GS Exclusive Post.

Well here I am, a new name, a new level and a new look!

Im back, and it feels good, and now I just wanna throw out a few updates on whats coming over the next couple of days.

Firstly, Im going to be writing some sort of article on the Final Fantasy XI registration process through steam. Ive just spent an hour and 10 minutes doing it, and Im not even in the game yet.

Ill also be actively linking to my new livestream channel(s) and Ill also be doing a recap of e3. A bit late, but I said I would do it, lets just say, ive let the dust settle.

Well I hope you guys have enjoyed my works so far, and thanks to everyone for the continued support!

~ Nav

(PS: That guy on XBox LIVE who said I stole his ID will be happy soon cause im changing that too)

(PPS: I didnt steal it btw, I re-named my account first)

(PPPS: Q.Q)

(PPPPS: lol I said PP)

Im an aspiring game designer. When I get invites to beta tests, it means a lot to me. Not just the ones you can get for free off the net that anyone can get, no, I mean others, like the Need for Speed closed beta, the Aion closed beta and the Starcraft 2 closed beta.

Now Following my previous post, I was extatic for square-enix to invite me to the Final Fantasy XIV closed beta.

Thats probally the best beta ive ever been invited to.

Now, every time i get on one of these things, I learn. I learn about the testing process and I submit highly detailed and technical reports back to the developer as I feel this is my job. A beta tester, by the way, is not "demo player". It is an official beta tester. Someone, who without pay nor recognition, helps build a game for the better and craft the game experience.

I See it as something serious, and also it allows me to tell dev's that I have in fact done work for them before, if I should ever so happen to try and work for them.

So, the point of this blog is simple. I am devastated and bitterly angry with square-enix. I got my beta key late last night. I was really happy. I spent all night, starting about 11pm downloading the client. It didnt finish downloading until 1.23pm today. More than 12 hours downloading. The crashes on the client downloader was crazy as well, with frequent problems with it even with admin privlidges options on. So after downloading I finally get round to making a character.

I was, really really impressed. I really got into it. Ill write a blog on this in the future.

However, I couldnt connect to the servers when completing the character, meaning I had to re-do the character every time. And this is like a good 7 minute process. 30 minute first time.

So, all day I wait, and wait for it to work. All of a sudden we get a note on the beta tester developer notice board:

"We are currently experiencing technical difficulties that may make it difficult to log in to FINAL FANTASY XIV."

and then...

"From 15:00 to 16:00 (GMT) on Jul. 15, 2010, we will be conducting maintenance to address issues caused by the recent technical difficulties. During this period, FINAL FANTASY XIV will be unavailable.
* The Beta Test Site will still be available."

Okay I thought, ill play tomorrow.

Not. a. chance.

"Due to technical difficulties, we have ended the Beta Test currently under way at 16:30 (GMT). Also, we regret to inform you that the beta test that was scheduled to occur on from Jul. 16, 2010 at 00:00 to Jul. 16, 2010 at 10:00 (GMT) has been canceled due to the same issues."

So, naturally, I am devistated.

Not only have i missed out on an opportunity to test something so high-profile, but i also feel a bit cheated. The right to play was never exclusive to me, it was never guaranteed i would be able to play, but, to have this happen, i still feel a bit cheated. An unknown error prohibits me from playing, and no doubt my slot will be taken away for someone else to take because "I had my fun" with it.

But I didnt.

I hope square fixes the problem and i wish them luck,, and remind them that technical network difficulties that prohibit players from playing should be remedied before the games release. I also remind them that courtesy would suggest that perhaps the time should be rearranged rather than cut short, as people like myself may not have the privilidge to have the next slot, and we all know a demo player is non productive to a team.

And heres why:

(Please click title of blog post to see properly)

Activision Blizzards money-making and highly successful business structure strongly relies upon one main financial backbone, subscription fees.

The most prominent, World of Warcraft, has earned them billions, however, is the publisher/dev also looking at a similar structure for their upcoming release, Starcraft II?

Shown in the screenshot below, is an image of the Starcraft II Beta GUI informing a user they have ran out of "pre-paid gametime". A sad sight for fans of the Starcraft series, however, much has yet to be cleared up. Is this paid service the game itself, or an add on.

Only time will tell.

Well, its been a while since I played a free MMO and with expectations of a wow-killer, somewhat decent game to come and hit me in the face at an all time low I decided to scout around.

I found a new game called Mabinogi and boy, was I ever wrong to have low expectations, I should have gone in with no expectations. Thats right. I set up this blog post to take a first look (ish) at the new game by Nexon, however, because the software is poorly constructed, I have been unable too.

I am somewhat upset by the Maple-Story dev for this.

So, regardless of everything mentioned above, I plan to continue my post. Here is the first look, of Mabinogi, developed by Nexon!

First of all, download time was okay, only took about an hour to download 1.45GB of data, so no real big problem there. Installing was typical speed also.

Logging into the game was an exciting process also.Firstly, the user is to select the Mobinogi icon on the desktop as usual. Then, instead of the game loading, a website full of adverts appears, the homepage of the game itself.

After this screen appears, THEN the user can click the "start game" button located on the left hand of the screen. After this screen, the pre-loader appears.

Now the user can quite happily play the game by clicking on the "game start" button. After an initially slow hack-stopper prgram does its thing, the main screen loads.

A typical scene, we see a username and password option.

The game immediately picks up in action:

That my friends is an error code for the hack-shield program the game uses. After 10 attempts at getting past this with no luck, after 10 cycles of clicking the game, then the site, then the pre-loader it actually lets me get authenticated (logging in).

Then im told the game isnt playable in the UK "out of service area". 10 more attempts thinking its a glitch.

Currently uninstalling.

Considering the graphics and code are done half arsed, then ill make my reveiw the same:

Graphics: 1/10

Audio: 0/10

Story: 0/10

Technical Ability: 0/10

Characters: 0/10

Mechanics: 0/10

Overall Experience: 0/10

Please click the title of this blog to see it properly. Bloody gamespot formatting screws this up ¬ ¬

To go with the excitement of the night, im doing a live update of the excitement around the interwebs about the new TF2 update going live tonight. People are so excited and so am I.

Status here: http://www.teamfortress.com/engineerupdate/wrenchlog/ and here: http://www.teamfortress.com/engineerupdate/

Ill be updating as the elusive 100th wrench drops throughout the night.

[23:38] Nothing yet, however the buzz on forums and in-game is at an all time high. Tonights the night, every night.

[23:55] Counter resets to 0... uh?

[23:56] Counter goes back to 99. I smell some trolling

[00:30] Been getting graphics on my wrnch on and off now for about 10 minutes... of the golden wrench

[00:34] 100th wrench just dropped the Engineer update is LIVE! Congrats to DoomSwitch

[00:35] New item launched

Well that was fun wasnt it ladies and gents. Rather short lived though I might say. Although, it is worth nothing, this has been on the cards for months. Well, I'll tidy this post up later, but for now, thanks for staying around!

UPDATE: The drama continues, Valve have changed thelast weapon. Its not supposed to replace the pistol, it replaces the wrench.

So, there you go!

Oh and theres this:

>The Gunboats now reduce self-damage by 60% (was 75%)

>The Tribalman's Shiv bleed duration reduced to 6 second (was 8), and its damage penalty increased to 50% (was 35%).

First up in a new series, just a couple of things that really annoy me in gaming.

1. The fact Grand Theft Auto doesnt have custom soundtracks anymore. I dont mean custom MP3's, no no no, I mean like GTA: 3, with music soundtracks made for the game.
2. Most first person shooters aimed at modern warfare (not the franchise) all look the same
3. Still no Super Mario Bros. 4, but realising the horrible fact it will either be on Wii or DS if it was to be made.
4. Fifa games have looked the same now for like 7 years
5. Team Fortress doesnt feel as special as it used to
6. Half life 2: episode 3...
7. That **** duracell battery from Need for Speed: Pro Street
8. Theres an infinate supply of Pokemon we havent seen yet
9. the Nintendo 3DS wasnt even photographed while on, at least TRY to show us
10. Cocky developers answering release date questions with "When its done"
11. Duke Nukem: Forever alpha build videos
12. Star Wars Battlefront 3 screenshots
13. RROD
14. World of Warcraft is STILL the only "truly popular" MMORPG
15. Animal crossing has been the same since the original pretty much
16. Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero
17. The 360 is still scratching disks like a rapper
18. The PSP Go UMD to Download machine was cancelled
19. The Wireless adaptor for the 360 is still rediculously expensive
20. The technologies for destruction seen in Red Faction: G and Star Wars: TFU, and the fighting technologies seen in Batman: AA arent more widely used
21. Games for Windows LIVE still takes ages to long into in most games
22. Patches that make things worse
23. Gothic 3 is laggy as hell on my PC but GTA IV is fine
24. Pay-for-Privilidge (additional items) in MMO's
25. Steam Server mods that ban people for using profanity, in mature rated games such as COD 4

Just so you guys know, that wherever possible, ill be changing my user name from Elite Evans to NAVAZARIAN.

Spelt properly its Navazarian, so yeah. Just thought i'd let you all know in advance.

Just a quick post to cover my highlight of todays conference:

This patriotic scene spurred my favorite quote of today:

"Sleepless nights, staying up to 3:30 in the morning to get a trophy that doesnt exist"

Brilliant.

Although I have an alterior motive for this post. This was also just a quick post to mention that in a couple of days Ill be posting a recap of E3's events just in-case people missed it (if thats at all possible), and also to share some thoughts of mine on the event.

Todays E3 conference was full of suprises, Kinect, Gears of War 3 and Reach all blew us away.

However, Microsoft pulled a white rabbit out of the hat.

A new XBox 360 was announced today, and in a suprise move, was also scheduled for release later this week!

Keeping this thing quiet was an acheivement in itself and with Wireless built in, and silent components, this thing is going to be amazing.

Special congratulations to those who attended, as they all got this new beast FREE OF CHARGE. Well done you lucky guys.

UPDATE: New shots of the hardware here.