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October 2002

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Get Your Game On Nine11 @ 11:15 Comments

BakersfieldLAN is hosting the Lokal Airea Netwerk LAN party at the Holiday Inn Select from 3PM Dec 22 to 11PM Dec 23. Enterance fees are $20 and $25 with lunch, and the event will sport 150 gamers, T1 Internet, 10/100 network, various contests, TV sceens, and DJ Purvis.

Monday, October 28, 2002

MSCFS:3 Fixes/Issues Cage @ 15:51 Comments

Microsoft has updated their Combat Flight Simulator 3 Insider site with a list of issues and fixes for their just released MSCFS:3. The list looks similar to the readme.txt that comes with the game, and mostly just discusses graphic cards and settings that might help solve some video anomalies and performance issues.

Saturday, October 26, 2002

MS CFS:3 Out Cage @ 2:49 Comments

Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 3 is out in stores locally here in Bakersfield.

My initial reaction is that it that it needs some polishing, but it has potential.

You can read what others have to say at NetWings and at SimHQ.

I'll wait until I have a chance to play with it some more before I post my thoughts.

Thursday, October 24, 2002

All Thumbs & Knees Nine11 @ 23:14 Comments

Call me "Mr. Klutz" cuz I managed to frag my printer and CD-RW in the same sitting. The printer went first as I was trying to get a black ink cartridge which was fading in and out to play nice. Unfortunately, my ancient Epson Stylus Color 640 doesn't wanna slide the cartridge reservoirs out till their empty, so I was movin' like geek on crack while hitting the "head cleaning" button and popping cartridges. For some reason, the damn thing just doesn't wanna work anymore.

Accepting defeat, I sat down and felt my knee tap something. That particular something just happened to be my ejected CD-RW tray. I didn't even tap it hard, but it was enough to knock the tray out of alignment with it's tracks. Damn thing only moves about an inch and a half in either direction, so I gave it a little "manual incentive" which didn't work as well as it does on the ladies.

Next thing ya know, it's 8:38 at night and I'm driving to CompUSA like I've got a rocket lodged in my ass. Man, a desperate geek in a big red Ford F-150 4x4 must be a scary sight cuz no one was getting close to me. Fortunately, I beat the clock and no small animals were hurt in the process.

I was anticipating some trouble swapping drives because my CD bay is "stealth". After prying the cover off the front of the old drive, the 3M tape was still in tact and sticky. Stuck it on the new drive and everything was good to go. Had another printer handy and swapped 'em out without incident.

There's probably a moral to this story, but the only one I can think of has to do with that Murphy dude. I wasn't too happy about paying full retail for a CD-RW, but everything is working and now I can get back to Neverwinter Nights. Whew!

Tuesday, October 22, 2002

Geek Mood Lighting Nine11 @ 8:41 Comments

Failed Dark & Seedy Chat Room Typing 101? Maybe ya need some Geek Mood Lighting.

Rejected Movie-Based Video Game Ideas Nine11 @ 8:38 Comments

Good Will Hunter - Help the savant mathematician clear the streets of Boston. If ya like that, here's ten more goodies. Scooped from [H].

RPG'n Like A Mad Man! Nine11 @ 8:05 Comments

I had one of those golden gaming moments yesterday. I've been having a pretty good run with Neverwinter Nights and have my Level 10 Elvin Cleric all pimped out... at least for a Level 10 one. Anyway, I found this portal in Chapter 2 which was being manipulated by a couple of bad girls (the kind you don't take home to momma but brag about to your friends, oh yea). They were getting their power from two sources, one of which was an altar being fed off the prayers of a skeleton warrior and his 10 groupies. I sauntered over to say "sup, dudes?" and they just ignored me, so I cast Turn Dead. They all got up to face me then clattered to the ground in a mess of bones. Laid waste to the whole group with one default spell! Put me on a natural high for the rest of the day. Man, am I a geek or what?

Oh yea, another funny thing happened when I was hit with a spell which reduced my intelligence. Went to Aribeth to get cured and said "Me got hurts need fixed." About fell off my chair laughing!

Thursday, October 17, 2002

Bid On Geek Paradise! Nine11 @ 8:12 Comments

Wanna piece of geek paradise? You can have it, for a price. Honestly, I'd love to go on this trip, and it's being put together by the IDSA and Ebay as a charity to support youth organizations. The highest bid is already at $1475 with 3 days and 5 hours to go. It'll be interesting to see it top off. Here's what the winner will score:

QuakeCon 2003 VIP Package w/ Travel

A trip for two to id Software's annual gaming festival, QuakeCon 2003 in Dallas, Texas. This trip includes: Round-trip air-fare for two from any of the 48-contiguous United States to Dallas, TX., Limousine transport between the airport and QuakeCon hotel on arrival and departure days. Three (3) night hotel stay at the QuakeCon 2003 hotel, 2 VIP passes to all QuakeCon 2003 events including dinners and parties, 2 reserved player spots in the BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN party, Private tour of the id Software offices. Dinner for two at Pappa's Bros., id's favorite Dallas steak restaurant. The QuakeCon 2003 dates and specific location are TBD, but will likely be in early to mid August from a Thursday to Sunday.

Quote Of The Day Nine11 @ 7:54 Comments

Ah, it's been a while. This tasty tidbit comes from Gone Gold's Night Call. I chopped it up a bit and it's not the main theme of the post, but it's a gem none-the-less. Check it, ya'll.

I remember a shining moment in my bachelorhood when, during a windy and sleeting night, I discovered that some leftovers in the fridge had gone very bad indeed. Given the entirely hostile situation outside, I realized there was only one thing to do. I wrapped the offenders in three layers of Saran wrap�and put them in the freezer. They can�t smell if they�re frozen, can they?

No, in fact, they can�t, and they didn�t. It was the ultimate use of innovation over effort. That�s what men are. We�re proud of it, too. I laundered a white dress shirt in my dishwasher one night and was proud to have avoided the walk to the laundry room. Proud, I say.

Oooh! This is a choice one too. Maybe ya should just read the whole dang thing?

Even love has its limits, though. I draw the line at diapers. No matter how I feel about the environment, nothing can compel me to �swirl� cloth diapers around in a toilet bowl to pre-clean them for the diaper service. I�ve been told all my life to keep my hands out of the toilet and I�m not starting now. And to those who say that plastic diaper waste is threatening our planet, I say to you: underground salt caverns. Every site that is being considered for nuclear waste disposal should get to choose: nuclear waste or baby waste.

G.I. Combat Demo Nine11 @ 7:41 Comments

Strategy First took a deep breath and pushed through the pain as they gave birth to a bouncing baby G.I. Combat Demo. He weighs 94MB and looks just like his older brother but has his father's stronger 3D features.

Wednesday, October 16, 2002

New Celeron @ 3GHz Is No Big Deal Nine11 @ 9:15 Comments

Tom's Hardware wrapped their mittens around the new Celeron which has been blessed with a new core and quad-pumped 400MHz FSB, and these suckers OC to amazing speeds. TH got 'em running on a 533MHz FSB for a system speed of 2.66MHz and they even flirted with 3GHz without any fancy cooling. Unfortunately, the new Celeron gets smacked when benched against entry-level AthlonXP and P4 processors. Intel was quoted as saying "D'oh!"

Economy, Saddam, What's The Difference? Nine11 @ 8:53 Comments

The Onion has the nerve to point out a little something I've noticed over the past month or so. President Bush seems to think all our economic problems can be solved by giving Saddam a swift spanking. Sounds weird, but here's a few clips to put it all in perspective.

"We're working hard to put Americans back to work," Bush said. "Our citizens are fighters, they just need the opportunity. And it is in this spirit that we are committed to defeating Saddam Hussein, so that the world may stand together in liberty and freedom."

Added Bush: "This man tried to kill my dad."

Friday, October 11, 2002

Neverwinter Nights Update Nine11 @ 7:01 Comments

Cage sent word there's a new update for Neverwinter Nights which adds a few goodies. New baddies include the kobold and feline malar-panther. They also included a package ingeniously called the "Neverwinter Nights Content Installer Creator" (NWNCIC, not to be confused with NAFTA or NASA), which modders can use as an install routine for their user-made content. They'll be adding more stuff as time goes on, so don't be afriad to tap that "Update" button inside the game.

Thermaltake Is On The Case Nine11 @ 6:40 Comments

Anandtech shoved their best equipment in to Thermaltake's box for a little review action. While they dug the case, I thought it looked like little more than a hooptie Antec with all sorts of odd parts tacked on as an afterthought... kinda like those webber mobiles you see hoppin' the border from Mexico with every single fiberglass hood visor, "Dumbo" towing mirrors, window leuvers, mud flaps, and curb feelers they could get their hands on. I wasn't too impressed with the performance either 'cept for the hard drive temp. Still, I guess it's a good deal if ya don't have the time to construct your personal geek abomination.

It's ALIVE!

Thursday, October 10, 2002

Age of Mythology Gold Cage @ 12:43 Comments

More gold news -

Microsoft's Age of Mythology has gone gold, and should show up around the end of this month.

CFS:3 Gone Gold Cage @ 7:43 Comments

Microsoft announced that Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3 has gone gold, and will ship to stores October 24.

Tuesday, October 8, 2002

Busted My RPG Cherry Nine11 @ 8:27 Comments

After admiring Neverwinter Nights full-figured box (no mini-boxes for this PC gamer... damn the trees!) for over a month, I finally got the urge to install the game and give it a shot. With the install fresh on my mind, I just gotta say whoever codes another 3-disc install and has you shuffle all three discs back and forth must be locked in a closet with Roseanne Barr and a weeks supply of hard-boiled eggs and raw broccoli. Thought the game went in "clean" till I had to stick the first disc back in for online registration... sheesh.

Anyway, NWN is pretty cool and I haven't had any Planescape Torment flashbacks yet. The story is pretty clear and the main quest is easy to follow, but it does throw enough side-quests at ya to keep the geekiest of RPGers in a state of +1 perpetual wood of goring (we always hurt the ones we love). Things should be okay as long as I don't get lost or let my ADD get out of hand.

Like most "hardcore gamers", I decided to read the manual after a few sessions. I'd decided to build an Elven Cleric and was having fun till I noticed there were Monks too. Man, Monks kicked major bootah in Diablo. After reading all the cool stats, buffs, weapons (or lack of), and how they channel ki, I really wish I had started off with a monk character. Oh well, guess NWN will have some "replay value" after all.

For anyone interested, here is a fairly detailed walkthrough for NWN. It's geared more toward those who'd rather cheat 'n blast their way through the game, but I'm finding it useful for sweeping through and gathering all the goodies after completing sections of the game.

Thursday, October 3, 2002

XBox Mech Game Cage @ 6:47 Comments

I saw this little tidbit over on The Guru of 3D.

Capcom will be releasing a new game developed by Tekki called Steel Battalion for Microsoft's XBox game console, according to a preview over on Game Revolution. The game will retail for around $200, and will include a HOTAS styled controller setup.

Make sure you check out the movies on the Tekki web site. They can take a fair amount of time to download, since the site is in Japan.

Tuesday, October 1, 2002

Speed Freaks... Tomorrow... Nine11 @ 9:16 Comments

Anandtech and Tom's Hardware have reivews of the nForce2 and Athlon XP 2800+. From a very practical point of veiw, I just gotta say "big friggin deal, guys." Okay, uber geeks can feel to flame me to a crisp but hear me out. Game benchmarks perk up a little and the NF2/2800+ are faster than a Kirby salesman on crack, but the Nvidia "launched" their shiny new chipset three months ago, it took 'em 6 months to get production boards of the original nForce chipset to stores, and the speediest Athlon XP I could find this morning from a retailer I'd be willing to throw my bones at is the 2200+. So, maybe we can have all this freaky fast hardware sometime before '03.

Super Duper Ti4200 Nine11 @ 8:45 Comments

[H] popped off a review of the Abit GF4 Ti 4200 OTES which is pimped out with all sorts of I/O and a heat pipe. It's actually pretty slick, but I'd be hard pressed to buy one at $180 when you can get a faster Gainward Golden Sample with double the memory less twenty scratch. Here's a clip:

...By overclocking I was able to achieve a maximum stable overclock of 305 MHz on the core. Ti 4600 clock speed is 300 MHz for comparison. While it is good that I achieved over Ti 4600 speeds this is actually not un-common with other Ti 4200 video cards. In fact, I was able to get our Gainward GeForce4 Ti 4200 card up to a stable 320 MHz core clock. Heat is obviously not the issue here then with overclocking the Ti 4200 core...