Update Schmupdate

So I haven’t posted in the last few days, which is a long time for the interwebz. It’s due to a combination of things, mainly the fact that I have exams starting in a few weeks that I’ve been revising for. Also I’ve been spending most my comp time buried up to my neck in Source Recorder tutorials and unplayable demo files, worrying about framerates and other geeky stuff like that (more of that later).

This isn’t a post that has anything to say really, just that once my exams are over I’ll be back on form. Stuff I’ve got coming includes reviews of the Synergy and Jailbreak mods for Half-Life 2; in fact I’m thinking of making mod reviews a regular feature on here (not at all an idea stolen from Chris Livingston’s “The Demoman”). Since mods are always in development, I’ll keep track of a few at a time and post any interesting changes up here. Any potential title ideas? By the way, I’d appreciate any help people want to give in terms of playing the mods with me, especially Synergy as it’s all about co-op.

Something else interesting I found the other day is FakeFactory & Ogg’s High Resolution Pack for Half-Life 2. It replaces most of the textures in-game to higher resolution versions, that actually make it look a lot better. For a free little package it adds a surprising amount to the game, for one thing the incentive to go back and replay it and be reminded of it’s amazingness. Only minor gripe I have is that the new texture changes the faces of some of the characters. Of course, that’s the point, kinda, and most look similar enough to not be annoying. With any other game this wouldn’t be a problem in the slightest, but in Half-Life 2, a game whose characters have such expressive facial animation and developed personalities that you genuinely feel a connection to them, it’s a little unsettling. That’s all.

Old and new Barney comparison:

Ok, so they really aren’t that different. Whatever.

On a side note, the new Vortigaunt skin textures are lovely:

Moving on, I’m in the process of creating a video for my squad CP-Phoenix. It initially was going to be just footage from one scrimmage back in April, us vs “1337 a55 pwnrz” (stupid name I know, we whupped them thoroughly), but I’ve decided to take footage from any forthcoming scrims and stick it together to showcase the squad’s MAD SKILLZORS. Ahem.

I’ve been getting frustrated by the fact that whenever TF2 updates the old demo files become unplayable, and as such I can’t capture any footage from them. It’s kind of learning experience though because I’ve had to learn the ins and outs of demos, and how to use source recorder and VirtualDub, not to mention a chance to get to grips with my new editing software. The video should be finished some time between now and death, and of course I’ll post up here about it, as well as on the Control Point forums. Believe me, I’ll want to pimp it out as much as possible

That’s about it for now. If this blog interests you then the only sensible thing to do is keep hitting f5 over and over and over and over and over and over again until I update. You know it makes sense.