My Current Gaming Regimen

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Nov 282008

So, as we all know, pwning is a multi-part procedure. Not just any old newb can hop on his mom’s computer and start fragging… well… fatal1ty probably could… but that’s besides the point. Most people have to practice to become elite.

As such, this is my current practice regiment that I will begin to undertake,

3-4 hpd (Hours per day) of Counter Strike: Source

1-2 hpd Unreal Tournament

1-2 hpd Team Fortress 2

2-3 hpd Counter Strike and Day of Defeat

0-1 hpd Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath

Total: 9 solid hpd of Gaming

Reasons:

Counter Strike: Source

Almost ALL tournaments include, and are mostly formed around this game. Making this my #1 game to practice. There’s no other way to learn all the subtle aspects like it’s accuracy engine and damage levels.

Unreal Tournament:

A great classic Arena shooter. I’m actually playing Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition, for those of you who care. Adding an arena/death-match game to your rotation not only adds to your total FPS gaming experience, but helps you with aspects like covering your flanks, since nobody else will, and quickly swapping weapons which games like Counter Strike: Source offer you less chance to practice.

Team Fortress 2:

While many tournaments feature this game, it’s also a helpful blend of both previous games. While It’s based on the same engine as CS:S (Valve’s Source Engine) it has more of an arena feel to it, all the while boosting many benefits to using team tactics as opposed to “lone wolf” tactics… Something I need serious work on.

Counterstrike 1.6 & Day of Defeat 1.6:

While tournament gaming has primarily shifted to newer games, mostly source games, many still have leagues for the old valve 1.6 games. Additionally, Day of defeat stressing team work, much like TF2 and many weapons are one shot one kill, forcing you to think and react quickly.

Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath:

Because not only do I OCCASIONALLY need a break from fps, but RTS forces you to think laterally and in many other ways than FPS does. and kane’s wrath is just beautiful.

Anyways I will be starting this regimen on either sunday or monday of the upcoming week, and will post any issues I find with it and wether it seems to show any progress by next friday.\

~Zypher, aka: Lt. Hawkeye

Posted by Zypher at 4:42 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Chicken Soup for the Gamer's Soul

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Nov 272008

Don’t worry, I’m not gonna get all mushy and soft on you, going on about romance and people’s lucky breaks… That’s what that chicken soup book is, right? This is actually just a really simple recipe for making chicken noodle soup which is great tasting, great for you, and quick as shit to reheat.

Ingredients:

  • One or more boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • 8 cups water
  • 8 tsp Chicken bullion (broth or stock would be better, but hey w/e)
  • 3Tbs Onion powder (or one whole onion, chopped in half)
  • 1Tbs Garlic powder (or half a garlic clove)
  • 1Tbs Paprika
  • 1Tbs Parsley
  • 1-2 Bay leaves
  • 2-3 Cups Dried Pasta or Rice
  • -OPTIONAL- One large Carrot or two small (like 5 baby) carrots (canned carrots work two)
  • -OPTIONAL- celery stick (canned works too)
  • Anything else you have lying around

Now, even though I only put optional next to the carrots and celery, your soup is completely up to you, and you can leave out any of the ingredients you don’t like (with the exception of the water).

  1. Defrost chicken, overnight or in microwave.
  2. Add whole chicken breast, seasonings, and water to a large pan, heat to high heat.
  3. Boil chicken until cooked thoroughly.
  4. Strain out chicken, onions, garlic, and bay leaves, while moving the water to a new pan, KEEP THE STOCK!!
  5. Bring stock to a boil as you cut chicken into bite-sized or smaller pieces.
  6. Add pasta and return to a boil.
  7. Add chicken pieces and boil for 5min.
  8. Reduce heat to medium, and add any vegetables you’d like, cook for 5min.
  9. Reduce to a simmer and forget about it for at least ten minutes. (you can’t over simmer it)
  10. Let cool and enjoy!

There you go, my simple and quick Chicken soup recipe. It’s great for a speedy lunch inbetween fragging, plus carrots are good for your eyesight. I’m hoping my eyes hit 85hz soon so I can catch my monitor refreshing.

Posted by Zypher at 1:22 am Tagged with: , , ,

How I Got My SEGA Genesis for -$10.00 Part 1 of 2

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Nov 272008

It was in the spring of this year, 2008, that my longing to play sonic 2 finally got the better of me, and so I set out on a quest, knowing full well, that my summer was to be spent searching high and low for a Sega Genesis and paddles, worthy of my seasoned thumbs.

Luckily enough for me, I found one such system at a nearby flea market. Elated at my discovery, I promptly asked:

“How much for the SEGA Genesis?” My wide eyes surely betraying my wallet, the man answered.

$45, with one controller and one game.

My heart sunk low in my stomach at hearing this. How was I to justify $45, just to play games I’d grown out of a decade earlier?

I dolefully decided to try my luck elsewhere…

It seemed like months passed as I slunk around the rest of the bartering tables. How likely was it that yet another Sega genesis could be found in this cobbled mess of plywood tables.  The trivial  junk peppering their surfaces did little to reduced my angst, and that’s when I saw them…

Dangling out of an old cardboard box like so much old trash waiting to be thrown away, were TWO SEGA Genesis Controllers. As dusty and old as they seemed, I briefly considered leaving them to their doom, but smacking myself briskly in the face, and getting close enough to see it was indeed a complete genesis, I choose wisely to inquire as to It’s price.

I’ll never forget the response I received,

“Did you want both or just one of them? Heck, they’re not gonna sell, you can take them both for $10.”

My mind reeled at his statement, surely my ears had been mistaken, TWO SEGA GENESIS, for TEN DOLLARS! but sure enough as I peered deeper into the box there was not only a slew of games, and five controllers, but also TWO SEGA GENESIS!

I almost god rug burn on my hand from reaching for my wallet so quickly.

And so I was homeward bound, box of classic video games in tow, and ready to finally finish some of the first video games I’d ever sworn to beat.

Posted by Zypher at 12:55 am Tagged with: , , ,

"Play With Purpose" -or- My Jact.com Story!

Everything, Making the Money, Professional gaming 1 Response »
Nov 262008

Ever felt like your wasting away your life playing video games? I did too… Until I happened upon Jact.com

I was scanning eBay for steam accounts, people actually try to sell them on there despite is being against the Steam TOS, and stumbled upon some guy selling invites for a site called Jact.com (http://www.jact.com). Intrigued as to what could make them so special that you needed to buy your way in, I read on.

Essentially their site works as follows:

  1. You sign up at jact.com
  2. you pick your ten most played computer games (which you can change at any time)
  3. Download Eamonn, Jact’s client Software
  4. they track how long you play each game
  5. roughly every minute of game play = 1 “jact bux” = roughly 1/10th cent
  6. you spend your points on Jact.com, and get free shit
Don't feel bad... I couldn't believe it either!

After reading all of this I thought it was way too good to be true, so I went to check out this “Jact.com” and see what their angle was, but they have none… or at least none that I’ve found in the months I’ve been with them. Not only that, but all of this is FREE! It costs nothing at all!

You might also Be thinking, whooped-di-do, 1/10th cent! But rest assured that if you game as much as me, 1/10th of a cent can add up quickly, and you can easily make >1000 bux in one day! They even host their own Counter Strike: Source Server which allows you to rack up even more points in “competition mode”. Overall now, I’ve received a free gaming mouse, 1GB of ram, and have Invader Zim: The complete series shipping to my house as we speak!

Anyways If you play any kind of computer games, it’s more than worth checking out.

Comment and I’ll send you an invite you don’t have to pay for.

Posted by Zypher at 9:54 am Tagged with: , ,

The Breakfast of Champions

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Nov 262008

So you wanna frag like the best of ‘em huh? Well it all starts with a healthy breakfast, and that doesn’t mean frosted flakes.

yumm whole grains...

yumm whole grains...

This my friends is a 42oz tube of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, and it, along with the rest of my gaming diet, is your best friend.

Recipe:

  • 1tbsp Granulated Sugar (I use 2tbsp)
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Cup Water -or- Milk (milk is better, but it’s balls expensive)
  • 1/4 Cup Oats (I prefer Old Fashioned but quick works as well)

Stir that shit up in a bowl, pop it into the microwave and nuke it for 2:00.  You’ll have the best cereal in the world. It’s cheap, It’s quick, It’s good for your heart and circulatory system,and it ain’t half bad neither.

Posted by Zypher at 9:18 am Tagged with: , ,

A Slew of Game Releases, and My Tomb Raider: Underworld Review

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Nov 262008

As I post this, dear gamers, we stand poised in the middle of an onslaught of new releases in the video game world. While I would normally hail this as a good, great, even grand thing, I must fear the worst…

In a rush to get out their products for a christmas, nigh black-friday release, I’m sure some companies have fallen through on throughly testing their games. It pains me greatly to say this, but I will have to wait and deliberate before casting my judgement on games like:

Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto 4 (PC), Call Of Duty: World at War, Far Cry 2, The New Prince of Persia, and Mirrors Edge. Some of which I will give previews of later. That said however, there is one game that I CAN attest has been well manufactured and produced: Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Before I begin telling you why I love this latest incarnation of an old dog, let me start with why I hated the series last few attempts to snag me. First, the game play blew… I cannot put it simpler or more honestly… Not only did moving and navigating puzzles require some kind of exacting, cyborg, millimeter counting OCD to handle, but when you actually gave in and tried to use “strategy” to progress, you’d get fragged by the games jittery camera or shitty fighting system.

Well, needless to say, that is not the case in this Tomb Raider. The games focus is on heroine’s journey to, I believe, find her mother. Now I say “I believe” Because to be honest, I’m not entirely sure… Like I said before, I hated the last games, so I’m not up on my Tomb Raider lore… Still the game plays incredibly well, and is doing it’s best to fill in parts of the story as it progresses. As platforming/adventure games are not my forte, I’m playing on medium difficulty (Called, get this, “Tomb Raider” skill level) and am progressing quicker than I expected.

First the game is offered on steam, which is always a plus in my book, since this makes it easier to download and install, that +1 point right off the bat.

Secondly, and actually perhaps least importantly, Lara Croft is looking HOTT, better than she has Tomb Raider 2, +1 point.

Third, as I said before, the game doesnt suffer from horrible game-play mechanics, well it does but at least they seem mild when compared to previous versions, +2 points.

Most importantly however, this game is just friggin gorgeous. Utilizing the new directx 10 video cards…. It’s just incredible, here, look for yourself:

The visuals in this game are stunning... Yeah Thats Really Gameplay!

The visuals in this game are stunning... Yeah Thats Really Gameplay!

So with another +4 point for it’s graphics, overall Tomb Raider: Underworld scores an 8/10, not bad given that I’d grown to dread this series.

~Sincerely, Zypher

Posted by Zypher at 8:12 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Progaminglife.com

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Nov 262008

Hello, My name is Tim Otto, and I play video games…

While it might sound like I’m taking the first step towards dealing with my addiction, admiting I have a problem, I can assure you that I have no intention of giving up on this passionate pursuit.

Since I was a child video games have consumed me. To be honest, I never truly understood why until my mother showed me a picture of a young me bouncing on her knee while she stumbled through Super Mario Bro’s on our family NES (circa ’92-’93.)

Me and Nintendo Go WAYYY Back

Me and Nintendo Go WAYYY Back

Still to this day I am overwhelmed with pride and passion when it comes to my games. I regularly skool fools in FPS and RTS and can hold my own on any console. Though of course, being such a FPS nut, my chosen frag medium is the PC. As my fingers dance ever so lightly across my keyboard, with every move intent on pwning some helpless noob… I can’t help but have a minor orgasm.

That, my good friends and loyal audience, is of course why we’re here today. My semi-erotic relationship with PC gaming aside, it is my wish to take you on a trip, down the rabbit hole, into the world of professional gaming, where alas young boy, waits fame, fortune, and even, perhaps, a female gamer or two in need of more than one kind of ownage.

Prepare for descent, Zypher

Posted by Zypher at 6:24 am Tagged with:
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