Nobra Fortress

Meet the Sniper Video is up!!!!!

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:10:49 GMT

http://storefront.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=5051

The 100 Acre Woods would make an awesome map.

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:09:09 GMT

I mean...WOW. Kudows to Fanboys for being one of my favorite online comics.

My brother is on TF2 now!

Tue, 06 May 2008 04:37:42 GMT

Stp03bluesi

That's his screen name. Go ahead and add him. Hahhaa...I TOTALLY owned him tonight with capture points.

LFG healer not needed

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:21:35 GMT

Wow, a new era of Team Fortress 2 has begun...

While I'm personally not keen on the grinding/farming and left-behind potential that for one thing drew me to cancel my WoW account within a few months, I'm sure tempted to actually freeze the exam revision for a moment and get back into playing TF2 briefly, mainly to see if I can have fun getting new Pyro records before the first wave of one-class mania dies down (honestly, why didn't they at least wait till they'd prepared at least two classes update sets before releasing it?)

Best bit of update for me: Heavy and Demoman speech updates. Looks like I'm gonna have to run GCFscape once again.

So, thoughts on the latest progression? Oh, and for those who've tried it out, how's Goldrush?

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:45:17 GMT

Scout's on Steam

BONK

rock2

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:41:52 GMT

I'm impressed with the remake already (it's still in beta as well). Had lots of fun from tonight.

Megacon Video

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:26:22 GMT

Someone got a vid of us at the photoshoot!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YDvGujpprV4

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:56:35 GMT

Hahhahahahahha

Poor lil Pyro.

Bonk madness

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:20:52 GMT

(Thanks, Steam forums)

When Valve presented the art design of TF2 at GDC, they presented the "Meet the Scout" video (Just an article; no video yet).

I wonder if this will be released with another huge update since Valve said they'd release Goldrush by the end of this month. Interesting :)

And now, thanks makiotwist for the video; them beats were fresh. :D

Mortal Bonk

Bonk NFL on Fox

Super Bonk Land

BLU Scout is locked and loaded!

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:05:30 GMT

"Eat my dust!"

(Click on thumbnails to view)

X-posted to forums.

Last call for TF2 Patches.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:05:47 GMT

I'm making Ken's patches for the Demoman costume today and I've still received no emails for other patches.

If you need patches either e-mail me with reference pictures or reply to this post with reference pics asap.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:04:01 GMT

Huge thanks to Mike (and the other Nobra houses with providing space for prop making) for the help with the scattergun. All I have left to do is paint the drum magazine and the barrels. I should be able to get pics up (along with my completed Scout costume) by either tomorrow night or Wednesday at the latest.

Speaking of photos, from Rob Uno's post (along with Ken's comment), would a photoshoot before the convention be ideal? I just thought maybe getting team pics (in a clear area and with better lighting) would work. It's up to you all since I don't know everyone's availability. If you ask me, surely we'll get plenty of pics at the convention anyway *shrug*.

Badlands (thoughts)

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:46:25 GMT

Simply put, I don't like it.

My main gripe (other than the fact that it's CP): The spire capture point is a joke. Soldiers, Demos, and Scouts have the advantage (the fact that this is coming from a person who plays those three classes almost exclusively nowadays...). Once you knock the defenders off, it's basically your cap. You're a sitting duck standing on it (which of course, Valve stupidly wants you to do in order to block caps), yet you are practically giving your opponents the cap if you try fighting from different angles. I honestly feel sorry for defenders.

Maybe if it stayed CTF, I would probably be more lenient. Moreover, if they do release a CTF version, I would have a second opinion due to the change in gameplay.

In short, I recommend playing the classic version that's out there.

Big update from Valve tomorrow.

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:15:20 GMT

http://storefront.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=1441&cc=US

X-posted to the forums.

Update pics

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:56:21 GMT

Of Sniper and Pyro WIP

Under cut

Did some modifying to the pellet gun I picked up. Pretty much me and Uno removed everything to make this a working gun. Including the springs, opening switch and even the trigger itself. Need to paint orange on the tip, etc. And then moving onto making and mounting the scope. My brother suggested "ABC Plastic Tube" it already comes in black and is supposed to be lighter than PVC. Which would be good considering the gun itself is pretty hefty

The hat my brother is gonna loan me for the Sniper. Not exactly the right hat, but it will work (and save me on $$), gonna find a way to pin up the side

Pyro's gas pump for the flamethrower

It's Never Lupus

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:54:01 GMT

Time for my costume update/info!

Medic

I'm going as Blu team's Medic for Megacon, female version of course, and I have nearly everything mostly done. Things left on the to do list are as follows:
-Epoxy the toppers, side box thingy and Medigun hose to the Medipack.
-Bolt on the straps and sew the leather covers for the Medipack harness.
-Sew lining for the coat and adjust front to be open.
-Find gray pants.
-Somehow attach handle to the medigun.

Here are the pics as things stand now:

Unfortunately I ruined the first bottle for the medipack when I tried to spray paint it with a base coat of white before painting it blue. The red valve pigment bled out and the coating was uneven, basically a total loss. In addition to that I attempted to give the bottle a round base with smooth packing tape and it was an epic failure. This time I've doctored two bottles together and am using the already smoothed surface of the other top to my advantage.

That's all for now, hopefully I'll have everything polished off with a few more days work.

Site Update 2/8

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:15:50 GMT

Media section is up with some photos. Also, posted on the TF2 section of the forums regarding the map list for the server.

I think it's safe to say that the site is complete and ready for visitors and people we meet at Megacon to refer to the site. :)

If we decide to make an ad, let me know and I'll post it as well.

I got your text, Mike, so here's some news pertaining to Goldrush

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:08:42 GMT

Official announcement on Steam (includes picture of the mining cart):

http://www.steampowered.com/Steam/Marketing/message/1426/

A section of this thread shows that one of the ShackNews users got an e-mail from Robin Walker (Note: He's one of the head developers behind all of the official TF games); the picture link shows a cart and CP on a railtrack. It's speculated to be Badlands as well.

http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=16100118

http://ikilled.bcyde.com/__high_scores__/valve/robin_looking_good.jpg

The next link is an interview with Robin Walker; this was taken place before the match between the devs and the 20id clan. News regarding Goldrush starts at 4:53. Unfortunately, from that, there will be no Hunted.
http://pwnage.tv/On-Demand/videodirectlink/TF2-Valve-Developer-Interview/

Clan site update and other news.

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:55:44 GMT

Hey squad,

I got the forums and links page up. For the former, I made a dummy account to make sure you can sign up and activate your account. If there are any problems, please let me know. I made the forums since some people prefer that instead of LJ (and no, I'm not going to bother with a MySpace page, heh). Also, I will cross posting there as well.

I know I'm missing a couple of links, but if you want to add something there, let me know as well.

Once vash60b gives me the photos taken from Nobrahaus regarding costumes, I'll get the Media page up.

Finally, recalling from a discussion with makiotwist regarding costumes (to those attending Megacon), we are aiming to complete them by the end of next week. That is when we're beginning promotion of our group and discussing what we will be doing for an event. Also, I will post my completed Scout costume once the scattergun is finished; for those that didn't attend last year's Halloween party, you could say this is a costume progress pic.

Over and out.

So much for the speculation about the Pyro or Sniper being next...

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:09:23 GMT

But that's not a bad thing, heh heh heh...

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=137898

You've met The Heavy, The Soldier and The Demoman, now get ready to meet the super fast Scout. Our Lead Editor Hectic Glenn got a confirmation from Doug Lombardi that "Meet The Scout" is the next piece of the famous "Meet The..." series.

Hectic Glenn : Any update on the next expected "Meet the..."? The bets are on the pyro currently...although we wouldn't be able to hear a word of what he/she says.

Doug Lombardi : Scout is next.

(For those that don't know, Doug Lombardi is Valve's Marketing Director)

Weekly update 1/28

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:00:06 GMT

We've been all busy working on costumes and all during the weekends, so my apologies again for the lack of clan nights. Once things settle down and costumes get completed, we'll be getting some game time in.

From what I can gather so far, the to-do list is:

*Post my Scout costume progress.
*Collect everyone's progress and compile it into a post on the clan site.
*Finish the forums and links page. Also, tweak the site in general.
*Promote the Megacon '08 group/event.

Quick Update on my end

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:24:44 GMT

I am still doing the Sniper and trying to get the pieces. I have now:

The Vest

Pants

Glove

Currently working on getting the hat and boots from my brother. The gun is still being looked for, although might end up getting the same rifle as DOS and modifying it.

Also probably the coolest update. Both my brother and sister in law have volunteered to be the Pyro (brother) and Soldier (sister in law). They already have the jumpsuit and gas mask for the pyro, and are in the process of getting the soldier stuff (uniform, helmet, shovel). They already have a shotgun too. They don't know if they'll be able to make the rocket launcher though for the Soldier, but will have a shovel and shotgun for it. The Pyro flamethrower is being looked at to be built also, he has already bidded on a gas pump for it.

Costume Update: The Spy!

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:45:19 GMT

It's high time I got around to posting mine:

Three-piece suit - 0%: Obviously, this is the one with the least progress on it. It'll be hard enough finding a suit in that color, much less one with pinstripes, so I think it's safe to say I won't be going for 100% accuracy on this one when I start looking.

Balaclava - 50%: I found the perfect balaclava for this costume, but there's 2 problems:

It doesn't have a mouth. It'll have to be modified for that part.

After close to an hour of searching, this was the only blue Balaclava I found online (w/o visiting eBay) and they won't be able to ship it until February 15th. Ugh.

Take a look at the Balaclava here. kaleic and I have been talking about using spirit gum in strategic places to insure that the mask holds to my face and moves with my expressions.

Gloves - ??? Need to find me some gloves!

Shoes - 100% I've got some wingtip shoes I can borrow. Done!

Cigarette - ???: No progress reports because I haven't quite figured out what the hell to do. makiotwist swiped one of his room mate's real cigs for some pics, and my lips felt weird after the shoot. Debating weather to just seal up a real one, or make a wooden prop.

Spy Mask - 25%: I've already got plenty of gloss paper for this, and I've even got an idea for different kinds of masks, but the point is none of them have actually been made yet. Guys, I need to find good clear images of Stan Lee and Joe Quesada from Marvel Comics. Both of them have to be illustrated to make the corn factor of the Spy mask, So I'm thinking the image of Joe from the "Cup o' Joe" editorial, and I know I've seen an epic illustrated head shot of Stan somewhere. The actual in game choice mask will be the Engineer. Should I draw that one out myself, or do you think it would be better to get an intentional and horribly pixelated one from a game screen cap?

Pistol - From 75% to 0% to 50%: Yeah... Pretty much everyone knows what happened to this one (sorry zerovenomx!). Version 1.0 was looking good, and it only needed a second coat of paint, but in my efforts to to get the damn thing on model, I ended up melting it. makiotwist was kind enough to supply us with a replacement, and it actually looks more on model than the original (except for the damn blaze-orange tip. Curse you safety standards!). I already wasted too much money on the gunmetal paint, so this one will only have the mother of pearl handle.

Butterfly Knife - 25% Got the materials, it's just not actually constructed yet. The plan is to make it out of foam core and exaggerated so that I can brandish it openly without incident. I just wish I could've found some frikkin' brass fasteners at an office supply store yesterday!

Sapper - 20% I have some of the supplies. Still have to buy wiring and some toggle switches. The plan for this one is fun. Also built out of foam core, I secured 4 adhesive magnets and 4 adhesive button pins. The magnets will allow it to stick to (some) metal surfaces, and the pins will allow me to jokingly "sap" attendees.

Thoughts?

MOAR INTELLIGENCE STEALING

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:48:45 GMT

CTF WELL FAWK YEEAAH

... Hopefully.

Post Checkout Edit: ROFL. I should have known it would be a rehash of CP_Well instead of an all new map (like, say, bringing back TFCs Well?). XD

I failed! Valve has secured my intelligence!

_{But they did get me my Valve Store package in 4 days when they specified that it would take 4 weeks, so their winnings are still WAAAY ahead. c_c}

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:48:58 GMT

I'm sorry about this ahead of time, but this is really the only community I've got on-hand to spill my random Team Fortress (S)tu(pid) observations into, generally a result of me looking too far into things and thinking too hard about them thus (ESPECIALLY in the morning hours when I should be in bed resting up for classes). Anyone here who has noclipped around either in-game or in Gmod has probably noticed it already, anyway. But it's late, and I feel like rambling, plus I thought this was pretty funny.

I happened across this little ditty while examining the TF2 maps in detail using Garry's Mod, with particular emphasis on the surroundings outside the playable map: I'm interested in character mechanics over gameplay ones, after all, and I'm curious as to the general basis of the game's geographical and chronological setting, the former of which is really effing hard to figure out thanks to conflicting character cues, but the former of which lends itself to a characteristically barren, isolated environment that actually feels a bit sobering in contrast to the game's crackpot retro humor, but that's a different tangent altogether.

The creators really prided themselves on the whimsical nature of the game, resulting in a huge case of don't ask - don't tell in regards to how things appear versus how they work. The maps themselves are apparently no exception to this, and are present in two layers: the play map itself and a bunch of background props, the latter of which can be found lingering off to the side when you run off the playable map with noclip. The background props have some really bizarre layering attributes unto themselves, causing a number of scaling problems as the background props overlay the play-map props, but is apparently managed in such a way to accomodate the perspective actual players will have from ground-level, and only revealing themselves when noclipping to places where you shouldn't really be anyway. I'm not even entirely sure if this is a result of the technical side of the graphic design, or if this is just a glitch in Gmod itself. An example of this is demonstrated in these shots of Gravelpit:

versus

Here it is again in Dustbowl:

versus

The prop by itself: only the top half of the rocket. What the heck? Well, if it works, it works.

The background itself also only holds within the boundaries of the game map, including within the vertical axis: leaving those boundaries result in no background and an embarassing nudity of the map areas.

Even with this in effect, most of the maps are nicely cohesive with their internal workings and external appearances. 2fort, and Gravelpit are small and self-contained, Dustbowl and Hydro are really impressive for how cohesive they are: it's really fun noclipping through those two maps to see how the different sections meet up with each other, especially in Dustbowl where all three sections loop together. Granary is simple and half-contained (depending on what side you're on, you'll only see half the map at a time, so only the half visible to you will render unless you leave the map boundaries), and so is Well. But Well, on the other hand, is a case where looking too far into it revealed a bizarre conundrum of the gameplay design and the gameplay mechanics, due to the bizarre overlap and scaling issues between the background and the game map.

This is a somewhat basic shot of the front wall of the red side of Well, a familiar sight.

From pseudo-groundlevel, players themselves would see an image something like this: a simple company front with some nice innocent-looking buildings backing it. The buildings in the back are the background props.

However, there's a bit of a hidden picture here.

A slight altitude adjustment cuts the background props off and shows the map for what is really is.

HOLY CRAP

_{In retrospect it looks kind of wrong.}

And from another angle, showing only the playable portions.

_{I swear, if it weren't for running around in Gmod looking at this stuff for the sake of environment, I wouldn't have had any idea that the final caps in Well took place under huge rockets. I mean, they're more than clearly visible from inside the building in the final room, but to be honest, I never bothered to look up in that direction while actually playing a game in there.}

In the context of whimsy, it works: apparently, the interior aspect of the team buildings in Well are a lot larger than appears to be accomodated by the exterior/facade. In a cartoon setting, this is really nothing new, and I think is particularly brilliant on the part of the design team.

However, the stupid part of me is speculating that both Teams have some kind of holographic camoflage technology capable of hiding hugeass rockets, totally circumventing the "logic need not apply" aspect of the game's artistic design (and a holographic camoflage device is considered logic?). Either that or they've harnessed the power of the S.E.P. field.

...I think the latter is way more awesome.

*goes to bed*