The PC Centric Extravaganza 06.24.08

Posted by Chris Evans on 06.24.2008

Team Fortress 2 and EVE Online sandwiched by Call of Duty, Battlefield and more!

The PC Centric Extravaganza 24th June 2008

Welcome to another edition of the PC Centric Extravaganza! I would like to take a moment and just say that Team Fortress 2 is awesome. I am so glad that the Pyro update has arrived as the hype surrounding it has brought me back into the game. Awesome stuff! Lets get on with this, you may see some more extended pieces of writing than what you normally see, but don't let that scare you!

Team Fortress 2 – Meet The Sniper and Pyro Update

It has been a busy few days for Team Fortress 2 related news and I think it is about time it was all brought together in one, nice and neatly wrapped package for your reading pleasure. If you want to Meet The Sniper, find out about the Pyro update and learn more then read on.

I must say the Meet The Sniper video (seen below) is surely one of the best 'Meet The' videos since we saw the Engineer. While the Pyro update may have been the focus of Valve's attention these past few days, and the attention of many gamers, for me the Meet The Sniper video has been the highlight.

It is this video more than anything which is enticing me to jump like a maniac back into Team Fortress 2. The conflict between the Sniper and his dad in the video provide the backdrop for learning more about the character. The Sniper views himself as being a master of his profession unlike others, for example the Soldier who are more wild and thoughtless killing machines.

Little touches such as the bobblehead and the little jars of, well I will let you watch that part to see what I mean, these little touches are what make the 'Meet The' videos so great. In turn these are the things which make Team Fortress 2 so great. It is something I am sure I touched upon in my mini-review of the Orange Box that the appeal of TF2 is the characters such as the Sniper.



Indeed this is what makes TF2 so special, you are not just simply playing some random avatar who has some special abilities, you are playing a character. The joys of the 'Meet The' videos has been their ability to provide so much detail and background to the characters. It is not something you expect in a multiplayer game, to become attached to characters. You will be playing the game as a Sniper and start thinking about how your dad disapproves of your chosen career path, you will be playing as an Engineer and wish you could just sit down and play some music while your turret goes to town on the Blue team.

Simply put I am feeling guilty for having abandoned Team Fortress 2, though I have had my reasons what with my various computer and university woes getting in the way. Anyway I recommend you read this piece by Alec on Rock, Paper, Shotgun which further explores the love affair many people have with Team Fortress 2.



Onto the Pyro updates then! The first big bit of Pyro related news is seeming confirmation from Robin Walker that the Pyro is female.

We've never been terribly happy with the Pyro, in particular with her shallower skill curve than other combat classes.

emphasis added by yours truly

This was taken from an interview Walker did with csnation.net.

The full detailed list of changes to the Pyro class and Team Fortress 2 in general can be found here while a more fancy and artful type can be seen here.

While the update was known as the 'Pyro Update' there were many other changes and additions to the game itself that didn't focus solely on the Pyro character. The two big non-Pyro changes are the inclusion of two new maps: cp_fastlane and ctf_turbine.These two maps were created by community members Arttu "skdr" Mäki and Bill Johnston respectively.

It really is great to see some more fan made maps getting added to the full game in an official manner. This just goes to show the respect Valve has for their fans and community members. This is a great endorsement of the skills of the two map makers and they must feel great at seeing their work feature in the latest update. Congratulations to both of them.

Other changes in the Pyro Update include alterations to both cp_well and ctf_well along with some alterations to the Soldier's rockets.

So the Pyro herself. The Pyro character now has a new ability for her regular flamer. The new alt-fire mode produces a blast of compressed air to launch back whatever is in the path of the killer air. This allows the Pyro to push back their victims into a larger group of enemies as well as many other devious tricks.

Along with the three new unlockables, The Flare Gun, Backburner and Axtinguisher (more details on those here) there are 35 new Pyro Achievements my favourite of which is this:




The OMGWTFBBQ achievement calls on the Pyro to kill an enemy using a taunt. Quality.

After all this Team Fortress 2 writing, I think I need to actually play it!

Spore Creature Creator

After yesterday's report about the Spore Creature Creator being leaked early it is now available properly right here.

The full version of the Creature Creator (which Buttonbasher have had an in-depth look at) is being released at various times depending on who you purchase it from. It is thus best to check on availability before purchase.

For now those of you who downloaded the leaked Trial version, or have just downloaded the Trial version, well you will be pleased to know that the online sharing parts are slowly coming online which is really great news.

More information here.

You all want a review of the Spore Creature Creator? Well head on over here and scroll down to read my take on it. I say controversial things like:

the Creature Creator can be considered to be a game in and of itself

And also get accused of 'playing god.' Read I say!

Call of Duty – World at War

Call of Duty: World at War is taking us back to World War Two and will throw us into the battle in the American struggle against the Japanese as well as the deadly Eastern Front between the German and Russian armies. It is being made by Treyarch, the team behind what I have been told was a failure known as Call of Duty 3. And now they decide to go back to World War Two and take on the challenge of making a game out of the Pacific war, something which EA have failed to do on two occasions.

My hype levels are strangely non-existent even after watching that trailer and reading the PC Zone preview which dishes out some good information about the game. Maybe it is the fact that CoD4 was so good that by moving back to World War Two World at War is going to immediately be viewed in a different light. Time will tell though.

This Gaming Life

I will be honest, that picture does no justice whatsoever to having the proper hardback copy of Jim Rossignol's book, This Gaming Life: Travels in Three Cities, on your desk.

My first impressions are that Jim has written a very good book and has taken to the task of writing on a much larger scale to heart and has produced a fine piece of literature. Good on him.

New Battlefield 2 Patch and Maps Coming?

The Australian/New Zealand based netGameRadio has recently scored an exclusive interview with DICE honcho John Hargelid. While they start talking at the 37 minute mark of the massive podcast some interesting information is revealed five minutes into the interview itself.

When posed with a question about whether we can expect to see any new Battlefield 2 maps/patches in the near future, John initially evaded the question, but he did reveal that on Monday we can expect to see an official announcement on this. In another interesting bit of new John confirmed that DICE have control over when the BF2 master servers will be turned off, and they have no plans to do that any time soon.

You can get the podcast from netGameRadio or from the Total Gaming Network. ( via Kotaku.)

If this is true this is a great surprise, it is the third anniversary of the launch of BF2 on Monday and it is great to see and hear that DICE are still interested in keeping up support for the game. I have recently started playing BF2 again on-and-off and have been wondering if we would see any more support for the game arrive.

It seems that Monday we will see an announcement, fingers crossed it will be very good news and that there will be something to breathe new life back into the game. I can't wait to hear this!

Into EVE

What follows is a piece I wrote regarding my first days of EVE Online.

I write this as my new Frigate know as the Navitas circles an asteroid in the Bourynes Solar System. My ship is currently mining some Condensed Scordite while my character is learning a Learning Skill. You see, I have been playing EVE Online for only a matter of days and already I am getting into it. This is a game where you can sit back and relax while you let things happen. Of course I am not relaxed, I am still nervous and fearing that something is going to go drastically wrong.

Already I have bought this Navitas and left behind my starting ship. Was this a wise choice? I hope it was, I am sure that there are many EVE players who would tell me that I should have kept going with the starting ship until I was ready to move onto bigger and better things than my Navitas. However I have already made back nearly 1/4 of the ISK I spent on my Navitas.

I think I shall continue along this path for a few days, mining some asteroids while learning new skills. If I continue in this fashion I hope to be able to make the step up to another bigger, better ship from which I will be able to travel further, mine more and just do more things within this game which has already struck me with its sheer size.

I was talking to my buddy Seni'ath earlier and I mentioned how I felt like a small being within a giant world. Seni'ath has been playing for a few months now so I assume he knows what he is doing and has a place in the world. Yet he still said that at times he gets the feeling of being a small cog within a giant machine.

Is this something that puts me off? No. I already know that I can work away in my small area of the galaxy, in 1.0 space and not have to worry about being targeted by the many Corporations that run EVE.

Corporations and such like are what attracted me to EVE in the first place. I have read many pieces (mainly by Jim Rossignol in PC Gamer) of work that talk about the world of EVE, the role played by the various Corporations, Alliances and even the many non-affiliated players. There is a very real sense of freedom within EVE. It feels like the players are having an impact on the game and are able to influence events.

Is this what makes EVE unique among MMORPGs? I think it is, unlike games such a World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online you play in the knowledge that one day you can have a profound impact on the game world itself. This is similar to what Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is setting out to do.

By giving players the chance to actually impact upon the game world the developers of EVE have created a game that has much more depth than others. I again come back to the point that I am able to orbit an asteroid in safe 1.0 space comfortable in the knowledge that I can slowly work on my skills and mine minerals which I will be able to refine and sell for some ISK. I know that while I am doing this, there are going to be Corporations out there which are stuck in eternal conflict with each other. These are conflicts which will have an impact upon anyone and everyone in the game as different parts of the game world come under control of different groups.

I will say that EVE has already grabbed my attention in the way that no other MMORPG that I have played has been able to do. It just has a feeling that makes you want to play and play. However it has that one vice that all MMORPGs seem to have, monthly fees. I fear that once my trial ends I will have to put the game aside. I do however hope to have some adventures in the meantime.

Back to those asteroids for me.

Wrapping Up!

That is a wrap for now. As you are reading this I should be away for a few days with my lovely girlfriend, but I will be back next week! See you soon.