I thought I could get away with ONLY getting new a motherboard, GPU, CPU, and memory. Sadly, my power supply did not have the best connections for the new parts. I had to use a converter on some of the cables, which scared the hell out of me. I thought that my parts weren't getting the juice they needed from my old PSU. So, I dropped $120 on a new PC Power and Cooling Silencer, but only the 610 watt version. Even with 1 kilowatt PSUs out there, 610 watts still seemed like more than enough. Especially since it comes PC Power and Cooling, and I will never use Crossfire, this thing should last me years.
At the same time I went ahead and got a new DVD burner. Right now I have a DVD reader AND a seperate CD burner. This new LiteOn I bought for $40 will replace both and add DVD burner functionality. Oh, I also got some Artic 5 thermal compound, I hear some users get really amazing results with that stuff. I hope it will drop the temperature of my Phenom by at least 4 C, I have heard drops as much as 11C though.
The following model is a spinoff of how a gaming company I beta test for handles content creation.
1. First, to avoid confusion, all forums and job titles should be associated with the phrase "Beta Tester". Such as, "Bester Tester Forum" or "Beta Tester Moderator"
2. Beta testers should have forums tags that denote their level in the beta testing community. A bronze beta tester who has simply been granted access onto the beta tester forum. A Silver beta Tester, who has had content sponsored or tested on Spawnpoint servers. And Gold Beta testers, who have won SpawnPoint beta testing contests.
3. Several different forums should be established with varying degrees of moderation and features:
Level 1 Beta Testing: Public has access to, so any topics with any ideas can be posted. This level also functions as a gateway for beta testing teams to share their content with the population and have reviews of their material.
Level 2 Beta Testing: Only members who have applied and have been granted access can enter. They can email moderators with applications, post in Level 1, nothing too harsh. Moderators watch this forum well, making sure everything stays on topic. Almost all threads should relate to a project currently being worked on. Users can be removed for offenses.
Level 3 Beta Testing: Only senior members of the beta testers have access. This would include Silver and Gold beta testers. Teams work in a highly professional atmosphere, topics are moderated with great scrutiny.
4. To spark competition, which ultimetly leads to better quality content and enhanced interest, each month a prize for best content can be awarded to Beta Testers (individually or a team). This might include monetary compensation for the best map, skin, or mod of the month; or just the fancy forum tag.
SpawnPoint has now launched its own forum specifically for game modifiers! Whether you like to create maps, models, skins or that next great mod, please stop by the new Game Mapping, Customization and Skinning forum.
If you have any previous experience, feel free to contribute to wide variety of projects. If you do not know how to create custom content yet, other users would be glad to help you get started. If you just want to share your thoughts, constructive criticism is always welcome.
There is a lot of raw talent here on SpawnPoint, and this new forum is just the place to express your creativity!
Of all the Zombie Mod servers, 3 seems to be the most successful. Simply becuase it uses a popular map, zm_lila. It's a fine map, but after visiting servers not operated by SpawnPoint, I notice that a large variety of zm maps makes the players more content.
Just today, there was a full, or almost full, amount of players on Zombie Mod 2. They asked for a new map, but there was only one other option. They literally ALL left within 10 seconds.
For the zombie mods to have more traffic, more and updated maps need to be added. For example, put the "good" maps like zm_lila on Zombie Mod 2. As long as the demand for a variety of maps exists, they should be availabe on the map que.
I have been following this company named Steorn. They are based out in Dublin, and as far as I can tell, are just a little research firm. Despite their size, they have claimed to have developed a source of infinte energy using a magnetic device dubbed "Orbo". As I recall, they say they can generate up to 30% more energy from the device than what they put into it.
If the machine worked, it would be literally tossing hundreds of years of thermodynamic understanding out the window, which is why people are extremely sceptacle of the whole idea.
Anyway, even if it does work, they never said how well it would work. If in fact it does generate more energy than you put into it, it could be a week later or something. Like you pump a kilowatt into it, and you don't see a "profit" for a month!
I point all this out becuase today they are holding a "live" demonstatraion of the technology in London today. Not that a demonstration proves anything, how can you show that an engine on TV is producing more energy that it's taking in? I will still watch and see what happens. This is really the first time in years that they will publicly show their machine off.
I am intersted becuase the fact they are willing to physically show off the device. There have been many outrageous claims or hoaxes in the past, but these people are actually stepping up to the plate trying to convince the world it's true.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jAk3tiaOewo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h3aaRrEIp-0
If Soma gets a chance to read this, I am sure he has noticed the lack of traffic on Zombie Mod 5? This is becuase the limited ammo also limits the variety of gameplay just a little. With unlimited ammo, you could camp ANYWHERE and fight off zombies. With limited ammo, you have to camp the same places to be safe, which gets real boring.
To keep a seccessful limited ammo server, I think you need to keep at least 5 maps in rotation, or else it gets too dull. Even though I fully support the idea of a limited ammo server, keeping it on zm_lila has choked the life out of it.
I usually play a lot of Zombie Mod on CSS, so I became interested with all the other zombie modifications out there for Source. I stumbled upon one, which totally puts Zm to shame, Zombie Master. Even in an ultra incomplete beta stage, it blows Zombie Mod out of the water.
Well, Zombie Mod isn't really a true mod anyway, it's more of a simple plug-in, but Zombie Master just kills it. And it's still a year or so of even being considered done, maybe even two years away.
I haven't seen more servers full on ANY mod EVER. I see usually 30 packed servers at any time during the day or night. Keep in mind this is a super beta version, I would actually call it a public alpha, and even so it's popular.
I think if SpawnPoint put a Zombie Master server together, it would be a hit. Especially since a lot of the servers are run from personals computers.... If players are willing to pack on a server with insanse ping, think how much they would want to play on a "real" server.
I have been playing on the zombie mod servers, and while the maps are fun, their quality is pretty bad. So, I was wondering if SpawnPoint would like to start creating its own maps for the zombie servers.
They don't have to be called SpawnPoint maps or anything, just high quality "do-overs" of curent maps. I'm just curious if anyone in the community has some mapping skills and some free time to make some maps.
Actually, I would personally like just to focus on 3 or 4 very well done maps, not just pump out 20 bad ones. I assume that SpawnPoint wouldn't mind testing a map or two on the zombie servers once they are done to see how well they work, but that's getting ahead of myself.
For now, is there anyone interested in working on some maps with me? I can help design them. I have a really good idea of how zombie maps should be set-up, as I play on them all the time. I just need a few people with some skills on the Source SDK.
My goal is to create realistic settings, as with zm_city17, and move away from the zm_panicdark type environments. If you have no idea what these are, it's ok. I don't ask that anyone have an experiance with the zombie mods at all, I just need to make maps. If you have never heard of a zombie, it's ok.
Also, I am not looking for de_dust quality maps, just something that doesn't make me sad to look at.
Anyway, please leave suggestions if you think SpawnPoint should get a small mapping team, or tell me if you can help!
A few years ago my cousin handed me a book about Linux with a CD installer and said, "Good luck!" Boy, would I need it. Even a few years ago, Linux was fairly difficult to install, and just did not offer anything worthwhile. The office tools, web browsers, and the interface were just not appealing enough to get me off Windows.
Today, however, Linux has really changed. The operating system has become easier to use and all of its applications are wonderful. But, do you know what hasn't changed? The difficult installation. Which is interesting to me, because Linux users try to wean people off Windows, but they do not offer a lot of help to switch from it, which seems a bit contradictory to me.
Anyway, for those of you interested in trying Linux, and are currently using Windows XP, I have some help. You need just a few things before I get started.
1.A decent computer. Although you might have heard the joke that "Linux can run on a stopwatch", I assure you that less than 256megs of RAM will just not work. In some cases, you will even need 512megs of RAM.
2.A fairly large hard drive. Some installations require a hefty amount of room. I would recommend that you should have at least a 40 gig hard drive to play around with installing Linux.
3.You are using Windows XP. Sorry, I have not tried any of this on Windows 98, 95 or Vista, so I have no idea if anything would be the same.
4.Do you have 32-bit or 64- bit Windows? You must know this in order to download the appropriate Linux installation files.
HINT: x86 usually refers to 32-bit compatible files, which will be helpful to know when downloading Linux installation files.
STEP ONE: Understanding Linux
One of the key things to remember is that there are SEVERAL distributions of Linux. Many different organizations have created their own versions, or distributions, of Linux. You do not just download Linux, you download a TYPE of Linux, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, or openSUSE.
There are also a few rumors floating around about Linux that are both true and totally false. Yes, Linux has been around for a while and is a very stable platform. If you use a Linux system, you can basically say goodbye to viruses, adware, and hackers. No, Linux is not absolutely perfect and is superior to Windows in every aspect. While Linux is a fantastic operating system, you will find yourself disappointed if you expect Linux to be better at things like gaming, for example.
STEP TWO: Shopping for a Linux Distribution
That being said, you must choose your own distribution to download. I am currently using Fedora, Ubuntu, and openSUSE. Although there are many more which are listed here on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution#Choosing_a_Linux_distribution
TIP: You might want to take a few hours looking at the different types of Linux distributions: some are fairly new in development and somewhat buggy, while others are highly refined and solid products.
STEP THREE: Download or Order Your Preferred Linux Distribution
After you find a Linux distribution you like, figure out how you will get it! Some organizations offer to sell you a disk or DVD. You could also download the file(s).
WARNING: If you download Linux, be careful how you will put it onto a disk. Some sites offer a DVD download, which obviously goes on a DVD. However, if you do not have a DVD burner, then the files is useless to you. This also applies if you do not have a CD burner.
In any case, you will physically need to have the installation on a disk, just like a Windows installation disk. If you download the file(s), you must burn them to a CD or DVD. In some cases, you will have to put a big installation on several CDs if its available to download in packets
TIP: Some downloads are in formats that might seem very foreign to you. Rar files, for example are commonly used on the internet, but you might have never seen it before, and Windows will not open it. Use 7-Zip to extract files that Windows does not naturally handle.
http://www.7-zip.org/
TIP: Another strange file type that you will probably encounter is an .iso. You cannot extract this file like a .zip or .rar, and burning an .iso directly unto a CD or DVD will do nothing. You need a special program which "transforms" the .iso into workable files while putting it on media. Windows XP does not come standard with such a tool, so you can use Iso Recorder 2 for this step.
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/v2.htm
STEP FOUR: Create a Partition
Once you have an installation CD(s) or DVD(s), now you need room on your hard drive to install. You cannot just cram Linux in with Windows, it needs its own little space on the hard drive. When we create a space like this, it's called a partition. You will need to create one in order to install Linux. This is a difficult part of the process because it can require waiting or a payment. You can buy a nice partition manager here.
http://www.partition-manager.com/
Or, you can order the Ubuntu Live CD free of charge, which has a free partition manager on it, GNONE Partition Manager.
https://shipit.ubuntu.com/
TIP: If you do not feel like waiting for the CD to arrive, or do not want to put down money, you can always make your own Ubuntu Live CD. In that case, you will simply download the single 697 megabyte files which fits perfectly on one CD, but it can still go on a DVD.
With Ubuntu, you will most likely be downloading an .iso file, which will require the previously mentioned Iso Recorder to properly burn onto a DVD or CD.
IMPORTANT: If you choose to use an Ubuntu Live CD to create a partition, please skip to step five before continuing with step four.
With any distribution of Linux, I cannot imagine you needing a partition larger than 10 gigabytes. With any partition manager, you should first try to RESIZE your hard drive, which pushes Windows over to one side of the drive, leaving a little room on the other side for you to put Linux on.
After that, you can go ahead and format the newly created space as Ex3, which is what Linux will use. You might have heard of NTFS or FAT32, these are what Windows can use for a hard drive, Linux simply uses the Ex3 format.
STEP FIVE: Boot to CD/DVD
Now that there is a little room to put Linux on your computer and you have the installation disk(s), you need to begin your install. To install Linux from the CD/DVD, you must tell your computer to boot from the optical drive. Normally, when you start your computer, it goes straight to the hard drive and starts Windows, but now we need to tell your computer to start the disk first.
When your computer starts, enter BIOS. This is usually done by pressing F1 through F12, but your computer should display a message telling you which button to push.
Once in BIOS, you need to look for a minute and find something called BOOT ORDER or BOOT SEQUENCE. This controls how your computer boots. You need to put your optical drive in the FIRST boot position, so your computer automatically reads the disk before it starts Windows.
This can be quite a chore if you're not used to BIOS, and I simply cannot be more specific in my instructions.
This is really the one step that I will strongly suggest you refer to external resources to understand where the BOOT ORDER/BOOT SEQUENCE in your BIOS is located and how to change it.
STEP SIX: Use CD/DVD to Install Linux
If you set your boot order, now you just have to pop the disk in, and continue through the installation process. It is VERY similar to how you install Windows. You will have to enter your time zone, language, name, ect.
If you have multiple install disks, you will have to keep on feeding your computer the different disks as the installation progresses.
Other than that, I think that's all you need to get going on Linux. Bear in mind, this was a basic overview, you might encounter a situation during install that totally throws you off. In this case, please refer to the help forums of whichever Linux distribution you chose.
Now that I have had time to really see how players use all the "throwables," (flashbangs, grenades, and smokes) I think we should try the server without them at all.
The smoke grenade is obviously useless, has no affect on gameplay, and is just a waste of your time to throw one.
The normal grenade is deadly to the player, not the zombies. Almost every round, someone throws a grenade that helps push a zombie up onto the roof, crate, or just in the general direction of other players. This is either done accidently or intentionly, but no player should dictate the relative safety of other players.
I should be able to sit on a roof or a crate and feel comfrotable that a zombie isn't about to land on my head. It just degrades the gameplay atmosphere a bit when zombies are flying several hundreds of feet in any direction.
On the subject of "player safety", grenades can be used maliciously to destroy barricades, allowing zombies to gain access to previously sealed rooms. Even if a player decided to break a barricades with his gun, the amount of power in a grenade to move objects is not matched by any weapon.
Also, the flashbang is too easily taken advantage of. Just with the normal greande, a player can manipulate the safety of other players. A group of humans fending off zombies on a crate can become blinded and a zombie can hop up to the crate without difficulty.
There is also the issue of spamming, not just the flashbang, but all throwables. The flshbang is especialy bad when someone sits in the buy zone, lobbing nearly unlimted amounts of them for several seconds. Same with throwing smokes or normal grendaes, it's just plain silly.
Please excuse how "to the point" this is. I had a very lovely, 6 paragraph blog about the zombie mod. I guess I was foolsih enough to "Save as Draft" and POOF. So this is the gist of it.
Change shotgun ammo to 49, becuase right now they are the "uber gun" on the server, way too powerful
Remove flashbangs and smoke grenades
The following weapons could use these set amounts of ammo, unless unlimted ammo can be introduced WITH reloading.
-Calrion: 300, to discourage it a little.
-Defender: 420, to incrourage this normally unpopular weapon.
-M4/AK: 360 rounds
-AUG/its terrorist counterpart: 300 rounds, to discourage these "better" guns
-auto-snipes: 40 rounds
-Scout: 70
-AWP: 35
-Both shotguns: 140 rounds
-All pistols need about a 50% increase in their ammo.
-TMP/Uzi: 350 rounds
-MP5: 300 rounds
-third SMG: 270 rounds
-RCP90: 250 rounds
-rescrict fashbang and smoke grenade
I think after several hours of testing on the new server, these new ammo amount would be close to perfect. Everyone really enjoyed the limited ammo, gave the zombies an edge in the game while making it very challening for the players. This made it really fun, you actually had to really try to survive. It encouraged a lot more barricade construction as opposed to simply standing on a roof, becuase you do not rely on ammo as much behind a barricade.
Since players put more effort in barricade making, objects should be easier to move around, perhaps be made lighter. This would require much more testing to see how this would affect gameplay.
So I have revised my idea just a little and included additional changes. Nothing big that would require too much tweaking: I hope.
So I think ALL guns should be allowed. I know the auto-snipes and AWPS aren't available on the Zombie servers, but once you introduce the concept of reloading, it all balances out. No longer will auto-shotty spam the server with bullets, auto-snipes take a good while to reload which compensates for their strength, and a group of players won't lag the server with continuous fire from assualt rifles or SMGs.
This would give everyone access to guns which allows for a very interesting experiance. It is now that you can buy ANY assualt rifle and ANY SMG and your tactics remain the same: you just hold down the trigger and point at the zombie. If you made reloads, a player would have to decide, "Do I want the high rate of fire of a Clarion? Becuase I know I'll just have to reload that much faster." Each individual gun, not just each category of gun, woud offer a different feel for gameplay.
Also, Zombies have always needed some sort of edge. Not to say that Zombies lose on the maps, but it's certainly easy for even two players to hold back an army of 20 in a very defensible spot. This unbalance can be righted by the introduction of reloading.
I have no intention of trying to recruit people to make some huge new mod or anything for zombies, but I just need some help seeing a few ideas come to fruition.
For one, I would like to see some weapon changes on the zombie mod servers. Not only would decrease the weapons make it more "scarry", but it would also decrease lag drastically. For example, only allow the pump-action shotgun, not the auto. This will make gameplay a little more balanced for the zombies, while not having a "bullet spam" which would lag the server. Also, allow the glock and USP and 228 compact for pistols. Allow the scout for rifles, and the Uzi for SMGs. This would increase the scare factor becuase players can't sit on a crate with a machine gun and blow back an army of zombies, you would actually have to fight to stay alive.
This may sound insane to not allow these weapons, but I seriously think it would work. I would suggest tyring it on the Zombie Mod sever 2 as a test. I think poeple would like it. It would be like classes. The guy with the scout is deadly at a range becuase his aim. The guy with the shotty will be deadly at short ranges, obviously. The UZI can be deadly at short-medium ranges.
I would suggest more weapons only if the ammo becomes limited. Then, M4s could be introduced as the deadly medium rifle. And I do suggest limiting the ammo. If everyone INSISTS on keeping it unlimted, at least require a reload when the current magazine is out. Brief periods of reloading time for weapons would give a much needed edge for the zombies.
