting offered a post reviewing Half-Life levels, by Mugwum of
PlanetHalfLife (a few people in the past have suggested I review HL levels too). I declined because firstly I'm not as
interested in HL as in the other games I do reviews for, and secondly, I think I do enough damn review sites already!! We also disagreed on the importance of ratings in reviewing levels -
Mugwum believes that ratings are very important to give a quick and easy comparison between levels. However, firstly, I'm not so interested in comparing levels, as I think it's more
important to accurately assess a level's qualities regardless of how it compares with other levels. Secondly, I've discovered from a lot of experience that using ratings to compare levels
fails very badly when just a few varied levels have been reviewed. Either it's impossible to compare them with a mere number as the levels are too diverse to be comparable, or the level
quality makes a mockery of the rating system and the value of the ratings changes over time. Thirdly, when ratings are used, mappers and players tend to get "ratings obssession" and start
paying too much attention to what number a level gets, and too little attention to the actual assessment of the level.
Stuff:
Ummm yeah I haven't updated much this week huh?? Just not much going on that interests me, apart from doing those Reckoning runs. Playing a bit of Dissolution of Eternity,
doing a few more Quake 2 speedruns, updating TSQLR - that's about it really.
Hmmm, on the subject of reviews, I have a sneaking suspicion that Nali City might well post some single player
levels on Saturday to make my weekend a hassle. They must do it deliberately to challenge me or something - I know I'm dilligent at getting reviews done quickly, but cramming them into one
afternoon is just ridiculous. We shall see.
More reviewing stuff:
* shambles should be doing a review
<Mindcrime> whatcha reviewing?
<shambles> a carrot
<shambles> vegetable of the week
Aaah, the *truth* about why I'd declined from doing HL reviews...
Laterz,
The vegetative Shambler
News: Monday 22/11/99
Final bunch of Unreal LAN DM demos:
Okay, here's the final lot of Unreal deathmatch demos that SCRAD and I recorded when we played a few LAN games. This week the
action is on DMRefuge, probably the nicest map we played, because
rather than being an arbitrary DM arena, this has more of a "natural" design. Set in an icy courtyard surrounded by towers, ledges and small side areas, it's very similar to DMTundra,
with similarly good architecture and theme (and great use of "cow bell" ambient sounds). There are some limitations on items, with the dangerous 8 Ball and Shield Belt both being awkward to
attain. Along with the layout, this restriction gives more varied weapons use, and more distinctive fighting, from "endurance" duels in the arena, to chases on the walkways and various
malarkey in between. Well, the demos:
Demo: Refuge1 (1.12 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, won 10 - 4 ( v2.25f ) - now removed
Demo: Refuge2 (1.13 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, won 6 - 2 ( v2.25f ) - now removed
Demo: Refuge3 (1.10 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, lost 3 - 7 ( v2.25f ) - now removed
I think these are all pretty neat demos, as despite some inconclusive battles, they all contain some interesting frags and gameplay: Refuge1 has funny sniping and a really sweet long
range Flak Cannon frag, Refuge2 has some good ASMD kills *and* jumps, Refuge3 has SCRAD with some good, consistently effective, Flak Cannon usage. As before, these demos
get posted on the deathmatch page for the next week, after which I will remove them. But I might keep up the best demos, one from each map, maybe. Or
perhaps not, I always seem to run out of space. Ah well...
Cos3 and reviews:
I've finished this well-hyped unit now, and I'd say it's rather good. The map designs and layouts, once past the first couple of maps, are consistently very good and intriguing, and some of the
gameplay and combat set-ups are rather neat and entertaining too. On the downside, some of the texturing and lighting is notably dodgy, and some of the combats can be bloody
frustrating and unbalanced as far as supplies go - the last combat is great if you found the secret 666, but it would be very tedious without it. Overall it's a good, interesting unit, I've added
it to my recommended Q2 SP maps list.
On the subject, I must say the stupidity of some of the reviewers who are claiming this unit is "the best there is" and
"flawless" really gets on my tits. If they can't see the mediocrity of the first level, the occasionally garish and confused texturing, the sometimes cheesey lighting, and a few frustrating
and ill-balanced combats and traps, then they shouldn't be bloody well reviewing levels. No matter how good a level is (and
Cos3 definitely is good), it will always have flaws, and it's a reviewer's
job to point out those flaws as well as all the greatness - but some reviewers seem to place hype over review balance.
The word on the street is that...
* DaMaul invented fish
Laterz,
Shambler is tired from too much speedrunning last night
News: Sunday 21/11/99
Unreal reviews:
There I was thinking "Yeah, no Unreal levels out, free weekend from doing reviews". Right, then I find on Saturday two levels have been posted at
Nali City - aarrgghh!! I swear these mappers and webmasters do it deliberately!! So it turned a bit hectic yesterday,
but I got reviews of
Strangeworld5 and Unreal Museum done and they are posted already. Strangeworld5 is good as you might expect from this impressive series, so gets added to
my recommended Unreal SP maps list. In case anyone is wondering why I have NOT reviewed Shamu Quest and Peril on Mars, it's simply
because the versions currently released are unfinished, even beta, versions, and the final versions will be released sometime soon, then I will review them. Sorry about that but it's not my
fault, I have strongly criticised both mappers for buggering up their releases that way.
IRC chats:
Got a couple more brief and possibly entertaining ones posted on the IRC chat logs page. In particular I find this
attempt to find illegal channels rather amusing...
Stuff:
I'll have the final batch of Unreal LAN DM demos posted tomorrow, on a different map, along with a couple of screenshots - do these action
screenshots fucking rock or what?? I think they look damn cool... I'll finally be archiving some of this page as it's getting rather bloated. I might try and get some more
tricks done soon, and I will also have a new batch of cool demos in a week or so - just wait and see. Oh BTW, if any of the download links to maps don't work,
then it is almost certainly the fault of Cdrom.com (isn't everything??). For some reason, quite probably just to piss everyone off, Cdrom.com has recently lowered it's user limit
from 6000 to 5000, making it very hard to get on the site to download stuff. So if a map link doesn't work, visit the author's site or the main site where the map is posted. And don't forget to
grumble about Cdrom.com, that always helps...
Cos3, thoughts so far:
If anyone is wondering what that 8 meg
Quake 2 episode, Cos3: The Final Objective is like,
Shambler reckons it's pretty worthwhile so far. I've played 3 maps out of 6, and though it starts off quite shit, the design and gameplay gradually improves so by the 3rd map there is plenty of
good combat and intriuging map design (lights and textures are a bit haphazard though). 3 maps to go, and by this standard it should definitely be worth playing. Reminds me, I should get
round to updating my Quake 2 recommended single player maps list at some point...
Laterz,
Shambler
News: Saturday 20/11/99
Lots of Q1 DM goodness:
As I was saying to myself just this morning:
<shambles> q1 dm mapping....is very cool what people are still doing
And this week has been a particularly good one to demonstrate that. I've updated my favourite Q1 DM maps list with a few very cool new maps.
Including Efdm12 a huge, classy map with yet another fresh new style from Frib, Misdm6 which is a great little medieval map, and Damaul7 (made by the
man who invented bears, apparently), which is an epicly vertical map - I counted at least 17 floors in one of the atriums. Ummm. That may be a slight exaggeration. Or even a total lie.
Anyway, what's so good about these recent maps is the variety of original styles and designs. You look at all the levels on my list, and all of them are very
different from each other and the normal Quake DM levels, and all are very cool too. Most impressive. Of course, being Shambler I have also done a couple of
trick move demos for Misdm6 and Filthy, you can check them out on the tricks page as usual. More to come,
hopefully...
IRC gibberish:
As some people might know, I am the uber-spell-checker of #terrafusion and indeed other places too. Much to everyone's annoyance, I hope. It's for your own good though.
Anyway, after slagging off ProdigyXL's atrocious spelling / grammar / punctuation
in his latest PnF column, we had this pleasant irc discussion
about it. Hmmm...
Shambler divulges Real Life™ information!!
<Kab1e> shambler, how old are you? whats your real name? where do you live?
<shambles> lol
<shambles> piss off
Or not as the case may be.
Laterz,
The ever-so-secretive Shambler
News: Thursday 18/11/99
Aaah yes an update then.
Not an awful lot to update about. Mostly I have been playing Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity again and enjoying that. I have also knackered my finger a
bit, probably from spending too much time doing cool speedruns for TSQLR (which promptly get ignored
by the vast majority of visitors despite the demos being highly entertaining....thus pretty much a waste of time apart from my own satisfaction - yes that pisses me right off). So I am having to be
careful to not play too much too manically. I have no problem typing though, just not that much to say. Anyway, bit o' stuff...
Updated Unreal speedrun demo for 2.25f
There I was the other night, realising that my net chum, The Otta, was part way through Unreal, and had got past one of the maps I'd done a
speedrun on. Knowing that he appreciates my speedruns, and is playing in version 2.25f, I re-ran that demo so he could watch the demo. And here it is:
> Passage: "Sacred Passage" - Unreal skill run in 0:40 ( v2.25f )
Just the same as the previous run on this map, but now in 2.25f. So if you were playing 2.25f and didn't download this cool demo because it was only 2.24 before, then check it out - got a
rather nice trick in it. I should get round to re-running some of the other 2.24 speedruns, though most of them are harder and time-consuming.
I can now reveal:
That one of the best cheeses known to mankind is: "Y Fenni". This is a Welsh cheese (yes the country has to be good for something), and is blended with mustard and mustard
seeds to produce a sensational taste!! Unfortunately the otherwise excellent Cheese.com has no mention of this mighty
cheese, but it is available at your local Sainsburys. Which means if you are in America you are fucked - HAHAHA. Shambler is full of sympathy. No he isn't.
Words of wisdom from the sCary.
The sub-humans who embarrass sCary by posting such loathsome drivel in his forums may have the collective intelligence of stale diarrhoea, but the man himself still talks sense:
"I havent really decided which bots I like better for sure, since UT and Q3A vary so much in gameplay. (Well, as much as Deathmatch games can..)"
Actually, I'm not going to lauch into an excited (and "over-agreeing") tirade about how crap DM is compared to SP, that's just my personal preference. But it does highlight how limited
DM/botmatch only games are, especially when they are both aiming for the same target audience. There are, in my view, certain core aspects that make up a good "Quake" style DM game
(as opposed to Heretic2 style or whatever). Control, speed, physics, certain weapons - deviating *too much* from the standards is likely to produce suckage - which of course doesn't
happen in SP games as there are so many other factors involved, and much more leeway in the actual gameplay, that those factors are less important, relatively. Having said that, I do think
Q3A and UT are certainly developing their own styles, at least in terms of theme and some weaponry. Hmmm. Perhaps Shambler is talking too much about games he is morally opposed to??
Should Shambler shut up now?? Many would agree...
And finally...
* shambles refrains from making vulgar comments about toast and vaginal fluids
Laterz,
The vulgar Shambler
News: Monday 15/11/99
New set of Unreal LAN DM demos, as promised:
I've removed last weeks Unreal deathmatch demos, and this week I have a couple of demos of SCRAD and myself on the map
DMMeldrak. This is a fairly compact medieval style map, with the feel of
a properly designed deathmatch arena, and a great, spooky, atmosphere. It's laid out around a central arena, with a bridge overhead that holds the Shield Belt, and the 8 Ball launcher below,
these two items proving part of the dominant force in the map. Evenly distributed around the side areas are various other weapons and health/armour boosts, and ammo is in plentiful
supply. While the 8 Ball dominates on the arena floors, on walkways and ledges the Flak Cannon can be most effective where there's less space to manouvre. Although the map is fairly small,
the multiple connectivity means that games can be a bit slow and cagey with "cat and mouse" style hunting going on. Anyway, the demos:
Demo: Meldrak1 (1.20 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, lost 1 - 7 ( 2.25f ) - now removed
Demo: Meldrak2 (1.20 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, lost 5 - 7 ( 2.25f ) - now removed
As you can see, SCRAD puts the smak down in those two, with a judicious use of Flak Cannon and 8 Ball. Remember, as before these demos work fine in v2.25f, with few bugs
and the ability to chasecam both players. As before, these demos will stay posted on the deathmatch page until next Monday, when I'll post a final trio on a
different map.
Wheel of Time demo??
77 meg with my modem?? Don't make me laugh...
Q3ADemotest??
A DM only game with my reputation?? Don't make me laugh...
Borsato's new 'un
His new Q1 DM map, Sanity, is added to my favourite Q1 DM maps list, because it is the bollocks. Very cool texturing and details, classy style
that makes a squarish arena design look great. Just go check it out if you happen to be some sort of weirdo who follows my advice on Q1 DM maps... I've also added the Trinity
thing as I played a bit and think it's worth a try.
Laterz,
Shambler, who has
voted
for this
logo for the QBoard. And so should you!!
News: Sunday 14/11/99
Unreal stuff:
Firstly this is the last day that you'll be able to get hold of SCRAD's and my Unreal LAN deathmatch demos on the
DMBridge map - see Monday's news or look on the
deathmatch page for the demos. Tomorrow I'll post a couple of demos for a different map. Secondly, there is a bit of b0rkage at
Nali City - too few of the DM reviewers have actually sent in reviews, the lazy sods, so QAPete isn't
posting any reviews - EXCEPT he has posted my review of The Elder, as Map of the Week. It's a very fine map and I've added a link to the review to it's entry in my
recommended Unreal SP maps list. The other level I reviewed, Schleimparadies, is definitely mediocre, so don't get that despite not having a low
score review to warn you...
Another new Q1 DM map trick move:
Like everyone else, I've been checking out the Trinity DM pack, which contains maps converted from Quake 2 to Quake by Headsh0t, Retinal and Ztn. On
Ret's map, Tridm2, I found a couple of cool and useful trick moves, so laid them down in demo format and posted them on the trick moves
page for your amusement. What do I think of the pack?? It's quite cool, though it does pale in comparison to some current normal Q1 DM maps - I think this is because the Quake 2 versions
can rely on their textures and lighting for good looks, but when converted to Quake, those aspects lose their richness and become quite bland compared to Q1 DM maps designed from
scratch. However the layouts are good, Tridm1 and Tridm2 play well for a tight and vicious duel, and the maps should be pretty interesting to those who liked the Q2
versions.
That's all.
Yeah I know, what happened to all the quotes and regular IRC chat logs?? Dunno myself, oh well, this will have to do:
<Killjoy> mmm... girl w/ banana
Laterz,
Actually Shambler thinks that's a pretty good one...
News: Friday 12/11/99
New Q1 trick jump demos:
Been working hard on some of these, so I hope Q1 players appreciate them: I've update the Trick Moves page with new trick jump demos for:
Gendm1, RF, Quadrock, and Kikdm6, so head over there and download any that take your fancy. The Gendm1 and RF
demos are particularly recommended, as they contain a lot of jumps including some quite unusual ones.
Feedback:
I've received 26 emails about the Xen article since it was
posted at PlanetHalfLife.
In case you are interested, 16 emails were positive, 6 were negative (of which 2 were just retarded flames), 2 were "inbetween" and 2 pointed
out that the paragraphs were b0rked when the article was first posted. In case any of the people are reading this, please note: I'm not going to reply to all the emails, only the
ones that wanted a reply specifically, just because there is quite a lot and most of them I don't have much to say in reply - except "Thanks" if you liked the article. BTW, normally I do reply to
ALL emails sent to me (including spam emails, which I reply to with a line like "Fuck off with your unwarranted spam you diseased piece of
shite" and then add their email address to my "delete off server" list - well, it makes me feel cheerier about receiving such unwanted garbage!!).
Bit o' Unreal stuff:
Sort of. I noticed that renowned Unreal mapper Jaspos posted a link to my
article on single player and botmatch at his site, for which I'm very grateful =). I shall return this favour when I review his cool map,
The Elder, this weekend. Dammit, gotta do reviews.... AARRGGHH!! On the
subject, The Elder came a worthy second in the Oz Unreal contest, with Shrakith'a as the
obvious winner, and Inhumane Infiltration in third. Just as Shambler would have predicted - one would think Shambler knew about assessing level quality or something!!
Laterz,
Shambler has reviews to do...
News: Wednesday 10/11/99
Surely not another Unreal speedrun demo??
Oh yes indeed. Playing through Unreal again, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the "seemingly unrunnable" ISV-Kran Decks 3&2 actually had a very obvious shortcut.
Not only that, it had some Jump Boots lying around near the start....which was nice!! Quite fun to do a speedrun with the Jump Boots for a change:
> Isvkran32: "ISV Kran Deck 3&2" - Easy skill run in 0:48 ( v2.25f )
This demo gets added to the Unreal speedruns page, giving a total of 8 in-game speedrun demos, as well as 6 Return to Na Pali runs and
10 custom map runs (the only such demos anywhere on the net...).
Beta maps everywhere!!
I have just come into the possession of some rather neat beta Q1 DM maps that I'm testing for people or just checking out, which I've added to my
favourite Q1 DM maps list. Of course, you can't download them yet, but you can discover what Shambler predicts will be very hot when they are released...
Revised article on Xen:
In a curious collection of Planetary alignments, Mugwum from PlanetHalfLife was looking for an article on
Xen, and Gwog from PlanetDaikatana pointed him to my article
"Why Xen 0wnz". Since this was going to be posted at a major site, I revised the article, covering more objections people had to Xen, to make
it more comprehensive. The article is now posted in their Features section, as well on my own
FPS Articles section, and might be worth another look since I've revised it. Heh, would be nice if someone offered to post a few of the other
articles too....I'd like to see the Botmatch and single player article out there, that might get peoples' attention =). BTW, if you
have come from PHL and are wondering what this site is good for, check out
this list or just explore it at random.
Laterz,
The colourful Shambler
News: Monday 8/11/99
Unreal LAN deathmatch demos!!
See title =). For the next 3 weeks, I will be posting the Unreal demos SCRAD and I recorded when we played several 1on1 games. Since the demos are fairly sizable and
I don't want to lose all my other deathmatch demos (I've had to remove all the QuakeWorld ones), I'll post a few each week, and replace them the next
week - I'll do this by map. This week's map is
DMBridge, a long open map in the medieval style with some nice lava
details. The map is well balanced along it's length, with an 8 Ball and Megahealth at one end, and Flak Cannon, Minigun and Armour at the other end, with other items spread throughout -
this makes it hard to control an area. There isn't much ammo, but that's not an issue in 1on1. Not sure how to describe the gameplay, most of the fighting gets spread throughout the map, with
a central pit and the square collection of areas around the Armour being the most popular, and the 8 Ball being the weapon of choice (though for snipers, the length of the map would make
sniping interesting). Anyway, the demos:
Demo: Bridge1 (940 k.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, won 7 - 6 ( 2.25f ) - now removed.
Demo: Bridge2 (1.20 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, won 5 - 0 ( 2.25f ) - now removed.
Demo: Bridge3 (1.30 meg.), 1on1 vs. SCRAD, 10 minutes, lost 3 - 9 ( 2.25f ) - now removed.
There are some important notes about these demos, as Unreal deathmatch demo playback is much better and less buggier than speedrun demo
playback (so don't be put off if you have seen buggy speedruns!!) :
1. You don't need to load the maps first as they are so small, and won't miss any of the game.
2. You can cycle between Chasecams for both the players - this effectively means you get two demos for the size of one.
3. There are no missing sounds, doors, lifts etc, everything is there in the demos.
The demos are all posted on the deathmatch page, with comments about each game, they will stay there for a week and a new lot will be added next
Monday. Finally, we hadn't really played much Unreal DM before, and neither of us are great DM players, but I still find these demos fairly entertaining - see what you think but don't
expect too much!!
Excessus insisted I post this quote...
<excessus> or iŽll be the one who masturbates you with a pair of rusty scissors!!
Shocking depravity from one of the mapping scene's squeaky clean personalities!
Laterz,
Shambler will quote you!
News: Sunday 7/11/99
New Unreal speedruns:
Found some more runnable custom maps, so here are the demos on them (also posted on the Unreal speedruns page) :
Oneday: "One Day" - Easy skill run of the entire episode in
1:43 ( version 2.25f )
Tarmation2: "A Rude Awakening" - Easy skill run in
0:52 ( version 2.25f )
These demos are unusual, because unlike my other Unreal speedruns, they don't use wacky hardcore tricks or anything, just normal and easy jumps.
However the One Day run is particularly cool as I manage to find a very cunning route enabling the entire episode to be finished in a ridiculous time - check it out to see what I mean.
Unreal reviews for the week:
All good levels this week, which I have reviewed for Nali City: One Day, Strange World 4, and
Tarmation 2. These have been added to my recommended Unreal SP maps list and the full reviews should be up sometime today. I've also added a
link to an important disclaimer about the scores (a constant source of
worry to me!!).
Everyone else likes Kikdm6...
And I do too. Rather harsh gameplay with the bots (heh, see yesterday's bot discussion), but a cool design and a very unusual style for Quake. Added to my
favourite Q1 DM maps list as you might guess.
Well...
I'm feeling a bit more relaxed now. I'd got a couple of the Unreal reviews done earlier this week, but to ensure I had to cram one in at the last minute, I left the 3rd one until
Saturday afternoon, and added in a pinch of poor motivation to compound the misery. Then having to update this site daily with the SCRAD visit stuff, cos I said I would....blah. So I
was kinda grumpy and fed up of updating things yesterday - too much hassle sometimes. Well it's done now and today is an easy one...bye!!
Laterz,
Shambler
News: Saturday 6/11/99
SCRAD's visit - part 6 - Unreal deathmatch:
One thing we did do a fair bit of was play Unreal deathmatch - not UT, just normal Unreal. The reason we played this the most is because SCRAD was
at least my equal, so was more willing to give it a go - after several matches our total scores were: SCRAD: 44 - Shambler: 41. Obviously I've been playing and
thoroughly enjoying Unreal single player, so I was interested to see what the deathmatch aspect was like. What did I think?? Well, it's okay, it's deathmatch you know,
you run around, pick up stuff, shoot your opponent. The weapons are powerful enough and the action is fair paced, there are no bad glitches that spoil it. However, compared
to other DM games, it isn't that great - games like Q1, Q2 or DKT Demo have a much better *feel* for fast paced DM. There's a few reasons why:
Physics and control: Or not, as the case maybe. This is the main reason why it didn't suit me, and did suit SCRAD. It doesn't feel controllable enough in DM, in particular
jumping is pathetic - low, short, and difficult to control in succession. With a lack of air control and sluggish movement, the result lacks the nice
crisp, bouncy feel that some other DM games have. Rocket jumping is hopeless too, though I admit "lift jumping" - see tricks list - does r0ck immensely!
Weapons: The weapons seem to be in two camps: Close up, easy to use "duffer" weapons, like the Flak Cannon and
multiple 8 Balls, and very effective but very hard to use weapons like the ASMD and Sniper's Rifle. The former seem rather random and don't give much satisfaction unless with a particularly
lucky kill, while the latter group seem too hard to use in an action based DM game. I did like the Minigun though, surprisingly effective (on 2cnd fire) and fun to get frags with.
Combat: Add together those two aspects, and for someone like me (who plays aggressively and flamboyantly if not effectively!!), you get combats that are mostly based on luck
and chance frags. For me there was less control in the combats, lots of struggling to hit each other and finally someone would happen to get it just right - not all the time, but often. For calmer,
more tactical players, I imagine it could be cool if you can master the difficult weaponry. I also suspect it could be better in FFA where you can throw shots around at random or more easily
snipe on preoccupied players (it seems Unreal isn't treated as a 1on1 game), and in teamplay where the tactical weaponry could be put to good use.
Maps: Well, we eventually played a few games on each of 3 maps - custom maps of course, what sort of in-game map playing pervert do you think I am?? They were:
DMBridge (quite open, long design, nice looks, well balanced and plays well
enough), DMMeldrak (fairly standard though varied design, nice looks and
theme, gameplay reliant on 8Balls mostly), and DMRefuge (the most fun for
me, good DMTundra like style, though bigger actually provides a fast duel game with varied combats). All good maps, all work well for 1on1, all play differently - worth checking out I say!!
Overall: Overall it's an acquired taste, and though I had fun playing a few games, not one I'm likely to acquire. I can see why diehard Quake and Quake II players dismiss it, but I can
also see how it appeals to some players. And starting next week, you will be able to see a lot more of how we played...
Nifty new Q2 trick:
Just playing around today, and I managed to do a good new Quake II trick demo on the Strike map. Only a small download, it's on an Id map and guaranteed
as a new trick jump, so check it out on the tricks page.
Finally, new IRC chat log:
Been a long time I know, but I finally had a discussion that proved interesting enough to post on the IRC chat logs page. It's in the
silly
section, btw. Hang on - "silly section", doesn't sound like an interesting discussion to me, that sounds like a bunch of random smak talk and insults?? Yes, that's more like it...
A classic quote, in an argument about game AI:
<DaMaul> I'd like to whine about how AI should be better in Humans
Indeed!!
Laterz,
Shambler is tired now
News: Friday 5/11/99
SCRAD's visit - part 5 - Q3Atest (again) and UT Demo:
Saw Q3ATest again, looks much nicer with a TNT2, though it's still amusing to see it trying to play catch up to the year old Unreal as far as graphics go (and still lacks
Unreal's fantastic up close texture details - is that an engine thing??). Anyway it does look rather cool and I saw some more nice gothic touches (the RA pit in Q3ATest1, for
example). But one thing I've mentioned before really struck me again: just how fucking idiotic bouncing weapons and items look in the classy gothic enviroment. I wouldn't go as far to say
they completely wreck the theme, but they try damn hard. For example, stand at aforementioned RA pit - notice the impaled body on the wall, the subtle fog, the grimy textures - stylish, isn't
it?? Then just look in the corner, and see the bright, happy, cheerful, bouncing items - bloody ridiculous aren't they?? It's like putting stuff from Happy Fun Quake into
Zerstorer, it's that silly....the whole thing would be laughable except it's a professional company doing it and not seeing what a mockery such aspects make of the
game's overall style - scary.
Saw the UT Demo in action for the first time - very accomplished for a DM demo, with 5 maps and all, it's understandable how it's made it's impact. I didn't get to have
a play around with it, but seeing SCRAD in action, it all looks rather cool to me. Good weapons, good maps, and of course Unreal's obligatory good looks. That Morpheus
map and the other one that floats in space look very cool and stylish, and have a real sense of place that most DM maps don't. A couple of things that disappointed me: No medieval style
maps, a pity as I love the arcane stuff in Unreal and I'd have liked to see how it looked in the demo. Also, the weapons models are mostly blandly homogenous compared to
Unreal's more distinctive and individual weapons models - I imagine this could affect DM gameplay a little too.
BTW, one thing struck me very clearly about UT Demo botmatch: The bots have their own names and histories, the maps have a story behind them, you progress
through the maps up rankings... And it is still absolutely and completely botmatch, it is nothing like single player whatsoever, and further proves my
distinction between botmatch and single player entirely correct. No disrespect to UT of course, as a botmatch/deathmatch game it looks very good
and the inclusion of bots with the demo is very sensible (even if they do tend to loaf around a bit on easier skills).
Q1 DM maps and a trick demo:
I've updated my favourite Q1 DM maps list with a couple of maps that have taken my fancy: The Q2 styled Dmfdm3, which has been dismissed by
many (me included), because of it's odd and symmetrical layout. As it turns out, it's jolly good fun with a few bots in, as there seems to be vast amounts of fire power so the gameplay is pretty
carnage-packed. The other is Rcdm8 which I personally don't like the look of, the black beams and sandy textures just don't appeal, but the gameplay is pretty cool due to the air
teleporters and steep steps. Also considered were Pinion2 which has some really stylish details but the overall design is one I'm not too keen on, and Exdm5 which is
weirdly old skool map with a nice atmosphere but plain looks and the layout seems overly complex. I took Warfare3 off the list as, playing it again, I find it extremely unenjoyable in
FFA despite the great looks. All my personal opinion of course =). Finally, I've posted a new trick move demo for Rcdm8 as I found a couple of useful
jumps....yeah I know, I've been slack with the trick moves...
Laterz,
blah Shambler blah
News: Thursday 4/11/99
SCRAD's visit - part 4 - Gaming magazines:
SCRAD reads PC gaming magazines, I don't. I gave up PC Zone after a few issues, and to be honest, I'm rather glad given the sort of shite they often spout. A recent few things in
that and the PC Gamer SCRAD brought over really get ON MY TITS:
Return to Na Pali reviews:
In both mags the reviewers who talked such utter toss about the Unreal mission packed should be sacked and then taken out "back" and soundly
clubbed to death. Let's get this straight: Return to Na Pali is a good mission pack - as far as maps, architecture, exploration and gameplay goes, it's as good as Unreal. That
is a simple fact accessible for all to see by playing the pack - whether you like Unreal or not, the mission pack is comparable. So what do the twats at the magazines do?? Write
a random bunch of drivel that in no way relates to the actual quality of the pack, throw in some snide comments at Unreal, and slap on a grossly insulting score (49% in PC Gamer's
case). Oh yeah, and to confirm that they are talking total crap, spout the odd lie: "The new grenade launcher just makes up for it's lack in Unreal" - well what the fuck do you think the 8 Ball's
secondary fire was you cretins?? This is nothing less than an abuse of their priviledged journalistic position, and here is why: 1. It's dishonestly disrespectful to Legend who made the pack,
they released a quality product and they deserve an appropriate response. 2. But even worse, their "reviews" might well put off many offline Unreal players who would really enjoy the pack -
if they liked Unreal, they'd like the pack - yet the game mags are determined to deny them that pleasure with no good reason. What utter bastards. Just be thankful you can get the *truth*
from the very positive reviews of the pack on the net.
Half-Life:
According to the magazines, especially PC Zone, Half-Life changed the world as we know it, transformed any previous game into a pile of rubbish, and for that matter any subsequent game
unless it lived up to Half-Life's virtues. According to me, they are talking total WANK. Several times in a recent issue PC Zone prattle on with various comparisons to Half-Life and how it was
completely revolutionary and is now the benchmark for any FPS games - delusions and idiocy, don't they have anything better to do?? Can't they approach any games on their own merits??
Can't they see that all HL did was add a very slightly more sophisticated story, plenty of scripted events (evolution from basic scripting in Unreal as it happens), and set the whole thing in a
nice, easily comprehensible real world / X Files setting that everyone would like?? Nothing more, nothing less....HL was very cool indeed, as it refined and improved many of the
immersive aspects that had been creeping into FPS games and presented them in one coherent package - but it's not the second coming of Christ!! It's like obssession and worship with the
mags, and it removes any sense of fairness and balance when everything "must" be compared to HL.
The future of FPS gaming:
Apparently it's either real life games or multiplayer games - no room for imaginative fantasy /sci-fi single player as that just "sucks". Yeah right. Firstly, anyone with any sense wouldn't be
saying that one set path of games is the future, they'd have a more balanced view and acknowledge that all aspects of FPS gaming are appealing in their own way. For example, I
personally am not that interested in multiplayer nor real life games, but I don't spout on about "The future of games must be sci-fi single player"... These people are supposed to be reporting
on and encouraging games, not trying to dictate one path for games to follow. Secondly, their multiplayer bandwagon jumping is just laughable, they're still waking up to the fact that online
gaming and the online community is quite important, but still don't understand that the online community does it a fuck of a lot better than a mag trying to be involved, and that there is an
important role for magazines that shouldn't be following online trends and standing on their own two feet instead of blindly doing whatever seems to be cool from looking online.
In short, I'm not impressed.
Laterz,
Yes Shambler is ranting again.
News: Wednesday 3/11/99
SCRAD's visit - part 3 - Daikatana demo DM:
A bit of a cop out this one. Since I have a Daikatana site, I've posted my views on what playing the
DKT Demo was like on a LAN over there, so go have a read at spektrum. I'll just leave you with
this taster, hehe:
"Shambler: it gets rid of the annoying slowness that Quake 1 deathmatch has..."
And on the subject of spektrum...
While I was doing that very update, a coincidence tickled my amusement nodes. I saw a
TEAMShambler Quake Level Reviews banner at the top of the site. Needless to say I was mightily
impressed by this site that promised the latest Q1 SP reviews, and promptly visited. Only to discover it was my own site!!
Laterz,
Shambler will post more stuff tomorrow
News: Tuesday 2/11/99
SCRAD's visit - part 2 - Quake DM and a demo:
Most times SCRAD pops round I use underhanded and devious means to get him to play Quake DM with me, such as informing him we must test someone's map, or encouraging him to play
bots then casually mentioning playing real people... This time, I got him to try a bit of Daikatana Demo deathmatch, then offering Quake DM as a spot of "light relief" =). We played a
couple of games on Junior's cool duel map, Jrdm2. This is a fast paced map that provides plenty of action
and no pussying around, and the first game was rather good fun, as you can see in this demo:
Jrdm2: "Foot Massage" - Demo: Jr2demo,
990k., 10 mins. 1on1 vs. KnifeMissile, won 19 - 7.
An entertaining demo in which I get as many rocket jumps as frags!! Not all useful though... anyway, check out the demo, I think it's pretty cool. The second game, well let's just say I got
offensively lucky with some spawn kills and beat SCRAD by a large margin that isn't printable on a family website. Which unfortunately means I couldn't convince him to play any other maps,
even with the trusty old thumbscrews. Oh well. As for Jrdm2, I like it. It works well for duels and the items are very
fairly balanced for such a small map - it's easy to control if you are managing to lock someone down with spawnfrags though.
About the DM demos:
I'm going to need to remove quite a few of them soon, so if you want to see the Shambler in action, all on custom maps, check out the Deathmatch section
(where the Jr2demo is posted) sooner rather than later . I have no idea if anyone is interested in the demos (which include
Quake, QuakeWorld and Quake 2), but I know a couple of people have downloaded some - I'm not a
great player but I still think some of the demos are quite entertaining, and sometimes on maps you don't often see played. If you want to tell me that you have no interest / I really suck / you
were mildly amused, go ahead and email me =).
Aaah, the good old quotage:
<Frib> shambler, do you often staple your foreskin to the roof
<Frib> then proceed to dangle from it for hours?
<shambles> frib: yes
What more can one say??
Laterz,
The genitally deformed Shambler
News: Monday 1/11/99
SCRAD's visit - part 1 - Unreal coop speedrun attempt:
I was *taunted* with the release of the Unreal map
Strangeworld3 =). In the text file, David Munnich, the author, having
seen my cool 1:20 speedrun of
Strangeworld1, wrote that he expected me to do a run of Strange3, and
had done it himself in about 1:30. So why didn't Shambler do a Strange3 run?? Well, David's run started with the weapons from the previous map, meaning it's pretty simple to do an 8 Ball
jump over a side wall to the exit building. But, as a proper runner, I only do single map runs with the starting weapons, if I were to use the weapons from previous maps, it would have to be
part of a full episode run. So I tried many ways to get up this steep slope on the left in the first open area, to do the run - Dispersion Pistol boost, Skaarj Razorjack boost, Mercenary rocket
boost, all the tricks I could think of, without any hope of success.
But with SCRAD here, we could try a coop run!! The plan of action: we both spawn on the map, charge forwards and kill the Skaarj who appear in the canyon, with SCRAD
picking up their Razorjack. Then I jump up the slope, and as I'm sliding up it, SCRAD repeatedly "pushes" me up with Razorjack hits to the top, then I just head down to the exit building.
This turned out to be very easy....so why haven't I got a demo to show you?? Unfortunately, the successful demo didn't play back: The error message I got was
"Warning: SpawnActor failed because class ObjectPath has bStatic or bNoDelete". Now, this was the same error I got with my Return to
Na Pali speedruns, and I knew how to deal with it: "killall" of the offending class before recording the demo. However, try as we might, we couldn't get the
coop game to start with cheats working. Thus no way around the error, thus no demo. But it would have been damn cool and at least I can say how it would have been done....oh well.
A bit of sampling jiggery pokery...
Bought a drum & bass CD the other week. Well, I bought several, but one in particularly is worth mentioning to FPS gamers: Dieselboy: A Soldier's Story, a mix CD on
Moonshine records. Why is this of interest?? Well the intro contains samples from the suit startup voice from Half-Life and the noises of Beserkers, Gunners and Tanks
from Quake II - strange, huh?? Actually, it sounds pretty crap, especially since I know the sounds already and I know they don't go together. Is this the first use of FPS game
sound samples in a commercially available release?? Hmmm... Oh, as for the CD itself, pretty good stuff in the 2 step / techstep vein - if you like music in the T.O.V./Renegade
Hardware/Tech Itch style, you should like it.
A bloody good quote:
ug3n3: do you guys (I assume) do anything in shack comments but bitch and insult each other?
The answer is a definite *NO* !! I think ug3n3 has summed up the spirit of sCary's hateful forums very well.
In case you were wondering, no I wasn't there defending Daikatana against a bunch of pathetic wankers as usual, I was just seeing the response to a "stunning" Frag3 Q3A
competition duel that finished with the "thrilling" score of 1-0 after 30 minutes. Which is fucking funny =). Always thought that the top players acted like total pussies in duels....and man,
that might indicate how slow paced Q3A might be compared to even Quake II. Roll on the *fast* DM games....hint, hint :P.
Laterz,
Shambler still needs help with Mordheim (see yesterday's news)
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