With the end of 2009, now would be a good time to take a look back at the conventions visited. Being the first year, having a tiny budget, and getting started in August our first RoadTrip and most since have all served as learning experiences.
The Year End Review is a quick look back at all of those trips including the ones for which I did not post videos.
And remember, you can submit your own RoadTrip videos too. If they seem sufficient in quality, we will be happy to give your video a page with the embed of your show on the videos page.
So, obviously I’ve finished my last trip for 2009 and I really enjoyed my stay at Six Flags. While I was there I also went to see Sherlock Holmes, which was considerably better than I had feared.
Snow and ice from a recent arctic front were considerably lighter in the Metroplex and was melted by the end of the first day.
Christmas Lights were strung up all over the park and other decorations were carefully placed. Some rides were closed, but that was to be expected given the cold and windy conditions.
With leaves fallen from most of the trees, its easier to see all of the rides and get a better feeling of how enormous some of them really are. The park was really beautiful and despite the cold I had a blast.
It was almost said to visit the foot of the Texas Giant where the deconstruction has already begun. But I can’t wait for the 2011 season when the beast re-opens after a complete overhaul and new features.
I’m going to have to loose some weight between now and then to be sure that I can ride that monster once again.
For the time being, here are a few photos I took during the night when the Christmas Lights were really nice. I’ll also be adding a few photos to my DeviantArt account soon.
Depending on how well you have been following Team Fortress news recently, then you may or may not know of the “friendship” issue.
Apparently, in a recent update, some announcer sounds were added to the stock supply with no explanations. This, of course, led to wild speculation including the idea of red/blu cooperative play against the announcer.
Of course, Kotaku then reported that Valve has denied that and other rumors. Instead, they put extra emphasis on the subject of for whom the sounds toll.
Well, there has been another update and for a site like BWL it fits quite well.
The TF2 blog has been updated with a semi-explanatory teaser comic [which they linked to saying “Friendship ends in one day.”
Three points stand out to me upon reading this comic. First, more game companies need to post comics for teasers to their new content.
Second, this appears to indicate that there will be a sort-of sub-competition with special rewards for playing and fighting your steam friends in-game.
Third, Valve is directly using fan-art for character designs now. Not really a surprise as they have always used that sort of community inclusion. They did already have the artist visit their home base and they did sort of hint at the use of the design once before Halloween.
What’s that? What do I mean by “fan-art for character designs”? You’re one of the people that hasn’t already heard this story or seen the original drawing?
And, as I said, it is to be expected given Valve’s tendencies for community “friendship”. Especially since other artists had already jumped on the concept to make their own Announcer/administrator images.
It seems the little update plan Valve came up with was a competition. Best stereotype wins.
Huh? Oh… okay…
The idea is for players to choose either demo or soldier and try to kill the other class. This will determine which class, demo or soldier, gets a new “EXCLUSIVE, SECRET EXTRA WEAPON UNLOCK” during a new double update.
Today I had a short chat with BiGToM as he sent me the latest work on Cat-Life for our November beta release. I must admit, I was disappointed.
Though the team has worked hard to develop this project, the planned beta has been scaled back to a short demo. This demo consists of a three map training course and five of the original maps that BiGToM developed when he first started work alone back in 2007.
There are several additional bonus maps that can give the player a good idea of what the final project should look like. I recommend cat_introbeta1.bsp and cat_living.bsp for a better idea of the project’s actual map and story line introduction.
I want to discuss some of our chat and then make a few comments of my own here.
First, this is indeed a DEMO and not a beta. Second, it is a short demo with more limitations then I would have preferred. The main game maps are the same ones we have shown in the screen shots and videos to date. And feel a bit thrown together rather then tied together by the story.
This is largely due to the fact that the actual game story changed when DS began writing for the project. BiGToM’s original story idea was basically as follows:
The cat begins inside of a pet carrier on a transport train. As it progresses, a crane transfers the carrier to a conveyor belt that delivers the cat into the bowels of Black Mesa. Near the end of the line, and after a number of transfers, the cat is one of several crates on the brink of delivery into a test facility when a robotic arm transfers it instead to a waiting scientist.
From that point, the cat experiences the Resonance Cascade from inside a lab and then must escape.
Portions of that story can still be seen in this demo, but not in its entirety. Unless I am gravely mistaken, the story was changed to a scientist’s pet cat and this idea is reflected in the cat_intro and cat_introbeta1 maps which allow you to see a part of a different introduction sequence, one that even pre-dates Newton’s name. Keep an eye out in the living area bonus map for Easter Eggs, which reflect the gags of the final project’s secrets.
BiGToM made the decision to switch over to a demo largely due to bugs. He explained that there are simply too many bugs to fix at this time. I think BiGToM would like some help in debugging maps and sounds. It’s my understanding that part of the reason the demo has so few custom sounds is because of a problem with his sound editing software.
I have already explained the bugs with my source code, but there are apparently a number of additional problems. For example, BiGToM points out a bug on the cat4.bsp map in the demo in which the player must duck to enter a tram even though he raised the door height. The cat source code only gives the illusion of shrunk height and so the player hull is still full sized, but this is a human sized door and should not be a problem.
He also tells me there is a problem with the elevator near the end of the actual full game in which the elevator walls injure the player.
This seems to be unrelated to the code as he elected not to use the modified hull file and scaled hull idea. Instead, we are using the Half-Life friendly version of the dlls. Which does indeed mean that players can play in regular HL and enjoy the game. You’ll want to use the console to enter map c0a0 for the HL Campaign and map t0a0 for the HL training course.
Keep in mind that you will need noclip to get passed the HEV checkpoint in the HL campaign since you can’t pick the suit up anymore [player spawns with a suit].
I think players will have a little fun with this, especially playing the original HL, but they may be disappointed by the very short nature of the demo and a lack of action or changes. Most of the monsters and/or items have not been added yet.
I myself was disappointed as much of the custom content is absent and I feel that the project has hit a bigger problem then just source code or map bugs. I do recommend that you download the demo and enjoy it. BiGToM has explained that his plan is to release a “map pack” once he has more of the bugs defeated.
In fact he said, “all the maps are basically done so all I have to do is tweak them some, add monsters and sounds, etc.
I asked BiGToM if he had any plans for the cheap clones I made for the eventual extra monsters… three headcrab clones and a zombie clone that could have been further refined to “friendly cats”, “juvenile headcrabs”, “zombie cats”, and “military dogs”. He said that if we can find a new modeler, we could possibly create a sort of pet laboritory with an outbreak of the headcrabs and the resulting zombies. He hopes this idea will be usable in the future but is not in the project as it stands.
Keep an eye out for bugs while you play and report them to sayrken[AT]hotmail.com And if you have something to contribute such as :SysOp: has offered to work on a custom HUD, please contact BiGToM via that same address. I’d love to see this project finished and in far greater quality.
However… I have some personal feelings about this and as I said before, I am now disappointed. You do not want Mr Wildcat to be disappointed.
During my discussion with BiGToM we spoke about the “addon map pack” and his hope for the sequel project. I share his enthusiasm for a successful project, but I also am not satisfied with the current project.
For all that has been discussed previously, :SysOp: had some valid points regarding the project as it stands. Despite all of the customization, we won’t be able to see that in the demo. And I’m worried that the final release will not have everything we would like either. And I need to admit that I really do agree with his point that the source code should come first. Maybe its because of my programmer background, but I think any truly good project needs the source code to really develop a proper game.
Truthfully, I feel that the project is no longer what I personally had hoped it would be. So, with BiGToM’s agreement, I am now actively seeking a Source coder.
If you have been by our site recently, then you know I am in the process of changing the site into something more then just a Half-Life fan site. BWL Development is growing and improving, so too should our projects.
It is my intention to write a more serious and dark story for Cat-Life. If you want to know more about my type of story telling, then here are some options for you. Be WARNED, these stories are all rated M for Mature and contain violence and graphic descriptions.
Conundrum – around half-finished, this is my HL fan-fic in epic novel form. It was based on a forum RP thread and is basically a crossover story for HL, D00M, and my own characters and features many character creations by our forum members from years ago.
Mod-Fiction – this is a set of two mod fan-fictions. One is a fan-fic for Cat-Life and the other is for GargArena.
Delivery – this is a short 1-shot HL2 fan-fic that began as a forum rp-thread on the old Concerned forums.
Even though I will be writing a simple story line for team development, we WILL NOT proceed until we have source code in hand. I need someone that can edit the Source SDK to make the player hulls smaller, no taller then knee height compared to a human. I need someone that can code new monsters for juvenile headcrabs, zombie cats, military dogs, and friendly cats. I need someone that can add a limited wall climb and wall jumping. I need someone that can code DarkVision night-vision and ideally also catnip enhanced vision which basically offers a brief highlight of the monsters near the player. And I need someone that can make a bite attack that adds health in addition to standard claws. Basically, all of the stuff I was trying to begin in the original HL.
This code would then be used in the source alternate Cat-Life and it’s sequel Cat-Life 2.
I also want someone that isn’t afraid to write extra code on their own. Feel free to create for this mod project. Chainsaws and grappling hooks have no part in the main story, but they would make a great bonus for finding secret worlds and secret areas as a sort of gag or comical reward.
If you can map for source, make models, sprites, sound, music, etc… start thinking about this project. Can you make a cat player model? Go ahead, we could use it. Can you make Half-Life style music? Get started, we’ll either use it in Cat-Life: Source or we’ll use it in one of our upcoming machinima projects. We WILL FIND A WAY to use your work and of course credit you for your contributions.
And, by all means, ask anyone you know that may be able to contribute to the new source code. We WILL NOT proceed beyond my story development [which I have not yet started] until we have working code.
I welcome existing Team Cat-Life members to offer their aid as well. I know that some of them including BiGToM are anxious to work on this newer incarnation too.
So, in closing, expect a Cat-Life “map pack” and we welcome any help on said project. But also be on the look out for a Source coder. Cat-Life: Source will be a completely different game and we hope it will live up to the BWL tagline of Epically Awesome in Every Way. And we certainly welcome wishes of luck and showes of support.
My part in Cat-Life has always been fairly administrative. I run the website and kept the project around until BiGToM was ready to assemble his team. After that, I write news posts, maintain the Cat-Life page and ModDB profiles, and offer suggestions/any other aid that I need to provide.
However, with the lack of a full-time coder and the likelihood that the Open Beta would be basically a map pack with some new sounds and such details, I have also assumed the role of temporary coder.
I re-installed my old Visual Studio 6 for the first time in years and found out just how rusty my C++ has become. Even so, I tracked down a few tutorials and toyed with the code, creating some cheap and ugly hacks to help give the game a better change to game play.
Even so, there is more work to be done and we really need a good coder to clean up my ugly mess. You see, I’ve done all that I can without taking more time to refresh my C++ and study the GoldSource code to truly understand the details. I have some 20 or so projects around the BWL site that I have put off for a few nights of coding, and even then I have used more time than I would have preferred.
I am sending my current work to BiGToM. The code features wall jumping, wall climbing (modified wall jumps), 2 attacks, a dash button with short stamina bar, simple dark vision, and spawn with long-jump.
The attacks are weaker. The cat makes 50% less noise for monsters to hear. Some monsters have been changed to see the player as less of a threat and the houndeyes are now predators and will attack headcrabs and the cat alike.
Unfortunately, there are known bugs. Sometimes, the attacks can loop unexpectedly making them very potent in that instant. Sometimes hit detection on dead bodies is a little off. The Enhanced IR Night Vision Goggle idea I planned to use for DarkVision wasn’t very good. I considered using it for a “catnip” enhanced vision mode pick-up, but that didn’t really work either, so that feature was disabled.
DarkVision works nicely, but can sometimes stop the player briefly after level change. Wall climbing works wonderfully, but is also limitless. It’s not really a bug, but as long as you are on a wall, you can go up as high on that wall as you like. We plan to use clip brushes to limit players in-game.
Overall, playing this new code has been a lot of fun even with the bugs. Players will need a replacement set of dll’s in order to play the original Half-Life as the hull changes in Cat-Life require custom hulls. Basically, Cat-Life works with one set of dlls and playing regular Half-Life with the cat code will require a replacement set of dlls. I plan to offer the over-writing dlls as a separate download.
In-game, much of the game play will have changed. You will need to run for your life more often then stand and fight. The pace is considerably faster and more hectic, yet a fairly experienced player will be able to really play around and make use of the new code for some fun battles.
I’m sure that by now many of you will have heard tell of this little gem from Gearbox. I’ve been playing quite a bit of Borderlands in the past little while. Quite a fun game in it’s own right; however, it does have it’s flaws. I’ll get to those in a moment.
Graphics
Borderlands has a lot of visual charm; It’s cell-shaded style is quite different from the usual “grey and brown” motif that most FPS developers seem to swear by. The environments are bright and colorful, and the characters look great. The enemies you’ll be fighting look great as well, with a lot of variety in their appearances; From the ferocious skaggs to the bit and beefy bandit Bruisers, each enemy has it’s own style.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Borderlands, while not doing a whole lot that hasn’t been done before, is surprisingly addicting. When you start a new game, you pick from one of four characters: The Soldier, the Hunter, the Siren, and the Berserker. Each of these classes has their own skill trees, along with a special ability. The Soldier can deploy a turret that can help immensely in a fight. The Hunter has a pet falcon, which he sends out to attack a single enemy. The Siren can turn invisible, either to get up close to the enemy, or to escape. And finally, the Berserker can beat things to death with his fists. Each one feels different to the others, and each one’s skills can be customized in different ways; For example, the Soldier’s turret can heal nearby allies.
Onto the much flaunted loot system: Loot provides most of the motivation in the game, so it’s fortunate that the loot system is so addicting. Loot is procedurally generated, so you have plenty of options when choosing your arsenal. There’s lots and lots of weapons. Some shoot explosions. Or lightning. Some have knives on them.
It’s not without it’s flaws, however, and some of them are pretty big.
The game’s voice-chat is poorly implemented; it automatically broadcasts, but it only picks up your voice when it detects it (which it doesn’t do nearly regularly enough for it to function as a fucking chat system.) You’re much better off using a third-party program, like Ventrilo. Of course, should you decide to do this, you’d be advised to turn off the in-game voice, a feat only achievable through the editing of fucking .ini files.
The game usually controls fairly well, but some things (such as mouse-smoothing, which is turned on by default and you can only turn it off through, you guessed it, the fucking .ini files) could be better. Sometimes the controls feel clunky, such as when you’re driving a vehicle.
Now, the main problem I have with this game; Gearbox doesn’t know how to program multiplayer games. One would assume that they would release the game with fully-functioning online support, as the game is designed for cooperative play. You would, however, be dead wrong. Online play seems to work only when it feels like it. It functions randomly, sometimes; You could join a friend’s game one minute, but god help you if you quit. You might never get back in. On top of that, some people just can’t host a server no matter how many ports they forward. It’s quite nearly a deal-breaker, although playing it cooperatively is quite fun enough to redeem it, if only slightly. There are supposedly patches inbound, but it’s still rather distressing to have a key factor of the game so broken on release.
Story
There’s very little story. You’re one of four guys on this planet, and you’re searching for treasure. You’ll meet some interesting characters along the way, and the game’s brand of humor does make up for the lack of any real narrative. Still, it would’ve been nice to have more of a storyline; Who are these characters? Why are they searching for the Vault? I suppose you’ll just have to use your imagination.
My recommendation
If you have a console, you might want to give it a rent first. In my mind, however, it’s well worth the price; For all it’s flaws, it’s a fun game. I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than killing and looting on a desert planet. Maybe hold off for a while, though, at least until Gearbox releases a patch.
So, obviously I’ve finished my last trip for 2009 and I really enjoyed my stay at Six Flags. While I was there I also went to see Sherlock Holmes, which was considerably better than I had feared.
With leaves fallen from most of the trees, its easier to see all of the rides and get a better feeling of how enormous some of them really are. The park was really beautiful and despite the cold I had a blast.
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