Starcraft storyline

If you are not familiar with storyline of original Starcaft you can read it on Startcaft 2 web site, or keep reading (for a very very short version of it)...

Terrans explore the space, run into Protoss, Protoss runs away. Terrans run into Zerg and Zerg kicks their butt. Protoss fights Zerg and Terrans. Zerg captures Sarah Kerrigan and she serves the Overmind. Protoss kills Overmind but Zerg is still undefetead. Yeah!

Now back to the full storyline. It is nice to see the chronological events for Starcaft just in case you never paid too much attention to intro animations or bothered to read the novels.

There are few screenshots and animations showing key events from the plot. Soon we can expect the storyline for expansion set The Brood War.

Starcraft 2 s

Unreal Tournament 3 released

Unreal Tournament 3 is finally out, at least in US. Unfortunately, in New Zealand we have to wait until 29th of November if release dates are correct.

There are few retail versions of the game and the one I am interested in is Collectors Edition. When ordered from GP Store you get:

• Special Tin Box packaging
• •Game on DVD
• Hardback Art Book
• Separate Collector’s Edition disc containing:
  • •Hints and Tips video
  • Concept art montage set to music
  • The Unreal Tournament story – From humble beginnings to massive success
• Bonus character in-game

All of that will cost NZ$119.95. There is a LOT of media available on UT3 and if you still don't know where to go to see it here is a short list:

• Beyond Unreal
• Planet Unreal - 50 minute video
  
• Planet Unreal - 200 screenshots
• Gametrailers

Of course, there are plenty of other sites that have previews, reviews and other bits and pieces about the game. I have played the demo only (for now) and I love it. I do have to say I agree with my brother-in-law in statement that in this version levels are lacking colour. Most of the levels are in very similar shades or gray, dark green and brown. Some of levels give very ominous and gloomy feel. For example beloved DM-Deck (AKA Deck 17) look something like this now. I tried to take a shoot from UT 2004 from more or less the same spot so you can see the difference for yourself. I have to say I love the look of the green acid/slime/goo...




























Here are few other shots from the UT 2004 version.






When I get Unreal Tournament 3 I'll see what kind of textures are available and maybe give it a go at re-texturing of DM-Deck...

Low gravity in Unreal Tournament 3 demo

I am a very big fan of Low Gravity mutator in all Unreal Engine powered games. One of the things I like the most is jumping over the opponent, do 180° turn and fire 3 rockets at him.

Naturally, I was hoping low gravity will be in the demo. Unfortunately, it is not. Well, kind of.

You can play UT3 demo with low gravity. Here is how to do it.

1. Make a copy of the My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3 Demo\UTGame\Config\UTGame.ini file.
2. Change default value to something like -100
3. Save file
   
4. Try it out

You will see the message dialog show below and click on "No" or "No to all" to play with low gravity.

Here is the section of the file with change I am using.

[Engine.WorldInfo]
DefaultGravityZ=-100.0
RBPhysicsGravityScaling=2.0
SquintModeKernelSize=128.0
DecalManagerClassPath=UTGame.UTDecalManager
DefaultPostProcessSettings=(Bloom_Scale=0.2,DOF_BlurKernelSize=12.0,DOF_MaxNearBlurAmount=0.0,DOF_MaxNearBlurAmount=0.0,DOF_FocusInnerRadius=2000.0,DOF_FocusDistance=0.0,)
EmitterPoolClassPath=UTGame.UTEmitterPool

And for the end here are some screenshots of low gravity on Shangri La deathmatch. They are not the best but pressing Fn+PrtScr on laptop while flying is not the easiest to do.

Heavy Gravity

Of course you can increase the gravity that will affect the gameplay too. If you change the value to -1000 jumping down to get to rocket launcher (on Shangri La) will take away 25% of your health. To take it more extreme go down to the value of -2000 (and lose 50% health doing the same jump for arocket launcher). This can me nasty surprise for your friends. All it takes is just one or two shots from enforcer and they are done!

Brief gaming update (UT3, Half Life 2 with Portal gun)

Unreal Tournament Beta Demo

I have promised to write about Unreal Tournament 3 Beta demo with greater detail. The problem is work is quite hectic right now with preparation for New Zealand ESRI User Group Conference.

I did manage to play for a few hours (all put together) and I have to say it is very good demo. First of all menu screens are much better than in UT 2004. Background is in neutral gray and scenes from the game are in monochrome red tones. Graphics is nothing short of stunning. There are plenty of sites offering graphics review and how to tune it so I won't talk about it here. If you want to check different settings without running the game have a look at article on GameSpot. It shows nicely different settings and provides brief description just in case you missed it.

Demo offers only 3 maps: DM-HeatRay, DM-ShangriLa and VCTF-Suspense and 3 game type options: Deathmatch, Duel and Vehicle Capture The Flag

Deathmatch
Deathmatch is the core of UT. Compared to UT 2004 it is faster. It doesn't take long to find a bot and next thing you know you are most likely to be on 10% health or dead. For me Deathmatch will be one of my favorites for long time to come.

Duel
Duel is simply 1 vs 1 game played on regular deathmatch maps. Unlike Last Man Standing in UT 2004 you have to find and collect weapons, ammo and everything else. This gives you more opportunities to get geared up for good fight.

Vehicle Capture The Flag
Instead finding mutators this is now part of the standard package. Suspense map is nice and small enough to give you fast paced action using a range of vehicles. In addition to vehicles from UT 2004 (more or less) one can use a hoverboard. It is fast and will be very handy on larger levels. To balance the speed while using it you can't use weapons at all.

For videos of gameplay check the usual sites: Beyond Unreal, Game Trailers, YouTube and others.

In particular I like a view of Redeemer while using alternate fire. It is a lot less crowded compared to UT 2004 and you can focus on the target a lot better. Another nice effect is when you dive into the water (VCTF-Suspense) - everything is blurred just like diving without a mask.


Tweaking
Already there are postings all over the net about getting the most out of demo. The one I like is on Planet Unreal. Of course if you are brave you can experiment by changing whole bunch of settings of number of INI files. This time around they are located in My Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3 Demo.

If you have a look at these files you can find out what maps are planned for Warfare: WAR-Downtown, WAR-SinkHole, WAR-Dusk, WAR-Islander, WAR-Avalanche, WAR-MarketDistrict, WAR-OnyxCoast, WAR-Powersurge, WAR-Serenity, WAR-FloodGate and WAR-Torlan


Half Life 2 and Portal
It was a while since I've played HL2. It was fun playing it. Now you can play it all over again but with the twist - use portal gun. Of course, it was not designed or intended by Valve to be played like that but it is possible. Exact steps are available on PrimoTech's web site. If you don't know what to expect check it out, there are screen shots but no videos for now.

Unreal Tournament 3 Beta demo is out

Beta demo is out! At the moment I'm trying to find a local (New Zealand) site with demo for download but without success. As soon as I find one I'll post the link here.

Here is what is included in the demo.

Midway and Epic Games announce that the beta demo for Unreal Tournament 3, the highly anticipated first-person-shooter, will be available for download today via http://www.fileplanet.com at 3 PM ET. The beta demo consists of three different action-packed Deathmatch and Vehicle Capture the Flag maps: HeatRay, ShangriLa and Suspense. All maps in the demo can be played locally against bots, or online against human opponents. Unreal Tournament 3 is currently slated to ship in November for PC. Get ready to get your frag on!

HeatRay (Deathmatch):
This battle takes place in a night-time urban setting. Players battle over who gets to use a Dark Walker super weapon after it is spawned by a passing drop-ship. If you manage to get it, be sure to rack up the kills quickly since everyone will be gunning for you. The Dark Walker is like a giant piñata -- when it dies it drops a U-Damage and a Berzerk power-up. If you want to stay hidden from the Dark Walker keep an eye out for the Invisibility power-up.

ShangriLa (Deathmatch):
A stark contrast to HeatRay's moody setting, ShangriLa is a sunny, tranquil map set high in the Izanagi Mountains. This map is designed in the traditional style of big Team Deathmatch maps, so it should please the most hardcore UT Deathmatch players. Fight over the U-damage in the central courtyard, or try to control the Shield-belt alley. You can find jumpboots in a vulnerable spot at the end of a dock, but the risk is worth the reward as they will go a long way toward helping you control the map.

Suspense (Vehicle Capture the Flag):
Set on a massive suspension bridge deep in Axon territory, this map is a playground of gameplay possibilities. It's a favorite in Epic office playtests because you can find almost all the Axon vehicles, as well as the Redeemer super-weapon. Whether you are sniping from the bridge towers, camping with the tank, towing hover-boarding flag-runners from your Raptor, controlling the redeemer from underneath the bridge, bombarding from afar with Hellfire SPMA artillery, or doing fast attacks with Manta's and Scorpions, everyone will find something they love doing in Suspense.

More about the demo later, when I download and play it a bit.

Update on download locations: GamePlanet has demo for download. As expected Xtra still doesn't have it.

Havok bought by Intel

AMD bought ATI. Intel bought Havok. With this purchase Havok will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel. What does that do for Intel?

From Intel's press release:

The acquisition will enable developers in the digital animation and game communities to take advantage of Intel's innovation and technology leadership in the creation of digital media.

Most of PC users don't consider Intel as significant player in the graphics cards market. That's where you are wrong. If you check some numbers you will see that Intel has 40% of the market with AMD second with only 26%!

 With the biggest market share and new technology acquired by Havok Intel has a huge potential in gaming market. Havok does not need an introduction but if you are new to gaming market you have almost certainly played a game using Havok engine. It runs on Wii, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™, Xbox360™, Xbox, GameCube™ and the PC and over 70 games are using it. Keeping that in mind and Intel's share market AMD and nVidia may have a lot of hard time ahead of them. Especially if Intel creates a half good card that will be sold in millions as integrated video card. I know I would like to run Half-Life 2 on built-in video card instead forking $250 for it.

Let's wait and see what they will do.

StarCraft II - Terran units

The official StarCraft II web site is finally updated with some new content. Of course this coincide with BlizzConn 07 which has finished few days ago.

There are couple of new units described: Reaper and Viking.

Reaper is a light armored unit not designed for the head-on fights. It is equipped with a jet pack and to me, this looks very similar to Command and Conquer 3 Zone Trooper. The jet pack is something very different in StarCraft universe. In original game(s) no unit had a possibility to jump over the obstacles. This will change the the way games is played quite a bit. From now on, when fighting Terrans you have to keep a close watch on the whole base or battlefield. Another element changing the balance is their speed. They move very quickly over the terrain and combine that with jet packs - you have a really deadly unit.

StarCraft web site describes Reapers as

Reapers are the most hardened terran criminals, taken from the most dangerous and violent prisons. Potential marines who prove too intractable even after resocialization are instead sent to the "Icehouse" in the Torus system, where reapers are trained.

This in not a new idea but a combination of Alien 3 and Dune. Why Dune? Because Arrakis is the desert planet with extreme conditions where Fremen live for centuries. Muad'dib has discovered they are not only survivors but amazing warriors.

 

Viking is a second new unit that again, changes the balance compared to the original games. Is is based on the siege tanks concept but with lot of new ideas.  The description of Viking is:

Based heavily on the transformation design of the terran siege tank, the viking was designed to be the ultimate anti-air and ground-support weapon system. With the ability to change its combat role from an assault walker to an air-superiority fighter, the viking can switch smoothly to fulfill tactical needs in a developing battle.

The true is that Terran could not defend successfully against Zerg but introduction of Vikings definitely fixes this problem. To balance this big advantage it seems that Vikings are bit hard to handle and they may be available only in later stages of the game.

 

As you can guess from my blog's name I am the big fan of Zerg. Seeing these new units added to the Terran army makes me a little bit nervous. It definitely requires review and adjustments in strategy when dealing with Terran. But, Blizzard is yet to reveal new units for Zerg and I am expecting some exciting and powerful units to counter Reapers and Vikings. (I don't much about Protoss, I never play as Protoss).  

Guitar Hero on PC? No, it is Frets on Fire!

If you like playing guitar (even air guitar) you've probably seen the Guitar Hero game for Playstation 2. If you are brave enough you may have tried it in the computer store when no one was watching...

If you liked it but you don't have a PS2 (or don't want to buy guitar controller) it is your lucky day. Just today I have downloaded Frets on Fire, free game for PC. You guess it, you are playing guitar. What is interesting is how you are supposed to play it.

Check the suggested pose for playing. The only thing I am missing is the strap for keyboard. If this is not enough to get you interested check the feature list. Here are my favourite features:

• Includes a song editor for making your own tunes
• Compete with others on the World Charts
• Supports importing Guitar Hero™ I and Guitar Hero™ II songs
• Multiplatform; runs on Windows™, Linux®, Mac OS X™ and FreeBSD®
• Open source, full Python source code available

As you can see game is feature rich and it is fun to play. Don't miss the tutorial (and learn about the significance of the ESC key).

Bye now, time attach the strap to my keyboard and start shredding...

Samsung leads the way

Again, Samsung shows leadership when it comes to SSD (Solid State Disk). They have started mass production of the 1.8 " 64 GB SSD drive. It is based on the single level cell flash memory. On the practical side this means that battery life of your laptop could be extender by 20%.

On the other front they have released hybrid disk drives, MH80. These drives are combination of standard disk drive (80 or 160 GB) and 256 MB flash memory. This was only a matter of time before someone does it. Again, on the practical side this can significantly reduce power consumption of laptops and faster resume from hibernation.

It still may be quite some time before we see laptops with SSD drives only. Reason is not technical this time - it is the price. Over the time prices will drop but until then keep your eyes focused on Samsung.

Starcraft II site updates

Starcraft II site has been updated with new information about Zerg.

id Tech 5 - John Carmack's latest toy

A few days ago at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference John Carmack from id Software has shown what he was doing for a last few years. As surprise to most gamers his latest gaming engine, id Tech 5, was running on a Macintosh. Video is available here as streaming video. If you would like to download it and check out the details he is describing in during the presentation download it from usual places.

To me, it still looks like Doom 3 engine but taken to a slightly higher level. Vehicles and structure have a distinctive look and feel from Doom 3. The same goes for characters as well. I don't know if this is due to textures used in the demo or specific result of the engine but gives strong resemblance to other id games.

id always had a very good technology and it was amazing what they could do with it. It gets even better when developer studios like Ravensoft take it over and push it even further.

This video could be a response to lot of media attention to other gaming engines. Hottest titles are Crysis, Unreal Tournament 3, Halo 3, Force Unleashed.

If I have to choose new gaming engines that are coming up my first choices are Crytec's CryEngine 2 engine and combination of Euphoria and MolecularMatter for Star Wars: Force Unleashed game.

I suspect that in next few months we will see more of videos of all of these engines. The battle for the king of next generation gaming is going to be very intersting one...

Starcraft 2 demonstrated

After a long wait 'Starcraft' finally got a sequel. 'Starcraft 2' was announced and demonstrated in South Korea on May 19. This is a perfect place to announce the sequel for a very, very successful RTS. Koreans are well known for their passion for this game.

The game is quite well developed - pre-alpha version. Blizzard started development just after 'Warcraft III - Frozen Throne'. With a little bit of luck we can expect a release in 8-9 months but of course, the official release date is "when it's done".

gThere is plenty of video footage available on Starcraft 2 web site. The game is in a full 3D environment and units are very much the same as in the original Starcraft. There are some new units added for all three races and lets hope the balance of power will remain the same. So far, the Protos Mothership was demonstrated in videos and it is very powerful. I can't wait to see what is equivalent of it for Zerg!

Here you can see all videos from the demonstration combined in a single video with commentary. Trailers without commentaries are available on usual sites like YouTube, GameTrailers and others.

I really look forward to playing as mighty Zerg all over again!