This time around I'm going to give you a look at Rata Sum, quite possibly the most well designed capital city in the history of MMOs. It's just spectacular! Look!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
GW2 Final Beta Weekend Picture Book Mode (pt 1)
Arena Net really outdid themselves IMO. I had high expectations for the Sylvari considering the art team behind all the design on Guild Wars 2, and they seriously delivered. I think the only way to properly describe the Sylvari is to use pictures. I can't find the right words. Every time I go to a new area I'm simply in disbelief of what the people behind GW2 managed to pull off.
I'm already planning my next video. I could spend an entire Month gathering footage of just the Sylvari areas! There's just so much amazing vistas. It's totally insane.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Steam Sale, Crysis 2, and GW2 Final BWE prep
As pretty much everyone knows, Steam is having their annual summer sale right now, which has given me the opportunity to pick up some titles I hadn't previously had the chance to and also give me some entertainment to fill in the time gap between Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekends.
Finally, we're all waiting with eager anticipation as the final Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend starts in 2 days. Getting to play the Sylvari and Asura will be totally amazing. I can't wait!
Most importantly, I finally got Crysis 2 (and at 70% off, that's a pretty big steal), and combined with the fact that I also now finally have a computer capable of running it in all the DX11 glory it requires I couldn't be happier. It's extremely satisfying. And totally mind blowing.
Sure we've all seen Crytek's promotional stuff, and DX11 showcases, for CryEngine 3 but watching videos and playing the game are two totally different animals. Mostly it comes down to the fact that when I'm immersed in the game I can actually notice why all of these little details like bokeh, realtime reflections, and tessellation make a difference. Their tech is totally mind blowing, but Crytek could surely use some better writers.
To say it plainly, the plot feels like it was written by monkeys. But really, I don't play this game for it's complex and involved story (there isn't any), I play it to experience the power of the game engine they designed. I mean... just look at it.
I'm not even running the game at max settings. It's simply Gorgeous.
Finally, we're all waiting with eager anticipation as the final Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend starts in 2 days. Getting to play the Sylvari and Asura will be totally amazing. I can't wait!
Friday, July 13, 2012
GW2 Beta Client Update
For those of you who just can't wait to get ready for next week's BWE you should be pleased to know that there's now a new Beta Client update. What are you waiting for? You should be downloading this already!
Also, the new client downloader is starting to look really nice!
Monday, July 9, 2012
GW2 Final BWE
It comes as welcome news today that for the final Beta Weekend Event the Asura and Sylvari will be playable races. Of course, this isn't a huge surprise given that Guild Wars 2 is set to be released a little over a month later so having these races polished up would be a generally good idea.
The Sylvari were what captivated me about GW2 from the very start. I'd already been sold on Guild Wars from the beginning, so I was planning on buying GW2 from the first mention of its development. I bought all the magazines to get the special mini pets and read up on any new sliver of information I could get my hands on. So every time they mentioned this elusive Sylvair I couldn't stop but wonder how this race would pan out, and I have to say I couldn't be more pleased with the way ArenaNet developed them.
I've played my fair share of fantasy games so having this totally unique race pop up is huge. They're totally awesome and there's nothing quite like them in any other universe out there. If you haven't had a chance too yet I'd highly recommend you go through the older ArenaNet blogs about the Sylvari. There's a lot of good information there. And if you're not planning on playing a Sylvari then read up all the more, afterall you should probably get to know your new neighbors. They sound pretty nice.
The Sylvari were what captivated me about GW2 from the very start. I'd already been sold on Guild Wars from the beginning, so I was planning on buying GW2 from the first mention of its development. I bought all the magazines to get the special mini pets and read up on any new sliver of information I could get my hands on. So every time they mentioned this elusive Sylvair I couldn't stop but wonder how this race would pan out, and I have to say I couldn't be more pleased with the way ArenaNet developed them.
I've played my fair share of fantasy games so having this totally unique race pop up is huge. They're totally awesome and there's nothing quite like them in any other universe out there. If you haven't had a chance too yet I'd highly recommend you go through the older ArenaNet blogs about the Sylvari. There's a lot of good information there. And if you're not planning on playing a Sylvari then read up all the more, afterall you should probably get to know your new neighbors. They sound pretty nice.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
GW2 Stress Test and Announcement
First and foremost you should all know by now that Guild Wars 2 will be released on August 28th! The best part of that news is that everyone who pre-purchased the game gets a 3-day head start, which means you can start playing it on the 25th and get a weekend in before everyone else does. Awesome! The wait is almost finally over!
I've also been super glad that during the 2 months we have left of waiting we're getting all these stress tests, and beta weekends, which are super fun and they've let me really figure out what to do under different playing circumstances. During the stress test yesterday I only had a few hours to play, and I had already completed a lot of the content I intended to so what was I to do for a couple hours?
First of all, I turned myself into a deer. I mean why not?
I've also been super glad that during the 2 months we have left of waiting we're getting all these stress tests, and beta weekends, which are super fun and they've let me really figure out what to do under different playing circumstances. During the stress test yesterday I only had a few hours to play, and I had already completed a lot of the content I intended to so what was I to do for a couple hours?
First of all, I turned myself into a deer. I mean why not?
Then I played around on my warrior and killed some bandits with the help of Logan Thackeray. The thing I really enjoy about playing a warrior is that combat feels especially visceral. While I do definitely enjoy the combat system with Mesmers, there's always a soft spot in my heart for getting up close and personal with my foes. Smashing them in the face with large objects never gets old.
After that we all found out that there would be a repeat of the last BWE final event, in which Dragon Branded minions invaded the Plains of Ashford. During the last BWE I didn't get a chance to play in this little event so it was especially fun for me to experience for the first time. I definitely did my fair share of zerging waypoints and making sure that nothing survived our onslaught.
Of course, eventually I got turned and had a party with my new friends.
Now we only have some speculation left to do. The last BWE is July 20-22, so what do you think they'll let us play? I'm hoping the Sylvari and Asura are finally available. It would be awesome to finally see Rata Sum and The Grove in all their glory!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
D3 Cave In
It comes as no real surprise that eventually I caved in and got Diablo 3.
I've been charging through the game with a monk and am currently half way through Act 3 in Hell without much difficulty. The nice thing about monks, as I've found, is that it's really easy to spec them for damage or taking so depending on what I'm going up against I can always be sure to have the right gear for the job. I've been going for a more damage oriented build recently focusing on dual wield skills and some AoE skills. This seems like it works out especially well with all the crazy packs of mobs in Act3. They tend to clump up really nicely which makes for some really easy group slaughter.
I'm sure that will all change once I get to Inferno and start to totally get worked by normal white mobs, but at least I'm starting to build up a good base of gear to get started on Inferno. Afterall Inferno is where the real game begins. Right?
I've been charging through the game with a monk and am currently half way through Act 3 in Hell without much difficulty. The nice thing about monks, as I've found, is that it's really easy to spec them for damage or taking so depending on what I'm going up against I can always be sure to have the right gear for the job. I've been going for a more damage oriented build recently focusing on dual wield skills and some AoE skills. This seems like it works out especially well with all the crazy packs of mobs in Act3. They tend to clump up really nicely which makes for some really easy group slaughter.
I'm sure that will all change once I get to Inferno and start to totally get worked by normal white mobs, but at least I'm starting to build up a good base of gear to get started on Inferno. Afterall Inferno is where the real game begins. Right?
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
GW2 Filling the Void
It's been some time since the last Beta Weekend Event and since then I've had a lot of time with other games. Bastion, Super Meat Boy, LIMBO, Starcraft2, and Borderlands (again). But that all made me realize that really all I've been doing is trying to find something to fill the GW2 void between now and the next BWE.
I almost bought Diablo 3 the other day too. I had my credit card info punched in and everything, but at the very last moment some kind of moral judgment stuck me and I started to second guess the decision. I know that GW2 is going to be released sometime in 2012, so if I go and buy something now I'll have maybe 3 months of time with it, possibly less, before I abandon the game entirely and devote all my time to GW2. So would the $60 for D3 really be worth it if I only play the game for 3 months? That's like $20 a month! That's more than a WoW subscription! On that notion it seemed a little stupid to make the purchase.
I've still got a stockpile of games sitting in my Steam Library, and if I really get desperate for something to do I guess I could always go and grind out 50/50 in the Hall of Monuments. Though, honestly I don't really see that happening anytime soon.
I almost bought Diablo 3 the other day too. I had my credit card info punched in and everything, but at the very last moment some kind of moral judgment stuck me and I started to second guess the decision. I know that GW2 is going to be released sometime in 2012, so if I go and buy something now I'll have maybe 3 months of time with it, possibly less, before I abandon the game entirely and devote all my time to GW2. So would the $60 for D3 really be worth it if I only play the game for 3 months? That's like $20 a month! That's more than a WoW subscription! On that notion it seemed a little stupid to make the purchase.
I've still got a stockpile of games sitting in my Steam Library, and if I really get desperate for something to do I guess I could always go and grind out 50/50 in the Hall of Monuments. Though, honestly I don't really see that happening anytime soon.
Friday, June 15, 2012
GW2 Video Reception!
As you may have read earlier, I put together a time lapse video during the last Beta Weekend. (If you don't know, well then you should go check it out because apparently the whole internet is talking about it!)
Wow! First off I couldn't be more happy with some of the comments I'm getting. You people are amazing! And secondly, 16,200 views in 4 days is no laughing matter! I had an idea that people would like what I was putting together, but this goes way beyond what I could have imagined. So thank you to everyone who's watched, reposted, shared, talked about, or in any other way contributed to spreading my video around the internet. You are all gentlemen (or women) and scholars. I salute you.
Also, I figured I'd take this opportunity to answer a few questions that keep popping up.
How do you hide your character in a screenshot?
Hopefully ArenaNet will change this and allow for a first person view mode, but if they don't it's actually quite simple. 1) Type /sleep. 2) Zoom in the camera a little. 3) Your character should now be hidden. If your character is still in the screenshot you may have to play with the viewing angle a little so they are hidden, but it shouldn't take much. I've found that using a Human works best since out of all the races right now they're the smallest and the Charr's horns have a nasty habit of getting into your screenshots regardless what you do to hide them.
How did you take that many screenshots!?
I used a handy program called chronolapse. It's super easy to setup and you can set it to take a screenshot at whatever time interval you want. Then you set a folder you want it to save the screenshots to and voila! There you have it! 10,000 screenshots, every 3 seconds, all saved in one place!
On the usability side I did find out that in order for chronolapse to actually work right you have to set Guild Wars 2 to "Fullscreen Windowed" mode, under screen resolution, otherwise for whatever reason chronolapse will just take screenshots of your desktop, which is very much not what I want everyone looking at. Also, once I had taken all the screenshots I did reorganize them so that each location was separated into it's own folder, this made for putting the final video together a lot easier since I could edit each segment individually instead of having to cut up one clip a bunch (23 to be exact) times.
Why did you take screenshots instead of video?
The short answer is: I wanted to save disc space. 10,000 screenshots comes out to about 2GB, whereas 8hours of uncompressed 1080p video is on the upwards of 1.4 TERABYTES!
The long answer is: If I'm taking 1080p video at 30fps and then speeding it up to the rate at which I made the time lapse I would effectively be cutting 89 of every 90 frames out of the videos. That's a lot of wasted footage. If you do the math, 8 hours of video is 864,000 frames and I would only be actually using 10,000 of those. So instead of wasting all those (854,000) frames, I chose to cut out the middle man and just go straight for the screenshots. This speeds up the editing process, since I'm using smaller file sizes (2GB of screenshots instead of 1.4TB of videos), and I don't have all this extra footage wasting my disc space that will eventually just end up on the cutting room floor.
Where is this Sylvari area?
It's in the southwest corner of Kessex Hills. Lychcroft Mere.
In the end all I have to say to everyone is:
Thank you for your support and yes I will definitely be making more videos down the road.
Wow! First off I couldn't be more happy with some of the comments I'm getting. You people are amazing! And secondly, 16,200 views in 4 days is no laughing matter! I had an idea that people would like what I was putting together, but this goes way beyond what I could have imagined. So thank you to everyone who's watched, reposted, shared, talked about, or in any other way contributed to spreading my video around the internet. You are all gentlemen (or women) and scholars. I salute you.
Also, I figured I'd take this opportunity to answer a few questions that keep popping up.
How do you hide your character in a screenshot?
Hopefully ArenaNet will change this and allow for a first person view mode, but if they don't it's actually quite simple. 1) Type /sleep. 2) Zoom in the camera a little. 3) Your character should now be hidden. If your character is still in the screenshot you may have to play with the viewing angle a little so they are hidden, but it shouldn't take much. I've found that using a Human works best since out of all the races right now they're the smallest and the Charr's horns have a nasty habit of getting into your screenshots regardless what you do to hide them.
How did you take that many screenshots!?
I used a handy program called chronolapse. It's super easy to setup and you can set it to take a screenshot at whatever time interval you want. Then you set a folder you want it to save the screenshots to and voila! There you have it! 10,000 screenshots, every 3 seconds, all saved in one place!
On the usability side I did find out that in order for chronolapse to actually work right you have to set Guild Wars 2 to "Fullscreen Windowed" mode, under screen resolution, otherwise for whatever reason chronolapse will just take screenshots of your desktop, which is very much not what I want everyone looking at. Also, once I had taken all the screenshots I did reorganize them so that each location was separated into it's own folder, this made for putting the final video together a lot easier since I could edit each segment individually instead of having to cut up one clip a bunch (23 to be exact) times.
Why did you take screenshots instead of video?
The short answer is: I wanted to save disc space. 10,000 screenshots comes out to about 2GB, whereas 8hours of uncompressed 1080p video is on the upwards of 1.4 TERABYTES!
The long answer is: If I'm taking 1080p video at 30fps and then speeding it up to the rate at which I made the time lapse I would effectively be cutting 89 of every 90 frames out of the videos. That's a lot of wasted footage. If you do the math, 8 hours of video is 864,000 frames and I would only be actually using 10,000 of those. So instead of wasting all those (854,000) frames, I chose to cut out the middle man and just go straight for the screenshots. This speeds up the editing process, since I'm using smaller file sizes (2GB of screenshots instead of 1.4TB of videos), and I don't have all this extra footage wasting my disc space that will eventually just end up on the cutting room floor.
Where is this Sylvari area?
It's in the southwest corner of Kessex Hills. Lychcroft Mere.
In the end all I have to say to everyone is:
Thank you for your support and yes I will definitely be making more videos down the road.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
SuperMeat Boy and RSI
Super Meat Boy is going to give me RSI if I don't buy a USB controller by next week.
It's totally retarded but I can't stop playing it. There's this sadistic satisfaction I get from jumping chunks of meat into spinning sawblades. It doesn't even matter if it takes me a million tries to finish a level. Watching the replay afterwards is awesome. You get to see the rat race of all the little balls of meat dying horrible deaths.
I like simple games like this in the downtime between Guild Wars 2 Beta Events. It really does a great job of getting my mind off of things and allowing me to chill out for a bit, but stupid Super Meat Boy is this addiction that's going to end up killing my hands. Oh well. At least I'm having fun.
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