| Mining for Mods: Half-Life 2 Posted: 05 Nov 2014 04:21 PM PST  We take a look at the FakeFactory Cinematic Mod
It is not often that a sequel, in any entertainment category, is able to follow its critically acclaimed predecessor successfully. Yet that is what Half-Life 2 was able to accomplish, and in style. Released in 2004, it was the showpiece for Valve's new Source engine and has been praised for its story, graphics, physics, and gameplay. However, the Source engine has been around for ten years, and Half-Life 2 is looking dated when compared to today's graphics. Enter the FakeFactory Cinematic Mod. The mod replaces all of Half-Life's low-res textures with high-res ones and enhances the game's old maps with HDR, bloom effects, color correction, new props, and dynamic shadows. But the mod goes even further than just updating the game's graphics, it even enhances or replaces the Half-Life 2 soundtrack and provides HD character models.
In order to use the FakeFactory Cinematic Mod, you'll have to download a bit over 9 gigabytes, or more, of files. Once downloaded, you will need to make sure that Half-Life 2, Episode One, and Episode Two are installed and that you've started them up to generate the required files needed for the mod to use. In addition, you'll also need to install the Source SDK, Source SDK Base 2006, and Source SDK Base 2007. 
Click on image for animated GIF If you decide to download the files separately, then you will need a program like WinRar to extract the files. In our case, we downloaded everything off of the torrent client, which made the process much easier. But before we did anything, we had to close Steam. With Steam closed, we then clicked on the Setup.exe file, which informed us that 44.5GB of space would be needed and that the files would need to be installed in Steam's "Common" folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common). 
Click on image for animated GIF The setup process took about 30 minutes and, once it was done, we had to look for the CM2013 folder that was located in the "Common" folder. Inside the CM2013 folder are shortcuts to use to start Half-Life 2, Episode One, and Episode Two. The same folder contains the Cinematic Mod Configuration Tool, which provides options to enable bloom effects, force preload of NPC resources, and other graphics-related features. There is also the Character Pimper, which lets you decide which HD character models you want to use in the modded version of HL2. 
Click on image for animated GIF When we finished installing and setting up the mod, we launched Steam and clicked the newly made shortcuts to start up Half-Life 2. The results were impressive. The HD textures popped with more detail, and additional touches here and there really fleshed out the look of the game. We were especially impressed with the enhanced lighting and bloom effects, which had richer colors and better illumination. Even the game's water effects had been improved. HD NPC models are great, with sharper definitions, more details, and are completely optional. The mod's Character Pimper provided us with some choices when it came to individual characters such as Alyx, Barney, and the G Man. There's also a bulk option for civilians and the Combine. Scripted sequences in Half-Life 2 were also touched up, changed, or the pacing sped up or slowed down. As you'll see in the video, the same scripted sequences didn't line up. 
Click on image for animated GIF However, despite the impressive graphics, improved NPC models, and changes to scripted sequences, we experienced some performance issues during our playthrough. The game stuttered, which you'll see examples of in the video provided, from time to time, and there was also screen tearing. Not to mention that while the mod wanted to give the game a darker look, we thought it went too far, which dampened the impact of the visual enhancements for us. To top it off, we weren't wild about the HD models available for Alyx Vance, which, as stated before, are optional. That's a real shame, considering she's one of our favorite gaming characters of all time, and a great sidekick. Click on image for animated GIF But while the increased darkness can be lessened by upping the gamma, the enhanced lighting then becomes a bit too much. So, when playing Half-Life 2, you might have to make comprises on how dark or bright you want the game to be. Otherwise, the FakeFactory Cinematic Mod, despite the issues, brings with it some impressive visuals and is a great way for fans of the game to enjoy it with updated graphics. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Exhumed Atari Cartridges from New Mexico Dig Site Land on Ebay Posted: 05 Nov 2014 01:54 PM PST  E.T. is still phoning home
One man's garbage is another man's treasure, and so it goes with roughly 100 Atari 2600 cartridges dug up from a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico that are now available on Ebay. Following decades old reports that trucks would use the cover of night to dump unsold games, system hardware, and peripherals into a dump site, Microsoft recently financed a documentary in which the disposed items were unearthed. After jumping through hoops and regulatory hurdles to tear into a landfill that had been covered with concrete over 30 years ago, the dig finally took place as filmmakers recorded the event. Of main interest were E.T the Extra-Terrestrial cartridges. It's considered by many to be the worst game of all time, largely the result of a hurried development, though it was never known for sure if earlier reports of their burial were actually true. It turned out they were, and in addition to E.T. games, the dig also uncovered several other games and gear. About 100 of the games are up on Ebay with bids starting at around $50 and ballooning to over $500 for the suddenly coveted E.T. title. You can check them out here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Zalman Reportedly Files for Bankruptcy, Allegations of Bank Fraud Arise Posted: 05 Nov 2014 12:50 PM PST  Say it isn't so!
Any veteran in the PC space is familiar with the Zalman brand. Zalman has dabbled in a number of different products and is perhaps best known as a pioneering force in quiet computing through its line of high-end CPU coolers. Unfortunately, we've come across some disturbing reports about Zalman that make us question the company's future. Specifically, there are reports that Zalman has filed for bankruptcy and that its parent company may have been involved in bank fraud. Credit goes to FanlessTech for bringing the situation to our attention. We did a little digging and found reports saying Zalman filed for bankruptcy on November 3 in Seoul. Keeping in mind that none of this has been confirmed, it's said a scam by owner Moneual led to the bankruptcy filing. An ex-employee of Moneual told the Korea JoongAng Daily that top executives at Moneual conspired from the beginning to defraud banks by taking out inflated loans using fabricated export data. In the more than five years that this allegedly has been taking place, the former employee says executives took out 3.2 trillion won ($2.98 billion) worth of loans. Those the former employee says are behind the scam include Moneual CEO Harold Park, his brother and vice president Scott Park, and another vice president, Won Duck-yeok. He adds that management would make overseas trips every summer with stops in Hawaii, drive luxury cars, and live out what they considered an American lifestyle. A separate report in The Korea Times says that major creditor banks of Moneual may not be able to collect on loans, adding that it's facing suspicions of overstating its export performance. "We've detected some evidence that Moneual overstated performance documents as their bond maturities came closer," a Korea Customs Service official said in a statement. Officials are currently looking into whether subsidiary Zalman Tech violated corporate accounting rules, The Korea Times reports. An initial email to Zalman requesting a statement was returned to us due to a suspended mail box. We'll continue to reach out to Zalman and will provide an update when we know more. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Nvidia GeForce 344.60 WHQL Driver Now Available to Download Posted: 05 Nov 2014 12:02 PM PST  New driver boosts performance in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
A new "GeForce Game Ready" driver is available for GeForce GPU owners. Baked into the 344.60 WHQL release are tweaks intended to improve performance in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, along with updates to the PhysX system software, HD audio driver, CUDA, and GeForce experience. Beyond that, there are a bunch of new and/or updated application profiles, 3D Vision profiles, and 3D compatibility mode support. It's a rather minor update in the grand scheme of things, though if you're an Advanced Warfare player (or like to keep up to date with the latest drivers), then it's one you'll want to put on your short-term to-do list. That said, there are over a dozen Application Profiles that have been added or updated, including Assassin's Creed Unity, CoD: Advanced Warfare, Dead Rising 3, Elite Dangerous, Escape Dead Island, FIFA 15, Lichdom: Battlemage, Lords of the Fallen, MechWarrior Online, Monster Hunter Online Benchmark, Ryse: Son of Rome, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition, The Crew, and The Vanishing of Ehtan Carter. You can grab the new driver here and check out the release notes here (PDF). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| BenQ Builds a 27-inch 4K IPS Monitor for Designers Posted: 05 Nov 2014 11:22 AM PST  High resolution monitor boast 100 percent cover of the RGB color space
Little by little, the 4K monitor market is filling up with new and improved models, giving gamers, content creators, and power users in general more options to choose from. One of the newest to enter the market is BenQ's BL2711U, a 27-inch 4K Ultra HD monitor with an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel. According to BenQ, the BL2711U offers 100 percent coverage of the RGB color space. The 10-bit panel offers 178-degrees of horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Of interest to professionals and budding designers, it has a CAD/CAM Mode to alter the monitor's color and contrast settings to view detailed graphics information, BenQ says. Also of interest is an Auto-Pivot function that automatically detects the movement of the monitor and dynamically rotates the displayed contents without having to intervene with Windows or graphics card settings. For what it's worth, rated specifications include a 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, (1000:1 typical), 4ms response time, and 300 cd/m2 brightness. It also features two built-in 3W speakers, a USB 3.0 hub (two on the side and two on the rear), and input connectors that consist of DVD-DL, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, headphone jack. No word on when the BL2711U will be available or for how much. There's also no word on the refresh rate, though if had to venture a guess, we'd say it's likely 60Hz via DisplayPort. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Grand Theft Auto V on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 to Feature First Person Mode Posted: 05 Nov 2014 10:49 AM PST  A new perspective to the Grand Theft Auto universe
We've seen a lot go down throughout Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series -- car jacking, cold blooded murders, hot coffee, and even torture. Fun stuff (virtually speaking), but for the first time, Rockstar Games is delivering the GTA experience in a first person perspective. The new mode is being rolled out as an exclusive to Grand Theft Auto V for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. "Available in both GTAV and GTA Online, we've made a host of changes to accommodate this new perspective, including the creation of an optional first person cover system, a new targeting system, a more traditional FPS control scheme, and integrating thousands of new animations into the existing game. It's also available at the touch of a button so you can easily switch back and forth between perspectives," Rockstar says. The lucky folks at IGN got to experience some early hands-on testing with the first person mode and they've posted a video showing a few minutes of game play. As IGN explains it, "the way in which this new perspective transforms the GTA V experience can't be understated; it fundamentally alters how you inhabit and interact with this world." This is something Rockstar has wanted to offer gamers for some time now, but never felt it could be done justice until this latest crop of consoles arrived. On older generation systems, Rockstar kept running out of memory for animations. In addition to the first person mode, Rockstar says PC, Xbox One, and PS4 gamers can expect "hundreds of additions and enhancements," such as 1080p at 30fps on consoles and 4K resolution on PC. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Guinness World Records 2015 Gamer's Edition Hits Retail on Thursday Posted: 05 Nov 2014 06:47 AM PST  New gaming records revealed
According to the Guinness World Records 2015 Gamer's Edition that comes out tomorrow, Google's Pac-Man themed Doodle was played for 500 million hours, distracting office workers and costing businesses an estimated £85 million (around $135 million in U.S. currency) in lost productivity. On the mobile front, Rovio's Angry Birds title forever holds the record as the first game to reach 1 billion downloads. That's the sort of stuff you'll find in the self proclaimed "gaming bible." Now in its eighth edition, you'll learn about records pertaining to Minecraft (24 hours and 10 minutes is the record for the longest video game marathon on Minecraft), Tomb Raider (Spaniard Rodrigo Martin Santos owns 2,383 related Tomb Raider items, earning him the record for the largest collection of Tom Raider memorabilia), and a lot more. If you live and breathe gaming, this is your chance to become a walking trivia machine, which is double the fun if you enjoy annoying people with a constant barrage of random gaming-related knowledge. Such as the highest margin of victory against the computer on FIFA World Cup 2014 is 321-0, which was set by Patrick Hadler, a 19-year-old from Hannover, Germany. What soccer dad wouldn't want to know that? "Gaming is so dynamic and fast-moving that there's never any shortage of exciting new superlatives for Guinness World Records to explore," Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief, Guinness World Records, said in a statement. "Speed runs, high scores, technical achievements, collections, cosplaying… you'll find it all the new Gamer's Edition. And this year, we're focusing on the most popular games as chosen for by our readers, peppered with interviews, features, hardware profiles and annual awards." 
More than just a mix of odd and incredible records, Glenday adds that video gaming will go down in history as the most signficant art form of the 21st century, underscoring why it's important to document the progress gamers are making. You know, things like the first fish to lay a video game was achieved U.S. college students who made Pokemon respond to a fish. Perhaps a potential gift idea with the holiday season rolling into view? In any event, here's your heads up that it comes out tomorrow. No word on price. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: WD Black Series 3TB HDD, AMD A6-5400K Trinity APU, and More! Posted: 05 Nov 2014 06:07 AM PST |
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