• 300 GB Maxtor DiamondMax 10 lead free 7200rpm 16MB ATA133 – Yeah not amazing but surprisingly cheap and it will do the job.
• Exlixir 512MB DDR400 PC3200 RAM – Again cheap and good enough

And of course some blank DVDs and CDs since were there.

Now to make the hard disk transfer. I thought it’d be easy enough to stick the new drive into the new PC, format and install windows from there. Not happening, not matter how much I messed around in the bios I couldn’t get it to run my Windows XP CD. Great. What I usually do when I encounter such a problem is to go for the old skool floppies. Looking at the new pc I realise that there is one flaw in modern day computers and yep – that is the lack of a floppy drive. So I go and rip out a floppy outta another pc I have lying around and connect it up and guess what – it doesn’t work. I then tried the FDD from another PC and had the same result. Multiple attempts and more fiddling in the bios and we’re still at stage one. Remember that this is over a period of hours, and it’s times like this when you really want to give up! It was at this point that I say to someone on MSN, “I hate working in the pre-OS purgatory!”.

So I’m thinking and finally I decided to transfer the HD back to the other PC. Amazing – the CD will not run. Cursing Windows XP we go for the boot disks. Strangely there is some I/O error with the Windows boot up disks but the good old Windows 98 boot disk got me into the command prompt. Using the nasty fdisk tools I partioned and formatted the HD, a few more hours. Thinking that all is good now I transfer back the HD to the new PC, I wanted to install XP from there just to make sure all the hardware is recognised. Boot up and guess what, XP CD works. Great, we get to the stage where you can choose the partition and yes – there is a problem. The new drive was showing as 130GB, that’s half of what it actually is. Figuring it might just be a miscalculation in XP I go through the installation anyway with a quick NTFS format. Booting up into a fresh XP and unfortunately XP wasn’t just being stupid – it still showed as 130GB. Where is the other 170GB?! HD comes out again and into the other PC. Trying the setup in there was no better, XP still showed it as 130GB. Searching on forums was great – really – when people think that all your problems revolve around something being physically damaged it really makes you feel great, especially when your 99% sure that there is nothing broken. So we work around it and finally after like a hundred different things (more hours) we find the culprit – an old XP CD (no service packs) was causing this. I tried another one of our XP CD’s which had come with SP1 and it showed it as a full 289GB. Great, time to get going. We installed XP onto there and we were finally getting somewhere.

Day 3: Well from now on it is more or less straight forward. Well yeah, it would be if you have a CD with drivers on it. Advent (yak) had provided some nasty recovery CD which would only work if you used the recovery console. My dad strongly advised against it from a past experience from that. Ironically the ethernet driver wasn’t even recognised so I had to find that on the other PC and then onto my SD card and into the new PC (i’m loving built in memory card readers). So once were here I’m searching high and low for drivers. It really doesn’t help when the manufacturer of that piece of hardware has a rubbish website with no drivers and it feels like you’re the only one with a ‘Prism’ wireless card. After getting all the drivers, and yes it was a mission, I decided to compile a pack with drivers for anyone with an Advent T9, you can download it here. Finally we got our software installed and sorted out the drives and yes, we’re finally done! Well actually, after finished we tried out our Creative Inspire 6700 speakers on the built in sound (which claims to be 7.1) and we weren’t completely impressed. Convinced that I required the best hardware we moved the great Creative Audigy2 ZS 7.1 card into the new PC (had to move around the exisiting PCI cards how annoying).

And finally Time to sit back and see what we’ve gained:

Yep, and of course there are a few more things like the nifty little case which is a lot more attractive then the big Dell (although admittedly less accessible). The extra ports on the front especially rock, with all of my card readers, audio ports, firewire and USB. Interestingly this PC also has a scart socket in the back. Yeah, I know I might never use it but that is really cool. Other things, the Dell 8200 ran a motherboard with RDRAM. Yeah – that now pretty much obeslete form of memory which is practically non-upgradable (unless you have a few hundred quid). Now with this new PC we have a much easier ability to upgrade the ram up to 4GB. Another problem with the Dell 8200 was that the AGP slot was 4x so it wasn’t making the best use of the graphics card. This one is 8x which is much better. Of course with PCI-Express now the standard that is really the only step left to get this PC into higher action.

And if your interested from the screenshot, we are running the Vista Transformation pack which is really cool (and with this ram it is not much of a memory hog). Time to update the ‘My Rig’ page!

IGN: The double agent aspect sounds like it’s more intrinsic to the game’s overall design than just the story plotline. Can you talk a bit about this?

Daniel Roy: You’re absolutely right! When we came up with the Double Agent concept, we thought long and hard on what it could mean for the gameplay, especially in the context of Splinter Cell. For instance, as a double agent, you will be given dual, sometimes contradictory objectives by terrorists and Third Echelon. For instance, you could be asked to plant a bomb by the terrorists, while at the same time having to sabotage it for the NSA. In some instances, these dual objectives lead to direct contradictions, and this is when you, as Sam Fisher, must make difficult, moral choices.

Read the rest of the interview: IGN

Release dates:
PC – Q1 2006
PS3 – Q4 2006
Xbox – Q1 2006
Xbox 360 – Q1 2006
GameCube – Q1 2006
PS2 – Q1 2006

EA and DICE are pleased to announce that today, after two weeks of Closed Beta testing, we are releasing the first public version of the Battlefield 2 editor! Over the last couple of days you’ve probably seen some of the outstanding work that the Closed Beta teams have created using the tools, and now we’re giving everyone else the chance to join the fun. Keep in mind that we are considering this release "Beta" software, so it’s still a little rough around the edges, though we’ve worked out many of the kinks. Also, though most core functionality is editable as of this release, there are several more advanced areas of the tools that are still being worked on. One example of of a tool to be delivered in a future update is the Single Player Editor.

Also worth noting is that the current Battlefield 2 Dedicated Server files are not yet compatible with Mods. DICE is already working on a fix for the Dedicated Server files that will be included with the 1.03 patch. In the meantime, this will not prevent Mods from being tested over the Internet entirely. For testing purposes, Mod Teams can still create a non-dedicated server game through the regular in-game multiplayer interface that will allow anyone to connect to your game, either locally or over the net, provided that the rest of the team connects by IP .

 Read more…

Ok, I found this news at Battlefield2.com. This is great news for people who have been waiting all the time for making modifications for Battlefield 2. Now this is released, the Battlefield 2 community will be expanded with lots and lots of mods. Atleast, thats what I think.

 Download Mod Editor
 Download Mod Tutorials
 Download Mod Samples

players assume the roles of the two disciples of St. Paul who spread the gospel throughout the ancient Mediterranean.

Instead of the health and weapons points used in other role-playing games, players collect love, hope and faith points to power their missions. When they meet foes, instead of fragging them as in Halo 2, the disciples earn their halos by praying for them or using the "finger of God" to convert them.

Sounds like a Halo-Killer doesn’t it :p I don’t understand why anyone would like to play this… I mean, instead of killing aliens and saving mankind, we now have to go on some sort of crusade to convert people to Christianity. Sounds like hours of fun :s

Gaylord (what’s in a name) from the Christian themed media company Gaylord Entertainment does seem to believe in these new games:

"I wouldn’t underestimate the force of Christian content"

Yeah right, only in America…

OK I’m going to admit – I’ve been busy and what have you, to be honest i’ve not played SWAT4 enough to even make the fansite. To be honest I was quite dissapointed with the game on a whole and i’d like to post a review that was commented on this post by a reader:

Now that Swat4 is out.. let me say this.. IT SUCKS ROYAL YOU KNOW WHAT!! None of the FPS fans I have played with like it a bit.

I played Swat3 DM’s and TDM’s from 2000 through 2005 and loved it as a FPS game. The tactical simulation aspect was how it was originally created in it’s first and second version, but the third version introduced multiplayer FPS action and it was the third version that became their most successful with true gaming fans. I say “true” gaming fans because coop fans are notorious for not only lacking in competitive gaming skills, but for simply hopping from one tactical simulation game to the next. In my experience and opinion, it was the FPS fans that gave Swat its longevity and its reputation as a fun game. Go back a year or further and if you entered the Swat lobby.. you would have found about 4 to 8 coopers for for every 50 to a 100 FPS fans. Thats a fact even Sierra had to recognize in their server data.

So after a year or two of promises of a better FPS.. what did Sierra & Vivendi do.. they totally betrayed their most loyal supporters and put out a game all but designed specifically as a tactical simulation game. Yes you can also play multiplayer matches but its just so unbelievable slow and methodical that it just doesn’t hold a stick next to true FPS games like Call of Duty, BattleField, Medal of Honor, Counter Strike and all the other top selling FPS games. It seems.. the FPS part of this game was included as an afterthought and even when Beta testers recognized flaws in their testing and advised Vivendi of the problems, their feedback went ignored. Of course ignoring the problems was a logical reaction because there was simply no way to correct them without signicant changes that would require months to complete. Vivendi had simply overlooked the fundamental principle that fun should always take a priority over realism when it comes to producing successful games. Training modules or simulators have a place in gaming.. but not a priority in in FPS gaming. FPS genre fans want to have fun. they want fast paced, in your face, no holds barred deathmatches or team deathmatches where you can “own” your competition and have a perverbial spike of the ball and dance in the end zone. Fun.. particularly against live competition.. its what makes the games interesting.. that is the essence of gaming. You can keep your precise sequences, commands and tactics and ai’s. Give me an FPS with no lag, great maps, good weapons and the ability to move quickly and I’m going to go out, kick some butt or at least have alot of fun trying!! That is what Swat4 was supposed to do.. simply continue on that style and play of Swat3. Only with improved environments, graphics, sounds, data processing, better servers and an implementation of hack filters or guards. Thats all swat3 fans really needed or wanted .. instead.. we were basically told play time was over and we we had to return to the disciplines of Swat training. Boooooring.. but hey.. no problem. we’ve all moved on and found FPS fun in other games. I’m just curious what Sierra or Vivendi will do when the coopers inevitably leave as they usually do to seek a new tactical simualtion experience, especially now that they’ve lost almost all of their loyal FPS fans. I bet this game doesn’t have half the success Swat3 had.

Chaos.. (played in Godz Clan and now with Mag7)

 I’d like to thank Chaos for the highly detailed opinion of his, and I did respond:

Wow chaos you have alot to say about SWAT 4 – And I appreciate your opinion. I played SWAT4 both online and offline and to be honest I was really not impressed enough…

Thanks for your review – because its so detailed I’d like to use it to excuse my lack of producing the SWAT4 fansite I promised – simply because i’m not much of a fan to be honest!!

I too was highly dissapointed with the lack of coop especially – I mean personally I think Sierra have forgotten how to make a game decent and they just tried to make it have good graphics (and even thats debatable!).

The lack of mods is another thing – but really I couldn’t play SWAT4 long enough because of my graphics card (long story), but I widely agree you in much of what you said.

SWAT3 was an amazing game – and its gone!

What is my point? Well lets just say I wasn’t as into SWAT4 as I was with SWAT3, and therefore I haven’t had the real opportunity to make the fansite (swat4gaming.tk). If there are any SWAT4 fans amongst you, i’m sorry if I offended you – and if you want to contribute to the fansite that would be highly appreciated!

The long awaited bf2 demo was released recently with high aspects form the battlefield 1942 fans. The demo has been a hit with the release of it one map “gulf of omen”  with its assume graphics  bf2 is surely going to be one of the most successful games this year.  With its vehicles like its fighter jets and helicopters this revolutionary game takes the fights into the sky’s  ohh and how much fun it can be . If you have played “joint operations” I would say that this this game is very similar other than the graphics difference and that this game is not based in a jungle. 

 If you have ADSL and  have a decent computer and are looking for a new game to buy  I personally recommend this one, if you are wondering why I think so highly of this game than download and play the demo which you can get from almost any gaming website. But if you cannot be bothered to find a good source  than “xfire” give you the trailer instantly  and have a very good download speed.

For the official EA GAMES website click >>>here<<<

For Xfires website click >>>here<<<

Good luck connecting.

EA FTP

Download.com

Filerush.

Mininova torrent.

Filefront.

3D Downloads.

Gamer’s Hell.

Worthplaying.

 Thanks FiringSquad

A Shanghai online gamer has been given a suspended death sentence for killing a fellow gamer.

Qui Chengwei stabbed Zhu Caoyuan in the chest when he found out he had sold his virtual sword for 7,200 Yuan (£473).

The sword, which Mr Qui had lent to Mr Zhu, was won in the popular online game Legend of Mir 3.

Attempts to take the dispute to the police failed because there is currently no law in China to protect virtual property.

Appeal plea

Buying and selling gaming artefacts such as imaginary weapons is a booming business on the web.

The internet games section of Ebay saw more than $9m (£5m) in trades in 2003.

While China has no laws to deal with the theft of virtual property, South Korea has a section of its police force that investigates in-game crime.

Dragon sabre

According to the Chinese press, more and more gamers are seeking justice through the courts over stolen weapons and credits accumulated in games.

In this case, Mr Zhu did offer to hand over the cash but Mr Qui lost patience and stabbed him with "great force" according to media reports.

The suspended sentence given to Qui means he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, although it could be reduced to 15 years for good behaviour.

The parents of the dead man are planning to appeal against the sentence.

"My son was only 26 when he died. He was sleeping when Qiu broke into his home. He was barely able to put his pants on before Qiu stabbed him," said his father, Zhu Huimin.

"We want Qui to die, and immediately," he added.

The case has led to a debate about where the law stands on virtual property, such as the dragon sabre owned by Qiu.

Following the case, associate law professor at Beijing’s Renmin University of China said that such weapons should be deemed as private property because players "have to spend time and money for them".

But a lawyer for one Shanghai-based internet game company told a Chinese newspaper that the weapons were in fact just data created by games providers and therefore not the property of gamers.

 This made me question more about the man’s sanity than the dangers of online gaming. I’ll post more later…

For those of you lucky enough to be visiting E3 this year, you can watch the announcement trailer at the Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars stand in the Activison area. It will not be hard to find – look out for the huge black Strogg artillery gun!

You can see the first ever screenshot here and click here for the full press release.

To chat to others about our big new announcement, visit splashdamage forums! There’s also a big thread on Shacknews.

Prettey darn exciting!! Can’t wait!  

Okay change of mind…I watched the trailer and i’m prettey dissapointed – what have they done to Enemy Territory I don’t know. Heres the trailer:

Google Search With Trailer Results

Careful not to install it until you know the server(s) you want to play on have upgraded, otherwise you’ll have compatibility issues!

ED – Apparently Clanbase Have not certified it so people who want to play on it should not upgrade:

Note: Because this patch is not compatible with ETPro, v1.03 will be used in ClanBase cups and ladders until further notice.

[ Keep you posted ]

Related Links:
SplashDamage [ website ]
Clanbase [ website ]