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Archive for the ‘Gaming’ Category

Newbs’ News for May 22, 2016

Posted on: May 22nd, 2016 by Obey

Lots going on now! The short version:

  1. TF2Newbs’ 2Fort Contest runs the entire month of June
    • Player with most active playtime for June wins an unusual hat
    • First player to first reach 30,000 and 50,000 points will win 10 keys each
    • Two server-starting players on #04 eligible to win metal or hats each day
    • Three server-starting players on #04 also eligible to win a key each week.
  2. HLStats reset June 1st
  3. LMAOBOX hack users successfully banned by VAC
  4. Plenty of Newbs are playing the Overwatch beta
  5. Terraria patch 1.3.1 is now live
  6. Steam Summer Sale 2016 runs from June 23rd to July 4th

1. TF2Newbs’ 2Fort Contest Starts June 1st

TF2Newbs’ six 24/7 2Fort servers (#01, #04, #05, #09, #19, #21) are hosting a series of contests during the month of June, with monthly, weekly, and daily prizes! See the forum post for questions and more information.

 

Monthly Points Race

TF2Newbs’ six 24/7 2Fort servers (#01, #04, #05, #09, #19, #21) will host a month-long points contest!

scout

The first player to reach a total of 30,000 points will win 10 keys!

The first player to reach a total of 50,000 points will also win 10 keys! (The player who wins the 30k prize is ineligible for the 50k prize.)

Note: These rewards are measured by HLStats’ points system, not the TF2 client points. Follow this link to see how points are awarded.

hats etc.

Longest Playtime Award

The player who has been actively playing for the most time on TF2Newbs’ 24/7 2Fort servers while HLStats is enabled (that is, a minimum of 4 players) for the entire month of June will win an unusual hat! The hat to be won will be announced at a later date.

 

Weekly Achievement Contests

Each week, three additional stats contests will be announced for achievements, such as Headshot Kills, Amputator Kills, or Buildings Destroyed. A little bit like a week-long Contract, the person with the highest number of points scored for that goal during the week will win. One Mann Co. Key will be awarded to each other the three winners (maximum one key per player, per week).

Note that this contest counts all credit across all five TF2Newbs servers for the entire week. “Weeks” in this case start from Mondays at midnight PDT through the next Monday at midnight PDT.

 

#04 Server Starter Awards

Server #04 will feature daily prizes awarded to random players who jump in to the server whenever an “server starting” announcement is made.

Once the server start announcement is made, the next time the server maintains at least 8 vs. 8 players for several minutes (not counting spectators), then admin {N} Wife will note a list of players credit with helping that day. Anyone in Spectate at the time the list is generated will be disqualified from the list of eligible players for this award that day.

soldierdemo

From that list, two random winners will be chosen. The prizes on weekdays are one refined metal, and the prizes on Saturdays on Sundays are a random hat!

Also each week, the three players who earn the most server starting credits for that week will earn a prize of one Mann Co. Key each.

Admins may give away other prizes at their sole discretion. |N| Koans has said that he may give away Steam games to those who start #05 on their own initiative.

 

Eligible Servers for the Contests

Copy-and-paste these commands into your TF2 console to jump straight to the server. Don’t forget to favorite them for later!

connect s1.tf2newbs.com 
connect s4.tf2newbs.com
connect s5.tf2newbs.com
connect s9.tf2newbs.com
connect s19.tf2newbs.com
connect s21.tf2newbs.com

 

2. Stats Reset June 1st

reset stats

The HLStatsX software, which counts server-side points and ranks users, will be reset on all servers on June 1st. Everyone will be reset to the base 1,000 points. This coincides with the latest TF2Newbs contest.

 

3. LMAOBOX Hack Users Banned By VAC

We’re all tired of having servers quickly empty when some jerk enters with an obvious hack: a whirlwindy-stormy audio, headshotting, shooting through walls, and running around indestructibly. The admins of TF2Newbs ban these hackers, a thankless, sometimes time-consuming task. And now, we can rejoice, as one of the worst scourges of the virtual world (especially Valve servers!) is now effectively blocked by Valve’s VAC system.

fry-can-t-tell-meme-generator-can-t-tell-if-bad-at-game-or-fighting-hackers-524037

PC Gamer reports that the LMAOBOX cheat is now detectable by VAC, Valve’s Anti-Cheat system, causing current and recent users to be permanently VAC-banned (meaning they can’t play on any Valve-owned server of any Valve game on that account). Such users are typically unwelcome on TF2Newbs’ servers also. Heck, the cheat has been so pervasive that spamming chat about the use of such a cheat is a bannable offense on Newbs’ servers, Skial, and other TF2 communities.

You should never use this hack, especially since the recently publicized source code has been found to be riddled with malware. Friends don’t let friends use LMAOBOX.

 

4. Got Overwatch?

It comes out Tuesday, May 24th, and it may just be the next coming of Team Fortress 2. We’re discussing it on the forums.

What is Overwatch? It’s a first-person shooter with character classes and short-term objectives, much like Team Fortress 2. Overwatch is by Blizzard, the creators the Diablo, StarCraft, and WarCraft franchises. Overwatch isn’t available on Steam, and is exclusive to Battle.Net, which is Blizzard’s proprietary gaming service. Nor is it free-to-play; the standard retail price of the game is US$59.99.

overwatch_versus_sky_wallpaper___1920_x_1080_by_mac117-d85xg5b

Overwatch is also a creative license, with digital comics and animated shorts–gee, also like TF2! Here’s a YouTube demo of some of the classes.

 

5. Terraria Patch 1.3.1 is Now Live!

Click here for the full patch notes. Gamepedia is very buggy, so here’s a summary of the PC version update:

  • Lots of upgrades to the wiring system, including wiring gates (AND, NOR, XAND, etc.), actuators, tools that can remotely and wirelessly trip actuators, and more.
  • Lots of new statues added, including many of the mobs/monsters in the game, that can be attached to wires to spawn their respective mobs.
  • Controller support for PC version.

Terraria, the 2D Minecraft-like digging and crafting game that just hit its 5th birthday, got its first patch since its mega-patch last August. Since modders continue to experiment with Terraria’s limits, developer ReDigit continues to apply patches that help with specific objectives. In this case, a logic system has been implemented in the wiring system to allow, for instance, a door to open only if two switches are both opened, for traps to be affixed to walls and ceilings, and to have remote controls and projectile-triggered buttons to trip your wired masterpieces. Geeky stuff to be sure, kind of like those mana farmers in the Minecraft modding community.

Terraria is an action game for US$9.99 with cute visuals and a robust crafting system, worth the price even when it’s not on sale…

 

6. Steam Summer Sale 2016 is Soon!

Speaking of sales, numerous reports link a source that seems to confirm that the twice-a-year Steam sale will occur at the end of June [June 23rd to July 4th, to be specific]. This is a good time to buy games, as most games sold by Steam go on sale at some point during the bonanza, often from 33% to 75% off. Terraria for $2.49 (75% off) is common, and any game that is at least a year old is often found for 50% off. Flash sales of perhaps twelve-hour duration feature the best sales, so users check in frequently for the favorite games.

Hail Gaben! (Please note that this is a different video from the old one.)

 

[N] Obey

News n’ Teasers: May 13, 2016

Posted on: May 13th, 2016 by Obey

A small TF2 patch released today, with a new cosmetic case full of community-designed items. Here’s the short version:

  • Small TF2 patch today
    • Added the Mayflower Cosmetic Case and matching Key
    • The Salty Dog hat is now all-class, and added a Smoky style (puts a pipe in character’s mouth)
    • The Well-Rounded Rifleman, Federal Casemaker, and Universal Translator are also now all-class
    • You’ll notice in 2fort and Hydro that the water is rendered differently now, due to a bugfix
  • Teaser: Official TF2 Newbs Event coming June 1st
  • Shameless Plug: Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remastered is now on Steam

Mayflower Cosmetic Case (aka Crate #102)

Mayflower Case

The contents of Crate #102 are all Graded Cosmetics, so some are rarer than others, as seen below:

Of course, the Key costs the usual US$2.49 at the Mann Co. Store. Here are links to the Keys and Cases on the Steam Market.

 

TF2Newbs Event Coming June 1st

There is an event coming to the Newbs servers on June 1st. More details coming soon. I’m told that lots of hats and keys will be given away to participants….

 

Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remastered Bundle Now Available on Steam

Pardon me as I plug one of my favorite games of all time that isn’t Team Fortress 2. Released on Steam today, this US$30 bundle (currently on sale for $23.99) includes both games with a slew of updates and additional content, including:

  • International Version content (see below)
  • Now supports HD and 4k quality, with adjustable resolution and graphics settings
  • Choose between original soundtracks and remastered/rearranged soundtracks
  • Game boosters, like changing the encounter rate, increased speed, auto-battle, and max Overdrive meters at the start of each battle
  • One-time Parameter Switches to grant maximum Gil, 99 of each items, or unlock all skills for all characters

What is “International Content”? US and Far East users, up until these newest releases, have not had access to the “international content” available in the EU version of the game.

For Final Fantasy X, this refers to optional Dark Aeons and the megaboss Penance to fight. You have to max out the stats of your characters just to have even a prayer of a chance to defeat Penance. (Want a guide to fighting Penance? Go here.) There is also an alternate or “Expert” Sphere Grid, which makes it easier for characters to choose their roles than the original grid, but has fewer nodes overall, making for somewhat weaker characters lategame.

FFX Expert Grid

Yes, there is a Steam Achievement for defeating Penance… If you like turn-based RPGs, Final Fantasy X is one of the best I’ve ever played.

In Final Fantasy X-2, there is an additional Last Mission mode, a new Dresssphere class, a bonus dungeon, a Fiend Arena, and a “Creature Creator”. Both games are sold together in the bundle; I don’t think they are available separately at this time.

 

Full TF2 Patch Notes: May 13, 2016

Undocumented changes

  • Updated the Salty Dog, Well-Rounded Rifleman, Federal Casemaker and Universal Translator so they can be equipped by all classes.
  • Updated the Sub-Zero Suit so it can be equipped by the Demoman.
  • Added Styles to the Salty Dog.
  • Updated the localization files.

[N] Obey

Stats Contest #13 + #15 – Win Keys!

Posted on: October 11th, 2014 by The Jib

Hey Hey, Jib here.. With some updates on the latest Newbs Contest

In September we trialed our new stats contest, awarding 5 players with honorz and their choice of prize from my backpack.

Here are the winners for September:

Top Points: Arthur Digby Sellers 
Time Played: Lindorm 
Dominations: The Infamous Mr. A 
Godlikes: Dam dude 
Deaths: [N] BlueArmadillo 

 

Last month we kept the stats on #15 plr_hightower. This month we are combining #13 koth_harvest with #15′s plr_hightower stats for the contest (trial basis).

We’re also upping the prize to a KEY (or equal value) for each winner. (You can only win one category)

How to win this month?

Most Kills
Deaths
Most Kills with Caber (the holy grail)
Time Played
Most Revenges

Stats run from 10/1/14 to 10/31/14. The month is still young, so get out there and kill some mofoz!

Server #13: 216.231.142.227:27015

Server #15:  209.40.104.151:27015

Firefall Beta video playlist. How to wield a hammer like a badass. Plus combat, resource gathering and Engineerclass ability action.

Posted on: April 6th, 2012 by mrbuttons

A combination of first person shooter and third person shooter with a level class system, missions, plenty of equipment and ability upgrades, along with resource gathering, crafting gear and pvp. This game has a lot going for itself but it still holding back on what they’ve been talking about. At least the NDA is lifted and I get to show you what they’ve got going on right now.

Character creation

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ME3 multiplayer classes: The Krogan Soldier, Notch’s new plans, Depth, cupcakes and more!

Posted on: March 29th, 2012 by mrbuttons

As per a viewers request I went with the Krogan Soldier. At first I didn’t like it but after some practice I found this class to be pretty damn badass, especially once you get the heavy melee timing right since the Krogans are the only one’s who charge while doing so. The trick I find to a successful Krogan class is to focus on the melee and health/shields upgrades in order to cause maximum damage while in close quarters combat. Though be wary about the stronger units as most of them have one-hit kill animations if you dare face them from the front and while they’re ready.

I also briefly talk about other games that I’ve been reading about. Shared the links below for those who’re interested. Also here’s some new info on the next special N7 multiplayer mission:

The Reaper horde is growing, so we must as well. Effective military strength needs to increase, and veterans must train conscripts so that they, in turn, can train others.

Allied Goal: Promote 150,000 characters. Victory Packs awarded to all players upon successful completion.
Individual Goal: Promote 2 characters. Commendation Pack awarded to individual players upon successful completion.

Commendation Packs will be awarded to individual soldiers who complete their training, and a Victory Pack will be awarded to everyone if the Allied Goal is achieved. Packs will be available to download the following week. Please note that participants need to set “Upload Gameplay Feedback” to “on” in the online options to be able to participate in Operation RAPTOR.

*Some restrictions may still apply, Operation Raptor is not open in all regions. PlayStation 3 eligibility will be determined as soon as possible.

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