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GeekNights 091124 - Ping

edited November 2009 in GeekNights
Tonight on GeekNights we discuss ping as it relates to online multiplayer gaming. In the news, the NS2 pre-alpha tools are out, and Heroes of Newerth is in closed beta.

Comments

  • In response to Scott's comment in the Meta-Minute, I normally download and listen to GeekNights the night they are posted. Though it is easier for me as I currently live on the West Coast, so its not too late.
  • To touch on Scott's issues with L4D2 not being a expansion, it is the Source engine, but its not quite the same engine. They made a lot of tweeks to the engine that weren't really patchable into the old engine. If you go through the L4D2 commentary they talk about a lot of them.

    Also if you are worried about playing the old campaigns, someone has already ported the maps from the first game to L4D2. Although the L4D2 mod tools aren't actually out, but I'm sure there will be a better port once the mod tools are actually released. Right now it involves doing a bunch of console commands to get it to work.
  • Also if you are worried about playing the old campaigns, someone has already ported the maps from the first game to L4D2. Although the L4D2 mod tools aren't actually out, but I'm sure there will be a better port once the mod tools are actually released. Right now it involves doing a bunch of console commands to get it to work.
    If it's not a 1st party solution, it will be basically impossible to actually get a game of it going on. L4D has basically no mod community that I can see. I blame this entirely on the fact that you don't manually select a server, and you are automatically connected to a server running the non-modded game. Unless it is an option presented to every user in the UI, it just isn't going to happen.
  • L4D had a good mod community, but you had to look in the right places for it. You had to find some L4D mod community websites and download the levels, and then install them from there. It was an unfortunately large barrier to entry to play the campaigns.

    From the sounds of it they are going to make it easier to play player created maps in L4D2, where you'll be able to download them while in game, which you couldn't do in L4D1. Again, they talk a bit about this in the commentary of L4D2. Basically you'll eventually be able to search for just player created campaigns.
  • From the sounds of it they are going to make it easier to play player created maps in L4D2, where you'll be able to download them while in game, which you couldn't do in L4D1. Again, they talk a bit about this in the commentary of L4D2. Basically you'll eventually be able to search for just player created campaigns.
    Hell, if I could to this in the original I'd probably have a reason to play it. This would make the game x10000 times better.
  • On the subject of a server browser, I you can probably bring it up by putting "-dev -console" in the launch options and then typing "openserverbrowser" in the console. I haven't actually tried this, so it may not work, but that's the command to bring it up in other source games.
  • On the subject of a server browser, I you can probably bring it up by putting "-dev -console" in the launch options and then typing "openserverbrowser" in the console. I haven't actually tried this, so it may not work, but that's the command to bring it up in other source games.
    That worked on L4D at least (you don't need to activate it though, its on by default or easily done on the options menu)
  • RTS is a genre that I have tried countless times to enjoy, but it just ain't happening. Every now and then I'll try again with the same result. To me they feel more like work than play.
  • I have high ping due to using a wireless connection and also using a USB adapter, which is probably the worst setup to have if you ever wish to play games.

    The experience for me (but only in an FPS) has been that I either get ridiculed, called a cheater or am eventually kicked. Luckily I have a PS3, where I'm not the one being latent.
  • edited November 2009
    RTS is a genre that I have tried countless times to enjoy, but it just ain't happening. Every now and then I'll try again with the same result. To me they feel more like work than play.
    For me, I always try to go slow, turtle, etc. like one would in a real-time battle, but the game always goes so fast that it becomes a clicky-action game rather than an armchair-general game. The worst offender would have to be Red Alert 2. Even though I love that game to death, I have rarely won a balanced match.

    EDIT: To be fair, there are some awesome slow-paced RTS's, such as Supreme Commander, Medieval 2, and Defcon.
    Post edited by YoshoKatana on

  • EDIT: To be fair, there are some awesome slow-paced RTS's, such as Supreme Commander, Medieval 2, and Defcon.
    Sins of a Solar Empire is also quite slow, and the demo was pretty promising.
  • Sins of a Solar Empire is also quite slow, and the demo was pretty promising.
    Oh jesus. Sins of a Solar Empire feels a lot more like Civ than a fast RTS, but I suppose it is real time. I can't believe I forgot about it. Yes, buy that game. It's really amazing.
  • Oh jesus. Sins of a Solar Empire feels a lot more like Civ than a fast RTS, but I suppose it is real time. I can't believe I forgot about it. Yes, buy that game. It's really amazing.
    It's ok, but it's very rock-paper-scissory.
  • Sins of a Solar Empire is great, I need to play it more.
  • I would happily live in a super-geek friendly apartment building, either a single tower building, or a complex.... it would be awesome.
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