PC games & Photography

Back into the blog

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:18:00 +0000

Hi everyone, It's been a while since I last posted. I got a little lazy and drifted away with other matters, but now I intend to update my blog regularly again. Stick by and stay posted!

Returning to reality

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:35:00 +0000

Hey folks, I've been in Pattaya, Thailand for the last week and I'm back home now. Don't you hate it when you have a certain withdrawal feeling after a great holiday? It occurs to me all the time, simply because all my holidays are the best ones : )

I also would like to apologize for not updating, but before I get back to my mainstream PC and Photography blabber, I want to do some sharing with everyone in regards to my vacation. Stay posted!

The fine-tuning in games

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:16:00 +0000

"Grand Piano - Optical Illusion". Photo by Peter Gorges

It crossed my mind that some developers are probably implementing these small improvements to their collection, and when combined together it can become an even better game. Have you ever wondered what these changes were? I have only noticed recently and I'd like to share some of my thoughts with you

WEAPONRY SOUNDS

When it comes to the arsenal of weapons, what really attracts me are the audio files it has to offer. I personally enjoy a more thumping and hard hitting gun, where it blasts your ears with joy and makes you feel invincible. It first grasped my attention when I watched some Brink trailers, and immediately I noticed a significant wave of gunfire noises pleasuring my ears. Here is an example to how the guns sound in Brink. Of course, you might have realized already - I'm not the type that puts a silencer on.

Not only Brink, but the new Mass Effect 3 Demo caught my attention as well. They explicitly mention the changes made to the gunfires and want to accentuate the relationship between the player and the weapon. I agree, and usually I skip out on pea-shooters. Also, check this out as well, Xbox 360 players for Mass Effect 3 will be introduced with voice-over commands! Although I can imagine some sort of major frustration already.

ANIMATIONS
There were a few games I skipped out on solely due to the animations - noticeably with Fallout 3 and it's successors. It seemed rather strange, and you can not get a sense of connection when characters move in a eccentric sort of fashion. To me, Bethesda Softworks were always terrible with animations, until a surprising improvement made with their upcoming game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, at least you know they took in advice seriously - and I can not wait to get my hands on that game!

Animations can include a lot of movements and sequences, not just how the character runs or walks across maps. When Crysis 2 came out, I notice how they developed a sequence while players climb up walls, jump over ledges and performing air stomps. This means you no longer can shoot during those sequences, unlike some previous games where they allow you to shoot while ascending to another platform. Of course, there is a certain height requirement of the ledge before the action is performed.

With that being said, I paid more attention to these small animations, and it's amazing to see the upcoming game Battlefield 3 having such a trait as well. I personally like the realism in it, sort of allowing me to connect with the character more and making it more "me" in the game.

So these are the so called fine-tuning in games. I personally feel as years go by more and more small implementations will be added, but we'll see how it goes. That is all for now.

Stay posted everybody!

New Battlefield 3 videos!

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:46:00 +0000

Upcoming hype...!

To all Battlefield fans, Dice has released three new footages showcasing some of the most exhilarating gameplay ever, and here they are.

Some new thoughts processed in my mind when I looked at these videos, and I want to discuss it with everyone in the next post as it is not only for Battlefield itself. It's about the fine details incorporated in games during development nowadays. Stick around and stay posted!

Tips - Photography at a glance for beginners II

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:31:00 +0000

"Lonely tree". Photo by Jule_Berlin

You should now be very familiar with your camera. As I have mentioned in the first part of this post, you should worry about getting close with your device before anything else. Sure you can take pictures now with varied settings, and now you may have even found yourself a customized configuration, making your day out with your camera more efficient and progressive. What now?

THE ART OF COMPOSITION

In my opinion, it's a subjective matter, although there are basic fundamentals you should follow. Some solutions I'm about to share with you are based on my own experiences and ideas, I'm willing to learn and if you have any comments regarding my concepts, please do share them by any means of contact!

USING GRID-LINES - RULE OF THIRDS
The "rule of thirds" is the one factor you should get yourself familiar with when making compositions. Here is what it looks like.

"Rule of Thirds". Picture by digital-photography-school

It has been known and studied that if you place your point of interest on the intersections or along the lines, it'd make it more natural and soothing for the human eye to make contact with. Try it yourself, experiment around the grid and see what you can find out. Here are two examples, try to imagine the grid-lines existence.

"The Blues". Photo by aussiegall

"Valeria". Photo by Andrea Rinaldi

Try to focus on the point of interests, and make out how the photographer has implemented that particular area to stand out. From my experience, if I take pictures of single objects, I never place it right at the middle of the grid - I like to give some space and remove that claustrophobic feeling.

Now that you have learnt about the "Rule of Thirds", it doesn't mean you need to stick by it all the time when you are composing your pictures. Try breaking the rule from time to time and you might come up with a dazzling photograph! Imagination is key, there are also many things you can look out for while taking pictures, there are no definite answers for a good picture - ones creativity, diversity and willingness to trial and error will eventually make succession.

WHAT ELSE TO LOOK OUT FOR

There are many interesting shapes, patterns and textures to look out for when taking photographs, not necessarily on its own but even when you're using it as a background. Although not everything might be suitable, and can be distracting, its always worth looking out for when you have your camera with you.

Lines, symmetry and textures are often around us wherever we go, take advantage of it. Many of these type of images enables me to stare for a period of time, as it is not something I'm use to in my daily life - since we often ignore these sort of information when we are outside, occupied by other things. Next time, when you're out with your device, don't rush and learn of your surroundings. Make it a habit to capture multiple images for that particular area, and manipulate the angle of shot. Here is an example, effectively using the architectural design.

"Green Bottle". Photo by Bert Kaufmann

DIFFERENT EYE LEVELS

It basically means manipulating your angle of shot, to a point where us humans aren't capable of or not often in doing so. I'm sure you have heard of "birds-eye view" numerous times in your life, and I understand achieving that particular angle at times can be impossible for most of us. If you have a pet at home, you can always take photos in regards to their point on view (making a photo story out of it). I'm actually planning a photography project - and it's about my turtles point of view, showcasing what my turtles will be able to see if I put were to them on road level of Hong Kong. It will be up and ready at the end of this month.

Remember, you don't have to stick by the rules 100% of the time, be imaginative and creative and you will come up with a great photo. Trial and error is the key, take as many pictures as you can and slowly learn from your mistakes. Also, let people comment on your photos and take in some ideas they give you! I've come across a great article from Darren Rowse, he talks about why don't people ever improve their photography, check it out!

Keep shooting everybody!

Tips - Photography at a glance for beginners I

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:58:00 +0000

"Question!". Photo by Stefan Baudy

There will be two parts to this post, I want to separate them to make it easier for you to read, stay posted and get ready to take some pictures!

Whether you're using a compact or a DSLR camera, and If you're just starting photography, these tips will help you learn the real basics to familiarize yourself with your device. I'm not a professional, I plan to use simple terminology and explain everything from my perspective.

STUDY YOUR CAMERA
It doesn't matter if you're already owning a camera or have just bought one, take time to read the manual, and start getting yourself familiar with the settings and potential it has to offer. There are no shortcuts, work your way from the bottom and eventually you'll get the full understanding of your camera. Having done so you might find some interesting customizations, contributing to more efficient and effective shots.

THE THREE ELEMENTS
In my opinion these are the three functions in your camera that you must always take into consideration before taking your shot.

ISO
It just stands for International Standards Organization, a standardization of measuring the sensitivity to light. It is measured in numbers, each camera however, has a different ability in the range of ISO it has to offer. If you haven't already, especially in low light situations, set your ISO number to it's highest and take a photo, you'll realize theres a grainy effect which is also called "noise" in the shot. Unfortunately, there are no solutions into completely removing noise in those situations - however, some cameras offer "noise reduction" and computer softwares to do the same trick. Here are some shots to give you a better idea, taken with different ISO settings.

ISO 80

ISO 3200

ISO 12800

Notice the higher the ISO, the more grainy the picture will become. Well now you might be asking, why not just shoot with the lowest ISO setting all the time? Basically, you only have to worry about your ISO if you are doing handheld shots - because you're trying to compensate for camera shake. When you're in a situation where light is insufficient, the shutter speed increases as it is trying to take in more light. Thus your hands can not hold the device steady enough for it to take the shot, resulting in blurry images.

However, it is a different story if you are carrying a tripod around, or have found somewhere that will balance your camera during the picture is taken. Referring to the first picture above, I have found a ledge for my camera to sit still in order to take the shot - otherwise I would've been required to handhold my shot for four to five seconds. Try it out yourself, play around with your cameras ISO settings and see how the pictures differ, as it alters in results between models.

Rarely will you ever need to use extreme high ISO settings, most of the time you can get away with configurations under 3200 - I'm talking about really really dark places, and light is merely existent. Of course, it is always good to find a good object to balance your camera, even for example, is it use your friends head as a balancing top, it is sure worth it most of the time.

APERTURE

This function is used to control the depth of field in your picture. Depending on what type of image you are trying to create, it is important to know the configurations necessary for the shot. Here are two examples of pictures taken with different aperture settings.

Aperture f/2.0

Aperture f/8.0

Notice the picture on the left provides the tree branch with more distinction and isolation to our eyes. The blurry effect is also known as bokeh. The image on the right however, is sharper on the unwanted areas of the image, creating a distraction which makes us hard to focus on a particular point.

Basically, if you want to isolate an object, such as taking portrait shots, you'd want to use a large aperture (small f number). While you should use a small aperture (high f number) for images such as landscape photography to get the sharpness required for the entire area.

A large aperture also means the image sensors can take in more light during the shot is taken, resulting is a faster shutter speed, so it is useful to carefully control your configurations especially in low light situations. Otherwise if you're taking landscape photos at night, it is almost impossible to do so without a tripod, or anywhere that can balance your camera on without shaking.

SHUTTER SPEED
This function determines the speed of which the camera captures the shot, it also deters the exposure of the picture. When taking pictures and you want to create a sense of motion for the viewer, blurring is always a nice effect in your image, such as waterfalls, sports photography and so on. Here are two examples.

Taken at 1/320th of a second

Taken at 1/10th of a second

The stream was moving at quite a speed, but notice the picture on the left is a lot more static and does not provide much movement to the picture, making it lifeless and still. Now if we move on to the other image on the right, I introduced a blurring effect towards the gushing river, and now the shot is more dynamic and provides the viewer with a sense of speed.

Those are some of the effects you can achieve with manual adjustments of your shutter speed. However, if light is insufficient, a tripod is always recommended as you will be shooting with a relatively slow shutter speed - if your camera has IS (Canon's Image Stability) or VR (Nikon's Vibration Reduction), you may get away with shutter speeds a few stops lower without any device or object for your cameras balance.

Experiment around with your camera and you may find some interesting objects to photograph, try to mix and match, change angles of your shots, you'd be surprised at the differences it makes from time to time!

Next up on Part II: Composition - what to pay attention to.

See you soon!

My top "to-play" list for now

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:01:00 +0000

Cole phelps' at his best

Jumping sequences

L.A. NOIRE

I know, it isn't a PC game, but growing up as a Rockstar fan I can not simply skip out on this masterpiece (if only they programmed it for PC as well...). Even though it's all similar to games like "GTA" and "Bully", the first awe I became attracted to were the dynamic facial expressions and animations the game introduced. I believe its the first time it has ever been done, and it brings it to a different level for it's audience.

I'm still mid-way through the story, but so far it's been intense and diverse, keeps me guessing all the time - and I can tell you I make a terrible crime investigator. It also stutters from time to time, I find it a little surprising as graphics are mediocre from my experience.

I will update you guys again once I'm finished with the game, its still a marathon, but an exciting one and I can not wait to fire my Xbox 360 and get going again!

ASSASSIN'S CREED BROTHERHOOD

I've been following the series since the first franchise came out, and I've always enjoyed the combat system, and being able to create a smooth rhythm while skipping across towns. I'm not sure if the story is what captivated my attention, probably because my intervals between the series were too long for me to remember what is going on. I guess theres also an excitement as it provides me with a sense of mystery all the time.

I'm also half-way through the game, there are many lairs to explore and bounties to hunt, but i'm not the "100% completion" type of person. I might do the majority of extra content, otherwise I will get right to the story and find out what is happening. As always, Ezio Auditore - industrious as ever, never fails to impress me with his clothing and accent, including the battle animations when executing enemies.

I also will provide you guys a more complete review once I'm finished with the game, stay posted and see you guys soon!

Top personal picks - upcoming games

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:01:00 +0000

"scream". Photo by Maks Karochkin

Theres always a serious hype when new games are announced, and your anxiety grows with it whenever glimpses of content is released to the public. I have my own set of games that I'm waiting to get my hands on, and these are my picks:

"Not even death can save you from me..."

Diablo III - The Diablo series has been with me for as long as I can remember, and if you're like me, theres no chance you're going to skip out on this title. My vivid memories began with Diablo II beta, and I remember coming home one day with my brother, opening up our emails and Blizzard offered us a beta key. We rushed into it and the next thing I remember was my barbarian running around slashing enemies with two gemmed long swords, it was epic.

And while I haven't gotten my hands on Diablo III yet, to my knowledge Blizzard always come out with promising experiences for their fans, despite the title. Also, it's most likely concluded that the delaying is certain, question is, how long are they going to delay it this time? Personally I'm not too bothered by the delay as I'm in no rush to play this game - but I have to admit it is hard sometimes whenever they publicize new content to their fans! So i'm sure those of you who are familiar with the franchise will most likely have seen Diablo III videos, what do you make of it so far?

"ENEMY AC130 IN THE AIR!!!"

CoD: MW3 - I've began playing the Call of Duty franchise since the beginning, but only started playing multiplayer when Modern Warfare 2 came out. Had major fun with it since I've been playing competitive FPS before, so I consider myself as a decent player, along with other friends I usually team up with. I moved onto Black Ops after awhile, but eventually got too frustrated with not being able to team up with friends frequently.

The reason I stuck to it for so long were the killstreaks, thats my first concern with MW3, what better than blowing players up with a chopper gunner or an ac130? It also made me a little more competitive as I tried to reach that particular streak. Controls and response are the least of my worries for this game, if you've read my previous post at here, I accentuate on it. Although the excitement for MW3 isn't reaching the top, mainly due to Battlefield 3, I have high hopes for Activision and will pull off something special like they previously had to me.

Frostbite 2 engine...

Battlefield 3 - Although this game doesn't support killstreaks, the Frostbite 2 Engine is simply stunning. After watching a few videos of development stories and demos, I was sucked into it and already knew I'll be purchasing this in the future. I'm not that familiar with the series as I went on and off with it, mainly due to the strong team-oriented style, while CoD in PC had fewer players per team, making it easier for me and my friends to change the final outcome. This franchise also offers destructible environments, which has became a trademark now. And i'm one of those players who enjoy blasting people out of cover, chucking a random grenade just to see concretes blown into pieces.

If you haven't already, check out the videos of Fault Line and a coverage by PWNED, these two videos should be more than enough to keep your interest up until the game comes out in Q4 2011.

These are on my to-buy list as of May 30th 2011, what are your picks for upcoming franchises?

A big transition

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Sun, 29 May 2011 14:54:00 +0000

"Nikon FM2, 50mm f/1.2." Photo by lemuelinchrist

I'm sure you have heard about someone being called a "gear head". Well I was one, and was always impulse-buying a product that made me feel good for a couple of hours, and regretting it for the months that came. Yes you probably have guessed, camera lenses!

It started when I purchased my first DSLR - Nikon D3000. I used it for roughly six months until I decided to change models. Don't get me wrong, the D3000 was superb for it's price and size, and for a beginner like me I really couldn't ask for more. I also went out on many occasions experimenting with my new camera, and I even took it with me on a trip to Malaysia last year - and picture qualities were quite stunning. So if you're ever going to take up photography, in my opinion start with the budget DSLRs' and work your way up, you will learn faster that way and get a better understanding with the progression of beginner to professional DSLRs'.

I was really hooked into it, a Zen type of feeling whenever I did something related to photography, but in the blind sense. I would regularly go on YouTube and review websites and search for my next possible product, often choosing by its external qualities - how the lens looked, and had the feeling of collecting all types of lenses, wide angle, zoom, telescope and macros lenses. And so I did, I was on a budget as Nikkor lenses were too expensive so I went for third party brands - Sigma, Tokina and Tamron. Indeed I bought all types of lenses including the Nikkon D300s and a backpack that held everything together, and I felt for a while I was "pro". Pretty crazy yes?

And so, while I was venturing out to different places in Hong Kong, I tried to make use of my lenses just to make myself feel the decision was worth it, and for that while I felt a little idiotic having to make myself suffer like that - I did not go out because I want to take pictures, but to make up for the mistake I made. After a month of two I realized I couldn't go on like that anymore, So I decided to sell all my gear at once.

I sold my items and managed to bargain back around 70% of the money, I guess I was lucky. I then started to process everything clearly, learning from my mistakes and now I know that sort of curiosity of being "gear headed" will never hit me in my thoughts again.

That was all awhile ago, now I own a canon s95 compact camera, some argue that features available in the camera are up to par with certain DSLRs'. I'm still learning my way through photography, now in a more positive direction. I guess I will have to invest in a DSLR eventually, but first things first, build up some basic knowledge and understanding then I will worry about that in the future.

I hope this will help some of you who are stuck in the same position as I was, simple answer is - It is not worth it! Just to make things clear, my mentality was to impress people with an array of lenses, showing off what I managed to purchase. So do some serious considerations before making the purchase!

Hope you enjoyed this post, see you around!

If I were to develop a game sequel...

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:39:00 +0000

"Big hand on dirt." Photo by Michel Filion

It's been a really interesting subject for me when developers decide to create a sequel for a particular game. I sometimes think to myself "what can be implemented in the next game so it fits my style?" Now theres a wide range of games I can talk about but games such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Diablo are on my top list (actually The Witcher as well but waiting to play the sequel) but I will focus on the Mass Effect series first.

I won't be analyzing the game, I'm going to assume that you're familiar with this title already. What I'm going to do is jot down and brainstorm my own ideas - sharing with you what I believe should be achieved in the next sequel.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect 2

The Mass Effect series is well known for it's diverse interaction, relationship and decision making with characters - as for the main story it didn't really catch as much attention, it's more about the individual stories that companions have to offer, and how I want to progress further into it. It's the reason why BioWare produced a few expansion packs for players to pursue that idea of progressiveness, and to dig out a deeper understanding with the characters. Main thing is, I want to create a story of my own, not relying on the expansion packs because it plays out differently - but BioWare can not cultivate this idea and satisfy millions of audience.

Here is an interesting idea, will future gaming take us to a point where games like Mass Effect become so abundant in choices and even more diverse than it is already, where there is no such thing as "the end"? more like "one of the many endings" and so on. In my experience they already have different ends to the story to keep the player interested - but it is still fixed and is still one of the choices. Let me know what you think.

We all know Mass Effect 3 is in production, and to be honest the transition from the first game to it's sequel was truly amazing and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. So I hope they do not repeat the same step like the Dragon Age series, as high hopes were cut down because DA: 2 was a mediocre game for what DA: O offered.

I'm going to make a list to what I hope to see in Mass Effect 3

A little bit more open world, free exploring and random encounters in/off spaceship (if any).
Cut down on scanning planets - and make use of them.
More progression with companions, maybe more side stories and quests - and the ability to gain extra skills if completed.
Cut down on player customization? (honestly i'm not a big fan of messing around with nose / chin heights, but I do appreciate players out there who do so for the community to use)
More customizations for spaceship : ) and being able to use it in case of enemy carriers etc.

Come to think about it, in regards to my previous post about fundamentals to a good game - and in matters with storytelling and how it should always play a huge role for developers, what do you think will happen in Mass Effect 3? Depending on your ending for ME2, It makes it interesting that everyone has their own story. So share them out at the comments section below!

Crysis 2 videos

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Apologies everyone for the late post, but finally came around to my blog again after my vacation and here is the link with Crysis 2 gameplays. It is actually my brother's channel as I do not own a YouTube channel myself - not only will you see Crysis 2 footage but quite a number of COD: BO and Brink gameplay, be sure to check back often and I hope soon to have a channel myself.

I'm currently working on a few RPG games actually, including "The Witcher", "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" and hopefully to get my hands on LA Noire for my Xbox 360. Occasionally playing FPS games, kind of switching between the two categories - whatever keeps me going : ) Stay tuned!

See you!

Fundamentals to a good game

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:33:00 +0000

"One Badass Mouse!" Photo by Erik Charlton

I have been inspired lately by a few posts regarding to what really matters in a game. Instead of giving out game reviews I'd like to talk about something rather important to myself as a gamer. I have read a few articles about it and I high recommend you do so as well!

Why music matters, originally written by Stephen Totilo of Kotaku, and has been reinforced by Kevin VanOrd of Gamespot. In addition there is a link about story telling in a game. I do believe though, developers should focus on getting the fundamentals well constructed before worrying about anything else, and here are my opinions.

I will start by telling you my experiences and how I came to this matter. Most of you should be very familiar with the good ol' Quake 3 back in the days, though haven't played competitively, I gave attention to the response and controls. Especially to what I believe is a fast paced game, every second and reaction from the player has to be directly transferred to the game play immediately and I feel some FPS games are missing that right now - and hail to the Quake 3 engine. Although it doesn't offer sublime graphics like the Crytek engine, the maneuverability is absolute, because in a nutshell the controls are simply an extension of your arms - so the response is important. Though I must admit Crytek engine is doing a great job hence it's dynamic environments and graphics, and for it to suppress most of the mouse lag is incredible - of course, assuming the frame rate you have is above 100.

"Standard Hotel Lobby" Photo by Lauren Manning

The multiplayer system is next. Though it is a good place for people to interact and play with friends, there are a few functions which I believe is a must-include within the developers heart. Another story, I started playing COD: MW2 with friends and that was the first COD we decided to go ahead and shoot with, and it was always frustrating looking for games although they implemented the party systems. The hosts of the games weren't dedicated servers, but rather having another online COD player host the game - the lobby will automatically search until there are player matches. You can probably guess what the trouble is here. I'll list a few.

- Some players have low bandwidth with results in lagging the entire game.
- Players can also customize server options, leaving inconsistent game play.
- When the host leaves in the middle of a game, it will track its way for the most suitable player, often interrupting precious moments for some people.
- Sometimes being located in hacked servers - where some players have experienced loss of ranks, prestiges, and you name it.

The list will probably go on if you experienced the game yourself on PC. It doesn't stop here, even when we moved on to COD: BO. It was great, been waiting this game to come out and finally in possession of it. Onto the multiplayer - dedicated servers? Awesome! Wait... how do you join with friends? Oh well, I guess we will just change teams in game. Now sit tight because it gets even better, the game did not have the function to change oppositions for awhile until numerous patches came out, so we hardly were able to play together as a team. So the patch was released and now team changing is applicable, so what we had to do was click the score sheet button to check who had to change teams - luckily we had faster computers so we were able to do so usually. Only flaws?

- Can not play with friends sometimes, and it all depends on the randomized teams.

Immediate we can identify two basic problems in both these games with their multiplayer systems (the game play itself it absolutely incredible don't get me wrong) - but occasionally it got frustrating because finding a game or playing with friends seemed so hard. There is a game I'm playing now though which fixes both these problems.

Crysis 2, which i'm playing and one of my focus points at the moment, provides both implementations of fixes and that partly attracts a lot of players who play with friends regularly WITH dedicated servers, how awesome is that? I will not get into detail about this game - you can check back later because I will write about it asap. This game can ensure you to play with friends on all occasions except if you join games mid-way, that sometimes put your players in different teams. In my opinion when it comes to these multiplayer games, game play itself is not one entire factor anymore, it is these basic fundamentals that make the game play even more enjoyable. Seriously though, when you think about it... multiplayer... teams... don't developers think of "playing with friends"? COD developers said how both systems can not compliment each other but here we have it, Crysis 2 managed to pull it off and at least it is keeping me in the game because I don't get frustrated with problems that isn't the game play ITSELF! So check back later I will post some videos of Crysis 2 and will do another review over it!

Those are some of my opinions regarding the fundamentals in a game, let me know what you think.

hope you enjoyed this post! leave comments if you have any.

Just Cause 2 - Open world madness!

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:11:00 +0000

I played this game awhile back, but stopped for a time being because I thought it was really repetitive - when I had to grind for "Chaos" points in each settlement, it came to a point where I just decided to move on to another game. Now I'm back with it and glad I did so! I came across this website offering mods for Just Cause 2, which changed my experiences in game entirely, and I recommend anyone playing the game to try new things out : ) Here is the link to the website : http://www.justcause2mods.com/

I never had a long interest before trying the game out nor have I ever played the predecessor of it. I was messing around with GTAIV and decided to look for games with similarities, and so I did. So now, lets get started with the possibilities of what this game has to offer!

(CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS)

Though there are all sorts of crazy things you can do in this game, the story is straight forward - you're looking for an American with a huge bounty on his head, but to get to him you have to help different factions with completing their missions in order to succeed - because they have information which can lead you to him. You might be thinking of just whizzing through mission after mission, but in order to "unlock" some progressive faction missions you have to fulfill what the game calls "Chaos" points. In order to increase those points you must cause destruction with the military of Panau Island, here are some examples of them.

One of the many military bases

Causing destruction and earning "Chaos" points!

When you come across a base which typically looks the same, objects which you have to destroy are obvious, usually they have a star like sign on them that indicates military property - Just throw a few dozen c4s' and blow em' up! (The explosion and damage of my "Triggered Explosive" is a mod, and it can be downloaded at the given link above). The next picture is the map in-game, which I will explain what the markings indicate.

Part of Panau Island

- The bottom right window indicates certain progresses as you can see, typically there is a yellow bar showing its status - but due to some mods I installed and cheats I used (for the sake of testing!) everything has already been maxed out.

- The bottom left window shows the amount of resources you currently hold, which is used for upgrading certain black market items when you call the shop in - I will come back to that later. "Armor parts" indicates the amount of armor parts you need before Rico, your main character gains a permanent increase in health. So according the what is shown here, I have to collect two more boxes.

- If you enlarge the image, it might seem confusing to what the markings mean, but I will get into the specifics. The Yellow markers indicate "Undiscovered settlement", some of those areas contain weapon / vehicle / armor parts and may be occupied by the military.
The Blue markers contain faction collectibles - each of the factions have secret items scattered all over Panau Island. Here is an example of those items.

Underwater voyage

The two crossing flags starts a racing event, depending on the race, you may be required to drive a car / truck / motorbikes or an airplane.

The icons with a tick on it shows you have completed the area, meaning you have found every possible resource around that expanse, or have destroyed all military activity.
Finally, the Red triangle and logo are faction missions ready to be triggered by you - some faction icons maybe shown in a square, indicating the factions stronghold.
And those are the main legends you're most likely going to be concerned about, the map is huge, it will take some time to explore the island entirely, and I must say it's a wonderful experience, here are a few reasons why!

Admiring the sunset...

Plant - Run - Detonate

Calm by the lake

These are only very few examples, I can capture pictures all day if I really had to. So I have explained to you what the fundamentals are of this game, now you're probably thinking about... shooting enemies, driving cars, planes and lots more. Its an open world game, and you're not restricted by any means. And if you do get bored, there is a DLC you can add into the game, offering bigger weapons and some extensions to vehicle purchases - all in the black market. Now you can probably get another 20+ hours of gameplay.

Now there are numerous ways of disposing enemies, from multi-locking missiles to pushing them off a cliff, using the environment can also be fun at times - lets take a look at a few pictures

Locking on targets

Barrage of missiles

Grappling two enemies together - they will try and get rid of it

Operating a fighter jet - ramming and shooting enemies

Wasting enemies is for you to explore, these are just a few examples of how you can set things up or blow them up directly. Speaking of weapons, there is a upgrade system which I'd like to get back to - it allows you to increase your weapons overall stats with the use of "Weapon Parts" or "Vehicle Parts" - for upgrading your black market vehicles - here are a two pictures showing them:

Black market showing your weapon statistics and available upgrade

A fully upgraded transport jet

Notice how if upgrades are available then you will be asked for the shown parts needed to do so - check on the stars or levels to indicate whether or not it is fully upgraded.

Although there is much more to talk about especially with this seemingly endless game, you must explore for yourself to truly appreciate what it has to offer. Graphics, diversity (besides cut scenes and infiltrating bases) and the environment, there is quite a lot for you to admire.

There are however, a few drawbacks which you might find repetitive and eventually get burnt out. If you remember the map I have shown you and take for example the yellow dots representing "Undiscovered settlement", you'll realize every time having to complete each settlement 100% can be quite time consuming, repetitive and boring. Of course, the game doesn't require you to do so in order to complete the storyline, but for the sake of 100% game completion, that might be a drawback for some of you. Another thing is cut scenes whenever you open up a new mission.

A mission marker, when triggered it will open up a new cut scene depending on faction

A typical cut-scene, they throw you a crate and a weapon inside and drive off, where during they tell you what is required to be done

With so many missions available in game, eventually these cut scenes will become dull and you feel like they could've done more in a open world game, but that is what you get.

Now I have given you a brief grasp of Just Cause 2, there are many more things for you to explore. Overall I find the game interesting in that mods and the possibilities keep me playing, if you ever find yourself caught in the middle of boredom, go ahead and check out the website I have linked at the beginning of this article. The only downside is the non-creative cut scenes and fulfilling each settlement to a 100%.

If you have any questions, feel free to post on the comment section - hope you enjoyed this sharing session and come back to check out new content! thank you and see you soon!

Here is a additional picture I want to share with you:

More sunset and romance in the jet

Some brief changes...

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:13:00 +0000

I apologize everyone for the late post, I promise I will update more frequently.

(CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS)

UPDATE: Nvidia has released a new driver, which includes the optimization of Dragon Age II - here is the link. http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=2702 Win 7 x64 bit

http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=2701 Win 7 x32 bit (External mirror from guru3d)

Lets fight!

So here it is, what I feel the differences are between these two games, I will start with combat. Though it may look the same most of the time during combat, if you paid enough attention to it you will realize there are several changes that Bioware implemented. I feel they have made combat a lot more flexible and easier when they gave players huge amounts of tactical slots for every character - which pretty much sums up the combat system because a lot of times in Dragon Age we rely on these tactics in difficult situations. In Dragon Age: Origins players had to purchase tactical slots with level up points by means to increase the flexibility during combat, but instead the challenge seems to have perished in Dragon Age II. Visually speaking, both has their own strong points - Dragon Age Origins offered "Deathblow", which whoever manages to successfully land a final blow will perform a special move - such as decapitation, chopping enemies in half, etc. Dragon Age II doesn't seem to offer such but combat skills in general look a lot more flashy, and blood seems to splatter everywhere, those are the differences in combat.

Performing a special attack - DAII

Affection?

Next, interactions and relationships between characters. When I first started playing Dragon Age: Origins I thought the system was interesting, you can talk and learn about each characters history and background, in addition learn that you can fulfill some of their objectives (or not!) and in the end you become more attached with them. In Dragon Age II though, I felt there wasn't much story and interaction between characters except the occasional allowed conversations in their houses - which wasn't too often considering the length of DA II. For me personally, I wasn't as attached and close to the characters in DA II, rather more like they're just there for the sake of having a party member.

Wait... what is my goal again?

Though I haven't finished the entire DA II gameplay, what I have been perceived so far is quests right now is taking me nowhere, I am just running around fulfilling random quests that don't seem have a huge relationship with each other - but I intend to finish it and I will post another update about it. Which comes to having me talk about the map system of DA II, environment seems dull when you have to return to the same place doing different quests numerous times - from what I remember DA: O offered a more unique experience with each quest. Lets get back to the goal - as for DA: O, I knew from the beginning there was this Arch Demon I had to destroy, and ultimately I can relate which quests are bringing me closer to the final battle. Here is a screenshot of the Demon.

The Arch Demon! DA: O

It was clear from the start that I had to gain trust from the dwarves, the circle of magi and the elves to form an alliance before stepping into the final battle - the process was fun as well, I was able to fulfill side quests and gain unique items, at the same time gaining knowledge of the companions who are with me. So that is it for now, be sure to check back, I will post another update regarding the end of DA: II.

I am currently playing Just Cause 2, in my opinion one of the better open world games out there - I recently installed some mods for the game and I just can't seem to stop playing! That is what my next huge post will be based on, so be sure to check back!

Any feedback and comments are welcome : ) thanks! and hope you enjoyed my review!

Revealing Dragon Age II

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:10:00 +0000

As for me, it was one of the most anticipated games of this year in its own category - but many of you may have noticed if you played Dragon Age: Origins, having it as a predecessor, Dragon Age II wasn't easy to pull off.

I was really excited that I finally started playing DA II after an epic experience I had with DA: O - I expected similar results with DA II, if not improved in the elements I thought they could've developed more in Origins. Both games have it's own goods and flaws, Origins I believe has a better direction in terms of customization, tactical game play, environments, story and relationships - where as the sequel minimized certain aspects I just mentioned, and rather seemed to have focused more on combat, efficiency (questing, party equipments etc.) and of course addition to voice acting. So what exactly are the differences between DA Origins and DA II? Before I get to that, I would like to give everyone my opinion to what I believe is a huge concern; graphics.

Graphics...
Apparently DA II has yet to be properly optimized by Nvidia cards, and in my opinion I will stick with 90-140 fps (I'm using Geforce GTX 460 with graphics set to medium - and graphics don't seem that bad). Normally I'd expect around 100+ fps anyway with graphics that aren't so high-end, but thats up to Nvidia and until they optimize and release their next set of drivers, so whoever is using a Nvidia card will have to stand low in graphical settings. Personally I feel it's not that big of a deal because the differences aren't hugely noticeable and isn't worth sacrificing a big fps drawback. Here are some examples: (Just click on them to view full size if you want a clear view)

Low - DX9

With "Low" settings in DX9, the shadows are shown as just black circles and the textures on the wall aren't as clear, it seems to have blurred away. With this I got around 200+ fps.

Medium - DX9

Settings have been changed to "Medium" with DX9 - notice the difference in the shadows and if you look closely, the texture seems to have formed up a little bit, though not too obvious. Are you wondering about the fps difference? well, surprisingly, this is a 40-60 fps drop.

High - DX11

Unfortunately, "High" graphics settings are not available unless you switch to DX11 (you can switch to DX11 with "Low" and "Medium" as well). Here it is, doesn't seem to offer much difference visually, but in terms of fps drawback it plays a major role. With this setting I had around 70-90 fps depending on the environment and objects on scene - so whats with the "High" setting? Honestly, there aren't any reasons to play at this configuration unless you want lower fps performance with possibly microscopic changes visually. Lets take a look now at the "High" setting with AA and AF turned to max.

High - DX11 AA AF (Maxed)

High - DX11

The different image is for the purpose of both AA and AF - click on the images to view them in full size, then you will get a glimpse of the changes occurred. I have to tell you there was a major fps drop - again, 40-50 fps difference, but is it really worth it? I guess it is a subjective matter - usually I prefer a smoother game play even if it means sacrificing eye-candy visuals. Anyways back to the picture (High - DX11), try and focus on the center edge of the weapon (between the gold and brown transition). See that the edge is jagged? Now if you have AA turned on you will notice in the next photo the edge becomes a smooth line. It doesn't actually just change into a smooth line, what AA does is it blurs out the jagged areas of the line so it fools the eye into thinking otherwise. If you actually zoom in close, assuming it doesn't become too pixelated, you can still see the jagged areas along with the blur covering it up - so when it comes to viewing it in large scale, the blurring effect will not be as distinct. Next I will talk about AF (Anisotropic Filtering) and see if it plays a large roll visually in significance to the fps of the game. Before I get to that I'd like to clarify that it only happens to Nvidia graphics card due to the bad optimization of the game.

AF turned OFF

AF turned ON

The AF option - to sharpen textures that are receding from a distance, above are two examples, click on them to enlarge. Primarily focus on the floor textures, the bumps and cracks seem to play a deeper impact in the environment - also take a close look at the wall textures and buildings that are distant from the character. Now when it comes to fps drawback, it offers less deterioration in comparison with AA, and for me, when AF is on it is a lot more evident to AA as oppose to analyzing the edges of each object when you're playing the game.

And finally, the "Very High" setting option along with SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion) - the general idea of that is the engine produces a different lighting method of the environment and allow light to diffuse within what is considered a non-reflective surface. DOF (Depth of Field) - many of you had come across this option before, and lastly "High quality blur". Here are two pictures comparing between the lowest and the highest possible settings.

Lowest possible settings

Highest possible settings

Mind you, the fps difference between the two pictures is around... 100 fps - no joke! Yet again let me clarify, it is most likely due to the optimization, and it appears that ATI graphics card users will most likely benefit from better visuals. Back to the two pictures; now lets take a look at the details between them. The hardest possible difference will most likely be the SSAO and DOF, click on the image and focus on the shade of mountain right below the middle of the screen - notice the sharpness of both pictures and you will realize where the DOF comes in. Of course we have the shadows and textures well noticeable especially on the ground, and the environment lighting seems to have waken up the scene as oppose to a flat-like image with low settings.

All of these settings sound really sweet, but it is barely a concern when considering the fps drawback - and some of you might be entirely focused on game play and forgetting about the environment around you. So my final thoughts; unless there are updates regarding optimization, i'd stick to medium settings with AA and AF turned on - with my Geforce GTX 460 I managed to get around 90-110 fps throughout the game, maybe some plus and minus depending on the scene.

That is it for now! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to do so, and stay tuned for my next update concerning the differences between DA: O and DA II. Hope you enjoyed my review!

Step 1 - Thanks for dropping by!

noreply@blogger.com (Calvin Cheung) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:44:00 +0000

I play PC games all the time - but I haven't really been focusing on any specific genres or titles, so whatever seems interesting to me then I will spend my time playing it. Lately I have been playing Dragon Age II, Cities XL 2011, Just Cause 2, The Sims 3, Homefront, Crysis 2 and Bulletstorm, recently just finished and stop playing Call of Duty - Black Ops. Many more coming as I anticipate further my-type games to be released before next year.

Hopefully things will be updated regularly with game reviews and other contents - so be sure to drop by!

Thanks and see you soon.