BOS [ News ]

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Leak?

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:25:50 +0000

French gamesite, Gameblog, has been officially blacklisted by Activision for what was said to be "leaked information" regarding the newest iteration of the popular FPS franchise, Call of Duty, expected to launch in the usual November time slot.

Naturally, Activision refused to comment regarding the leak and has not made any official statement as to what the next Call of Duty title will be.

-Pr3vention

Farewell Adam Adamowicz

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:10:26 +0000

The name may not be familiar, but, if you've played your share of games in the last decade or so, you know this man on a very personal level.

On the 10th of February 2012, Adam Adamowicz passed away. He was the main concept artist behind Fallout 3, Skyrim, and a myriad of other Bethesda titles. A man, quite literally, solely responsible for the unique and inspiring art style behind Fallout 3 -- A game that commands a near cult-like following.

Love or hate the games that were built upon the foundations of his art, it would be no less than a crime to not recognise Mr. Adamowicz for his creativity, raw talent, and his obsessive attention to detail.

The gaming industry has lost a truly unique and irreplaceable individual.

Sources:

http://www.awesome-r...isual-mind.html

http://www.adamart08.blogspot.com.au/

-Ramzy

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:57:56 +0000

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:54:22 +0000

SLAUGHTERHOUSE SGE #1 VOTING HAS BEGUN

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:22:40 +0000

Voting for our first SlaughterHouse Gathering Event has begun. Please visit the thread to have your say!

http://www.bhslaught...ng-event-sge-1/

Valve finally delivers

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:14:24 +0000

After months upon months of waiting, players of all skill levels have wondered when Valve would release even the slightest bit of information regarding the final "Meet The" short... and we finally have it, folks! Valve has officially announced that Meet The Pyro will be arriving sometime this year!! Judging by our hard-to-understand, lovable pyro's addiction to hellfire and air blasts, we could be seeing it sometime this Summer.

With this recent release of information and a spike in rumours for other Valve projects, is there something else waiting in the wing to break into the lime-light? Half-Life 3? A new Portal story? Only time will tell, and to be quite honest, I certainly can't wait for more.

-Pr3vention

30K players Pledge to Play Strike for HL3

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:51:37 +0000

From across the pond there seems to be some stirring as of recent in regards to the details about Half Life 3. Steam group by the name of Call for Communication (Half-Life,) are trying to get the attention of Valve by playing Half Life 2 this Saturday. According to their message they are attempting to try and get them to divulge details regarding Half Life 3. Since we last saw Gordon Freeman, was well over four years ago.

Quote
'The lack of communication between Valve and the Half-Life community has been a frustrating experience. While continued support for current and future products is greatly appreciated, fans of the Half-Life series have waited years for a word on when the franchise will return,' the group explains in its open letter to the company.

Source: http://www.bit-tech....n-half-life-3/1

Team Fortress 2 event: FEBRUARY 8th

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:08:21 +0000

Wednesday February 8th at 7pm PST will launch the return of game night on the TF2 main server. BE THERE for an hour of fun, moderate abuse and free-stuff!

We will be rotating over the next few weeks:
• CLASS V CLASS
• HIDE N SEEK
• MUSIC TRIVIA
• and some general SUPERFUN TF2 MANIA.

join us STARTING FEBRUARY 8th 7pm Pacific Time- as we return WEDNESDAY GAME NIGHT!

Hosted by: Phargo

Server IP: 64.94.101.181:27015

DIY-ER Creates his Own Portal Room

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:38:47 +0000

The cake is a lie but this room is not. A dedicated fan to portal has decided to make his own Aperture Enrichment Room. Any worthy volunteers please step forward and take a number to receive enrichment at Aperture Laboratories.

Source; http://www.telnets.o...lrm-article.php

STEAM MOBILE - FIRST LOOK

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:16:19 +0000

Some days ago Valve (Half-Life, Team Fortress, Counter-Strike, Portal), quietly released a mobile version of their hugely popular digital distribution client, Steam.

Much like most other Valve products, prior to its announcement, there was no indication of its imminent release, nor any word on what the application would entitle its users.

The good news is that Steam Mobile does everything that you would expect it to do, and more. It grants users the ability to chat with friends, browse groups and profiles, browse the Steam store, and even more importantly, purchase games directly from the App, so that they're available for you when you get home. This also includes the added benefit of being able to purchase games during special sales while you're away from a "safe" computer to use or a decent internet connection.

[please click the images to enlarge]

Upon first launching the app, you're greeted with a generic login screen. Valve have conveniently allowed users to log into the app with their existing Steam credentials, which means no secondary logins are required, nor are there any addtional hoops that the user needs to jump through in order to use the app (ergo, enabling options in their account, verifying information, etc).

Upon logging in you're presented with one of two outcomes -- The first, and most disappointing outcome, is a message informing the user that they're not yet a part of the BETA, however, by logging in, they've now automatically inserted themselves into a queue to receive BETA invites as they're passed out.

[Edit: The app has switched to open BETA as of a few days ago 06FEB12]

The second, and obviously more favourable outcome, is to be greeted with the following,

From this view, the user has the ability to do one of three different things.

1. Tap a friend to view their profile

2. Chat with that person by tapping the speech bubble icon, or searching for them manuallay

3. View other services by tapping the small sidebar icon on the upper left

One of my early complaints regarding the chat functionality is that it does not easily facilitate the ability to pick up a conversation on your computer, and finish it off on your mobile device, as there is unfortunately no chatlog function.

This means that if you start a conversation on your computer, then switch to your mobile device, you will be unable to see a chatlog of everything that had transpired prior to switching to your mobile device.

The same goes for messages that you send on your mobile device -- Anything that you send to a friend in chat on your mobile device will NOT be visible when you switch to your computer, even if you were logged into Steam throughout the entire conversation.

The only way chat works correctly is if the user maintains an open chat window both on their desktop and on their mobile device. Unfortunately, even in ideal situations, certain messages don't get delivered, as shown below.

This is definitely one of the larger issues with the app, and really creates an overall disjointed experience -- One that leaves the user feeling like they're using two completely separate services.

Moving forward from the chat issues, another niggling problem is the way the store operates. One of the best features that Apple included with iCloud is the ability to purchase an app on your iPhone while you're at work, and have it automatically downloaded, installed, and ready to use on your iPad at home, without having to do anything aside from purchasing the app as you normally would.

Unfortunately Steam mobile does not replicate this feature in any way. Purchasing a game on Steam Mobile simply delivers it to your Steam account so that you may install it when you get home. There are no special pop-ups when you first log into the desktop version of Steam, nor any highlighted games to indicate "new purchases". It is up to the user to manually search through their games list and locate the game.

A very much appreciated feature would have been the ability to tick a box on Steam Mobile so that the desktop Steam client would automatically download and install a game for you, so that it would be ready to play upon getting home.

In any case, the store experience in Steam Mobile is as good as you would expect and handles the entire process very cleanly and efficiently.

The entire Steam catalog is available on the mobile app, and purchasing a game is as simple as tapping on it, adding it to the cart, and checking out. Users are also given the ability to gift games from within the app itself.

One glaring issue, however, is the fact that the app remains logged in at all times, even if you close it completely. Something like this wouldn't really be much of a problem, however, it's important to remember that Steam remembers your credit card information. This means that all you have to do is open the app, select a game, and buy it instantly without the app ever asking for a password or any form of user verification.

If the app were to get into the wrong hands, someone could very easily charge your account with several thousand dollars worth of game purchases -- And even worse -- If you were to dispute these charges and ask your bank to do a chargeback, you would then be met with your Steam account (and all of its legitimate purchases) being disabled. Legally, you would not be able to do a single thing about it either, as Valve (under the end user license agreement) are within their right to disable your account if you take such actions against them.

Besides the main issues highlighted above, the app performs as well as you would expect, and doesn't really offer users anything out of the ordinary. Valve have implemented a sidebar very reminiscent of the Facebook app available on iOS and Android, however they don't seem to have capitalised on the fact that it is in fact an app on a mobile device. There are no special phone-specific functions or features given to the mobile edition of Steam.

Valve have been gradually adding more and more social features into Steam over the years, and a mobile application would have been a perfect way to introduce new social features such as status updates or photo uploads.

In any case, what Valve have provided in their mobile app is both solid and functionally sound. Sans for a few very rough edges such as the 90's-esque "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" sign in the screenshots section, one can't really complain about a free application.

Users are provided with all the basic functionality that they need to effectively use Steam on their phone, and the overall experience at this stage, despite being rough around the edges, is most definitely enjoyable.

Check it out on the Apple App Store or the Android Market when you get a chance.

-Ramzy

TF2 Hats Economy Valued at $20Million

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:56:28 +0000

Ever wondered how much money is sunk into crates and hats? Well an analyst did some research and pegged the money floating around in the Team Fortress 2 world to be a conservative $22 Million. That is whole lot of hats

Quote

Adding these extras to our revised estimate still leaves the economy with a hearty $22 million. With the figures being so impossible to predict, and having used conservative estimates, the true figure could still easily reach the $50 million spot.

Source: http://theonlinesoci...tual-millinery/

Steam now available on iOs and Android!

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:52:14 +0000

Valve's Steam service has just expanded to iOS and Android devices. The newly-released Steam Mobile app will allow gamers to chat with Steam friends, browse community groups, read the latest gaming news, and more.

"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve, said in the announcement.

"Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested," Newell continued. "Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."

The initial beta release will be locked. While the apps can be freely downloaded, not everyone will gain immediate access. "Those who wish to join the beta just need to download the Steam app (free of charge) and log in to their Steam account via the mobile app to express interest in the beta," the announcement notes.

Source: http://www.shacknews...-on-android-ios

MINECRAFT MAP LIVE!

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:02:15 +0000

The main server we've been working on has been made public, so now all the kiddies can enjoy the hot sexy action contained there in. So be sure to drop by and check it out, its pretty sexy.

The economy has been scaled back and the kingdoms are being rebuilt from the ground up, so it's going to be a new interesting map environment!

The map size is 8000 x 8000 and here is an overview

IP: da.mc.bhslaughter.com

Post any questions in the thread: Here

Rank Contest Winners Announced

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:32:53 +0000

We are happy to announce the winners or our Rank Contest!

gheist For having the most bonus points with a total of 285 pts.
daddy For having the most overall points with a total of 12,184 pts
chipperdoodles For having the most overall playtime this season with his total hours played totaling 48 Hours 38 Minutes

Each winner will have his choice of one of these special TF2 Items, as well as a Clan Pride Medal featuring our own Slaughterhouse Logo!

Item Sets:

Free General Admin and Brotherhood Week!

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:57:22 +0000

That's right guys! We're running a free General admin and Brotherhood week!

If you decide to apply for General admin, you are automatically promoted! No endorsements! All you need to do is attend a MANDATORY ADMIN TRAINING SESSION that you MUST attend on Friday the 18th @ 9:00PM PST if you wish to be able to keep your new status as a General Admin.

So take advantage of this free week and apply for admin and brother status!

THERE'S MORE!

Not even a proper Brother initiated into the community yet? NOT A PROBLEM. You'll be granted Brotherhood status just for applying for General Adminship, and will not lose Brotherhood status even if you drop out of the adminship.

Read the thread HERE

Forum temporary outage

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:26:30 +0000

The forum is currently down for some "unplanned maintenance" please be patient with us as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Slaughterhouse Interviews Nuclear Fallout regarding BF3

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:42:07 +0000

A couple of years ago i did a interview with John, owner of Nuclear Fallout.(who we buy all our servers from), about Bad Company 2 and how it ran on their server hardware. I thought since Battlefield 3 was on the horizon, i would do another interview asking him all sorts of good questions. Below you will find my full interview. Big shout out to John from NFO for answering these questions.

1) It has been mentioned that 64 player servers cannot run on VDS because of the technical limitations of the technology (virtual overhead), What kind of hardware can we expect a typical 64 slot server that is rented on your standard hosting package? i think it's about $97 a month looking at your order page.

We don't yet know for certain how 64-slot servers will perform, since we haven't been allowed to test them. But, from what we have been told, and what I have seen with a 32-slot test server on a VDS, they will likely be able to run on VDSes. The virtual overhead on our specific highly-tweaked VDSes is actually not all that high, and the VDS machines are likely fast enough, in general, to handle it (all of our VDS gear is Nehalem+).

As for regular game servers, we plan to exclusively use X3470 and E3-1270 machines, due to their high individual core speeds. The 32-slot servers that we've been testing in the beta have run very well on these. BF3 servers should also run well on slower machines, but we actually don't have many slower machines on our game server network.

2) If we ordered a Managed Dedicated Server, How many Instances are we allowed to run on that server. They are quite expensive, and the machine obviously is capable of running more than one 64 slot server.

There is no limit, but keep in mind that you will need to prepay a small monthly amount for each BF3 slot you wish to run: viewtopic.php?f=51&t=5705. You should also pay close attention to CPU usage as you add servers, to make sure that you don't overload the machine and cause performance problems in-game.

3) What kind of Admin tool do you guys use to manage your Battlefield 3 Beta Servers? just straight rcon commands from the release protocol? your own coded rcon, or a 3rd party Rcon like ProCon, BF2CC, etc..

The BF3 servers haven't required in-game management. For the full release, we plan to provide customers with an rcon console in the control panel and basic admin daemon, just as with BC2. Customers will also be able to run their own 3rd party programs, as with BC2.

4) How comparable is BF3 in taxing your server hardware compared to Bad Company 2, or Red Orchestra 2.

BF3 seems to be similar to BC2 for 32-slot servers. Most RO2 customers run 64-slot servers, and these are very intensive; we don't believe that 64-slot BF3 servers will be as intensive, based on what DICE is telling us.

5)Can you tell us about any of the server variables that will be available in the game. Stuff you have seen in the beta so far. Limited weapons, Vehicles Spawn Times, number of vehicles, other kinds of server variables.

I'm not allowed to talk about this topic quite yet. The rcon features are still in a state of flux during the beta, as well.

Thanks a bunch for answering those questions, you guys continue to provide quality game servers which is why we've been a exclusive customer of yours for over 8 years.

We appreciate that :)

Update: John Posted

Quote

Jason, some new performance numbers were posted today that throw 64-player servers back into the question mark category on what sorts of CPUs will be required and what consumption levels we will see -- suggesting much higher usage than the previous numbers. It seems as though we really will need to wait to test these servers ourselves to know anything concrete. They may end up requiring the very fastest machines after all.

You can follow the full discussion on the NuclearFallout Forums!

http://www.nfoserver...&p=27192#p27192

FREE BROTHER STATUS ( ND ONLY )

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:00:25 +0000

This week and this week alone ( 03OCT - 09OCT ) you can gain brotherhood status if you post a screenshot of yourself in our Nuclear Dawn server. Post the screenshot to the following location:

Post your screenshot here

Once you have done this, wait for an admin to approve your post and watch your brotherhood status instantly appear. Why become a brother? Doing so will give you a chance at a free reserved slot and access to our private events. Enjoy and hope to see you in the wastelands!

Donations! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:29:29 +0000

It is coming close to December and we have not even touched our mark for this season. If you want to help us pay for the server please donate whatever you can. If you can only donate a dollar that is fine, realize that if every brother donated 1 dollar we could pay for the server for 6 months! So do your part and help us sustain our systems.

Our goal is to reach $1000.00 by the December mark. This will put our servers $200.00 from being paid up for 6 months!

So if you can, donate to the servers and help keep the Community you love alive!

**LIMITED TIME OFFER**
Anybody who donates from today, until the deadline ( first 30 people ) will get a free dogtag. Post your name in the thread (linked below) once you have donated. Again, first 30 people will get a free dogtag!

So check out the following thread for more information on how to donate!
http://www.bhslaught...8732-donations/

NUCLEAR DAWN GOES LIVE

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:46:44 +0000

A quick note - Please check out our dedicated 32 man Nuclear Dawn Server, currently ranked #1 in the world!

SLAUGHTERHOUSE [DALLAS, TX] - Nuclear Dawn
66.151.244.42:27016

September is just about up, and the PC market has not seen much happening in the world of mutiplayer gaming. Aside from the release of Gears of War 3 on the 360, September has been pretty tame.

Alas the sun has begun to rise, and we're starting to catch the glorious rays of some of the multiplayer heavyweights due for release very shortly. Battlefield 3 and its subsequent public beta beginning in October, Modern Warfare 3, RAGE, Saints Row 3, and a few more notable single player releases are helping shape October and November into some very exciting dates.

However, November hasn't started yet, and gamers are itching for some new action. Aside from Railworks Train Simulator 2012, not much has been happening as of late.

Nuclear Dawn was quietly released today by small time (independent) developer "InterWave Sutdios". At a glance, Nuclear Dawn (ND) doesn't seem like it has too much going for it. It's a 32 player, class based, multiplayer first person shooter with very straight forward capture-the-objective-by-standing-next-to-it based gameplay. Nothing too interesting or anything that we haven't seen done before countless times already.

The lads and ladies at InterWave Studios have attempted something that hasn't been seen since the glory days of Natural Selection back in 2002 -- A First Person Shooter + Real Time Strategy hybrid. It aims to provide players with a fully fleshed out FPS experience, whilst also offering a fully functional top-down commander based position with all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a standard RTS game -- And, with the slogan "Combining FPS with RTS without diluting either side", you'd certainly like to hope it delivers on that front.

ND is a very bare bones, budget oriented title. This is clearly evident the first time you load into a server. At times it feels more like an incredibly polished Source mod, rather than a complete "retail" game. With that said, however, for $25, the price of admission is neither too high nor too low, and thus the prospect of severe disappointment does not seem so bad once you drop the cash and give it a try.

Gameplay, for the FPS portion of the game, is fairly straight forward. Two factions, 4 classes each (all with their own various weapon types and weights), battling it out in decently large maps. Objectives in game hover around two different goals, with the ultimate goal being the destruction of the opposite team's command centre.

The severity of achieving the goals fluctuates depending on what the opposite team are doing, and the way that your commander manages team resources. This is where ND begins to distance itself from other shooters in the market.

FPS players are required to traverse the map and capture nodes. Once a node is captured, a resource boost is delivered to the commander -- This results in your team's commander receiving greater resource income. The more nodes in your team's possession, the more resources the commander gets to play with.

With said resources, your team's commander is then able to deploy equipment to the map. This comes in the form of power stations, automated turrets and rocket launchers, forward spawn points, resupply stations, radars, commander abilities, artillery, and more.

It's a delicate balance wherein the commander relies on cooperation on the ground level, whereas players on the ground level rely on the support of their commander. The system does not, in any way, work if one part of the equation ignores the other. Ergo, commander needs players to capture nodes for resources, while players need the commander to provide them backup while making advances into enemy territory to capture said resources.

For instance, if your teammates are pinned down by the opposite team's turrets, you'll need access to the Siege class to take them down and progress further into the map. To do so, your team needs to capture nodes to provide resources to the commander. Once those resources are obtained, the commander can then research "advanced weapons" in the command tree and unlock the ability to use heavy weapons for all ground players, thus facilitating the push.

To this end, ND places a very heavy emphasis on teamwork. Outside of the relationship between ground players and the commander, each class also plays its own role on the map. Classes are as follows,

Exo - Plays the role of the "heavy". Otherwise known as the "bullet sponge" and "the pain dispenser".

Assault - Plays the role of jack of all trades, master of none. Versatile, fairly nimble, and effective at making a push.

Stealth - Plays the role of harassment. Invisibility, speed, instant backstab takedowns.

Support - Plays the role of... Support! Healing and repairing are the main directives of this class.

Then comes the role of the commander. At the beginning of a round, players are given the ability to apply for the position of commander.

Unfortunately there may only ever be one commander at a time on both sides, meaning that only 2 of the 32 players on a server ever have access to this feature. If you fancy yourself as an RTS buff with absolutely no FPS experience, you may find yourself annoyed when other players constantly gain access to the commander role while you're left in the dust.

With that said, the commander's role in the game is extremely dynamic. As mentioned above, the commander relies very heavily on resources. Without resources, nothing is possible... And if nothing is possible, you may quickly find yourself frustrated and bored as a commander with an incompetent or careless team.

The building meta-game is fairly straight forward. As the commander you must build power stations on a constant basis. Once power stations are built, you may begin to build repeaters (towers which transport electricity further into the map), as well as other structures such as forward spawn points and automated turrets. These structures cannot function without power, and further to that, they cannot function without having a direct line of sight to a power source.

This quickly turns the commander role into a meta-game wherein you're constantly attempting to expand further into the map, whilst maintaining your power and repeaters. Without one or the other, your structures become useless.

This also provides a layer of strategy, as the enemy team can begin to surgically target your power sources as a means of disabling all of your equipment and moving safely through the map without having to waste time on destroying multiple turrets, one at a time.

ND does not come without its issues. Gameplay is extremely unbalanced in some regards, whilst some of the commanders abilities (namely the ability to instantly kill any enemy on the map without warning or delay), get very tiresome very quickly.

Controls for the commander are also quite clunky, slow, and unresponsive. The Source engine was clearly not intended to be used in a point-and-click application, and this is evident in the way that the commander camera responds, as well as its limited movement options and viewpoint manipulation.

With all said and done, however, ND is an interesting experience and worthy of its $25 admission ticket. At best, you'll discover a new genre of shooter to waste dozens, or even hundreds of hours on, and at worst, you'll at least have tried something different for a few hours.

-Ramzy

Space Marine

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 05:54:34 +0000

A quick review on the game as it stands from the demo. I will be posting another one when the real game is released.

REVIEW: From Dust

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:22:44 +0000

Many of our players were wondering if they should purchase the game "From Dust". Instead of keeping you wondering I decided to give you an in game look with some descriptions as to what the game has to offer. From my point of view, this is a quality game that the genre of "God Games" have needed for some time. It is definately no "Black & White" but it will certainly hold you over if those type of games are your cup of tea.

BATTLEFIELD 3 CASPIAN bORDER tRAILOR REVEALED

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 06:57:31 +0000

EA has released a new Battlefield 3 PC Trailer. Caspian Border is a map that show's off 64 player vehicle warfare at it's finest. Feature ground vehicle in the game, Caspian Border takes players across a huge battlefield filled with Jets, Helicopters and more.

This map is suspected to be the BETA map that starts in September. Lets hope so!

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:15:04 +0000

Valve has just announced the next title in the seminal team-based shooter, Counter-Strike, to be expected sometime in early 2012 for XBOX LIVE Arcade, Playstation Network and Steam. So far, very little details have been released but we can expect new/updated models, new characters and maps, renovated popular maps like de_dust and MUCH more.

The first official source confirming the project was on the Steam Forums by designer Jess Cliffe. EA Sports League manager Bastian Vieser also posted on his Twitter about the title being playable and "its that good!"

A playable version of CS: Global Offensive will be available at PAX Prime this year.

Join in on the discussion of this highly anticipated release here!

Forum Update!

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:23:24 +0000

The Slaughterhouse forums have just been updated to IP.Board v3.2.1! This update provides a fair few changes which you may or may not notice. A few of these changes include:

GUI change
An RSVP function added to the in-built calendar
iCal Support for the calendar
A new text editor which allows for auto-saving, has a cleaner interface, quick reply, quick quoting and New post alert while typing reply
Notification improvements
Brand new mobile skin
And MUCH more

You can read our thread about it HERE, or you can read the full list of features in the update at the IPS site HERE.

Slaughterhouse Cookbook

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:33:53 +0000

Want to know what members of the Brotherhood cook for breakfast, lunch, dinner or all of the above? Then check out this thread HERE!

Just a few of the recipes included in this thread are:

Mexican rice
The "perfect burger"
Mexican Pizza ( not the kind you think )

So go check it out! And if you have any recipes that you think the rest of the Brotherhood would like, why not get involved and post it/them?

Minecraft 1.8 details emerge

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:35:53 +0000

The world's favorite block construction game is due for another update, the Adventure Update, here in the next coming month(s). Up until now there was very little known about what we could expect but one of very own members, BPZimmz43, brought forth a recent article on Gamerant.com that gave us a bit of a sneak peak: Configurable block height, a food meter and what looks like an experience bar.

In less than 24 hours of the original article, another forum member, Buckin Bundy, found even more details about what we can expect in 1.8 such as new thin-glass blocks, stackable food and more.

You can follow the discussion in this thread.

Slaughterhouse Art Contest Winners!

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:34:14 +0000

Slaughterhouse recently held an "Art Contest" where members of the community would create pieces of art which had to relate to the subject at hand. The subject in this contest was a member of the community, and this member was Tophu.

Basically members had to create visual arts or crafts pieces based around Tophu. There were 4 main categories and 2 mystery categories which an entrant could win a prize in. These categories were:

Best Technique
Most Imaginative
High Council's Choice
Community's Choice
Silver's Choice
Runner Up Award

Below are the winners of the contest and the prize they won, which counts towards either a Steam game of their choice, an In-Game TF2 purchase, or Donation Perks for our TF2 servers:
Best Technique - $10
tr!cky
Most Imaginative - $10
Leviathan248
High Council's Choice - $10
Leviathan248
Community's Choice - $10
Leviathan248
Silver's Choice - $5
Sliver
Runner Up Award - $5
XShankz

Congrats to the winners of the contest! You can view their works and read more about the contest in THIS thread.

Arkham city's Riddler strikes again

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:03:03 +0000

A new trailer has shown itself starring Batman's crazy, psychotic and awkwardly similar SAW-like character, The Riddler. In the first of its next-gen game releases, Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Riddler hardly showed a presence at all. The only real evidence of his being were the pesky "Riddler's Riddles" scattered throughout the rundown fortress that is Arkham Asylum; however, the long awaited sequel seems to suggest that he is a far more prominent character this time around.

Batman: Arkham City is expected to release October 18th, 2011 on PS3, PC and Xbox360.

Minecraft 1.7.2 compliance

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:45:13 +0000

Our Minecraft servers have been updated to support version 1.7.2, otherwise known as the Piston update. At this time, Sticky Pistons are disabled due to a rather nasty duplication glitch that would directly harm the economy of our servers; however, standard pistons are available for use. For more information about Pistons, recipes and applications of this new block, check out the Minecraft Wiki.

Do you have Minecraft? Want to be a part of our community? You bet your ass you do! Join us today at on our primary server at da.mc.bhslaughter.com OR our creative server at la.mc.bhslaughter.com

new ffxiii-2 screenshots released

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:39:22 +0000

Square-Enix's top selling franchise, Final Fantasy, is set to release yet another game in this long-lived series as a direct sequel to their last offline version, FFXIII. Lightning has gone missing, Serah takes the spotlight as the protagonist, and now a new character, Noel, appears on the scene claiming to have information on the missing heroine's location.

Will Square-Enix come back from their recent slump? Will the Final Fantasy franchise regain that spark it lost years ago? Only time will tell, but until its release in early 2012 we'll have to settle for these newly released ingame screenshots!

EA BF3 BOYCOTT

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:25:46 +0000

It seems the BF3 boycott has picked up quite a bit of steam -- Enough for EA to close some of the comment threads on their news posts regarding BF3.

Before I go too far into things, I just want to quickly touch base regarding some of the outrage surrounding this "pre order exclusivity" business.

There are a lot of users trying to deconstruct the boycott by calling it stupid, frivolous, a waste of time, and essentially a lot of noise about 2 measly weapons and 2 attachments.

Let me make it clear that this is how things start. First it's a weapon or two, then it's three or four, then maybe a whole team, a vehicle, the entire multiplayer component... It goes on. Things never stay the way they are, and if publishers (such as EA) find that there is a market in pre-order exclusives, believe me, they WILL push the boundaries as far as the possibly can with each successive game release or DLC pack.

Publishers are in the business of making money, and they will continue down whatever path makes them the most money. If players are suckers for pre-order exclusives, then you can bet your sweet ass EA will continue to make exclusive weapons more and more tantalizing. "PRE-ORDER NOW AND GET THE M60 MACHINE GUN WITH +10 DAMAGE!".

There is no end unless consumers make a stand.

Now onto the meat of this post -- Complaining.

EA shutting down comment threads on their news articles does not mean it’s the end of being able to voice your opinion. Far from it. A magnificent gentleman by the name of Ramphastid has posted up this excellent resource of information: Click Here.

It contains names, emails, contact information, links, and places where you can voice your distaste towards EA's decision to alienate those who choose not to pay for an unfinished product.

Do yourself, and gamers across the world a favour, and write a quick, tasteful, and civilized, email to EA, letting them know that you aren't going to buy into their bullshit.

-Ramzy

EA - SCrewing players one game at a time

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:05:54 +0000

EA and DICE in their infinite wisdom have taken it upon themselves to taint one of the most anticipated games of 2011.

They seem to have taken a page from their previously botched attempt to extort gamers out of their money (the original Bad Company on XBOX360 & PS3) by offering players the ability to pre-order a special edition of the game, only physically available from select retailers in order to gain access to exclusive weaponry.

Now you might be thinking "maybe they're going to let you unlock those guns normally, like Bad Company 2".

Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. These weapons are exclusive to those who pre-order the game from selected retailers. If you don't pre-order the game, you'll never get a chance to use the weaponry.

Quote

Players can storm the battlefield armed with powerful weapons and items only available in the Physical Warfare Pack

So, what are you going to miss out on?

- DAO-12 Shotgun
- Type 88 LMG
- Flash Supressor
- Flechette Shotgun Ammo (armor piercing rounds)

It doesn't take a Battlefield Veteran, or even a gamer, for that matter, to realize that this is a seriously screwed up attempt from EA and/or DICE to bully gamers into pre-ordering their game from specific outlets.

Check out the full article BY CLICKING HERE, and don't forget to leave a comment on the page expressing your disgust. If you've got a Google, Twitter, Facebook or OpenID account, you can leave a comment without registering.

For further rage inducing information check out this interview with Gameplay Designer Alan "Demize99" Kertz.

-Ramzy

Hitman Absolution E3 Trailer

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:15:19 +0000

The wonderful people over at Eidos have released full length introductory trailer to Hitman Absolution at this year's E3.

The trailer has hit a nerve with some Hitman fanatics though, as it very heavily focuses on hand to hand combat of the brute force nature -- Rather than the sleuthing, calculating Agent 47 we all know and love.

On the one hand, Eidos may be trying to hook some new players into the series by creating a hype train via their trailers, and on the other hand, they may be pushing the series toward a new direction.

One can only hope that they stay true to what made the original games such a cult favourite among gamers, rather than losing sight and destroying the series like so many developers before them.

See below for the latest E3 trailer.

-Ramzy

Battlefield 3 E3 FOotage Sets the Bar

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:34:32 +0000

This year's E3 started Monday, and EA/DICE set out to hype the fans, and set the bar high for FPS Shooters. DICE's presentation of Battlefield 3 showed off a brand new, never before seen 8 minutes of pure uncut Singleplayer footage.

Previously released footage showed off DICE's new lighting and animation technologies by walking gamers through a soldiers point of view on foot. Today's E3 footage show's off the Vehicle side of Battlefield. Below you can find the raw uncut footage in HD released today.

Shortly after this video, DICE released a short and much anticipated Multiplayer Tailor on the map "Operation Metro" There's not much vehicle combat in this video, however it does give gamer's a idea of how vast the maps will be.

DICE has already confirmed that the PC version of Battlefield 3 will have a capability of 64 players per server. Console gamers will have to come over to PC if they want to experience Battlefield in it's full potential, as it will only be getting 32 player maps.

Battlefield 3 has a release date of October 25th worldwide. The Beta starts sometime in September.

See you on the Battlefield

Battlefield 3 E3 Footage Sets the Bar

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:46:38 +0000

BF3: Wake Island

Thu, 19 May 2011 08:05:24 +0000

The lads at DICE have been kind enough to provide us poor, needy gamers with some much needed sustenance. Today's spoonful of goodness comes in the form of some Wake Island concept art.

This Wake is substantially different in appearance than its previous iterations. What used to be a sunny, almost vista-like map now looks as though it was recently covered in a layer of napalm and unhappiness.

There also seems to be larger (multi-floor) buildings strewn about. This would make some sense considering the destruction engine in BF3. Wake Island, up until this point, has never made much use of buildings or large structures.

While a part of me just wants to see BF2's Wake Island with updated graphics, doing something like that would essentially equate to ignoring the glorious destruction engine built around BF3's experience, which I think is something DICE would rather not do any time soon.

Of course, concept art is just that -- A concept. A lot of the time game concept art looks drastically different to the end result, so we'll just have to wait and see. Click the thumbnail below for a larger version.

TF2: rocketpong

Wed, 18 May 2011 12:38:08 +0000

At 8am in the morning they said, "Riu, you cant fill the server its dead". Within 30 minutes of that response our server was full and having fun like they use to.

Seems that all the server needs is a little bit of Riu. Too bad there isnt enough of me to go around! For more fun and games please let us know what you want to see in the map rotation.

slaughter 10 million? free game mode!

Thu, 12 May 2011 13:56:31 +0000

It's not often that developers release free DLC for their games -- More so when said games only cost $15.

But, as promised, developer Timegate Studios have released a new mode for their multiplayer class based shooter, titled "Assault Mode". This mode plays out a lot like a one sided conquest mode wherein one team must defend a number of capure points, while the other team attempts to take control of said capture points (assault -- geddit?)

Upon the release of S8:P, gamers were given the hefty goal of reaching 10million kills in order to unlock a new mode. Seems as though Timegate Studios wanted to give gamers the impression of achieving something, despite the fact that assault mode was more than likely already in the game, but locked, ala Bad Company 2 Map Packs.

In any case, it's free content for a game that was already worth the $15, so who can complain?

One interesting thing to note is the sheer number of kills that gamers achieved in such a short time frame. Now, my math is rusty, so give me a chance here.

Release Date: 05MAY11
Achievement Date: 12MAY11
Time taken to reach achievement: 7 days / 168 hours
10,000,000 kills divided by 168 hours = 59,523 kills per hour
992 kills per minute
16 kills per second

Some interesting numbers indeed.

-Ramzy

Children Building Blocks Take BoS By Storm!

Wed, 11 May 2011 16:41:33 +0000

We've all seen it. Most of us have played it. If you haven't played it, you didn't miss it in the gallery. Like a giant sized Lego ziggurat it overshadows us all. I am of course talking about the game that lets you relive your early, early, childhood years: Minecraft.

Minecraft: Making Ultima Underworld look good.

“But wait,” some of you are undoubtedly thinking, “Minecraft has so much more to offer than a toddlers toy!” I wholeheartedly disagree. While you can craft and sustain a virtual world, is this not the same thing a child does, except the child actually uses more imagination and can in fact sustain their own imaginative world in their head, picking up their wacky adventures when next they can play. Is any of this sounding familiar yet?

Before I continue I should point out in all fairness that I'm not trying to bash the game so many of you enjoy. I just find it extremely interesting how Minecraft is an example of games coming full circle.

For example:

When art imitates... art i guess. Who needs those fancy graphics when I can build a battlecruiser out of cubes? (Author's Note: I do respect the accuracy, time, and effort it must have taken to construct both of these respective ships.)

When I say full circle I mean that the perception of gamers is that we are always clamoring for better graphics, more realistic gameplay, and an endless supply of Call of Duty clones. This is why the industry still needs to pay attention to a game like Minecraft. It might not directly hurt a large corporation's bottom line, but it wouldn't hurt to pay attention either.

Minecraft is actually steeped in traditions that go far beyond children toys. The best sandbox games of all time have followed a similar formula: Simplify the graphics, and provide an open ended experience that the user can cater to themselves. The KISS principle in full affect.

I don't like to admit it, but both of these will scare the crap out of you on your first playthrough.

So while I may poke fun at Minecraft every now and again, realize that it is just that, for fun, and it is a small game that has made a large impact on this community, and for that we should all be thankful. And as is the case for both the child playing with their wooden blocks as well as the avid Minecrafter I wish to leave you all with this phrase: Ars Gratia Artis.

MAX PAYNE 3 - NEW SCREENS RELEASED

Wed, 11 May 2011 13:58:26 +0000

Rockstar have released 12 new screenshots for the sequel to their legendary Max Payne series.

Max Payne 3 is an odd evolution of the series. The game is a collaborative effort led by Rockstar Vancouver, with the assistance of their London, Toronto and New England studios. This is also the first Max Payne not developed by the original Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment, as well as not being led by the series creator, Sam Lake.

Max Payne seems to be sporting a new hair-do (or lack thereof), as well as the game having a completely different setting, based in Brazil (not including Max's flashback episodes). This is a far cry from the dirty city streets and warehouses of the original 2.

Originally slated for release in 2009, Take-2 and Rockstar decided that the game would benefit from more development time. Onward, the game was pushed back a second time in June 2010 to a new date -- First quarter 2011. Unfortunately, this did not come to light, and at this stage, and as it stands, the current release date is hovering between 2011 and 2012, with nothing set in stone.

See below for the new (small) screenshots, or head on over to the official page for the full size (1280x720) by clicking here.

-Ramzy

BATTLEFIELD 3 - KARKAND

Wed, 11 May 2011 06:17:48 +0000

The boys over at DICE have revealed some new information about the hotly anticipated sequel to the mother of Battlefield games... Battlefield 2.

Karkand BF3 concept art

Karkand in BF2

One of the more exciting aspects of the BF3 release is the inclusion of classic maps that the BF2 community have rated as the best of the series. Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island, and Sharqi Peninsula.

It's hard to imagine that we first set foot on Karkand more than 6 years ago, in 2005. Maps in the multiplayer environment have changed enormously in that time as well.

Players have grown accustomed to being able to traverse any part of the map in multiple ways. Whether it be dropping in from orbit, ala Section 8, hopping over obstacles and climbing vertical walls, ala BRINK, or vaulting over entire rooftops with the Nano Suit, ala Crysis 2. As such, it's good to see that DICE are taking a different approach with the conversion of these classic maps.

Rather than a 100% rip of the original map, DICE have opted to offer these maps as a "re-imagining" of the originals. From the concept art alone, Karkand looks leaps and bounds more intricate, expansive, and complex, in comparison to the original.

One interesting thing to note, however, is the destruction engine, and the way it'll affect these classic maps. For years clans have been writing strategies and walkthroughs for these maps. The one thing that all these strats rely on is cover... Get from point A to point B using wall XYZ as cover. What happens if wall XYZ is no longer there thanks to a spec ops soldier taking out that wall with some det packs?

This adds a dynamic layer to each round. It prevents players from leaning on a crutch for too long, or camping out in a single building for the entire round, racking up kills.

It'll be interesting to see if the destruction aspect makes or breaks these classic maps in BF3.

Click here for the full blog post from DICE.

-Ramzy

HITMAN: ASBOLUTION - TEASER TRAILER

Tue, 10 May 2011 14:49:41 +0000

There was a collective gasp of fear within the Hitman community some months ago when Square Enix acquired the publisher responsible for the Hitman Series, Eidos (not to be confused with IO Interactive, the developer).

Would there ever be another Hitman game? Would Square Enix have any sort of creative control over any upcoming Hitman titles? Would it be turned into a console exclusive?

These, and many more questions, unfortunately, have yet to be answered. What we know now, however, is that another glorious Hitman game is on its way to bless gamers around the world.

The teaser is skimpy on details, but at the 20 second mark viewers are presented with a barcode that reads "110706-040147", which decodes into "2011 07 06", which, if you aren't already aware, is the day E3 commences.

For all those interested, check out The Hitman Home Page to register for updates and follow the official Hitman Youtube channel.

-Ramzy

BRINK release plagued with issues

Tue, 10 May 2011 07:05:56 +0000

For developers, hyping up a game is a double sided sword.

On the one hand, anticipation, excitement, discussion, and community creation is the result of such hype, but at the same time, a botched release can completely destroy a game and result in it being placed in a permanent state of disrepair, despite patches and fixes. Once a gamers' trust it broken, it's near impossible to earn it back.

With that said, BRINK was released earlier today, and, in its current state, things have been less than favourable.

Reviews are trickling through at the moment, and the current consensus is very mixed. The single player campaign and bot AI have are almost universally disliked. The actual meat of the game -- The multiplayer -- Is tough to score.

Current emotions from gamers seem to be revolving around one polar extreme or the other. Some hate it, and call it one of the worst multiplayer shooters in recent memory, while others are thoroughly enjoying the game and its 100 Quadrillion Character Combinations and dynamic weapon customization system.

Unlike its console counterpart, however, the PC iteration of BRINK has hit some hard times.

The Steam User Forums have been lit up with complaint posts ranging from broken ATi 4 series support, corrupt UI, extremely poor performance on high end hardware, and sound issues related to the server hosting software.

With all said and done, however, BRINK has some good things going for it.

The customization and weapon modification system has been universally praised, as well as the general art direction and graphical style being unique and eye catching. Gameplay is focused heavily on teamwork.

Maps and objectives are dynamic, and as such, players are being fed new objectives on a constant basis, although these objectives simply degenerate into generic "hack this", "destroy that", "escort them" or "defend here" missions.

BRINK itself doesn't bring very much to the table outside of its parkour element. The words "class based FPS" have become a bit of a phrase in the industry, and as it stands, there is no shortage of them, both now, and into the future.

For the short term, one can only hope that Bethesda and Splash Damage work to restore the faith of pre-purchasers and those who bought into the hype the world over.

-Ramzy

Slaughterhouse expands to dallas

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:52:40 +0000

Slaughterhouse has just purchased a brand new server in Dallas. This server has a larger than normal SSD and a more powerful CPU than the one in our Los Angeles server.

"But what does this mean to me?", you might ask. This allows us to provide you with an east coast TF2 server as well as a creative server for Minecraft. Plus anything else we can think of.

We are expecting to receive the server by Friday. However, it will take a little while to set everything up just how we want it. So watch the thread on our forums and keep an eye on our steam page. Links to both are listed below.

Just remember, donations help keep the servers you love alive! If you want to donate, be sure to click on the "Donate Here" link on the navigation bar.

Dallas information thread: http://www.bhslaught...764-new-server/
BoS Steam Page: http://steamcommunit...ups/bhslaughter

It is podcast audition time!

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:52:43 +0000

That's right, it is time. Time to show me that the world NEEDS your voice to gently caress it. Time to prove to everyone that you not only like dishing it out in video games, but also over the e-airwaves. TIME TO BRING THE PAIN (please don't bring any sort of pain, as it will be painful).

http://www.bhslaught...auditions-time/

new website host

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 15:14:23 +0000

Not to say that slicehost.com was bad but we really felt that going with a site that has the same standard of excellence with a cheaper price was probably the wiser move. So we moved our servers yesterday. I know some of you experienced this and were complaining about the forums and other services being down, this is why.

As of now our server has 2gb of memory and more than enough space for us to use for storage. The transition went rather smooth and because of this new server we will be releasing the new Gallery section within the week. Expect more updates as the week unfolds.

portal 2 release

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:30:46 +0000

With the release looming ever so closer it would seem Valve has once again proved their ability to suck the gaming market dry for all their resources. How you ask? A week before the release date of Portal 2 Valve gets the novel idea of letting it be released early... but not just for anything. To release the game early you must work together with millions of other nerds and purchase their INDIE pack of games and play them. The more people who do this the faster the game will come out early.

I don't know who hired their marketing scheme guy but seriously he should be getting paid bank. Valve knows just how to squeeze the money from their playerbase and make us love them still for it! Either way, this game is proving to be another blockbuster hit. To check out the status of the early release visit the following website:

http://www.apertures...c/d/g/h/abcdgh/

BF3 12 minute video

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:09:10 +0000

Some very good looking footage there. This game looks like its going to be one to rock the FPS world. You can bet we will have servers for it upon release date! Lets just hope EA doesnt fuck us over again with making us rent another server instead of private hosting.

BOS Music video of the week

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:01:55 +0000

The Brotherhood of Slaughter music video of the week is Linkin Park's "Waiting for the End". Linkin park is currently on tour. More info can be found at www.linkinpark.com

Brotherhood of Slaughter Crysis 2 Server

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 01:15:09 +0000

After a highly successful launch, a few updates, and the dedicated effort to remove cheaters, Crysis 2 is a bit of a celebrity in the gaming industry. It's also caught the attention of our community, and we recently added our very own Crysis 2 server, with a robust map rotation.

If you want to drop in and play a bit with your fellow brothers, search for our server "BHSlaughter.com" and also make sure to hop in our Ventrillo server so you can brag about all your kills!

Also, make sure to add us to your favorites! Riu put together a short tutorial video on how to do just that:

For more information, check out the Crysis 2 server information thread.

Sources: GamaSutra, Joystiq, GamePolitics

The Old Republic, Taral V Walkthrough

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:07:24 +0000

Next Gen MMO?

It isn't easy to deny the hype of Bioware's blooming new title, Star Wars: The Old Republic: while it isn't necessarily new, the amount of innovation Bioware is adding to both the series and the MMORPG genre is nothing short of phenomenal. With it being difficult to argue against, Bioware is attempting to innovate the method of story telling in the MMO industry. By bringing players into a more immerse universe, the game can become more involving and the impacts on your choices that much better. The Old Republic (TOR), has been demoed at nearly every game convention (PAX, GDC, E3) with last years E3 blowing fans away with a stunning CG trailer, "Hope"; a year before that was the first announcement titled "Decieved".

PAX East is still going on and TOR had it's spotlight in the form of a walkthrough with developer commentary. In the new release, viewers are taken through what Bioware calls a "Flashpoint". In a flashpoint, players are given opportunities to run a quest-line with friends, or even strangers for that matter. During these series of quests the leader is able to start the dialect during key moments, teammates of the party leader can also partake in these quests by adding their own reactions in the form of a choice-wheel; effectively impacting the quest-line with plenty of variables. In this specific flashpoint, players are taken to the planet Taral V, the leader picks up a band of three other characters; totaling the team to four. After a quick lore-filled beginning, the team is off to their mission. At one point, upon reaching the planet, the viewers are introduced to a weathered surface floor; there's rain and there's lightning. Some clash takes place and during this, the viewer can watch as lightning strikes an incoming shuttle causing it to veer off course and crush into a tower. Shortly after the tower collapsed in an awesome spectacle of destruction. The players progress on and encounter additional objectives, these "bonus-tasks" can reward all participants with experience as well as altering the instance in one form or another.
Taral V Developer Walkthrough

It's just a taste of things to come when the full game releases sometime between the end of the second quarter of 2011 and beginning to mid third quarter.

Source: www.swtor.com

Free Brotherhood Weekend

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:02:59 +0000

Founded in late 2007, Slaughterhouse set out to create an inviting, enjoyable, and casual gaming community. As we grew in the early months, we implemented a system that allows members to officially become a "brother," or member of the community, and gain access to a growing list of benefits. The most desirable of those benefits is the reserved slot, which allows brothers to join the server regardless of population. However, one must go through a series of trials to become a brother, and while not that hard, they help ensure brothers are dedicated, interesting, and likable people. Unfortunately, the time requirement inherent in becoming a brother can be a deal breaker for some people, meaning The Brotherhood misses out on some excellent members from time to time. To help bring in new, excellent members, and give those with less time on their hands a chance to make it easier to play on our servers, we're hosting a second Free Brotherhood Weekend, starting this Friday (March 11th) and ending the following Monday (March 14th).

For the past four years Slaughterhouse has hosted a highly popular Team Fortress 2 server, and given the results of the last Free Brotherhood Weekend, another one will only help strengthen the community. Our last Free Brotherhood Weekend, which occurred last year, managed to bring in many new members to The Brotherhood, increasing the amount of regular Brotherhood members in the server, as well as on the forums. And as the size of our community increases, so does our ability to ensure our server will be constantly excellent, as well as our forums.The Free Brotherhood Weekend is also a significant event for current Brotherhood members, meaning that both regular and less active brothers turn up to welcome the new brothers into the community.

In addition to a reserved slot on our Team Fortress 2 servers, being a brother will grant you access to exclusive events and contests (and all the prizes that follow!), as well as the ability to become an admin. For more details on the event, check out the forums for a complete description.

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Troll

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:42:18 +0000

...or else EA may swoop in and ban you from playing its games; a rather odd section of EA's EULA allows them to terminate or suspend user accounts over all their products, even if the offense occurred in a different product. What this means is that the forum suspension you get for insinuating BioWare sold-out to the EA devils could also result in the removal of your ability to log into any EA account service, including those found in Dragon Age II.

This unfortunately happened recently, as user Arno found himself unable to register his copy of Dragon Age II, meaning he couldn't play it at all. This policy, and punishment, raises some startling questions regarding ownership and free speech, as EA can turn their part of your hard earned video game collection into nothing but wall ornaments over some petty complaints. Do players actually own what they buy? Should they? What crosses the line between harmless complaint and legitimately harmful comments? All of these questions are going to need definitive answers within the industry (and they can't come from gamers) if we want to see the medium fully incorporate the consumer (as many development studios have started attempting through means such as social media, live/video chat, and forums), because conflicting views on how to treat the consumer will only push them away from the games they enjoy.

In this recent incident I think it's pretty clear that the comment made by Arno was not only comical in nature, but also had nothing to do with the quality of Dragon Age II (such comments have been quite a controversy lately) and thus shouldn't have been punished. In addition, I think suspending his account from accessing games he payed good money for is not only uncalled for, but needlessly excessive and detrimental to the credibility of game developers and publishers.

Sources: Rock, Paper, Shotgun, BeefJack

New trailer for the old republic released

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:18:42 +0000

Today is the opening day of PAX East. The convention which is open to the public, draws major publishers looking to showcase their games to the public. Bioware Austin has a large presence at the convention, and has released new trailer for The Old Republic, entitled: Fate of the Galaxy. The trailer is entirely in-game footage, setting up the conflict brewing in the Galaxy; featured in the trailer are iconic landscapes from the Star Wars Saga, as well as characters reminiscent of HK-47 from KOTOR and Chewbacca from the Original Trilogy.

Source: BioWare Media Source: YouTube

Anticipated Complete Mod Released for Call of Pripyat

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:01:03 +0000

The long anticipated Complete series of mods for the Stalker franchise, have released their take on Call of Pripyat. The modification enhances various aspects of the game, while keeping the original plot intact; improvements include graphical and sound upgrades, a less intrusive user interface, English localization improvements, and various gameplay additions.

Call of Pripyat, the latest Stalker game was released in 2010 and was hailed for being the least bug ridden of the series, a notable improvement over previous games. The game received moderate reviews, and was noted for being an improvement over its disappointing predecessor Clear Skies. The Franchise remains unique among its FPS peers, blending survival horror and roleplaying elements with first person shooter elements.

Call of Pripyat Complete can be downloaded at Mod DB.

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Media Source: YouTube

Petroglyph Releasing New DoTA-Style MOBA

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:19:07 +0000

If there's one genre that's seen a recent resurgence, it's the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), DoTA style games. Between Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends, and DoTA 2, one might argue that this niche genre is getting a bit crowded. However, Petroglyph studios believes they have something new to give to gamers with its latest game, Rise of Immortals.

Perhaps the one of most drastic difference between Rise of Immortals and the rest of the MOBA games is that Rise of Immortals plans to have a much heavier Player v. Environment focus; instead of focusing almost exclusively on Player v. Player scenarios, there will be a significant amount of experience, loot, and enjoyment to be had combating NPC monsters. In both Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends, fighting monsters in the forests is usually viable only to certain heroes, and only for so long. By focusing on increasing the importance and viability of PvE, Petroglyph seeks to make Rise of Immortals a bit more approachable and flexible than its MOBA brethren. Given how competitive and seriously other MOBA games are taken, this decision could easily give more casual gamers an access point to a still niche and seclusive genre.

Another aspect that will help set Rise of Immortals apart from its predecessors is the leveling and item system: while League of Legends offers an account leveling system, which allows you to gain access to global skills and benefits as you play more, Rise of Immortals will allow you to level individual characters. In addition, unlike any other MOBA, certain items (if not all of them) will persist in your inventory; instead of having to re-buy your entire build for a given character, you can carry items from one game to the next. These decisions are certainly interesting, and could be quite beneficial in the effort to create a casual and engaging experience: as you can directly increase your proficiency with a given character, you have more invested in that character. This increased investment fosters greater player retention, skill development, and early game balance.

Overall, Rise of Immortals looks like it will rock the proverbial boat with its promised features: it goes against several basic design decisions that made DoTA super competitive and popular, implementing systems that foster entirely different types of strategy and play. While veteran MOBA players may a bit jaded by the increasing frequency of MOBA releases, if Petroglyph manages to balance and implement Rise of Immortals properly, even the most fanatical DoTA player will have something to be interested about.

Source: Joystiq

Risk: Factions now on Steam

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:47:22 +0000

As of march 8th, Risk: Factions is available on steam.
For those of you who don't know, Risk is a popular turn based strategy game, with a comical twist. Unfortunately for PC gamers, it was only available on the PS3 or 360, until now.

The object of Risk is to achieve world domination, and the player can achieve this multiple ways, be it objectively ( by completing multiple missions, the more you do, the better you do), or by demolishing your enemies, which is my personal favorite. As a largely comical game with a cartoon like style, Risk: Factions is based off of Hasbro's popular classic, Risk.

It will run you $9.99 on the Steam store. The title will be released to PC consumers with new maps, an online multiplayer function, and five different races to choose from (Human, Cat, Robot, Undead, or Yeti, hopefully providing us with a large amount of re-playability and diversity.).
Personally this sounds like a great deal, and I can't wait to grab this off the steam shop. For only 10 dollars it definitely seems worth it.
Source: IGN Steam Store

GDC 2011: Interview with Christina Norman

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:21:46 +0000

The lead gameplay designer of Mass Effect 2, Christina Norman, was caught at GDC and given a flurry off questions in an attempt for fans to gain closure on the next and final installment of Shepard's campaign through the Milky Way Galaxy. Though it was all in good fun, Christina will also take the helm of Bioware's massive goliath-ship Mass Effect 3 . There's no doubt, Mass Effect 3 will be arguably the most anticipated RPG of the year right next to Dragon Age 2; but who would label the two as competitors anyways. So for the fans of the franchise, the most drastic change between Mass Effect 1 and 2 was the gameplay. This was the lady that made it happen, and in her response to the question as to why, she explains how Mass Effect wasn't quite perfect; despite being one of the biggest RPGs games of the current generation. Anybody could point out one aspect they loved and disliked about Mass Effect. She expressed her interpretation of feedback and no doubt, Mass Effect 2 reflected the design changes taken place after reading initial reviews of the first game.

So what's the next step? Mass Effect 3 comes out roughly a year and a half, give or take, after Mass Effect 2. What can fans expect from the next title? Christina explained that many decisions from ME1, having not shown in ME2, will have a great chance of carrying over in ME3. When asked if the dreaded "resource gathering" will also be carried over, Christina responded, ironically, that somethings may not carry over from ME2 to ME3. Let us hope it will not be that repetitive task that determines the endgame.

While fans wait eagerly for the final tale of Shepard's tribulations, we will also have a chance to get one last DLC for ME2. In related news as a matter of fact, recently trophy updates in the PS3 Network reveal a new trophy pertaining to Mass Effect 2's final planned DLC titled, "The Arrival". Which can be found here

While we wait so diligently to get our grubby paws on the final conclusion, we'll at least have something to sate our appetite and as a bonus it might just pave the road to ME3 delivering the final episodic content to ME2 and impacting quite possibly the very beginning of ME3. There's a lot of speculation to what ME3's story will start with and where it'll go but rest assured Bioware remains content with their development in hopes that we will truly be immersed in the realm of the franchise. Look forward to ME3 during the fourth quarter off 2011.

Source: Gamerant

One Time Only 1000 Player FPS Event

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:49:08 +0000

Developers have always been a bit more enthusiastic about increasing the player count in games than gamers have been about playing with more people. Be it MAG pushing the boundaries with over 200 players, or other games trying to push a comparatively paltry 64 players, it's easy to assume developers are hellbent on simply maxing out the number of players in a given server. However, developers aren't the only ones interested: a Swedish networking company recently claimed they're going to be able to host 1000 players in a single server.

Pikkotekk will soon be hosting a one time event where they host 1000 people fighting each other, and while the game is not a graphical achievement, the capacity is. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the announcement is the technology the ability to host so many players is based on. According to their site and related documents, "[t]he Pikko architecture consists of Pikko Server and several cell servers working together. Players in an online multiplayer game connect to Pikko Server, which handles load balancing between the cell servers. The cell servers handle physics, game logic and more," and the entire service works much like a cell phone tower network.

While this technology may not astound players outside the event meant to demonstrate its power, as Pikkotekk is a networking company (rather than a game developer) they're going to license this technology out to various game companies. This means a few things: first, we could see a new wave of FPS innovation, as larger player population sizes become a norm rather than an anomaly, meaning that designing for the size increase becomes prominent and perfected; second, we'd most likely see better games, as developers can focus more on designing and balancing the game, rather than maintaining the back end servers; and third, we'll probably see more independent studios looking to make light-weight shooters, as they can rely on someone else to maintain the servers, allowing them to focus their monetary and creative resources on making games.

While the event still hasn't been dated, I'd keep an eye out for the announcement, as something like this is probably going to fill up fast.

Source: 1UP

Crytek Gives Us a Glimpse at the Next Generation of Graphics

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:14:16 +0000

Over a year ago, Crytek demoed CryEngine 3, showing off perhaps the most impressive graphics and animation engine in development. Now they're back with more.

Crytek showed off this new footage at GDC 2011, most likely in an attempt to solidify support from publishers, and draw some interest in licensing CryEngine 3 from other developers. While there are several options available on the market, the most prominent engine available for licensing has been Unreal Engine 3, which is used in several notable titles, including Batman: Arkham Asylum, Borderlands, and Mass Effect 2. With CryEngine 3's astounding performance and cross-platform compatibility, perhaps it will prove to be a worthy challenger to Unreal Engine 3. Even if CryEngine 3 ultimately doesn't trump Unreal Engine 3, it hopefully will drive innovation and evolution in the market-leading toolkit, as it has come under criticism for being incomplete and unsupported from time to time.

Source: The Escapist
Media Source: YouTube

Crysis 2 Requires No Online Pass

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:22:52 +0000

One of the more controversial systems implemented by EA recently is their "online pass" program, which requires users to enter a unique code to gain access to online features (multiplayer and/or DLC). There's only one catch: you can only get these codes from buying the game new, or purchasing one for up to $10. This new program quickly became subject to intense criticism and hatred by gamers and critics alike, as it punished the customer for purchasing used games, rather than the distributor.

However, in an attempt to please the masses, Crytek has announced that Crysis 2 will not be using EA's controversial online pass program. Crytek was able to bypass integrating this system into Crysis 2 thanks to the fact they are only an EA partner, rather than an internal EA studio, like Visceral Games. The choice to avoid the online pass program stemmed from two reasons: first, since the online pass program is fairly young, and thus not perfected, Crytek didn't want Crysis 2 to serve as a "testbed" for the program; second, since Crysis 2 is going to be most console gamer's first exposure to Crytek's games, they don't want to limit the customer in any way.

Crytek's released an official statement regarding the matter, commenting "All we can say/confirm is that we aren't using Online Pass for Crysis 2."

With developers and publishers alike searching for ways to undermine used game sales, it's going to fall on the entire industry to find a fair means to do so. Thus, while Crytek is more than allowed to avoid using EA's online pass program, I hope that developers will find a more constructive way to avoid what they perceive to be a detriment than by simply boycotting it. Certainly, the online pass program is far from perfect, but it's only though iteration that something reaches an acceptable state, and such a self-centered attitude, while understandable, doesn't help push the medium forward in the long run. However, for the time being, gamers can rest assured they won't be subjected to EA's online pass program through Crysis 2, which hits worldwide later this month.

Source: The Escapist

Dragon Age 2 DLC

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:31:18 +0000

With the game less than a day away from release the developers are already speaking of DLC content that will be available upon release of the game. This type of practice worries me. Why not just make the content part of the game? Practices like this makes it look as if they had taken something from the story that was not major and added a pricetag to it to squeeze the player for an extra cent. If this trend keeps up we will be paying for armor upgrades and weapon choices!!! Well I doubt it will go that far but it most certainly could get out of hand rather quickly, if its not already there.

Im not sure what to think at this point other than, seriously? In any matter provided for you below is a preview of the content you will be able to purchase upon day one of release.

Dead Island Details Emerge at GDC

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:14:38 +0000

If there's one thing the game industry has been continually infatuated with, it's zombies. From the old SNES game Zombies Ate My Neighbors to Left 4 Dead to Nazi Zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops, gamers and developers alike have remained fascinated by the undead. However, the one thing that hasn't been captured by this pseudo-genre is the survival horror aspect of the zombocalypse, and that's exactly what Deep Silver wishes to rectify with Dead Island. Until just recently, almost no details had been released about the game, but some demos at GDC have finally shed some light on the game.

The most interesting thing about Dead Island is that it takes several aspects from other games and combines them into one experience. It takes the 4 drop-in/drop-out player co-op setup that made Left 4 Dead an instant classic, and then throws in Borderlands' class and skill system; it takes the open world environment of Fallout 3 and combines it with the item combination system of Dead Rising.

What excites me most about this feature set is the combination of the Borderlands class and skill system, and the 4 player co-op of Left 4 Dead: while Borderlands nailed their class and skill system, Left 4 Dead had a much tighter and demanding co-op experience. By combining the two, you get the same feeling of personal value that the uniqueness of class and skills give you, as well as the tense experience of having to make sure everyone is carrying their weight, as well as staying healthy, which is everything the zombie pseudo-genre has been missing. So far, all the details given by Deep Silver have suggested this is exactly what is going to happen: each class will have unique abilities, such as a Fury Mode for the Tank, as well as three unique skill trees that augment their special ability and other stats. In addition, players are going to have to rely on each other constantly; those that try to carry the group through a crowd of zombies will find themselves with little stamina and broken weapons, ultimately dragging the group down.

To help keep players constantly exploring, they're going to have the ability to take common items scattered around the environment and combine them together, resulting in more powerful and effective weapons. Unlike other games that feature this system, such as Dead Rising, all of the combinations will be realistic; there will be no combining stuffed animals and rifles, but you will see electric machetes and explosives strapped to knives. And to ensure there are enough items to combine, the tropical island of Banoi is going to be huge, and open world right from the get-go. However, similar to Fallout 3, players will be brutally punished if they try to take on areas that contain zombies of higher difficulty. Hopefully, the constant conflict between the desire to explore for items and punishment for pushing too far into unknown territory will keep players adventurous and fearing for their lives.

Even though little has been revealed thus far, Dead Island looks poised to take audiences by storm, so long as Deep Silver can deliver on their promise to both balance such a demanding feature set and integrate it into one seamless experience.

Source: GamesRadar

Bungie's Next Game is Massively Multiplayer Action Game

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:42:45 +0000

Today at GDC Bungie confirmed that their next title will be a massively multiplayer action game. In addition, lead engineer David Aldridge reassured the press that the game would not be "WoW in space."

While the new game will be in space, it is yet unclear what the primary mechanics will be. It was rumored to be an MMO First Person Shooter, which is certainly covered under MMO Action Game; however, Bungie did not let on to what the game will eventually become. In addition, the rumored title "Destiny" was not confirmed or denied.

Very little was revealed at GDC, but this is definitely Activision's venture into the realm of subscription based models, so it will be interesting to see how this game develops.

Source: 1Up

Valve Adding a New Security Feature: Steam Guard

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:55:53 +0000

E. Caoili, GamaSutra said:

Valve announced Steam Guard, a new feature designed to enhance security on its Steam and Steamworks platforms by preventing unauthorized modifications or changes to user account settings.

Steam Guard allows users to link their account to a specific PC -- any attempts to log into that account or make any changes to its settings from other PCs will notify the user and request their approval. Third party developers will be able to incorporate Steam Guard into their applications through Steamworks.

The new feature takes advantage of Intel's upcoming Identity Protection Technology (IPT), an encrypted, hardware-based feature available with 2nd Generation Intel CoreT and Intel CoreT vProT processors. IPT generates a new numerical password every 30 seconds, similar to security cards or key fobs.

With this new feature, we can hopefully see less phishing attempts spamming us, and worry a bit less about accidentally giving out our passwords.

Source: GamaSutra

Notch's Latest Game

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:05:51 +0000

Today the embargo on Marcus 'Notch' Persson's latest work was lifted, and it turns out his next creation is quite a bit different than MineCraft: Scrolls is going to be a hybrid card/board game that focuses on grid and turn based strategy.

Each player will have a deck of scrolls and a "king"; the player's deck will consist of summons and spells, which must be used to break through the blockade of the opposing player in order to reach and subjugate their "king." To further add a layer of depth, new and frequent card packs will require players to adapt their strategies and never stick with what is familiar. Unfortunately the card packs will cost money, but pricing and quantity per purchase have not been detailed yet.

The game will ship with a single-player campaign, but the main focus lies in the multiplayer, which features both ranked and unranked matches. To complement the social nature of CCGs and board games, there will also be an auction house that allows players to sell and buy cards from other players. No details were given on how currency is obtained, though. To further add value to your online struggles, Scrolls will also feature "an extensive backlog of statistics regarding...play sessions."

Another interesting development is that Penny Arcade’s Jerry "Tycho" Holkins is on-board with the project. How he got involved, and what his role is, remains unclear, but he'll undoubtedly be a great asset to Notch's current team.

No release date has been announced, but a private Alpha test is planned for some of the early adopters of the MineCraft alpha, and a public Beta test will occur after that. The Alpha and Beta tests will focus exclusively on the multiplayer aspect of the game, and will be free.

While Scrolls is completely different from MineCraft, Notch's coding genius, Holkins' excellent writing abilities, and Mojang Studio's clear talent are sure to make this CCG/board game hybrid enticing for even the most reluctant skeptics.

Source: GamaSutra, GamaSutra Interview

Crysis 2 multiplayer demo released

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:55:08 +0000

"Some PC fans have been waiting years to get their hands on the sequel to Crysis, 2007's masterful shooter. Just now the multiplayer demo has been released, so you can finally get a taste of what CryEngine 3 has to offer on state of the art hardware.

You can download the file direct from EA
Here, or via the source. Both are on the slow side at the moment, so expect to wait an hour or more before you can dig in."

Source: NeoSeeker

The sounds of Battlefield 3

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:28:58 +0000

Some new info surfaced about the long awaited Battlefield 3 in a interview with Stefan Strandberg.

Quote

The award-winning team behind Battlefield: Bad Company 2's terrific sound design is back. Led by audio director Stefan Strandberg, DICE got up close and personal with the sounds of battle during a live military exercise. Their recordings and subsequent lessons learned could make Battlefield 3 the most realistic sounding war experience in gaming.

Check out the video of the interview with Stefan Strandberg the audio director for battlefield 3 at the Source

War Tapes: The Sounds of Battlefield 3

For more info related to the long awaited Battlefield 3 follow this link

Game Informer-BF3

Valve working on TV-Friendly Steam

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:57:07 +0000

Valve is well known for dominating the digital distribution of games on the PC, and they've recently expanded their reach to both the Mac and the PS3. However, that's not all Valve has in store.

Valve recently announced that they're going to be working on a "big picture" mode that allows Steam games to run and play smoothly on household TVs. The feature set would include controller support and TV-specific navigation methods. While no specifics have been made public yet, Valve is meeting with developers this week at GDC 2011 to discuss the details with them.

If this mode ends up seeing support, it will be interesting to see how widely it's adopted by consumers. While the idea of playing PC games on a TV is certainly interesting, seemingly more social, and would offer some good benefits, I have to wonder how practical it will be to either have a computer set up near a TV (especially a family TV), or to frequently move it to a TV. Regardless, extra features are never a bad thing, and if only a few people benefit from this new mode, at least Valve will ensure they have a great experience.

Source: GamaSutra

RIFT is only a stepping stone

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:59:41 +0000

Say what you will about another MMO launch, but Lars Buttler is convinced that RIFT is not only worth your attention, but also the "...most social game in the history of gaming." To back up his claim, RIFT sports several access points to social media, and has a system that allows for dynamic content update.

However, RIFT developer Trion Worlds sees this launch as both a landmark and a stepping stone: the tech that powers RIFT will be used in later projects, all of which may be radically different genres, to support increased player interaction with other players and the world, as well as dynamic content updates.

With two more games apparently in the works, its only a matter of time to see how things will actually pan out. RIFT's success will probably determine a large part of the future of Trion Worlds, so, assuming they can back up their claims on content systems, here's hoping to a successful launch and the introduction of their content management system into other genres.

Source: GamaSutra

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 22:55:35 +0000

Coming down off the gamer-high that Assassin's Creed 2 leaves you with can be a trying experience for a PC gamer; Assassin's Creed 2 came out for PC almost a year ago, and while consoles have already gotten to explore and conquer Rome, PC gamers are still waiting to assume the role of Ezio again.

However, the wait is almost over: not only has Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood been announced for Steam, its release on March 22nd is now less than a month away. In addition, pre-purchasing the game gets you a free upgrade to the Deluxe Edition, which scores you some single-player and multiplayer DLC, as well as several other out-of-game goodies. And, perhaps the best part, is that Ubisoft's DRM will be much less intrusive: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will not require a constant internet connection to play.

The game itself adds several new features to the Assassin's Creed series, the most interesting being the inclusion of a multiplayer mode. Players can compete in one of six mode variants, ranging from small scale assassination modes to larger, team based modes; stealth, accuracy, and teamwork are encouraged in each of the different modes, and the unique mechanics of the Assassin's Creed series only makes the experience more interesting. The single player campaign is going to be much the same as previous installments, having you jumping from roof to roof, assassinating key targets, and uncovering the mysteries that Assassin's Creed 1 and 2 introduced. However, to keep things interesting, you are now able to capture parts of the city, and use captured areas to build a brotherhood of assassins; by recruiting, customizing, and optimizing your new brotherhood, you can use them to more easily progress through the story and help complete side-quests.

If you enjoyed the story, the game-play mechanics, the setting, or any combination of those elements, from Assassin's Creed or Assassin's Creed 2, you will definitely want to check out Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood when it drops on March 22nd. Between the robust and unique multiplayer and the engaging and immersive singleplayer, you'll have several hours of excellence to look forward to.

Domain issues...

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:10:30 +0000

We are sorry for the downtime. Due to issues beyond our control the domain we had before is currently being locked. One of the main reasons why we dont like to use Godaddy. At this point in time we will be using this domain for all of our services until further notice. We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding and apologize once again for any issues this might have caused.

The revolution has begun

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:09:36 +0000

We have overthrown the Evil Riu, and are now taking over!

Join us at http://www.bhslaught...ion-is-upon-us/

week ban!

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:07:24 +0000

So the community voted for me to be banned for a week! What joy this brings to me, thank you for the vacation! I spent most of the morning learning about depth of field and adding it to your videos, POST process. I also spent some time with color theory and color correction for video rendering. I have gained a significant interest in video editing as of late and have decided to start it on a more serious level. I will be doing some after effects editing tutorials this week and trying to see what my skills in art can come up with.

On top of this, we will be working on the website uploading process, gallery, and server status sections of the website. It is my aim to provide you with these completed sections by Monday morning. Hope all is well and expect some updates throughout the weekend.

nuclearfallout.net hosting

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:24:24 +0000

Many people have asked "Why are your servers so powerful and lag free?" The easiest answer to them is "We have the best host you can find". We have been with Nuclearfallout for four years now and without their service I can say that our servers would not be a successful as they are today.

Some might argue that their prices are higher than some, but the price is a direct relation to their quality of service, uptime, and their willingness to work with your needs. Few companies out there provide even the "quality of service" aspect. If you have ever hosted with Gameservers.net or Art of War, you know what I am speaking of. So if your looking for a good hosting place, try out our host.

slaughterbowl back!

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 08:00:47 +0000

Slaughterbowl Information Thread

For those of you with small attention spans here is a quick blurb:

Quote

Many of you were around for the initial slaughterbowl and probably now what this consist of. For those that weren't the slaughterbwol is a class vs. class matchup on koth maps in order to try to determine the best class in tf2.

So here is how it will go down, 2 matches every Friday and Saturday night for 4 weeks, on a randomly chosen koth map, the winner of the bracket will move up to the other bracket, and to add to the excitement it is a double elimination bracket so the losers get a second chance to redeem themselves.

each match will consist of 3 rounds on a koth map, with one additional round b4 them for practice and to get everyone in

bos video intro

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:44:50 +0000

This is our new BOS intro, let us know what you think by voting here.

crysis 2 leaked?

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 03:02:34 +0000

Just a little over a month left until the scheduled release of Crysis 2 and the Dev version of the game has been leaked to torrent sites across the globe. EA has been notified and they are urging fans to wait till the polished release is available for purchase. Looking through some screenshots found on the web the first few minutes of gameplay seem amazing.

No information has been given on any legal actions at this point or possible delays ( see HL2 if you don't know what i mean ) lets hope this little hiccup doesn't cause issues down the road.

deadspace 2

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:45:06 +0000

If you know me, you know I am not a fan of the whole "Lets make a scary game, thats SINGLE player". If you need reference just search any information related to L4D and my hate for it! I am however, a fan, of the Deadspace Series. With the squeals launch this week we have seen many of our members playing this game and all of their reactions seem to be similar.

Brotherhood Member said:

" THIS GAME IS EPIC! "

If you have the money and are looking for a scary game to sink your teeth into this is certainly it. Realize that you might have bit off more than you can chew because of the most hardened of people will find their nerves slightly rattled at some of the point in the game. I must admit that after playing it for two hours the fear factor has started to wind down but nevertheless the game has yet to not surprise me at some random twist or turn. PROTIP: Do not fall victim to the "toilet flush" trick... damn game developers!

All in all if you enjoyed Silent Hill, System Shock 1&2, or any other games in that type of genre this game is a must buy for you. As for the MP, I have made a few short videos depicting its action. Its nothing spectacular but its certainly not any worse than L4D.

tophuspew

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:01:48 +0000

This is what happens when our mod's have nothing better to do. We took this video the day before we opened the server to the public. Not much time for these things now since we are so busy but we plan to have a Spleef Arena with 4 of these status.

minecraft.net issues

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:17:13 +0000

minecraft website said:

Once again, minecraft.net is more popular than the poor old server can keep up with, so we’re upgrading. I’m not quite sure how long it will take to get done as it’s mostly Tobias doing the work (thank you, sir!). We’ve got a huge amazon cloud server which we’re moving the main server to. We’ll be able to replicate this as demand grows, and we’ll have a load balancer set up in front of it all. Skin downloads will almost certainly be migrated to S3 downloads instead of going through resin as it does now, and we’ll have a separate server just to handle game logins and auth requests.

In other news, we spent the day today out of the office in various cafés, as the floor was getting fixed. And we got the Machinima.com IGA awards! They’re pretty!

If you want to see some pics from the office and Mojang in general, Carl has a photo album here. It gets updated every now and then.

For Minecraft development, we’re working on the new file format, and a new game launcher. The file format is still in early testing, but it’s looking somewhat promising, except for it taking up a bit too much space. It’s faster, though.
The new Launcher will be a bit prettier, will show release notes and other news, will send login requests over https (finally), and will ask if the user wants to update to the latest version or not. In the future, we’ll add support for playing the previous installed version (after warning the player that there might be unexpected bugs) and the ability to choose what work directly to save the level files, but that’s not coming in this version.

We’ve got a meeting planned for tomorrow with some community members to discuss how to best implement the modding.

bhslaughter new website live!

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:03:54 +0000

It has been long overdue but it would seem we have a functional website up and running. We know that many of our members have questioned what we have been working on and we are very proud to provide you with this website. There are still many features to be implemented and over the next few days we will be working to ensure all functions are added.

At this point the bare bones are created and we wanted to show you, and give you a chance to test out, what we have been trying so hard to finish. If you find any bugs, or simply have suggestions, please visit http://www.bhslaught...8259#entry68259 and let us know. We are always open to new ideas and love to hear your thoughts on what we are doing.

minecraft update

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:30:39 +0000

The new minecraft update has caused problems for server administrators across the globe. With the death of hey0 admin mod we are looking to http://www.bukkit.org to fill in where hey0 left off. As for now the Bukkit system works but its seriously lacking in its option for admin tools while people are still porting their stuff over.

SO WHATS THE SKINNY RIU?
We had an admin meeting yesterday and came to many conclusions on many things. Our topics were the following:

NEW MAP:
Yes, we will be creating a new map so that things are auto generated and the new elements established as well. This new map has already been generated and the moderation team is working right now to setup some of the basics that we have lacked in previous maps. We decided that last map everything was thrown together within moments of the server going live and such a mess caused for unneeded headaches and stress on all parties involved. To counteract this we have decided to lay out the basics such as community mines, signs/roads, and a default first starting town. Doing so will streamline the joining process and help to make pubers feel like they are part of something organized and well established.

MODERATOR TOWN:
Some complaints had arisen about moderators who were part of player towns and thus showing favor to the towns they were part of. To solve this concern we will be creating a moderator town. All mods will create their plots of land here and will not claim any city without denouncing their mod status, or unless I figure out a way to make a unbiased process.

WORLD ADMIN TOOL:
hey0 mod officially went down and will not be coming back up. He grew tired of updating it and for whatever reason just stopped. In his departure another team has started a new 'hey0" clone that promises to improve where he failed. http://www.bukkit.org is the location for the tool. We have installed this on our mod server and will be testing it out as they develop it. This tool shows promise and already has signs of server stability and improved resource consumption. We simply need to ensure all the proper mods are ported over. What does this mean for you as the player? Until further notice we are on a free for all server. Any suggestions for other possibilities are appreciated.

LORDSHIP AND TOWNS:
We are looking for people to become lords of the land and manage some of the first cities. This is a hard and long process and requires you have basic knowledge of everything minecraft related. We will not be giving this out to just anybody but we are interested in finding out who is looking to do such a thing. We spoke of all possible prices for upgrading and holding land and I will be posting a FAQ very very very soon. If you want to show interest in such a thing please post below with your desire to be a minecraft lord.

BOTTOM LINE?:
Like every other server out there that used hey0 mod, we are stuck doing nilla mode until bukkit is complete or released with a version that is usable for the process we want it to be used with. We could do some illegal stuff and disperse old copies of the client and use old hey0... but as you can guess, im not one to do illegal things! So for now we will follow the rules and simply have a lawless server. While such things are going on we are working on our moderator server to create the base of the world for when the admin tool is ready.