Category Archives: Rambling

America’s Army 3.0

America’s Army 3.0 was announced a couple of weeks back. This really isn’t major news to anyone following America’s Army as they’ve been talking about this 3.0 version here and there for a year or so now though I suppose this is the first official announcement along with the launch of an official website and dump of new information.

America’s Army 3.0, or just AA3 as it is being called (for some odd reason since AA1 and AA2 were technically the same game) is a complete rewrite of America’s Army. When America’s Army launched in 2002 it was one of the first games to use Unreal Engine 2, it was later upgraded to Unreal 2.5, and now with 3.0 it’ll be upgraded to… Yes, you guessed it… Unreal 3.0! That’s not the biggest deal for America’s Army fans though – Like I said, it’ll be a complete rewrite. This means new totally new and reworked features including major ones like an overhauled ballistics system, a new UI, a totally reworked honor/experience system, all new maps, etc. This is a great opportunity for new players to join the game as, depending on how drastic some of these changes are, everyone will be starting over from the ground floor. Now, a lot of what is changing in AA3 has yet to be leaked so there’s only so much we can dwell on the subject without entering fantasy land but suffice to say it is pretty exciting to fans of the previous game and of the Tactical FPS genre in general I’d imagine.

“The AKS-74U… an indigenous forces’ best friend.”

I know America’s Army isn’t everyone’s couple of tea to put it mildly. It really is quite a challenging game and its brutal, online only gameplay makes it very intimidating to learn and become good at. Then there’s the whole “Army propaganda” stigma that keeps a lot of people from even considering trying it in the first place. If you’re one of those people, believe me, I was skeptical myself as well but America’s Army is a great, high quality, completely free, online tactical FPS game. The propaganda isn’t shoved down your throat nor will a military recruiter suddenly appear on your doorstep if you start rocking the leader boards. Give it a shot! I could go into much more detail about the game’s mechanics and what makes it unique but suffice to say I’ve had my share of time with it.

I first got into America’s Army back when I was still playing Planetside with an old guild I was in, The Praetorian Guard. A few TPG members decided to give it a shot, being free and all, during some off hours just for fun. A few guys from work had also tried it, again, thanks to it being free. I really couldn’t get my head wrapped around it though. The game felt challenging enough with its precision ballistics, brutal damage, and methodical movement without you being forced to play online in Counter-strike style “one life per round” team based matches where being the last one alive meant your teammates were most likely observing your every move, commenting about what an idiotic noob you are, and plotting to vote kick your worthless ass off the server. It was just far too intimidating of an environment for me to try to learn the game in… and you definitely need to “learn the game” considering the objective based gameplay and often complex maps.

“Watching a corner in the darkness.”

One of the times that TPG had a little resurgence in interest and there was actually a good amount of us participating I decided to say screw trying to find good public servers and to just rent our own to fuck around with for a bit. The server was a pretty big success – our own little sandbox to screw around with. We were able to play whatever maps we wanted privately, play around with cheats to experiment with all of the different weapons available, and most importantly of all I was able to develop a much better appreciation of the game without the pressure of actually having to, you know, not suck! TPG eventually formed their own AA division and I eventually joined it. We set up a real server and even participated in tournaments and the like before I finally got sick of the game and moved on. I’ll talk more about my TPG days in future “Ancient History” entries.

I later went on to start my own clan focused specifically on the Tactical FPS genre. It fizzled out pretty quickly for various reasons. Again, massive tangent there that I plan to talk more in later posts. Suffices to say that my clan has been more or less on hiatus for the last 2+ years while I waited around for another tactical FPS to come along that fit the mold I was looking for. With my prior experience with (and appreciation for) the previous game and some plenty of old contacts from the America’s Army scene it may very well be the game that brings my clan back out of the mothballs. I’ve made several posts about the idea on the clans forms and chatted with some of my ex clan members about the idea. The response has been great so far and a few of us have even reinstalled the current version of America’s Army to casually get ourselves warmed back up a bit.

“No objective bravo for you!”

I find the whole idea both extremely exciting and a little daunting as well. While I miss the heart racing, adrenaline rushing intensity of clan matches I can’t help but remember that the stress of organizing and playing said matches was one of the reasons I quit playing hardcore originally. Another being the community filled with unsporting, anti-social idiots that a free FPS game like this naturally tends to attract. It is also, in some ways, an even bigger commitment than an MMORPG. Still, it has been quite a while and I think I’m up for the challenge again.

These screenshots are from the latest, pre 3.0 version of America’s Army, 2.8.4. They’re of me schooling noobs* just the other day and not of my clan or any of my past teams in action. (*) By schooling some noobs I actually mean doing pretty fucking horribly.

Two Thousand Eight

Hey, it’s the new year!? Here are a few New Year tidbits:

Best 2008 game I played: Grand Theft Auto 4. I realized I hadn’t played nearly enough games this year, and of those, not many were 2008 games. In fact I was really struggling to come up with 2008 titles deserving of this accolade until I remembered that GTA4 was an 08 game. I’ve already talked about my experience with GTA4 a bit in past blog posts so enough about that. I will say, however, I can’t fathom why it has suddenly become so popular to hate on this game. Not as good as the previous ones and other, similar games in some ways? Sure… Heck, I had my initial complaints as well. But horrible garbage? Hardly!

Best 2008 game I didn’t play: Fallout 3. Yeah, I pretty much just made up this one but considering how much of the most interesting stuff that came out last year I haven’t actually played yet it seemed like a fitting topic. Being a big fan of open world, sandboxy RPGs, as well as Fallout along with Bethesda’s previous RPG efforts, I can’t help but predict that I’ll love Fallout 3 when I finally get around to playing it. I also predict that I’ll really, really enjoy Fable 2 when I finally pick it up as well.

2008 game that everyone tried to get me to play that I didn’t: Left 4 Dead. A lot of old gaming chums had been picking this up, I’d been hearing tales of it on podcasts and reading about how awesome it was in forums, but I just couldn’t convince myself to drop any money on it. I came VERY close a couple of times but the vast majority of opinions I’ve come across on the subject pretty much imply that Left 4 Dead is a game best played with friends. Most of the friends of mine who wanted me to play it with them are in fact in different time zones than I so I figured I’d never end up playing it not unlike Team Fortress 2. I had actually decided to check out the demo of the 360 version the other day with the intent of possibly trying some split screen co-op but for some reason Valve has already removed the demo from everywhere. Hmph, here I was not even slightly interested in the 360 version now considering buying it? Boo! One potential sale down the drain!

Most disappointing 2008 game: Age of Conan. Easy… So much potential! You can read a lot more about my feelings on the subject in earlier posts. Pirates of The Burning Sea was also a big let down for me as well.

Most anticipated 2009 game: I don’t know! 2009 feels very different from 2008 so far. There really isn’t a ton of games I’m dying to get my hands on though there are many I’m fairly interested in. I might have to go ahead and name Diablo 3 as my most anticipated game of 2009 but it is a little optimistic to even assume it’ll be out this year.

Gaming related New Year’s resolution:I need to play more games! Yeah, looking back over 2008 I’m surprised how relatively little gaming I’ve done. I chalk most of that up to being hooked onto MMOs, Age of Conan and then Warhammer Online, for a large portion of the time. I also let two lengthy Xbox 360 games, Grand Theft Auto 4 and Warhammer: Battle March, dominate far too much of my limited console time. I really feel like I need to spend more time beating and completing more games. I’ve got massive 360 and DS backlogs now and there are countless PC games, new and old, I’m pining to revisit not to mention titles I plan to discuss, log, and/or review for this site. What’s the solution to this problem? One great first step would be to stop sinking so much of my gaming time into these damn MMORPGs, all of which usually end up sucking in the end anyway. Hmph.

Site related plans: I’ll continue slowly working on Garn’s Oblivion adventure. It hasn’t even gotten too interesting yet, I know, but it’ll get there. I also hope to do some others as well. Some potential possibilities are Stalker, Fallout 3, and some one off ArmA missions. I’d also like to do some logs of older games, such as Master of Orion and X-com. Who knows how many of these I can pull off though. I also intend on putting out more and more retro PC and console game reviews. I only got one full review out the entire time last year which is really quite pathetic though I am currently wrapping up a playthrough of a combined 3 games in a series for my next review. Yes, there are a lot more old games I’m just ping to replay.

I was going to make this sort of thing my first post of the year but I’ve been busy and the 1UP thing seemed to take precedent.

Destruction Classes

I originally wrote but never posted my views on fighting against the different Destruction classes as a White Lion while I was still in tier 1. I’ve come back and revisited these notes with updates taking into account where I am now, at the end of tier 3. I’m throwing a few basically unrelated lake RvR screenshots into the mix as well. Oh, here’s one now!

“Hey, I think I can see my house from up here!”

Witch Elves – Tier 1: More than anyone else Witch Elves seem to rush out ahead of the pack to jump on targets even if an entire order line is headed towards them. Stupid players? Maybe, but from a roleplay perspective I suppose it fits well with their blood thirsty nature. I don’t usually have much problem killing them, even in a one on one situation, although they are surprisingly tough and do take a lot longer to kill than you’d expect from someone running around practically nude. Still, I enjoy putting the overzealous ones in their place. Tier 3 Update: My opinion on Witch Elves hasn’t changed a whole lot. They seem to be a little less reckless and many will rely on their stealth ability more to get behind our lines and go after our healers more effectively. While I still have no problem killing them, generally, I respect their damage output more than I did in tier 1. They are definitely capable single target damage dealers and dueling one can quickly go the wrong way for me.

Disciples of Khaine – Tier 1: What the hell? I learned quickly not to consider DoKs a target of opportunity as they can really take a beating and often outlast me in one on one combat. This screwed with me pretty good at first as they look pretty squishy and, well, they’re healers right? Wrong! DoK’s are Destruction’s Warrior Priests – they can take and deal a respectable amount of damage AND heal… Ugh! Tier 3 Update: Still a massive pain in the ass for me. Since it is generally agreed upon that taking out enemy healers first is a good strategy for winning fights, and there’s almost no debate that a good enemy healer can change the tide of an entire skirmish, I do end up going for DoKs pretty frequently. In a good, chaotic battle I have little trouble burst damaging them to death before they get off more than a single heal but in one versus one situations they still often tear me up. I honestly feel like they’re just a little out of balance. Last night, for instance, my 31 White Lion was absolutely destroying his opponents. I felt unstoppable… Literally ending scenarios with double the damage of the next guy in the list and, by the way, setting a new personal best record. During the end of one of these fights I encountered a lone Disciple of Khaine and after ignoring him initially yet having him give chase decided to attempt to teach him a lesson. With the scenario clock ticking down I very nearly died to him solo – saved by the bell with just a sliver of life left. Just before the screen faded, however, I noticed that he was only rank 18. Seriously?

Sorceress – Tier 1: One of my favroite targets. They die pretty damn quickly and I’m not sure I’ve ever been killed by one unless it was a total gankage situation. Tier 3 Update: Still pretty easy to kill although I definitely noticed a sharp rise in their lethality in tier 3 scenarios. Particularly their annoying and deadly Pit of Shades AoE spell which seems to devastate some of the more crowded areas such as the walkways in the Doomfist Crater scenario. Obviously RDPS classes excel more at some situations than others and there are definitely times when I’ll go out of my way to put these foes down quickly.

Black Orc – Tier 1: Argh… Black Orcs are some tough mofos. I usually avoid them if possible, especially one on one. A Black Orc who is at the top level range of their tier, well geared, and played well does service to the term “tank”. You and your buddies can literally beat on one of these fools for minutes without seeming to make much progress. Tier 3 Update: Not much as changed here. They still don’t do enough damage to feel like a threat to me but they can be so insanely difficult to kill that I often avoid trying to fight one unless there’s no better targets. If one of these guys has a healer than I won’t even so much as dent him without turning my attention to his support first. I haven’t encountered a large amount high level, well geared Black Orcs in tier 3 but I expect they’ll be an even bigger headache at rank 40.

“They’ll never find my massive siege weapon hidden in this bush.”

Squig Herder – Tier 1: Hmm! One of my Destruction counterparts has sadly never been a big concern to me which really makes me wonder how Destruction players view White Lions. Their bows don’t seem to do much and neither do their Squigs. They can be pretty annoying, as can White Lions, but don’t seem to be nearly as lethal. They die quite quickly. Definitely seem to be a support class and seeing 3 of them up on a wall raining arrows on individuals below made me think that they are probably quite effective at that role. Tier 3 Update: I’ve noticed them putting out a little more damage than they had at lower levels but it is still hard to consider them a threat. When some of the RDPS classes get some damage love in patch 1.05 the story could very well be quite different, however. As far as killing them goes they’re generally an even easier target than their Shaman brethren.

Shaman – Tier 1: Shamans seem about the same as Squig Herders to me. Their attacks can be annoying but the main thing I worry about when facing a Shaman is who they might be healing. Like the Squid Herder they die quickly. Tier 3 Update: Shaman definitely seem to benefit from more survivability as they rank up. Given their height and their tendency to stay back from groups they can be hard to focus on in the first place and when you do finally go after one they are often quite tricksy with their damage shields, roots and the like. Sometimes I’ll have trouble cutting through one’s shields or landing that last, lethal blow before they heal themselves up a bit, but generally I still don’t consider them too difficult of an opponent. Their healing abilities do definitely get my attention, however.

Chosen – Tier 1: Not nearly as impressive as the Black Orc. I usually avoid them though when I do face them I fare much better. Good defense, decent damage, but fairly bland overall. They sure look cool though. 😉 Tier 3 Update: Nothing new to report here, sadly enough. I was kind of expecting Chosen to come into their own but as opponents they still feel like weaker, easier to kill Black Orcs to me.

“Another nice view from the battlements.”

Marauder – Tier 1: My other Destruction counterpart. I love killing these dorks. Seriously, when I see a big mob and I’m looking for a target of opportunity I usually go after a Marauder if there’s no one half dead hanging around. Marauders seem, err… Over confident in their abilities. They’re always running around aggressively but I usually have absolutely no trouble taking them down. I will say that I once fought one particular one in a scenario who seemed to have good gear, was at the top rank range in his tier, and seemed to be played pretty well, who was very tough and quite deadly, but that was definitely the exception. I do, however, wonder if I’ll be seeing more Marauders like him as I level up. Tier 3 Update: Not much has changed on the Marauder front other than I see a lot more of them going for AoE damage than I used to. If a Marauder catches me in a bad spot (low health, etc.) or has back up he can usually kill me before I can finish him off but the rest of the time I usually have the upper hand. I’ve run into more of these higher level Marauders packing good gear and apparently being played well as of late though and they seem as if they might indeed out damage me. Still, this game isn’t about dueling and over all, in the situations I run into them the most in, I feel that I am superior.

Magus – Tier 1: It seems like I’ve rarely fought Maguses but when I have they usually run for their lives as soon as I engage them. No real problem taking them out and their spells seem more annoying than anything. Tier 3 Update: Again, not much has changed. They don’t seem like they pack a ton of damage or maybe my class just isn’t a favored target. They’re easy enough to kill. Like the Squig Herder they should be getting some damage buffs in the next patch which may entirely change my view of them.

Zealot – Tier 1: I don’t think I’ve seen very many Zealots at all and those I did weren’t much of a concern. They died quickly and didn’t do much note worthy for the short period of time that they were alive. Tier 3 Update: I still don’t see a ton of Zealots running around and when I do as healers they’re often one of my first targets. They don’t seem to be able to defend themselves as well as Shamans – maybe they do more damage to me while I’m chasing one down (?) but I bring them down quicker and every time and that is usually all that matters.