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Fifth Highest Shelf Vittles: 8.9.98-9.16.98

  • Back to Stale Vittles
  • 9/16

    • Hmm... this isn't very encouraging. Th' only response I got ta asking fer a partner ta face down Zeus an' Vader came from a fella with "Mad" in his name... Mad_Matt is gonna help me take on th' terrible twosome. Should be a pretty quick game. 'Specially since I plan on blowin' myself an' Matt up with plenty of dynamite... oh... err jus' kiddin' around MM. ;)

    • WHOOPS! Hehe there were a few files in th' map archive that jus' shouldn'ta been in there... If you downloaded one, delete it RIGHT NOW! ;)

    • Heh ohh I can't... resist... mailed Kali askin' 'em ta change my site link on th' Outlaws server (jus' checked, it's been changed huzzah! thanks Carole) an' got this reply:

      We will try to get it on as soon as we can.

      I was SO tempted to reply an' say "Well that's good to hear an' all, but could ya take a break ta change my link..." okay that's enough of that.

    • Whew a slow news day finally. Mebbe I'll get ta play a bit this afternoon. =) Let's see... StanJr says he's already missin' Outlaws, he'll be back after a lil' vacation. You kin tell when a guy's got Outlaws fever, an' Stan sure has it. I knew he'd be back. ;)

      I dunno what th' heck this is about, but my buddy SmellyRoach asked me ta post this, an' it's a slow news day do here we go:

      to anyone in the Outlaws world who have heard rumors about SmellyRoach, a guy named; well, lets just call him John Doe, has been spreading rumors about SmellyRoach.. these rumors aren't petty rumors, ya know, the "he cheats" rumors.. but they are serious matter (that could get me into trouble) , and should not be told to anyone. THESE RUMORS ARE NOT TRUE! thanks, SmellyRoach

      Generally people who accuse others of cheatin' are jus' sad, bitter lil' people. Anyhow, I dunno what's goin' on here so I ain't gonna say nothin' 'bout it.

      Ooo let's do some more screenshots from Taco's upcoming 5 level singleplayer add-on -- no, I don't know when it's comin' out, so quit askin'. Here's some shots: shot 1 | shot 2

  • 9/15

    • Maps maps map. Hope with today's update I'll finally be mos'ly caught up... in th' last 24 hour period logged by my site's access tracker, over 47 megabytes of files were accessed off this domain! ;) Let's keep that server busy, boys!

      Okay, most of th' additions today go straight inta th' reg'lar map archive without copies in th' newmaps folder 'cause they're jus' old versions of old maps that I didn't have.

      GoJo has twiddled around with his attractive but heretofore slow map, "Boxer". He doesn't wanna call it "Boxer 2" so I jus' named th' new file "boxerb". Some framerate improvements, a couple doors made smoother and a few other small fixes made.

      The other maps are a real mixed bag. "cod_deserttown", "cod_hideout", "t_camp", "cowtown" and "therock" are all from COD_Marshall; they all share some really bad design decisions. Ack. Zathoros' "Hacienda" is a lovely map, maybe even bigger than his excellent "RIP". Some very complex architecture here as well, but seems a bit monotonous and the lack of lighting effects really starts to make itself felt in the hacienda's many rooms. The best lookin' part is the inner courtyard but unfortunately framerates take a real bath here. Got all these maps from th' GDO site (see next item).

      BTW, Templar's Forgotten Depot is truly a fantastic level, one of th' all time greats. A real work of art -- if ya ain't got it, get it!

    • Sites sites sites.

      LAmeShot's Outlaws Info Page: I wouldn't really even list this one but it's listed on Kali's Outlaws channel. Seems to have been made before th' game came out, really just pre-release info.

      DeadlySpeedHunters Headquarters: Simple posse page with members list, rankings. Tidy layout.

      GDO's Outlaws Homepage: Site of a large Zone posse. Seems their webmaster jus' quit th' gang. Hehe I love gang politics. Site pretty slow due to compulsive inclusion of animations. Good place ta get maps though.

      The New World Outlaws homepage: Nice fast layout, very clean with lots of files an' maps ta download on this Zone posse site. A good one.

      LJP_Raider's Outlaws Page: Jus' some info on on himself an' his LJP crew. First page is a bit of a download, but otherwise pretty attractive lil' site, with a poll ta vote on Outlaws stuff.

      JensR's Outlaws Page: Still mos'ly empty. Home of JensR's "IGZ Friends Manager", a utility fer keepin' track of those you designate "friends" in th' Zone.

      Outlaws - Best of the West: An old site that disappeared then resurfaced here some time ago. This "Best of the West" is a compilation of Outlaws maps in one zip file. How handy is that? Not very, especially since they're all old. Extensive cheats list.

      Badmojo's Outlaws Hideout: THIS is why I review sites, to keep people from wasting their time with one like this with that huge animated Outlaws bullethole logo and no content aside from a few cheat codes.

    • Oh, I almost fergot. Actually, I'd kinda like ta ferget, but Zeus an' Vader seem determined ta get on my player page by kickin' my behind in a two on two match. So, uh, I guess I need a volunteer ta die with me. Don't expect too much; I'll prob'ly try hiding until they get bored an' leave... not that that's ever worked. Nuts!

    • Here's another shot of Taco's upcoming add-on pack (beta version). This guy didn't seem ta take kindly ta me bargin' into his lil' warehouse.

  • 9/14

    • Man, I feel like I got maps comin' outta my ears... First, lemme say this again: my Map Archive, found on th' level page, is NOT meant ta compete with dedicated map sites that present maps in a nice, user-friendly way with titles, credits an' so forth. My archive is more of a file dump. I jus' take all th' Outlaws maps I kin find an' dump 'em in there. Recent maps get a copy stuck into the "*newmaps" subdirectory that stay there fer a week or so ta give ya a chance ta find 'em easily.

    • When I'm talkin' 'bout dedicated map sites, I mean places like OGB Headquarters. Martone's made an excellent map browsing section, neatly arranged an' labelled, etc. I went an' swiped somethin' like 15 maps from him. Some were new, some were just alternate versions of old maps that I didn't have.

      Then Slack sent me a couple of his latest maps, "Avalance" [sic] and "Shome".

      Then DrDeath2 tol' me he'd posted a new map by Gas, "Kramerica", on th' US Marshall's page.

      Then fer some reason I wound up on th' ENGclan (new URL) site an' found two new maps over there, TankBuster's new map, "Stadium", an' one by Boxerbeat, "Dizzy".

      Whew! All these have been dumped into th' Archive.

    • Did any of 'em tickle my fancy? Let's see... mmm... VegasButch's "Maze" is pretty well built, if a bit cramped. Slack's "Avalance" is his remake of Shok's "Rattlesnake Ravine"; he's basically left jus' one side of th' level, an' since it's pretty much a continuous single area play is pretty hectic. "Dive2" is th' spiral platform part of th' "Granary" with water at th' bottom, an' an aquatic cow. Hmm... Fesstus's "FessCity" is, well, big as a city which is impressive but makes fer big framerate hits; here's a shot of HALF of th' town. Didn't know farmers put horses an' cows in th' same stalls, but guess I was wrong since some of that's goin' on in Gas's "Kramerica". Ick.

      Extreme's "Reckless" is a large, good lookin' circular affair dominated by a gatling gun an' a large poster of th' lovely PAL_Desertmouse.

      Zathoros's "RIP"is a huge stone cathedral with four belltowers alongside a large cemetary with two crypts and a couple other outlying buildings. Th' bright lighting seems a lil' odd in a few spots, but the modelling of th' cathedral is awesome: stained glass, a blue tiled roof, extensive dark basement and spiral staircases going up three levels in each belltower, and down another to th' basement. A fantastic feat of modelling; here's a shot of th' exterior.

      Slack's "Shome" or "Sheriffshome" is another multiplayer conversion of th' Marshal's office from th' Historical Missions. With a few alterations here an' there by Slack it makes fer a pretty good lil' deathmatch map. Tankbuster's "TNTrange2" is meant fer holdin' contests on how far ya kin blow yerself with a stick of TNT. Set up kinda like shotput except YOU move, not th' thing you throw. On my second try I managed ta blow myself close to th' 25 yard (is it is feet) mark. Hmm, need practice.

    • Whew. Well I also promised ta show not jus' one but TWO shots from Taco's soon to be released singleplayer add-on, so here they are: shot 1 | shot 2

    • On a more downbeat note, StanJr of th' Gunslinger Gang has announced he's leavin' us fer a younger, flashier game... sorry ta lose ya, Stan. But hang on he says he'll still be handlin' th' webmastery fer their site, so ya kin still send him new levels ta post.

    • Back to a happier note, got a new site fer ya: Starlight's Outlaws Page. This site has some really good parts, and some really bad parts. Well, one really bad part: th' first page has some Java applets that grind my computer to it's knees. Or they would if it had knees, anyhow. But if you kin get past that page there are some very valuable strategy tips and a selection of maps rated on a scale of 1 to 4 and evaluated for the number of players each one can comfortably accommodate.

  • 9/13

    • Jus' 'cause KaReFree hadda give up his site 'til December ta concentrate on school work don't mean he doesn't care. Sharp-eyed SmellyRoach spotted a few KaRe-laden posts over on th' LJP message board. Check 'em out -- he's already whipped up a spiffy new logo fer his triumphant return.

    • There were tons of folks on Kali's Outlaws server yesterday, more than I kin remember seein' since... uh... a long time ago. Among th' teeming masses I spotted three old timers, long ago rumored retired: Killercraig, Templar and Kbyrne. Great ta see these fellas are back in th' fold!

    • Seems Templar jus' can't stay away from makin' maps either; he was handin' out a lil' one he was tryin' to pretend he didn't care for much, Forgotten Depot. Well, I think this little wayward lamb is gorgeous. Th' setting is an old train depot, long abandoned and reclaimed by the desert. Check out the cool bleached sand look he's given this one: here's a shot. Plays beautifully with many twists and nooks hidden in the dunes. Great stuff.

    • Speakin' of levels, ForkTongue sent me some that weren't in my Map Archive (see the level page, mostly different versions of maps I had, fer instance "wow.zip" is a later version of "bh_twist" and "smallvill" is a smaller, crappier version of "thecliffs". But hell I've got room fer 'em so why not be complete?

    • There were also I few I'd had up but hadn't gotten a look at yet. Turns out that was a HUGE mistake 'cause all three of 'em are great maps:

      Runaway Jim's Octagon: A stockade and broken bridge over a canyon very reminiscent of LEC's "Fort"; very complex but a good deal smaller. The fort with it's octagonal central tower is lovely, and while you might expect this involved open-air construction to play havoc on framerate's like LEC's "Thud Tower", it DOESN'T. Great stuff; here's a screenshot.

      Then there was Wildland with turns out was a single-player map. I wasn't too thrilled about it at first 'cause it seemed a lil' crude, but actually it's very well done. Th' thing is it substitutes mass slaughter fer fine detail an' puzzles. Which is fine by me; I'm all fer variety an' if ya kin get lots of killin' in there, so much th' better. Be prepared fer tons of dynamite throwers an' sawed-off wielders among th' multitudes of baddies. Great fun! Oh yeah here's a shot of me havin' fun with th' gat. It helped that these guys tended ta shoot each other in th' back. ;)

      The third would be Cutter's Dixie, the best lookin' of th' bunch, but mebbe with a lil' hitch. This one's designed fer CTF, with two large barns separated by forests and a river with a covered bridge - check this shot; Madison County, eat yer heart out! It's really vast an' rifles will play a vital role. Everything looks beautiful an' ya really get th' feelin' of bein' outdoors in a rural farm area. BUT all this loveliness does take a bite outta yer framerates in a number of spots. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone without a fast processor and especially a voodoo card. That bein' said, if you kin get a bunch of people with spry systems together "Dixie" is a real winner.

    • Whoa I think that's enough good maps to last me a lil' while. ;) Geez! Well anyhow lots of folks are curious as ta what playin' Outlaws on a DSL line is like. Pretty easy answer: it's like modem Outlaws, without the lag. No lag. No matter how many players, no lag. :)

      Well, not fer me. Since Outlaws is peer-to-peer rather than client-server like Quake, players with slower connects will still start laggin' if their bandwidth maxes out or their combined latency starts ta get too high. You'll see them lag, but you'll know it's not yer connection that's th' problem. DSL really means a blissful peace of mind fer online gaming. No more worryin' about laggin', or gettin' disconnected, or hittin' a line retrain or whatever.

      So far th' most strenuous thing I've done is host a six-player game while leaving Kali open with a file offer in an away message so people could get the map and find the game. I was chuckin' TNT like crazy an' never lagged even when people would download th' map from me during the game. The bandwidth taken by all this activity barely even registered on my bandwidth meter.

      I shoot people, they die. They shoot me, I die. No real pauses between. A fast connect doesn't really give you a tremendous advantage in reaction time like it does in client-server games, but it sure doesn't hurt. Mostly it's a matter of yer packets not gettin' lost so ya don't end up shootin' blanks.

      So how is it? It's perfect.

  • 9/12

    • Fallsdown sent in yet another Outlaws-on-vacation manipulated photo masterpiece. Here's the shot and Falls' caption:

      No that's not TwoFeathers takin a dirt nap. Sanchez and he are just playing the old bury yer buddy in the sand game during a day at the beach.

      Oo, I could go fer a good dirt nap right now! Can't sleep too well with this DSL in though... somethin' about bein' constantly connected.

    • Oh I should note that I've moved screenshots to their own directory, shots. They're arranged by th' date on which they first appeared. Multiple daily screenshots will have letters appended, ie b, c, d added to the second, third and forth shots to appear on the same day.

    • So, let's do some more shots! GoJo sent in a new level, Boxer, which I dumped in th' level archive you'll find on th' level page. This one's an LJ, or "Long Johns" level: you start out with no weapons, jus' yer bare fists in a cool boxing arena. Here's a shot. You'll notice the framerates are really good in here, an' it looks fantastic.

      In fact, the whole level looks fantastic. Maybe too fantastic. Once ya leave th' arena you'll hit some really nasty framerates in th' large street outdoors. And opening doors results in a few moments of intense jerkiness. Still, it looks fabulous: check this shot of a poker table surrounded by chairs with matching green felt upholstery. Wow!

      One other lil' beef I have is that in an effort to make sure you could grab guns quick, since ya start off with nothin', I think he overstocked th' place a bit. Granted, he was trying to balance it for CTF, so I guess I should take that into account. At any rate this is NOT a map for small deathmatches.

      Hopefully he'll be able to iron out the framerate and door issues. This is one helluva nice lookin' map.

    • Lets see, what kin I get a fourth shot of? Oh yeah, how about another from Taco's upcoming single-player add-on pack? How about a shot of a beautifully illuminated elevator? This baby goes up and down with a neat rumbly CLANK when you step on it. It's the ONLY way to travel!

  • 9/11

    • Please note my new URL (outlaws.gagames.com) and e-mail addresses! Ferget th' old ones, they're gone fer good.

      Welcome to th' new ranch! This place is lots roomier than muh old digs, although you will note it's tarted up a bit with them banners hangin' from th' ceilin'. I'd like ta thank muh generous host, GA Games fer providin' th' space. Of course you should go visit 'em jus' as soon as yer done here. ;)

      Whether you notice 'em or not I've made lots of changes to the site. Most important fer you folks would probably be The P.O.O.S. Map Archive which you'll find over on th' level page. I ain't aimin' ta compete with th' many wunnerful, dedicated map sites out there. I jus wanna have a spot ta collect every map I kin get my grubby lil' mitts on. It prob'ly won't get updated as fast as some of those other sites, but if there's an old map ya can't find nowhere's, check th' Archive, it'll prob'ly be there. In addition, copies of recent maps will also be stored in the "newmaps" subdirectory.

    • Speakin' of wunnerful, dedicated map sites, th' always vociferous StanJr is a lil' peeved that folks don't seem ta know that he keeps his Gunslinger Gang Page stocked ta th' gills with th' latest maps. If yer a map maker an' ya wanna get th' word out fast, send yer map ta Stan!

      Stan also sent in th' happy word that Tribal has his site back online! Fer those few who never knew, the "KAP Hideout" was probably th' oldest, most organized an' most reliable map site on th' net. Now it's back as simply Tribal's Outlaws Page. Still under construction but lookin' good. Welcome back Tribal!

    • Well I made some promises yesterday on my old site, didn't I? So, here's a new shot of Taco's soon-to-be-released 5-level single-player add-on (more hyphens than yesterday!). This here's a pretty fancy stone bridge arcing over a huge canyon. I love that dark shadow underneath, where trolls might hide out or somethin'. Dig it!

      By th' way, now that I got pretty much as much server space as I kin handle, daily screenshots won't get overwritten after a few days. So if ya miss a shot, it'll always be in the images directory, named like this: yearmonthday.jpg. Fer instance, today's is called 980911.jpg. Ain't that nice? So if you remember there was a particular screenshot you liked on a particular day, it'll be a cinch at call it up. [Update - see tomorrow's vittles; shots have been moved to their own directory: shots.

      Okay, the other promise was a racy literary quote about my pale dream girl. Here we go:

      Her face was pale with the pallor peculiar to people who have been shut in for a long time and which puts one in mind of the shoots which sprout from potatoes kept in a cellar.

      Leo Tolstoy
      Resurrection, part 1, chapter 1
      translated by Rosemary Edmonds

      Yes, it turns out my dream girl was an 18th-century Russian prostitute. I should'a known. ;)

    • So why the sudden move? Well, today this nice woman from US West suddenly calls an' asks if she kin send a technician by in half an hour. I managed to stay coherent long enough to answer in the affirmative. Soon enough he shows up, a real nice fella, an' gets th' digital modem all hooked up ta my new DSL service. With this basic DSL I kin upload at 256k, an' since I'm so close to my local "Central Office" (it's 2 blocks away!) I download at up to ~640k! There's no messy dialing up, once yer computer's on yer connected, an' you still have a dial-tone fer gettin' phone or fax calls - thus except when I turn the computer off, I am ALWAYS online. I kin also switch IP addresses on the fly which is pretty slick although mebbe not that absolutely useful most of the time. My ping to my ISP (sttl.uswest.net) averages 20 ms!

      So how good is it, really? Well ohmygodicanteatsleepbreath- ...uhh well it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, to say the least. I'm gettin' breathless here. NO I haven't tried an Outlaws game with it yet but that will SOON be rectified! ;D

  • 9/10

    • Woo hoo! Fallsdown sent in another Outlaws vacation piccie. These are just so incredibly cool... anyhow here's the shot and Falls' caption:

      Of course the Outlaws vacation would not have been complete without a trip to the beach. And trying a couple of popular pastimes such as Sailboarding. At least James left his rifle on shore but he just can't seem to loosen up and loose the hat and coat and get a tan.

      Aww James is jus' a born paleface like me. Falls is hopin' ta have enough pics developed soon ta make a "what we did on our Outlaws summer vacation" on his own Outlaws page, Outraws: A criminal enterprise of the Wit and Wisdom Gang.

    • On a closely related note, StanJr kindly pointed out that the first Fallsdown vacation shot I posted features the Outlaws with Pluto, not friggin' Goofy like I stated. WHOOPS! Goshdarnit I have always made goofs with names... there's that whole Elmer/Porky thing that's always confused th' heck outta me, too.

      This isn't near my worst faux pas with names though. That was back in high school when I worked with two girls who were close friends at the local ice cream parlor. At one time they fergot they were friends fer a while and decided to hate each other. Well, dimwit me managed to call each of them by the OTHER'S name! The particularly stunning stupidity of this was that it didn't happen all at once; no, it was over two shifts in the course of a week where I worked alone with each one. Good gravy! that was trouble fer me fer a while. In fact they soon after remembered they were friends; I like ta think my double-gaffe sped their reconciliation.

    • Ahh enough about me. Here's another shot of the beta version of Taco's upcoming 5-level single-player add-on. Is that enough hyphenated hype for ya? No? Well mebbe tomorrow I'll have another shot ta show.

    • Okay more about me, or at least a teaser. Tomorrow I think I'll also pop up another literary "pale" quotation I jus' came across. Actually this one ain't 'bout me, but rather the pale girl of my dreams. And a certain vegetable. From a book banned by certain religious groups and ultimately resulting in the author's excommunication! Woo-hoo! Tomorrow...

  • 9/9

    • Noticed an interview with the Blood 2 project lead, Jay Wilson. Now Blood 2's lookin' like a pretty gritty game, but what grabbed my attention about this interview was that Jay mentions Outlaws:

      Simply adding realism to a game like Quake is in my opinion a mistake, because it contradicts what the game is going for in the first place. I wish people were making more shooters aiming for realism, like Goldeneye and Outlaws, because we have plenty going for fast action...

      Now from what he goes on to say it doesn't sound like Blood 2 will play QUITE like Outlaws, although he does make some nice comments about the important of movement in a game:

      Movement is absolutely the number one priority for an action game. It's how the player interfaces with the world, so NOTHING is more important.

      Well I mus' say I agree. Outlaws has always had FANTASTIC control. Can't stand those fudgy Quake controls. ;p If ya wanna read more why don'tcha go check out th' full review at voodooextreme.

    • Today we have the second vacation shot from good ol' Fallsdown. Here's the shot and here's Falls' caption:

      Two feathers was a little grouchy from too much cotton candy and all those rollercoaster rides.

      Kinda looks like th' chief doesn't like guys puttin' their arms around him. Tigger'd be well advised to be a lil' less touchy-feely 'round that big knife.

    • Drat! Called US West to ask where my DSL was 'cause th' original plan was to have them install it TOMORROW an' they were gonna call me beforehand to set a time. Well it's pretty much as I figgered, since they were on strike fer two weeks my installation is prob'ly gonna be set back two weeks, which would make it somethin' like th' 24th. ;[

  • 9/8

    • Wellll I was gonna do another screenshot of Taco's upcoming add-on BUT Fallsdown sent me some great pictures so I'm gonna show one'a those instead.

      I'd been kinda wonderin' where my favorite Outlaws image-hacker had been lately. Well, he's jus' got back from everybody's favorite vacation spot, Disneyland. An' he didn't go alone, nossir: he took a few luck Outlaws with him. Sent me some scans of vacation photos -- those Outlaws don't seem to have enjoyed themselves too much. Anyhow, here's th' shot an' Falls' caption:

      Here's one of the first to come back from the drug store. Part of the Outlaws trip to Disneyland. They tell me they got a great group rate and in spite of their somber appearance claim to have had a good time.

      Goofy'd better watch out, I think Sanchez is peeved!

  • 9/7

    • StanJr came out with a new multiplayer map a little while back that I'd missed 'til now, "Double Duece". First thing you'll notice is that it's pretty dark, with a blood-red sky and ominous thunder -- here's a shot of one of the twisty tunnels, taken with the lantern on. Anyhow once yer eyes adjust you'll see it's a nice, compact, loopy map. Rather claustrophobic although the interior of the building in the tight canyon is a little roomy. Th' tons an' tons of items -- hard ta move without steppin' on a couple -- aren't quite ta my taste although at least you don't need to worry about runnin' out of things ta kill people with. Oddly enough, a knife might be th' best bet in Double Duece's dark close quarters.

      You kin get this one over at Stan's Gunslinger Gang Page along with jus' about any other map you could possibly want.

    • DrDeath2 told me that, regarding the rather fragile boss at the end of his single player "Watershed" adventure (see yesterday's vittles), there are two versions of that boss. Well I'll jus' post what he wrote about that (edited so it won't spoil it fer ya):

      The Ending was fast because I didn't have much choice. There are two [boss] items you can use. one was almost impossiable to beat. like I'm talking about 40 rifle shots to kill him. (not joking) I felt that was a little insane. So I put the easy [boss] in. but it only takes him one shot to kill ya. if you play it on Ugly you'll notice some harder bad guys. such as the GAT guy.

      Woo, I'll hafta try it on Ugly now!

    • Doc2 also had some Outlaws sequel ideas. Added 'em ta th' sequel page:
      • I want LEC to make Outlaws 2. but with JK engine? I don't know. I really didn't like Jedi Knight. I used Greedo in Multiplayer and his fists were Flesh Toned? not green. That made me think of lack of effort. Everybody's arms are flat and people look bad.
      • I would like to see Outlaws characters die in different poses, like if your shot in the back you'll fall over in a different way then if you were shot in the head.
      • I would like if your wounded shows more. like if you shot somebody in the arm he'll grab it or maybe he won't be able to use TNT becuase his arm is shot, or you can't use run because you have a rifle shot in your leg so you can tell if there wounded. Not to make the game a Gore Fest; far from it, but I think it needs a little more blood.
      • I would like to see different Normal bad guys, like the plain bad guys.
      • For the plot I was thinking that Doc lives and he comes back to kill James Anderson and Sarah must avenge his death by taking up her father's gun slinging ways.

    • Okay, once again we have REALLY exciting news for you single-player lovin' types: Taco is jus' about done with his add-on mission pack! In fact yers truly is one of th' lucky few gettin' ta beta test it an' iron out th' bugs. There aren't very many so I think this baby should be out soon! Hmm actually there might be a lil' wait ta get th' animated intro together, hafta check on that.

      Let's see, what kin I tell ya? Spans five levels with a huge variety of indoor and outdoor locations. Lots of guys ta blast. ;D Great framerates! Lots of nice little touches, and a good deal of stuff you won't have seen anywhere before! In fact this mission pack is crammed with so much Outlaws mayhem that fer th' first time ever my voodoo, which I have underclocked in NT to keep it cool, started runnin' outta juice an' couldn't texture everything! Don't worry it ran great when I bumped th' clock back up ta normal, but MAN that was kinda impressive.

      I got permission ta post screenshots an' I snapped about 70 or so, but I don't wanna spoil it or nothin' so I'll jus' post 4 now an' mebbe a new one each day 'til it comes out or somethin'. No captions on these babies, jus' eye-candy to whet yer appetite. ;)

      shot 1 | shot 2 | shot 3 | shot 4 (okay couldn't resist one caption, this is where my voodoo started gettin' worn out REAL bad an' I hadda bump its clock speed back up ;])

      Yee haw! This is so much darn fun even in beta I'm gonna hafta go an' play it again... Oh yeah an' you multiplayer types, don't feel left out 'cause after th' mission pack come's out Taco'll cuttin' up th' five single-player levels into who knows how many new multiplayer maps!

  • 9/6

    • Ahh, the transitory nature of our existence. The end of summer gets me ta thinkin' about it, as does some of today's news: namely that Tribal's hugely popular, always up to date map site, the Kap Hideout appears to have disappeared. :( For I think over a year this was one place where you could always count on finding the latest maps. Tribal did a fantastic job with it but hadn't updated it in a while, and now it's gone from the server. I'm so choked up I've gone and lost my accent. We'll miss ya, Tribal! Mebbe he's jus' movin'... anybody know?

    • Raf told me 'bout that. He also tells me that his old MIL ("Military") posse has broken up. Deriffe is apparently going ta carry on th' MIL torch, but Higster has formed a new gang and redone his site - it's now Texas Rangers. Still under construction but some really nice graphics, solid layout so far. Check out that long animation of Anderson on the second page. Th' gang ("TxR") is lookin' fer members so check 'em out if yer lookin' fer some gun-buddies. Seem ta be UK based mostly. On that note, Raf's joined the ENG(land) posse.

    • More from Raf (whew!): a new level, "Two Barn". This one's based on his "Barn" level. He's sort of taken the barn, mirrored it next to itself and placed identical Union and Rebel forts at the top of the cliffs on either side. Each base has a cannon like the one that first appeared in Sticky's Scream, but slightly improved. These babies sort of ref up fer a second, then suddenly blast you off, across the canyon into the enemy base. It's quite a, well, blast. If ya can't tell Raf designed this one specifically fer Capture th' Flag. The mirrored design (except for a small pond) makes sure the sides are even, an' th' cannons add a great bit of fun -- you gotta stay constantly alert fer baddies blastin' across ta yer base!

      Oh, you want screenshots, do ya? Well here's one of the cannons and one of some funky upholstery in the bases. You kin download this one from Raf's Outlaws Editing Team site.

    • It's a happy day fer single-player types as DocDeath2 has released his second "Marshall Adventure": "The Watershed". This one's a lot more solid, construction-wise, than th' first episode. Some of th' architecture is still a lil' funky but hey, some of us like that. Lot's of doors and opening things and, most importantly, lots of baddies ta plug, even 3 bosses.

      I noticed only one very small 3dfx texturing problem. Th' main downside ta this map is th' framerate issue in th' larger areas but most of th' time you should be okay. I felt the ending was sort of fast because I opened a door, saw movement an' blasted th' dude (not gonna say who) with my shotgun and suddenly I was on the ending credits. That was on "Bad" difficulty, and I DID die once when I got a lil' reckless. Actually if yer patient you shouldn't have much trouble with this one since as a quirky "undocumented feature" at least some of the items respawn.

      All in all a fun map. It's a bit short, but there are LOTS of badguys packed in. I like the layout overall although some of the interiors are a little close and claustrophobic. Th' framerates are an issue especially on slower systems but only really hit you a few times. Check this one out -- you kin get it from DrDeath2's Outlaws Site.

      Oh almost fergot some screenshots:
      shot 1 | shot 2 | shot 3 | shot 4 (this is where I died -- I fergot I had picked up some TNT, could'a chucked that down from th' roof)

  • 9/5

    • Whoops, I got myself a lil' confused yesterday. killy.garr didn't directly refer me ta GA_Reaper's House. killy actually referred me to a site that I got yesterday's links from, but was down when I went back ta review it. Luckily it's back up now: Silverwire's Outlaws Page. Silverwire evidently loves playin' Sanchez an' has some tips fer usin' that fast lil' dude, as well as a few of his favorite levels fer download. Pretty simple site but not bad. If ya go back to his personal site's main page you'll get a look at probably th' largest site logo you've ever seen -- looks hand-drawn too, an' pretty cool.

    • Another new page that had some bugs ta work out yesterday, but works great now has been done by Blackthorn. He's added an Outlaws message board ta his already fancy site, th' LJP Homepage. Not much there right now other than Blackthorn talkin' to himself, ;) but he wants folks ta post whatever th' heck they want on it, so long as it's somehow Outlaws-related. I love message boards; in fact I'm gonna go post to it right now.

    • SmellyRoach wants folks ta know that he's got lots of levels on his site now, an' he want more so go ahead an' send 'em off to him!

    • Katarn10 has done up a new map, "Katarn Express". Actually it's not completely new, but a revision of the old "Multiplayer Train" which apparently ran a lil' laggy. This one's s'posed ta be less laggy but as you reg'lar readers know I ain't playin' online 'til I get muh durn DSL put in so I couldn't test th' lag.

      Katarn's really pushin' th' limits of what LawMaker kin do in this one. Here's a shot lookin' down th' length of several train cars. Nice interiors. Problem is that lookin' through all th' cars like this means lookin' through a lot of sectors. Which means pretty low framerates. Which can mean lag if you or th' people you are playin' with have slow systems. LEC got around this in their train level by puttin' doors on th' cars so ya can't see through more'n 2 at once, but I think in multiplayer doors are another thing that kin add ta lag, so Katarn doesn't have 'em. Actually he's got one or two that are kinda funny: they go straight DOWN very fast and noiselessly. Weird.

      Another prob with this train concept is fallin' off. Here's a shot lookin' back out th' caboose. If yer pretty well rested an' have some forward momentum you kin keep up with th' train pretty easily, even outrun it by jump-running. Problem comes if ya get tired -- I particularly had trouble with Sanchez, who gets winded easily. I found myself droppin' back; here's me way behind th' train. Fortunately th' end of th' level keeps ya within' a certain maximum distance from th' train, so you kin always rest up back there an' then catch back up. Takes some time though -- in multiplayer somebody would probably put ya out of yer misery with a rifle by that time. ;)

      So that's not really a problem, more of a "feature" I suppose. There'a a ramp on one of th' cars that lets ya get to th' roof -- then ya kin walk up ta th' front an' jump on th' engine. I jumped off an' took a few shots of th' exterior: the engine (note 3dfx texture funkiness on th' animated train wheels) and the side where you kin see there's a lil hole with some goodies in it.

      This's a very unique level (well, except fer it's predecessor I suppose) an' it's nice ta see innovation like this. Sure there are some problems with it but these stem more from the limitations of the Outlaws graphic engine than anything else.

      This might not be a level you play on too often (the linear nature of the train can get a lil' repetitive too) but it's at least worth a good look-see now and then. You kin download it from Katarn's REDGang Homeblow site.

  • 9/4

    • Hmm I had a few other web site things ta post but they seem ta be down now... odd. Anyhow, here's a site I hadn't seen before (thanks to th' mysterious killy.garr fer pointin' it out ta me): GA_Reaper's House. Attractive graphics on this two page site although some of the animations take a lil' while ta load. Find out all about Reaper an' check out pictures of his cute kids. Awww.

    • Gee Reaper had links ta some other sites I hadn't seen before, either. Man I'm gettin' outta touch or somethin'. The Vampire's Outlaws Site has a suitably dark, bloody look with lots of gorey graphics and even a creepy font ta download. As far as Outlaws stuff goes he's also got a number of maps ta download, includin' his latest, an' some taunt packs with sounds from other PC games. Nice lil' site.

    • Then there's the, er.. REDGang Homeblow. Actually this one's a lot better than it sounds -- it's th' new homepage of th' RED posse, again by Katarn10. Sports a current member roster, official RED maps, a Java chat board (does ANYONE ever use those?), some info on th' reformed gang and a message board. Graphics aren't th' greatest but could be worse I guess.

  • 9/3

    • Well it took me nearly all freakin' day but I finally got th' strategy, file and domain sections all divvied up an' organized into nice bite-sized parts fer yer browsing enjoyment. Whew! Now all I gotta do is reformat each of my 70-odd pages to accomodate a banner ad fer my move. Joy!

    • Mum's still th' word on th' new locale, but I will tell ya that it's somethin' like "outlaws.[hostname].com". Won't that be nice an' handy? It outta be a faster server, too, so you'll come by an' visit me more often, won't'cha? ;)

    • Fergot ta mention that th' NWX 2 map I posted yersterday installs itself under th' "Main Game" menu as "NWX2".

  • 9/2

    • Finally organized my news archives -- those html files were gettin' WAY too big! Not that anyone but me would wanna do it, but it's now easier ta find old news posts. Check out th' lovin' in Stale Vittles.

    • Got an update from Raf on that NWX Editor th' boys at The Outlaws Editing Team are cookin' up (you know, th' thingy that lets ya make yer own badguys!!). Here's a bit of his note:

      James Sulman was messing around and made some better badguys, he has altered the dying sequences. The screenshots of the editors interface are now out-dated and I wish to update these when I am sent the new editor. BTW I will put this file on the OET page when I update it at the weekend.
       
      I am also looking for the gob file which contains star wars characters in Dark Forces because we can extract the wax's using a utility from Core Alliance and into their BMP's and then put them back together again using the nwx editor and hey-presto Darth Vader invades the wild west.

      So if somebody's got that gob file, send it on over to 'em. Raf sent me off a new version of th' sample map fer th' Editor that gives ya an' idea of what it kin do: in this version th' baddies have different death animations! Check out some screenshots (shot1 | shot2) or jus' grab th' map; I've got it here 'cause Raf isn't gonna have it up until th' weekend.

    • Oh yeah Raf also mentioned that he's almost done with a map featurin' a cannon kinda like th' one in Sticky's recent Scream map, only better. Well, we all know talk is cheap so I guess we'll jus' wait an' see. I kinda hope people think of OTHER things ta do with this innovation of Sticky's, but I guess cannons are cool fer now. ;)

  • 9/1

    • Got goodies from US West via UPS today: my digital modem an' an Ethernet card. 'Parently th' modem comes with it's own operating system (!) I guess fer usin' it as some kinda LAN or WAN server. Waaay over my head. Looks sorta like a Stealth bomber, only umm smaller. ;)

      Now originally th' DSL was s'posed ta get installed some three days after this drop shipment arrived, but what with that two-week strike an' all who knows when they'll get a technician out here... an' readin' through these manuals, this is NOT somethin' I wanna hafta do on my lonesome.

    • In preparation fer th' site move I'm gonna be finally polishin' up some things, like dividin' up some of th' larger pages into submenu pages and straightening out my "Stale Vittles" arrangement. Fun fun!

      I also keep thinkin' that I wanna do somethin' dif'rent with th' posse page, but then I always remember that Wildcat has jus' about th' mos' complete posse listin' possible on his great Wildcat Country site. So I guess my page'll jus' remain a lil' listin' of gangs I know... if yer lookin' fer MUCH more comprehensive posse listin's, check his site out.

    • Raf is lookin' fer artists ta make NEW BADGUYS usin' th' Outlaws Editing Team's new "NWX Editor." This thing looks pretty damn cool, although like my modem a bit more complex than I wanna try ta tackle... you hacker types should be right at home with it though. Go check out their site... basically with this custom program you kin edit th' character animation files an' make people (or chickens, I suppose) look like whatever th' heck you want, although you'll hafta draw some 90 or so frames fer each character.

      They've got a map called "nwx" that they made jus' ta demonstrate what th' editor kin do by puttin' a big orange smear on one of th' reg'lar bad guys -- here's a screenshot. By th' way th' map shows up on yer Historical Mission list as a second "Marshal Training" listing.

    • Martone, webmaster of th' excellent Outlaws Gang Busters site, is gonna be handin' th' reins over ta fellow OGB Hoss fer a lil' while, but don't fear he'll be back an' in th' meantime th' site'll be in Hoss's very capable hands. In fact it looks like th' site jus' moved over to Hoss's account today.

    • DocDeath2 directed me to a site I hadn't seen before, his posse's US Marshall's Outlaws Gang Page where he'd found some maps I hadn't seem before.

      I got all excited 'cause two were by good ol' Grifter. His "Revenge" was inspired by the old Mexican stronghold in "The Mask of Zorro". Pretty lil' map, mebbe a bit straightforward fer extended play. Th' real beaut' is "NoNewton", a compact, high-ceiling wooden arena fer lil' deathmatches. Th' twist is, of course, very low gravity, which lets you fly around like a mutant kangaroo. All th' TNT layin' on th' ground might add ta yer propulsion a bit, too. ;) Watch out fer patches of normal gravity -- ouch! Oh yeah here's a screenshot.

      Also found "Turok" there (by USM_Turok?). Sorta big an' flat, not too bad 'cept fer some nasty 3dfx errors.

    • That kid who loves ta whup me, Death Crib, pointed out that in Sticky's new Scream map which I covered yesterday, if you duck down and crawl into the cannon, ya shoot out a lot faster than if ya go in standin' up. I mus' not be doin' it right 'cause I didn't see a dif'rence, but I'm new at this cannon shootin' thing.

  • 8/31

    • Two very good things happened for me today... hmm I could make a joke outta that but I'm too lazy. Anyhow, firstly US West has apparently resolved their strike which means my DSL installation appointment should be back on track, although perhaps delayed a few weeks.

      Second, it looks like I've secured a spot for th' site with a reputable gamesite hosting service! Hooray! Which means I'll be on a good server, with tons of space fer all yer Outlaws needs. Th' one downside is havin' ta stick ad banners on th' site, but well mebbe this way I'll look more "professional". That was a joke, by th' way.

      Anyhow this is all very nice an' things seem ta be comin' together. I'll be havin' ta redesign a few minor things before th' new site opens... that's okay 'cause I don't think I wanna upload everything until I get my DSL connection anyhow. Incidently if you've been lookin' fer me in Kali lately you wouldn't have found me, 'cause I can't really bear ta play on my current dialup connection which seems ta be gettin' worse an' worse, an' I'm waitin' 'til I get DSL at which point I'll go hog-wild. ;)

      Thanks to all those who mailed me with web space tips and offers... gave me that nice warm fuzzy feelin' inside. NO I haven't been hittin' th' sauce, I'm happy goldurnit! =D Ouch I think I strained my face.

    • Sticky has come up with an exciting new twist fer Outlaws maps. Ya know how in th' circus they sometimes have a guy who shoots hisself out've a cannon? Well, in Sticky's latest map Scream you too can launch yourself through the air at a high velocity!

      Here's a lil' pictorial. First, there's an outside view of th' "cannon". I prob'ly should'a stood closer so you could see that th' black thing on th' ground is an arrow pointin' into th' breach. Here's what it looks like gettin' into th' cannon, which doesn't last too long 'cause suddenly yer flyin' through th' air towards a target. You kin kinda aim yerself; where you go depends on how exactly you stepped into th' cannon, so there's a bit of a trick to hittin' th' target, an' if ya miss you kinda fall off an' take a bit of a hard landin'. ;) Finally here's a shot of th' landin' platform an' a neat sort of pagoda thingy next to it.

      Anyhow it's great fun an' a wonderful new innovation, way ta go Sticky! If'n ya get bored of shootin' yerself through ya kin always try with knives or dynamite. ;) A truly ground (and neck) breaking map!

    • Ehh y'know those maps of Slack's I posted yesterday? Well seems he kinda messed up a few lil' things, so now there are new versions on th' server. Ta make it more enticin', they're much smaller. Jus' use th' links in yesterday's post ta get th' new versions.

    • Gunslinger webmaster StanJr protested that he ain't lazy, but nobody's sendin' him their maps! Don't send 'em ta me 'til I get my new site -- send 'em off ta Stan at his Gunslinger Gang Page!

    • You should also send 'em off ta SmellyRoach so he kin put 'em on his newly redesigned SmellyRoach's Outlaws Site. Effective, attractive design here with frequently updated news, levels and jokes (non-Outlaws specific) sections make this one a real winner. Smelly's map section is a bit scanty so far, so help start 'im off right by mailin' yer latest map to him. Not me (yet)!

    • Raf pointed out ta me that FortuneCity is now giving out 20 MB of space FREE, which sure beats Xoom or Geocities fer now. On th' down side, FortuneCity has th' LAMEST banner system of th' bunch, an' their server kin be kinda slow sometimes. Still, 20 MB IS enough ta host all th' Outlaws maps there are, an' them some!

      Oh yeah, it seems that Raf's Outlaws Editing Team is almost done with their "Crossed Identity" add-on pack -- they've got lots of screenshots up now. They've also got a banner ad fer it, but I didn't feel like postin' it ;), if ya want it they may put it up on their site.

  • 8/30

    • Okay, Mad_Matt dropped by ta let me know that th' funny-lookin' thing in his new "Mirage" level (see here) is a tipped-over outhouse. Ohhh, now I see it! Boy I've heard of cow-tipping, but outhouse-tipping? Oh yeah he's also popped out with version 2 of th' map -- he took out th' gat an' made th' map secure. You should be able ta snag that over at his The Home of Jack Sanchez site.

    • Good 'ol Taco is "almost done" with his single-player campaign add-on! Yay! Noticed he's also popped up a new screenshot from it on his Mexican Canteena. Lookin' good. Ohara (that's LADY_Ohara ta you, bud) is handlin' th' texture alignment ta make it all nice an' neat. Nothin' like a woman's touch ta polish somethin' up. This should be a good one.

    • Raf pointed out that KaReFree's OLMAPS hotmail account is still runnin'. I guess all th' webmasters have jus' got lazy 'cause I don't see a whole lotta levels bein' posted on sites right now -- people're sendin' 'em ta ME instead, goldurnit! Why's'it gotta be that I'm th' only webmaster who can't get away with bein' lazy? D-arr!

    • Fer instance, Slack keeps sendin' me stuff no matter how many bad reviews I give him. ;) Actually his latest effort (#15, by his count), The Pit is a darn fine lookin' map. If th' readme didn't say it was inspired by th' recent movie "Armageddon" I would'a sworn it was inspired by th' classic map "Alien Moonbase." If you've never played Alien Moonbase you are REALLY missin' out, by th' way. Well anyhow "The Pit" is kinda like that one, but with jus' one crater an' reg'lar gravity, not wacky moon gravity. Nice spacious design, pretty good framerates fer a pit-type map.

      Oh yeah Slack also wanted ta clarify that even though he now sports a "VooDoo" rather than a "SWE" prefix, he's still th' same 'ol Slack. Actually I dunno 'bout that, these recent maps are way better'n "SWE_Slack's" were. ;) Oh yeah ugh he's also got SlackPack2, a compilation of all 15 of his maps. Pretty damn big download. I NEED 20 MEGS OF GOOD SERVER SPACE durnit!

    • Good ol' "Zmailer" from th' MS Zone sent me this lovely letter today:

      The information you requested is: ywtr
       
      We suggest that you change this immediately.
       
      We look forward to seeing you up on the Zone!
       
      Thanks,
      Zmaster@microsoft.com

      Seein' how I haven't been in th' Zone fer at least 3 months now I'm mystified as ta why they should be pesterin' me now -- not ta mention th' fact that they've never seen fit ta put up a link ta my site. An' I haven't th' faintest clue what "ywtr" is s'posed ta mean.

      Hey "Zmaster", I suggest that you change THIS immediately: ;p

  • 8/29

    • I am tryin' my darndest ta pimp myself out an' land 20 MB of space on a good server but so far no luck. Looks like I will hafta add banners no matter what. ;p Dang. Lots of maps still comin' out, an' no KaReFree OLMAPS system is kinda makin' things a lil' more difficult than they need ta be. Leastaways people seem ta be enjoyin' sendin' me maps. ;|

    • Mad_Matt, owner an' operator of The Home of Jack Sanchez, has made a bold foray inta th' world of map-making with his first map, "Mirage". You kin get it over on his LJP posse's file page. A pretty darn impressive map fer a first effort! Here's a view of th' main drag, a look at some nifty lighting effects in th' basement, and a shot of umm... not quite sure. Not too shabby, good job MM.

    • While over on th' LJP site I found a few other maps that had somehow escaped my rovin' eye up 'til now. Picante's "Backlot" has a great theme -- a western movie set where th' buildin's are jus' facades. Check out this nasty lil' gatling gun bunker tucked away inside a fake box! Detailed town takes a REAL toll on framerates on slower systems, unfortunately.

      Also found "Funkie House" by MrVampire which is sorta build in th' good ol' "big/flat/ugly" mold. that's always been sooo popular.

    • Okay now fer th' real goods. It's always a momentous event when Slaters_dog finishes up a new level. In this case he's actually finished 2. Wellll, mebbe one an' a half.

      Bloody Sunday takes place in an' around a large barn (see here). Twist is ya start out with NO WEAPONS. Actually I think he jus' made this map fer th' hell of it... one clue is th' henhouse whose excitable inhabitants tend ta add ta lag.

      Th' REAL map then would be Gunfight, which looks almost exactly like "Bloody Sunday" except ya start with yer normal weapons, th' chickens are gone an' th' items placed differently. Damn fine map, no less than you'd expect from Slaters_dog. Great, tight modelling with a fantastic sense of space and location. Th' barn in th' middle is large but th' map plays pretty small... th' author likes it fer one-on-ones an' who could disagree? Oh yeah one other change from "Bloody Sunday" is this woodpile. Now that's one durn fine-lookin' pile o' wood.

    • DrDeath2 sends word that th' second installment of his single-player Marshall Adventures is ALMOST done. Hurrah!

  • 8/28

    • Restless webmaster Outlaw has moved th' "Death Riders" site to a new location 'cause Xoom's server was jus' gettin' too durn laggy. He's also whipped up his very first Outlaws map, entitled "Outlaw Canyon". Ya kin pick that baby up on th' DR's "News" page; here's a screenshot ta tide ya over. Pretty darn playable level although it feels kinda funny runnin' with no footfall sounds *nudge nudge*.

    • Deadeye Phil, that lucky fella who got US West ta hook up his DSL line BEFORE they went on strike, sent me some encouragin' news on playin' Outlaws over a DSL connection:

      Well, if you remember from our last exchange, my ISP wasn't configured to allow me to run IP games, join or host Zone games, send or receive dcc in mirc, or use some aspects of NetMeeting or ICQ. They were using something called NAT. Due to an uproar from the customers, they switched to a more conventional DHCP. So now, I can host and join IP games. Several players have reported <100 ms pings!, usually <200. Still can't join or host Zone games or send files dcc in mIRC, though I can receive. My ISP said I will never be able to do a dcc send. Strange, no?
      I haven't tried ICQ or NetMeeting yet.
      Other then that, (and the extra $40.00/month) it's fantastic. Some local dsl users have said that they have been getting close to 600k, but I'm not sure how they determine this. I d/l a 9.6 meg file in 2 min 44 seconds, and a 2.2 meg file in 44 seconds.

      Hot dang! Now if only those lazy union bums would get back ta work, I'd be kickin' some booty... or at least dyin' quicker.

  • 8/27

    • Ugh, darn Excedrin is makin' me woozy. Better'n a headache though I guess. See if I ever ride a rollercoaster with a name like "Mind Eraser" again! Goshdarnneckpain ouch! 8P

    • Thanks to those who've come up with offers or tips on web space. Here's a tip though: I can NOT move to wherever you are that you get X amount of space with yer internet account! I'm kinda stuck here in Seattle, an' my DSL account is gonna be with strike-happy US West who dishes out a whopping 2 MB of home page space. Actually I just noticed with th' help of Bulletproof FTP that my site takes up about 6 MB on my current ISP who's official allotment is 5... hehe well don't tell.

    • Web-slingin' Martone tipped me off (very modestly, I might add) to th' fact that his Outlaws Gang Busters site has kinda taken over KaReFree's level-postin' duties, so if yer havin' trouble trackin' down a new level you might try there.

    • Raf of the Outlaws Editing Team wanted to send out a lil' notice about his "Six-Shooter level makers award" program with which he's gonna try ta give a lil' recognition of quality to th' best Outlaws maps. Possibly to encourage me ta post this (hint, hint) he dished out a shot of his upcoming single-player campaign. Doesn't really show much of th' level, jus' him playin' around with knives a bit, but heck as long as someone's sendin' me a screenshot I'll post th' darn thing. Jus' because I wanna hype th' review of Westworld 2000 that I posted 4 Vittles ago (look in Stale Vittles, this screenshot gets my perky receptionist award for Outstanding Excellence in the Field of Knife Arrangement.

  • 8/25

    • Hoorah I'm back. Man, it was fun an' all but now I think I need a vacation from my vacation. Whew. Anyhow people seemed to ignore my notice about bein' gone an' sent me mail anyway, so I got a lot to catch up on here, mostly new sites...

    • Oh one thing though: you'll remember that since I'll be gettin' DSL sometime next month (if those darn US West workers stop strikin', that is) this site WILL BE MOVING. Where it's goin', I dunno yet. I need a host that won't require me ta junk up th' site with ads. ;p

      Also since KaReFree has had ta take a powder, I'm thinkin' that I'd like ta just have a big level archive. It wouldn't be as up ta date as some of th' better map sites out there like Tribal's, but it would be pretty damn comprehensive. So I figger I'll need about 20 MB total space fer th' site. If'n you know where I kin get 20 MB of space on a reliable server with no ads fer free, you jus' lemme know. I got a few leads but I ain't to sure they'll pan out.

    • Okay let's start catchin' up... first, JoeyTheKid has updated his Official KDA Posse Web Site with a new look. Still kinda in th' rough stages especially on a small screen but fer some reason I kinda like it.

    • Wildarms hasn't been sittin' idle either, he's given his Apocalypse Riders site a whole new, frame-free look. He goes a LITTLE nuts with custom fonts an' could use a site-wide main menu ta pull his massive site together a bit, but th' new graphics are quite attractive an' it seems he's gone an' added even MORE handy info to his already goshdarnbig site.

    • Haven't seen Fryster in Kali fer a while but it's nice ta know he still cares -- handed me two links, one fer th' new version of Trumpet Winsock an' another fer NeoTrace, a pinger/tracker utility. Don't really know if Trumpet Winsock works better'n Microsoft's Winsock fer Outlaws, or if it even works at all, so use at yer own risk I guess (an' lemme know what happens!). Th' shareware NeoTrace isn't really as handy as th' freeware UOTrace you'll find on my file page, but it's prettier an' crashes less, I suppose.

    • Tue sent me th' URL fer THEE's Outlaws Official Site. What can I say? This is one of th' wackiest lookin' sites I have ever seen, but these THEE boys put a helluva lotta effort into it, that's fer sure. Very colorful, complex layout that never quite fits on my screen. Their grammar is wretched, their graphics sometimes blinding an' their sense of humor horribly off-color, but you gotta love these freaks.

    • DrDeath2 has added an' Outlaws Facts Sheet to his site. Contains actual values of weapon damage, character strengths, an' so forth, straight from th' game datafiles. Check out how much damage Bloody Mary's fists actually do! Arg!!

    • Check out GoJo's DOG House. It's a one-pager (takes a lil' while ta load) with lots of tips fer newbies (can't say as I approve of that CTF suicide one too much) an' info on th' DOG posse, all in a nice clean layout.

    • Top gunslinger Frost has gone an' made his own site, Frost's Standoff. Lots of stuff here, mostly about himself ;) but some handy tips fer players too. Images are VERY large an' he's workin' on cuttin' 'em down.

    • Th' Shot of th' Day comes from Zathoros' new map, "Zanctuary." Izzat a great name or what? Well basically it's another reworkin' of Lucasarts' "Sanctuary" level, this time changin' some of th' buildin's around an' makin' th' level a bit higher. Can't say as I like it better'n Sanctuary_ML but hey, I guess if yer lookin' fer a change of pace from reg'lar ol' Sanctuary, why not give it a try. Ya kin grab it from Zathoros' very own site.

  • 8/17

    • Oh man, it figgers somethin' like this would happen. I make an appointment ta get DSL service from USWest, an' now th' USWest technicians go on strike. Damnation! Every day this strike goes on is another day's delay in me gettin' DSL, 'cause they aren't able ta do any new installations durin' th' strike so they'll have a big backlog when they finally come back ta work. Aaarrgh.

    • Err I guess I should credit Slack an' his new level "Priest Village" (which looks like a pretty fun lil' level, by the way) fer inspirin' today's second rant: WHY do LawMakers give their map's files different names than th' map itself?!? Since th' Outlaws map selector arranges maps alphabetically by filename an' not by their actual name, this kin really make findin' a certain map on th' list a big pain. Fer instance, Slack's "Priest Village" filenames are "WW," so when you go ta host th' map you won't find it listed with all th' other "P" levels. NOOO, it's waaaay down at th' bottom with th' W's. Double-Arrgh! Why th' heck do people make hostin' their map require extra effort? It's a pretty darn good way ta ensure that yer map gets hosted less frequently than it might otherwise deserve.

    • Okay I waited until th' las' minnit ta tell ya 'cause I didn't wanna hafta deal with any teary goodbyes: I'm takin' off on vacation early tomorrow an' won't be back 'til next week. Gonna have a big siesta, drink some absinthe an' watch th' bullfights. Oh wait, now I'm gettin' my life confused with a Hemingway novel; that's prob'ly not too healthy. Anyhow I obviously won't be updatin' th' page fer a lil' while here. If'n it'll make you feel better ya kin send me blubbery e-mails that I'll pretend ta read when I get back. Or, here's a novel idea, you could even send me some NEWS that I kin post when I get back. If ya gets really bored why don't'cha read through all th' parts of my site that yer lazy butt never got around to, or how about visitin' all th' sites on my link list that I KNOW you ain't seen yet.

    • A few of yesterday's posts got me ta thinkin' that I really oughtta thank all th' fine folks at Lucasarts fer jus' bein' a really classy outfit. Fer years they've had some of th' best quality control an' customer support in th' industry and, what's even more noteworthy, they still maintain their high standards in today's extremely volatile gaming marketplace.

      Other companies could really stand ta learn a lot from LEC's games; th' effortless installation, th' ease of use, th' intuitive controls an' th' extremely low frequency of programmin' bugs could provide a lot of lessons on just what makes up a professional product. Not ta mention th' high quality of th' art, sound, voice acting, cinematics, graphics an' interfaces. Not that I've played nearly all of their games, but th' few I have I've been immediately impressed by th' high level of craftsmanship. Heck I even played th' Grim Fandango demo on th' latest PC Gamer disk (that is STILL comin' in my mail after I tried ta cancel th' subscription three triple-arrg times, but I digress). Th' demo installed flawlessly UNLIKE most of th' other, non-LEC demos on th' disc, I might add. An' while I don't really enjoy adventure games enough ta wanna plunk down cash fer 'em, I mus' admit that as far as adventure games go, th' GF demo was pretty entertaining.

      So, a job well done, Lucasarts, an' I hope that you'll continue to uphold yer fine standards. Now since I don't wanna sound like a big booty-kisser I think I might mention that th' one thing that LEC could improve is their fan-relations policy, which in today's world of daily .plan updates an' office cams is jus' downright antiquated and certainly doesn't help foster the growth of their fan community. That, and GET TA WORK ON THAT OUTLAWS SEQUEL! There, now they'll prob'ly never talk ta me again. ;)

    • Well that's it fer this week hombres. Fire a few rounds in th' air fer me an' I'll be here b'fore they hit ya on th' way back down.

  • 8/16

    • Well. Chalk this one up ta temporary insanity: I bought another game. Westworld 2000. Okay so I knew nothin' about it but Yul Brenner kicked butt in th' original movie, it had a shiny box an' mos' importantly was sittin' in th' $10 bin at th' used book store. So I figgered Hey, it's got a western theme, it's a first-person-shooter, how bad can it be?

      Answer: Worse than my most horrible nightmares.

      Now as long as I don't lose too much money on 'em I don't really mind yer average bad game. They're usually good fer a chuckle or two, an' keep playin' real games from becomin' routine. Hell once I picked up a game called "MightyNerd." THAT one was hilarious. Bad, but hilarious.

      Well Westworld 2000 is jus' BAD, through an' through. I wonder if they even bothered finishin' th' game levels, 'cause I really doubt anyone would bother ta go even halfway through this pile o' sludge. It's bad ta th' bone, baby, an' in th' worst possible ways.

      Let's go back to that shiny box fer a minnit. I think they spent more $ on th' box than on th' game. Th' box had some sharp graphics. It also had what turned out ta be, well, lies. Fer one thing, th' screenshots are completely fake. Here they are:

      Box Shot 1 | Box Shot 2 | Box Shot 3

      Now let's compare these with some actual in-game shots I took. Before we begin I should mention that you actually hafta set yer Win95 screen to 640x480, 256 colors to play th' game. ;p Anyhow, after an' annoying intro (more on that later) yer in what's 'sposed ta be a 3D western town. I wandered up ta th' first brown box thing an' used th' "open" button on th' rectangle that I hoped was a door. It didn't open. It disappeared. Ah. Well, at least I could go in.

      Turns out ta be some kinda lil' office. There's this weird, ugly sprite jabberin' at me. Then another comes in, upstages th' other one, an' starts jabberin' at me. I captured th' beauty of th' moment in this screenshot. Looks a tad worse than th' box shots, don't it? I think that blue guy was 'sposed ta be a jogger; he kept hoppin' around.

      You'll note I have 7 bullets in my 6-shot pistol. Actually I started with 10. Pretty soon th' first robot guy starts hittin' me. Took me a while ta figger that out, but eventually I guessed th' sort of soft, rhythmic thwumping sound accompanied by one of th' bars on th' screen goin' down was indicative of his all-out assault on my livelihood.

      So I shot 'im. Then I shot th' other guy. Then another appeared right out of th' blue in this closed room an' started in on me, so I shot him too. They died with insultingly bad sound effects, but at least they finally shut up. Now I was outta ammo.

      This irritating woman (more on her later, don't you worry) then interrupted the game an' told me that I'd better get some more ammo. Well thanks fer th' update Honey. She suggested I try th' General Store so I obliterated th' door an' scrolled around th' brownish murky outside area until I found a box with a sign above it labelled "General Store." Oh boy. I go in, an' there's a store-keeper, some "shelves" an' some bullets. "Only two dollars" he informs me. Um. I have no money. There's a rifle too. "Only four dollars!"

      So let me get this straight: I have to BUY weapons?!? I have to WORK to get more guns!?!? Gee, is there a four-day waiting period too? I was kinda peeved at this point, an' since my empty pistol had flipped around to a pistol-whippin' position, I was about ta give him what-for.

      Then another robot thing appeared unannounced right behind me. Looked somethin' like this after I smacked him in th' midriff a few times with my pistol. No, I wasn't lookin' down. Fer some reason he was real tall. Not sure why each pistol-whip caused a miniature explosion, but after a few he went down. Then ANOTHER guy appears, AGAIN right behind me, an' it's th' same thing all over.

      Well, I didn't play too much longer, but it was long enough ta discover th' box lied in several other ways besided th' fake screenshots. The "35 levels" were in fact 3 levels with what I guess you would call little "sub-missions" that made you scrounge around while ugly robots appear out of nowhere to paw you.

      Most impressive of all, th' "Multiplayer" boils down to this sad excuse for a VRML saloon. It's rather an ugly brown box with some more ugly brown boxes inside it, all swimming in a nice pinkish void. "Where Gunfighters Meet" they claim. Only thing I'm gonna meet there is my browser's "Back" button.

      I've skipped over just how truly bad th' game's controls, sounds, animations, modelling and well everything else is. But I feel I really should take a lil' time ta describe th' "beautiful receptionist" who's s'posed ta guide you through this festering boil of a game.

      Ev'ry now an' then she jus' kinda pops in, completely halting the game while her animation loads and plays from the CD. These animations are actually simply Quicktime ".mov" files that you could play right from th' disk. Or mebbe they were ".avi," I fergit. Anyhow it's really impressively crappy. There's this obvious bluescreen effect between her and the fake background that's s'posed ta look like some kind of control center. She wears tons of makeup an' a bright red beret.

      I tried ta capture some of her horrendously hammy over-acting in this lil' animation. Actually it's much more pleasant than her in-game appearances because I took out th' flashing background and you can't hear her voice or the constant siren in background. Her performance gradually degrades until she mercifully gets killed off by a horrible special effect later in th' game. I didn't play nearly that far, I jus' played through th' movies off th' CD.

      Fortunately th' store had a seven day software return policy. I had th' game back less than two hours after I bought it -- and 40 minutes of that was driving time. Swapped it in fer a used hardback version of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Whew.

      Considered plunkin' down another $5 ta get a used copy of th' game Dust instead, but while Dust is s'posed ta be a really darn good western adventure game, I really find that I jus' don' have th' patience ta play adventure or strategy games these days. No, when I have time ta play I want instant action. None of this sittin' around an' ponderin', or buildin' up yer character's skills or resources or whatnot.

      Just thought I'd share.

    • Added a note th' th' MGL section of th' file page -- basically I've been er informed that th' MGL video drivers actually run Outlaws through a pseudo-DOS window runnin' in VESA mode, so if yer havin' trouble with th' MGL Outlaws video mode it's probably 'cause yer video card don't have full VESA compatibility, which is frankly jus' sad.

    • Speakin' of sad, KaReFree has announced that he's gotta go cold turkey from his Outlaws Cavern fer a few months ta attend ta some rather urgent real-life stuff. Well that sucks 'cause KaRe always had th' latest maps an' news an' such, an' really put a lotta effort into his page. Also I was gettin' ta enjoyin' slackin' off an' lettin' somebody else collect news, but now he's takin' off so looks like I'm th' sole Outlaws news site around again, or at least th' only one that updates regularly. Durnit! KaRe 'spects ta be back sometime in December.

    • On a lighter note, got a new Outlaws site fer ya: WILD_Sokeye's Outlaws Page
      Still under construction an' sportin' an extremely basic layout, but hey it works an' he's got a lil' news page to keep innerested parties up ta date on his latest exploits.

  • 8/15

    • There were a helluva lotta people in Kali last night. I don't remember who but somebody started in about "Gee Friday night and we're all here..." Damnit I pay for my Internet connection, my time is my own an' I'll do whatever th' hell I want with it. Yer not gonna be very happy if ya hafta go around makin' excuses fer yerself all th' time.

    • Ahh I'm jus' cranky 'cause no matter what I do with my setup my lag is still gettin' worse an' worse. Hell now I'm startin' ta lag down 2-player games. Uck. Anyhow I guess sooner or later everyone gets a lil' restless an' wonders how high they kin blow themselves with a pile of TNT. Well I noticed that in ay_suc's latest version of Fort Remix he's provided a lil' pile of dynamite in th' canyon so if ya get stuck down there ya kin kill yerself an' thus get out. Well if ya happen ta stand at th' edge of th' broken bridge, toss a lit stick of dynamite down onto th' pile an' then step over th' edge you'll catch a pretty nice explosion in yer skirt. First time I did it I stayed in th' air so long I thought my computer had crashed. Second time I timed it an' I flew through th' air fer 55 seconds! Landed all th' way back inside th' fort, too. Well that's somethin' ta do if yer really bored anyhow.

  • 8/14

    • Not only is Outlaw_DR back in th' saddle webmaster-wise (see yesterday's Vittles) but he's also fixed his problems with Outlaws under Win98. How? Well mebbe you missed th' note from LEC that someone handed me a few weeks back:

      There appears to be a compatibility issue with the game and the new version of Winsock (2.0) that is installed with Windows 98. We recently released a 2.0.1 update to address this problem, but we are currently receiving feedback from some Windows 98 users who are still unable to join some multiplayer Outlaws games on the Microsoft Internet Gaming Zone (www.zone.com).

      If a user upgrades Win95 to Win98, in Add/Remove programs they can restore the Winsock 1.1 configuration, and that seems to help. Clean installs and OEMs with Win98 do not have this option though.

      So that's jus' what Outlaw did, an' it worked. Imagine that! If yer havin' trouble, give it a shot.

    • Actually I decided ta go back ta good ol' Winsock 1.1 myself. Unfortunately th' Win95 Winsock 2 uninstall never seems ta work right, an' of course there are all kinds'a other updates that I've installed also that there's no real way ta get rid of, short of deleting yer Windows directory an' startin' all over. So that's what I did.

      Well actually it didn't quite go that smoothly but after hours an' hours I think I got everythin' back up runnin' with a nice clean install of Winsock 1.1. Whew. But now my ISP seems ta be havin' a fit so I'll hafta wait 'til later ta see if this fixes anythin'. Oh an' I'd like ta apologize ta all th' kind folks whose games I lagged up last night. ;)

  • 8/13

    • You know I keep wantin' ta slack off from updatin' this site but somehow new stuff keeps comin' along every darn day! Let's see fer starters there's a new version of Kali out, 1.52. You kin get th' update patch in Kali an' it's only a few hundred K so go upgrade. Now you kin pick any color you want fer yer chat font, no 16-color limit! Woohoo I want hot pink.

    • Levelboy Taco has updated his Mexican Canteena with a new screenshot from his latest hush-hush project that seems to be nearing completion. This latest shot shows some great lighting effects and, believe it or not, a SUSPENSION BRIDGE! This is gonna be cool.

    • Weeded out a bunch'a dead links from th' link page ta make room fer some new arrivals:

      The Death Rider's Website by Outlaw_DR is back an' lookin' great. Lovely design an' lots of handy info, as always. He's also thrown in a nifty new Shockwave introduction.

      The Demonic Bastard's Headquarters really doesn't have anythin' ta show except that damn animated bullethole Outlaws logo that takes ferever ta load. ;p

      The COD Web Page pretty much apes th' layout of Lucasart's Outlaws page, includin' unfortunately that long animation. Happily things get better after that with lots of info on th' gang, tons of maps ta download an' jus' about th' niftiest interactive Outlaws web menu that I've seen, with great sound feedback. I could play with those menu buttons all damn day.

    • Talk about yer pale faces, I ran across a possum last night. At least I think that's what a possum is. At first I thought it was a large, slow rat but then I ran up to it an' jogged alongside fer a while an' got a good look at that spooky, masklike white face. Kinda scary runnin' inta that at midnight. He sure wasn't too quick but didn't seem ta like my company an' trundled off inta some bushes. I've seen them possum (or whatever) out here at night before but never got this close to one. Creepy lil' buggers.

  • 8/12

    • Big ol' thanks ta Martone fer tippin' me off ta how you kin change some Outlaws settings by messin' with th' registry keys. This's been added to th' "Tips and Tricks" section of th' strategy page:

      Fun with the Outlaws Registry Keys

      Windows has this big thingy called th' Registry that programs like Outlaws store settings in. Th' Registry is handy 'cause it provides a central place fer all this piddle an' crap but then again if you changed somethin' on yer system an' now Windows won't work right, chances are good yer Registry got messed up. Outlaws writes a lot of keys ta th' Registry, most of which you can change through th' normal Outlaws Options screen, but some that can only be changed by hackin' th' registry. There are two that you might find useful to change, but be careful ya don't mess up yer registry while fiddlin' around in it.

      Registry Editing Basics

      You edit th' registry with th' program "Regedit.exe" which you'll find in yer Windows directory. Th' registry consists of a lot of variable settings, called "keys," grouped together in different categories. Navigating this structure with Regedit is kinda like browsin' yer hard drive with Windows Explorer. Th' directories sit in th' left pane, an' th' keys in th' highlighted directory appear in th' right pane listed in alphabetical order.

      We want to edit th' Outlaws keyboard settings, so we hafta go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Lucasarts Entertainment Company\Outlaws\Users\Default User\Keys. Once you get there you'll see a bunch of keys in th' left window. To edit a key, right-click it and select "Modify" from th' pop-up menu. Once yer done you kin jus' close Regedit or keep it open if you like. You don't hafta reboot but you do hafta restart Outlaws fer changes to th' Outlaws keys ta take effect.

      There are plenty of innerestin' settin's you could mess with but I've really only found th' followin' couple ta be worth yer editing while:

      Change that Chat Key

      I always thought it was pretty irritatin' how you hadda hit two keys, Alt-Y, to pop up th' in-game Outlaws chat window. Kind've a pain in th' butt. Well you kin change this by modifyin' th' "Chat" key. You prob'ly don't wanna use a key you might hit while typin' a sentence. I switched mine that that lil' key in th' upper left corner of th' keyboard, below "Esc": "Tilda." Actually it types a "`" of you hit it, but you need ta enter in "Tilda" which is how Outlaws refers to it. A tilde is actually that lil' wavy shifted character on th' key. Of course you could set yers ta whatever you like, although it should be a non-standard key that you wouldn't hit in normal conversation, and one that isn't assigned to any other Outlaws function.

      Run VERY Fast

      Now if you sit back an' look at th' various keyboard settings keys, you'll see that yer run key is called "Fast." Then you might happen ta look down near th' end of th' list, an' see a key called "Very Fast." Gosh. It's unassigned, too...

      "Very Fast" lets you move extremely quickly: about 50 percent faster than you can while running normally. However, this burst of speed is extremely draining; you tire about 10 times as quickly as normal, becoming completely fatiqued in a matter of a few seconds. Still I suppose that lil' adrenaline rush could come in handy at times when ya really need it. I set mine ta "Caps Lock" which is right above "Shift," my normal run key.

      Th' other downside ta "Very Fast" is that you can't jump while moving quickly. No super-jumps, sorry. :(

    • Speakin' of Martone, he's jus' put together a lil' article with "Some thoughts about Outlaws in the Zone and Posses" over on his excellent Outlaws Gang Busters site. He bitches an' moans about all kinds'a stuff includin' a bit about lag at th' end, so if ya don't get enough of that here you'll wanna check it out. Pretty well written stuff.

    • Well I got in a lil' game of "Tag" on DocDeath2's new USM Corral map - a pretty nice map as long as you stay outta th' corners. ;) First time I'd ever tried Tag. Turns out it works pretty much like "Kill th' Fool with th' Chicken" except th' idea is ta be "it" fer th' LEAST amount of time. Added this ta th' game-specific strategies page normally linked from th' strategy page:

      Tag

      Tag works pretty much like KFC except th' winner is th' one who is "it" fer th' least amount of time by th' end of th' game. Th' person who's "it" can stop bein' "it" by "tagging" someone else; ie, by bumping into them. Th' obvious problem with this is that players who join late have a big advantage over those who were there from th' beginnin'.

      I should also note that tagging, like picking up the chicken in KFC or a flag in CTF, is handled by th' host computer. In a laggy Tag, KFC or CTF match th' host will have a big advantage because he is able to tag people or snag chickens or flags faster than anyone else.

      Anyhow, it seems ta me what'cha wanna do ta win in Tag is HIDE. Don't let th' person who's "it" find you. If he does, try ta shoot 'im dead before he gets near ya. This means running backwards and shooting. Rifles come in very handy in Tag games.

      If ya get tagged, try ta find an' tag someone as quickly as possible. If you get killed yer still "it" but you respawn away from yer victim, so try not ta get killed. Surprisingly you do NOT want to shoot people much while yer "it," 'cause if they die you won't be able to tag them. So tag 'em first, then shoot 'em so they can't tag you back.

      Lag is particularly a bitch in Tag games because, in addition to th' host's tag speed advantage, it could happen that you kill th' person who's "it" only ta find afterwards that he killed you, and then that he tagged you an' you are now "it." Then you hafta respawn somewhere while he's already respawned elsewhere, an' probably nobody's around ta tag. Doh!

    • A certain MADwoman is back ta Outlaws after a bit of a hiatus. Claimin' ta be "rusty" she's whuppin' on unsuspectin' varmits under a variety of clever aliases. Sure didn't look too rusty ta me! Nice ta have ya back, Maddie.

    • Stole a new Outlaws URL from KaReFree: the Vegas Gangs Home Page. You know I've only been ta Vegas once but those damn blinkin' lights an' th' cheap buffet food made me pretty darn sick. Well it looks like this site is tryin' ta capture all th' "pisazz" of Vegas... lots of blinky lights an' animated stuff. Very long load times. But if ya like blinky stuff you'll also find a handy list of th' Vegas gang's members here.

  • 8/11

    • Rumor, Innuendo an' some wild Conjecture

      JediKnight.net has been followin' some rumors of a Dark Forces 3 an' finally came ta this conclusion:

      We've learned that the PC Gamer UK report regarding a Dark Forces 3 is indeed false. All future Star Wars titles will be based upon the upcoming prequel movies. With regard to the rumor of LucasArts having purchased the Unreal engine for use in a future title, the sources stress that LucasArts has a strong policy of not using engines created outside the company. LEC does have another first person shooter in the works, using a new original engine of their own. However, details on that title are very sketchy at this time.

      So LEC is workin' on another first person shooter... an' it's not Star Wars... an' th' only other FPS they've made ta this point has been Outlaws... hmmm... nahh, it couldn't be... could it?

    • Thanks ta DocDeath2 an' Taz fer helpin' fill my dark pit of ignorance on Outlaws' "Tag" gameplay mode. Seems that it works pretty much like I thought, although I'm a bit unclear where th' shootin' comes in. Also mebbe I should clarify my remarks about DocDeath2's USM Corral framerates: th' framerates are pretty good except in a few areas, mostly th' two far corners, where they could bog down if ya don't have a 3dfx card. In th' rest of th' map framerates ain't bad... looks like I'll hafta try a Tag game in there tonight. ;)

    • Raf has moved his Outlaws Editing Team site from Xoom to Geocities, an' looks like he's added a lotta new stuff too. Accordin' ta th' News there somebody's workin' on a NWX Editor; NWXs are th' files that have th' character pictures in 'em, I think... actually there's a more knowledgeable thing'um about NWX files over at DarkJedi.com, in th' Outlaws Unofficial Specs. I'm gettin' in waaaay over my head here! 8P

  • 8/9

    • Finally got around ta catchin' up with th' latest passel of levels all th' new map-makers are kickin' out. Wasn't really impressed with any of 'em. ;p DocDeath2 asked me ta say a few words about his latest, USM Corral.

      Well, of th' latest crop this is one of th' most promising ones. Like a lot of DocDeath2's stuff it shows a good deal of creativity. He's definitely got a knack of interior decoration, as you kin see in this shot from another recent multiplayer map of his, Pancho Villa's Hideout. There are also a lot of playful little touches thrown into USM Corral like a waterfall that can catch dynamite in it's current and an outhouse with a nasty temper.

      But all this detail comes at a price: framerates. You kin see how scenes like this one from USM Corral would choke down a bit. I didn't mind th' low framerates so much in DocDeath2's single-player Marshall Adventures, but in multiplayer bad framerates add to lag an' that's one thing I sure don't need more of right now. But hey if you've got a fast computer and fast connection mebbe give it a look, it's kinda innerestin'.

      Oh yeah I almost fergot, DocDeath2 made this map playable in "Tag" mode. There have been other maps in th' past with "Tag" mode but I mus' confess I've never played an Outlaws Tag game. I guess it mus' work by runnin' inta other players, an' th' person who's "It" th' least amount of time wins? Hmm but th' prob with that'd be that people who came in late would have a big advantage. Mebbe it works some other way... if'n you've actually played a game of Outlaws tag, why'nt ya mail me an' lemme know how it works.

    • On another level-related note, ShotgunMC pointed out that that map of DeanWerner's, Showdown, would overwrite an installation of Saxster's co-op Showdown! level. He pointed out that with more an' more maps comin' out people are gonna hafta be careful that they don't pick a name that's already taken! This should be pretty easy to avoid if you just double-check yer map's name against th' maps listed one of the comprehensive level sites around th' net.

      Now in Dean's defense (an' mine since I didn't spot it either) his Showdown map was jus' a quick thingy he whipped up ta show how you kin make maps where characters start off with no weapons. And well heck who plays co-op maps anyway?!? ;)

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