Been a while since I updated and my first machinima in a while

After a bit of tweaking in my computer, I have finally been able to run Garrys Mod on Fraps in a very acceptable frame rate. And now I can finally make some fantastic machinima for all you guys to see.

This one was for a contribution made by Loverly_Liz (aka Yuna7780) from Screwattack as a tribute to one of the most awesome gaming journalists there is, Destin Legarie. Because I was leaving for the province at the time, I made little to no effort into the video at all. I lacked originality and I basically ripped off my favorite scene at this one favorite Gmod machinima of mine: Tea with Dr Breen. 

Anyway, here is the video for all you guys to see. And I hope you like it. ^_^

The game I got recently

I just purchased Left 4 Dead 2 after I did all my grocery shopping. I have to say, I am excited about giving the game a spin just in time for Halloween. Now I never really saw what was so interesting about Left 4 Dead til I gave it a shot on my nearest cyber cafe a while back. I was originally planning on getting the first game since I found the first survivors much more appealing to me than the ones from the second. However I think I will be able to play as the first characters once Survivor comes by on the fifth, and I will be able to play it right on schedule. lol

Since my laptop has some "issues" when it comes to reading discs, I decided to just input the CD key onto Steam and just wait for the download to come by. And I still got a shitload of Left 4 Dead 2 related addons that need to be downloaded as well. I got the Dedicated Server I need to download, the Add-On Support and the Authoring Tools. And what's worse: my internet connection isn't the best there is when it comes to downloading about 20 gigs of files faster, so I will most likely have it ready to play by tomorrow. But by then, I think I would have gotten my new fridge stocked up.

Thoughts: The New Team Fortress 2 update

Recently, Valve has released an update for Team Fortress 2 opening up the Mann-Conomy store, where Valve will be able to make extra profits by selling in-game items via Steam separately or as part of a package deal. That way, it could save the TF2 gamers, especially the ones who are just getting into the game recently the trouble of getting items either randomly or based on unlocking various achievements. 

What do I think of it, really? Well, nothing much. It's a decent business decision on Valve's part and it can make some TF2 gamers happy especially since one other benefit to this as the community can also make their own items and sell it on the Mann Co Store, though as of now, I have seen nothing yet that is made by the community and I hope this would come by real soon or something. Although, my first look at the store is that while there is a decent assortment of items to get, the one particular weapon I wanted to have is the Sleeper which is a pretty damn effiicient tool for teamwork. I should know it's effects as I got hit by that weapon on my recent Payload session. The rest, I think I could be better off getting by sheer luck or something. Though I do wanna buy a shitload of gifts to give to an entire server. Oh wait.... I can't! Not unless I have a credit card to make purchases on.

There has been some complaints regarding this update such as: Valve is being too greedy and stuff. It's been over 3 years since Valve released the game to the public and they have constantly gotten updates and DLC for zero charge. I think of all the game companies out there, Valve most certainly deserves the support it's getting from it's consumers. Besides, if you are a modder, you can fucking profit from this as well. Other complaints will be regarding balancing issues since anyone with the right amount of cash can buy the best weapons and items there is anytime. Still, I really do not mind that. There are some weapons and items out there that might seem to give an unfair disadvantage like this one hat that will save you from headshots, but still I think I don't mind that.

So overall, it's nice of Valve to open up their store. They do need the money to keep the game alive and strong and if I can actually pay for something on Steam, I would do so gladly. In the end, I think I would get what I paid for.

Gmod Test: Episode 2

Why haven't I posted this one earlier? Lol. Anyway, thought of getting this out of the way first and it will off to more Gmod fun times

Lucas Molyneux to Valve

All I can ever say to this is: GABE NEWELL! GIVE THE KID WHAT HE WANTS BY NEXT YEAR!!!! Finish what you started.

Oh and buy Fable III. lol

Gmod Madness (Seriously!)

It's been two days since I last played around with garry's mod. As I said before, it's a pretty damn fun game. Although there was one thing that really irritates me about Gmod. Making the ragdolls walk. I know it might be easy to some, but I tried and I tried and I still can't make them walk or run for shit. I am frustrated right now that I decided to use other means. 

On the flipside though, I think I can come up with what particular sketches I could do for my very first episode. My plan for a series is to basically "rip off" DasBoschitt's" series "The Gmod Idiot Box" though it will be exclusive to my own site and Screwattack.com. Until then, I might post in some screenshots on what to expect from me.  

My Experiences with Team Fortress 2

So I finally have Team Fortress ready for play. What are my thoughts about it to be precise?

Well, my first experience playing the game a few times was not very good, to be honest. I have had really shitty lag going on on my game. Chances are it would either be my internet connection or perhaps my laptop is just not built for gaming in particular. Here are my specs so that you will know what I have and tell me what you think:

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40 Ghz)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470
Hard Disk Drive of 400 GB
RAM of 3 GB

However, not all of the games I have played are this laggy. I played a brief match with Sad Panda from Channel Awesome (he's a pretty damn good guy) and I think that match was where I had less lag. So it could attribute to how many people are playing in a single map I think that would affect my framerate for the worst. The less people online, the smoother the game plays out.

As for how I played the game? Well, at first I played as the Heavy since that was one class I liked to use back on the PS3 Port of The Orange Box, followed by the Spy and sometimes the Scout. But as I said, due to the lag, it was hard to control them, even though I tried to get around it by increasing mouse sensitivity. Though, there was one particular class that I overlooked back then that when I used him, my gaming experience with the PC version went through the roof, lag or no lag. And that was the Medic!

What can I say? I love to use the Medic. From healing the Heavies, to giving Uber Charges to my teammates though I hardly use the syringe gun since I like to take on my enemies head on, even though I sometimes die in the process. lol

I will eventually try out the other classes if there was some way I can minimize the lag, I tried Game Booster, but it only works nicely on single player PC games like the Half-Life 2 games. Though if you guys want to play some TF2 with me, you can always add me up on Steam. Username is the same as always. :P

Gmod Test: Episode 1 (Swimming with the Gman)

This is my very first attempt at doing machinima using Garry's Mod. I know the video may be way below "epic" (more like garbage, if you ask me) but I think it worth watching for a laugh or two and quite possibly a means to receive some feedback from you g1s.

The raw footage I recorded through Fraps was just terrible to say the least. Whenever I would start recording the game, the frame rate just goes down a notch. Though I am surprised how after I "edited" the video on Sony Vegas, the final result was, at the very least, watchable.

I might try recording Gmod again through Source Recorder to find out the difference in the next video. And if it turns out that it's actually better than Fraps. then I will just stick to Source Recorder instead. It might be a bit more tedious to work on since I have to use console commands, but it's a small price to pay to attain greatness.

Ambition to be realized

Once again, I have been blessed to be in an awesome community of gamers who are willing to lend you a hand if need be. Now a while ago, Kenshiro3 gifted me Garry's Mod on Steam, but I cannot use it regardless of me having one Source game due to the fact that I required a Source SDK. If I want to use Gmod, I have to buy at least Half-Life 2 or the Orange Box for that. I have been so happy that there was one other g1 (IHatePeace22) who was generous enough to give me the Orange Box. Rest assured though, I will use the gift he has given me to the highest extent and I will make sure that he and Kenshiro's kindness will be rewarded in time. I think I could give Ken a PSN card since that is the best I could buy at this time or I think the PS3 port of the Orange Box will suit him best....

Anyway, as I am writing this blog, I am still downloading the Half-Life 2 games. And hoo boy, these games take up a lot of memory, especially Episode 2 and there is also the SDKs I need to download Garry's Mod. But I think I can wait. I could think of things to pass the time so far like do some cleaning around the house, take care of my dog, Jill since I might be expecting a litter of puppies from her soon.

Anyway, if any of the guys read this blog, I want to let you know how thankful I am! ^_^

One step close to my ambition

It is almost there. Once again, Kenshiro3 a friend of mine from Screwattack would buy The Orange Box for me in exchange for the PS3 port that I have in my possession by next month His reason? Well he said that his PC could not run the Orange Box properly so he will just play the PS3 port instead. I still do not understand what it is about the game that makes it inferior other than the load times and the irritating moments I have whenever I play Team Fortress 2. While from my understanding the Xbox 360 version of the Orange Box was the best console version, I still believe that any game made by Valve should be played on a PC. I got the console version since I have no other choice and I desired to at least finish the Half-Life games in preparation for Episode 3 (which I am more than confident that it will come out by the end of the next year.

And one other motive I have for needing the original Orange Box is that it is my only chance for me to get Garry's Mod to work. The Counter Strike Anthology game did not upgrade my CS game to Source (I know, I was pretty damn naive) But at least I had fun with the games I bought for a very reasonable price. I might get Source someday, but if I have something that will be worth trading, because I really hate begging for others to give me something. It's just not me.

Anyways, while waiting for the opportune time for me to become a fledgling machinima director, I have been doing my share of other duties polishing the basics. Writing various sketches and parodies that only the avid members of the Screwattack community might (hopefully) appreciate. I will request some aid as time passes. I will add some voice actors and maybe some other people to help me brainstorm into creating something of epic proportions. Most of the content that I have planned will be normally Screwattack exclusive though I think I could try and spread the Screwattack word by going everywhere like Blip or Youtube. I would need all the information I can get to improve on future projects.

Finally got Garry's Mod, but there seems to be a problem!

I would like to thank a fellow gamer on Screwattack named Kenshiro3 for his generosity in giving me Garry's Mod for Steam. Though it seems that I have come across one more obstacle I have to take.

It took me now to realize that the free Portal I got does not have Steam SDK support, which is understandable I guess and I don't think I have any damn right to complain because I got it for free. But anyway, all I need now is one other game that will make me use Garry's Mod. My options are basically:

1. Counter Strike Anthology or
2. The Orange Box

My thoughts: The Movies on PC

I never played the game, but I did do my share of research on what to expect from it. While it looks okay for machinima and all, I think Gmod will definitely fit my needs. But as I mentioned, the only problem I have with it is that unless I have a credit card, buying anything online is out of reach for me. Though I will take a look at a few options I have on getting gmod. I don't wanna pirate the game since it won't serve me any good. Addons will tough for me to get especially since I already got one game that utilizes the Source engine, which is Portal (which I got for free).

Anyways, for my dream to come true, all I can do is hope that there is someone out there willing to gift me a game of gmod my way. If that happens, as I mentioned on my last tweet, I will be most certainly in their debt. And I know how to return the favor indeed.

But for now, to keep my blog site alive, best thing to do is to keep on posting!

Change of Plan

So my bank and all other banks here in the Philippines won't accept my online transactions because I use a debit card. Well, I say, unless I get a credit card (which will be highly unlikely) I won't be able to work on machinima. But I might do some LPs if I got some PC games worth playing.

Unless.....


I have heard of this certain PC game from a reviewer from Youtube called Tomdogg449 (http://www.youtube.com/user/Tomdogg449) that he made a particular machinima using a game called The Movies on PC and I have been searching high and low, and I still can't find it for some damn reason. But if I can work on that, maybe I can make the most of it and make machinima for myself.

First Blog and Plans!

Hey guys! This is my very first blog! But I will get to the point:

For some unknown reason, I have this urge to  get back into the Half-Life franchise. I remember  playing the game whenever I am not playing Counter-Strike back in 2000, since it's usually LAN play with my brother and my best friend. I got a pirated copy of Half-Life from an old friend and I am surprised that it still works on my Vista. And I thought that the game would not work if my OS is anything but Windows XP. 

Anyway, as soon as I played the first Half-Life game, I have begun to develop even more interest in the games that follow. Once I have accumulated that cash I need, I will be buying The Orange Box. I know some of you might be asking: "Why haven't you bought The Orange Box before?" Well, I never heard about Steam till years ago, and I was usually a console gamer at the time.  But after some time, my passion for PC gaming has grown up a notch and I think I might be able to play some games off Steam if I can.

And since I am talking Half-Life and PC Gaming here, I wanna talk about some plans I have for this blog site:

1. I have seen my share of machinima on Youtube, usually from games like Halo 3, Uncharted 2, and Half-Life 2 via Garry's Mod. Of all the game engines used for machinima, it would seem that gmod would be the best engine for me to go into. I am impressed with what I can do there and I have had my share of editing practice through Sony Vegas Pro.

2.  If I won't do any machinima, I intend on doing my share of video reviews on PC games since they are easy to  get footage for through FRAPs. I might go for console gaming reviews in the near future, though I might need to have a capture card for that if I can afford it, or if I am fortunate enough someone would give me one out of the kindness of their heart.

3. I will also use the blog  site to host my share of Let's Play videos, specifically games made by Valve. What can I say? I just feel like it. However, if my internet connection is good enough, I think I might take it up a notch and go with live streaming myself playing these PC games, usually single player, as I don't think my stream could take much more if I play multiplayer.

Anyways, that's all for today. Thanks to whomever reads this blog!