Grey Gravel Co

Hold on to your hats!

2009-05-22T20:35:00.008+10:00

Not long ago ShackNews had an interview with Robin Walker about the new head-slot which was added during an update in anticipation for future items. The crux of the conversion was that valve have been receiving alot of negative feedback in relation to unlockables tied to achievements and are trialing a method of countering that.

It seems that a solution has been found.. Random item drops!

That was the best solution!! Randomly you just get given stuff?

I feel I have a better idea: Kill-points buying weapons/items at a shop.. which would not only mean that people would earn their items but it would also tie into the mercenary theme of the game a bit better. Big unlocks like the current achievement items could be more expensive then ordinary items but still be unlocked by achievements.

A similar game mechanic has been in Counter-Stike since forever and seems to work fine for them, except with the advent of steam and steam-cloud it means people could save up their points and keep their items!

In all honesty I haven't tried it yet (Team Fortress 2: Updating 44%) and valve are apparently going to let us know how it all works on their blog tomorrow.. Stay tuned.

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News straight from the shack!

2009-05-18T21:31:00.005+10:00

Despite the fact that I don't condone people jumping on leaked content - 'bloody wankers' (I'm practising for the sniper update) and spoiling a lot of hard work that the dev's, creative's, and marketing teams work so hard to orchestrate..

I can't however hold back with this one.. The entire team in the office had to find tissues to hold back the lunch-time nose-bleed I suffered after watching Meet the Spy

Once again.. Bravo.. More and more are valve not only proving they can roll with the best in the gaming industry but that they can size up to the big boys of the 'animation' industry

'Meet the Spy' could easily be up for numerous marketing, short film, and animation awards. Superbly crafted and directed and easily comparable to Pixer on a level of story telling and entertainment... However, I think the boys at Valve need to stress-test their models a bit more if they are expecting performances like this from them, the occasional stretch and fold mid shot is hard to ignore.

[Dear Valve: I've said it once, i'll say it again.. Valve.. Please.. Please, sell me a feature length 'Meet the team' DVD. Please?]

Surprise!

2009-05-18T21:05:00.005+10:00

If you've ever been even semi-excited about a team fortress update, then I now is the time to be ecstatic!!
If it wasn't enough to be told that the Sniper update is coming out..

Day 1 we find out that the sniper might be leaving his battlements to 'giv em a blood drubbing'

Day 2 the level which looks to have made an early appearance in the Scout Update is revealed. On top of that; 'Is that a nighttime map?. . . Is that rain?'

Day 3 the sniper seems to have fashioned himself a shield in order to get the jump on backstabbing spys.

Day 4.. Surprise!

I think I wet myself..

Too Much stuff, must click little links!

2008-08-16T12:05:00.003+10:00

Im really impressed with how the valve team are handling the TF2 updates. Just when im getting a little bit tired of the game-play another class update / map / gameplay mode is released and im all excited again. In this case it’s all three.

Valve always seem to improve on weaknesses in the game, or classes. If a class isn’t getting a lot of play time they release an update to improve his in-game merit. This has been the case with the medic, pyro, and now the heavy.

It’s easy to see why it’s the heavy this time. You only have to join a team, look at the classes in your team and see that you no heavies and 5 engineers… It’s time to fix that.

Look out for the heavy in the upcoming week.
Read more.

Prediction:
Check out the play time stats for TF2, my guess is that our friend the scout or spy is going to get upgraded next.

Team Fortress Figurines

2008-06-28T01:47:00.009+10:00

I was thinking not long ago that it would be so awesome to have one of the TF2 characters / classes as a vinyl figurine sitting on my desk looking as tough and stylish as they do in game. Maybe even just a 6 inch Heavy looking disturbingly excided as he lets rip 167 rounds per second.

That said, as I was looking for a Pyro picture for my last post the other day I happened to stumble across this:
This guy has made his own Pyro model / candle stick, and he’s done an amazing job. readmore

I’d love to give this a try myself but I just don’t think I have the skills or the patience so I’ll just have to wait till Valve bring out Team Fortress Figurines.

[Dear Valve: Bring out Team Fortress Figurines, please.]

Why vinyl?The solid colour and lighting style of vinyl I think would really suit the TF2 textures, and most vinyl figurines I’ve encountered are more robust and less flimsy / tacky / rubbery then the types of plastics you’d find in something like McFarlane Toys. Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designer_toys

Pyro Update Review

2008-06-24T00:08:00.014+10:00

Compressed-air blast:
1. It’s quite useful against your average über rush as you can remove the medic from the equation, or if that proves too difficult (as I found) it’s quite easy to hound your attacker with multiple air blasts putting off his aim and ruining the ubër.
2. We’d all be used to seeing the usual cluster of sticky bombs on a control point or doorway, but with a Pyro on the frontline you can clear it out enough to push on.
3. Rockets, Grenades, Stickys, and our new found friend The Flare, can all be redirected quite effectively. I’ve yet to damage a Solider with his own rocket but it’s quite plausible and even an achievement.

The Flare Gun:
I managed to score myself the little Flare gun over the weekend, this thing is quite fun for setting unaware snipers on fire. Why not give it a go in 2Fort, as you run into the enemy base just lob a Flare at one of those persistent snipers and listen to him run about looking for health. It’s also fun as a Pyro to finally have a long range weapon, but with that said it seems to come in handy much less frequently then the shotgun would.

The Backburner:
I haven’t acquired this beast yet, but god I want one. The amount of times over the weekend that I got completely owned by some basted Pyro wielding the Backburner and his +50 health was enough to drive me into trying for the achievements. I think the +50 health is enough to ask for on it’s own, as getting in nice and close is the name of the game and extra HP wouldn’t go astray, ever.

The Axtinguisher:
I didn’t see this one come into play much over the weekend at all. However I have a distinctive memory of my corpse floating in a sewer and a Pyro disappearing around the corner with a giant, rusty, bloody, barbed-wire axe raised above his head. I have a feeling that if a Pyro player has legitimately earned this weapon, that’s about all you’d really see of him anyway. I do however wonder how much impact this weapon would have in the leagues that play with no Crits.

The Achievements:
Valve often say they do their best to listen to the gamers, and I think they have with the Pyro achievements. Most of the criticism I’ve heard about the Medic achievements was that they were mostly rather random and not very achievable by a good/dedicated Medic in normal game play. Just looking at the Pyro achievements goes to show they do listen, most are centered around normal game play and only a few like “Got A Light?” seem too random to ever achieve without a useful friend in game.

[Dear Valve: It would be very nice to see more then one weapons pack released at the same time so we can avoid games made up of 90% 1 class. Maybe spread the mayhem a little, the day the Solider pack is released is going to cause absolute chaos.]

For more info check out:
Official Pyro Update & The Official Team fortress Blog

Meet the Sniper

2008-06-19T23:01:00.013+10:00

Meet the Sniper is out. Each of these character exposés seems to top the previous and Meet the Sniper is no exception to the rule. Funnier then ever (keep an eye out for the demo man in this vid, pun intended. Poor cyclops basted.) and even more elaborate then the last its worth watching in HD:
http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=5051

Dear Valve: there is definitely some merit in a short film, mockumentary style Meet the Team. DVD includes all Meet the... reels, bloopers, and making of the game/movies.

Tactics: ctf_2fort. Demo Tip

2008-06-09T18:58:00.005+10:00

Simple tip for the Demo's in 2Fort. One way to combat the pesky snipers who set up on the battlements is to land some sticky-bombs near their cover. You can get the distance easily using a full charge, and I've put together these screens that show roughly where to aim to help the stickys find their target. Just keep your face out of their scopes and pull the trigger.

Tactics: cp_gravelpit Sniper Tip

2008-05-24T15:22:00.008+10:00

Here is a nice little spot for the Snipers amongst us when defending point B in cp_gravelpit.

Just under the ramp leading to B from C is a perfect place for a good sniper to set up camp. Blu's left-hand entrance is within view and there is very minimal chance of a player taking a shot at you as you have good cover and their view is obstructed.
Not only that but it is a convenient spot as most players will be slowing down and cautious as they round this corner, making it a nice place for headshots.

Tactics: Well. Scout Tip

2008-05-23T08:30:00.004+10:00

This is a quick and easy one for the scouts; the top level of the railroad section in Well can be accessed from the outside by double jumping onto the window ledge then up onto the roof. A bit of crouch jumping doesn't go astray to pull this off.

I can imagine this being quite useful in a capture the point game if 4 or more scouts rushed the middle point at game start with some backup from the rest of the team. Just 4 scouts would equate to 8 players contending the point the moment the doors opened.

Analysis: cp_dustbowl

2008-05-11T18:26:00.004+10:00

Why would the epic battle of Blu and Red take place in the middle of nowhere in some random coal mining complex? Upon first inspection it seems like Valve have just thrown all the rules for making a purposeful map out the window. But in reality DustBowl itself encompasses the whole TF2 storyline, world, and ethos.

The TF2 artistic direction is very much derived from the 1950-60's, this can be seen in the game artwork, signs, and overall aesthetic style. This is an important note for defining the TF2 world as during this time period the Cold War was setting in which gives some basis for TF2's "Spy Vs Spy" exadurated comedic style. (Granted we have some leniency for things like Teleporters and automatic Sentry Guns.)

An example of Team Fortress 2 Art, along side a typical 1950-60s advertisement.

So, why are Blu and Red fighting for control of a mine? It becomes apparent through playing the map that there is something more sinister to Jenkin Coal Co mine then what Red would have the public believe. Concealed storage for missiles, hidden rooms full of chirping computers, and the of course the hidden rocket base located at the center of the mining complex. All these elements give the map much more purpose and life then can originally been seen on the surface.

Map Prefixes

2008-05-11T18:04:00.001+10:00

Official Prefixes

CP_ Control Point:
This game style works much like ‘King of the Hill’ in other multiplayer games. Teams compete to capture the points/hill on a map.

CTF_ Capture the Flag:
Each team has an intell briefcase (the flag) at their base and must work to retrieve their opponents intell while defending their own.

TC_ Territory Control:
Very much like a control point map. Although teams compete to capture many points and control the whole map. Rounds consist of competing over new territories.

PL_ Payload:
One team must escort the payload from one end of the map to the other while the opposing team attempts to stop them.

ARENA_ Arena:
Arena features smaller maps that play out in shorter periods of time. The round ends once one team has no players left in the arena, or when the central capture point has unlocked and been captured.

Unofficial Prefixes

DM_ Death Match:
Players kill each other willy-nilly.

SN_ Sniper Map:
As the name suggests game play is directed towards snipers. Long line-of-sight and positions to hide in are prominent.