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Things to Do June, 30th 2008My new 500gb drive is defective. I'll need to RMA it back to the manufacturers. After several reformats from dealing with corrupted OS files on both XP, XP 64-bit, and even Vista I have come to realize the drive has issues. Fortunately, I found out what was wrong with my IDE ports. The problem wasn't with the IDE ports, it was the IDE connectors that seem to have "lost the ghost". Luckily, I have plenty of extra IDE connectors sitting about. I now have my 120gb and 80gb back in my computer so things are looking up. I have removed my 8800GTS. I figured that since it is summer time and I have two HD's filling up my small chassis, I can't safely keep the 8800GTS installed and still keep proper cooling within the computer. So I now have the ATI x700 installed again. When I find my career job, making good money, I'll build another computer to properly house the 8800GTS. Right now I don't want to end up having to buy a new computer because I overheated my last one though having my computer run as an XBox 360 was quite fun. The x700 isn't a bad card. I wont be playing XBox port overs any time soon, but I'll still be able to play a wide variety of games that don't require super graphics like what the 8800GTS dishes out. I have several plans for this summer. Aside from looking for a career job that I'll be receiving interviewing help from the school for, I'm still working part time at the school as a lab tech. If I don't find good work this summer, I'll be going back to school. I'm still in limbo on what to do for Redemption. I'd rather not say because I can't be sure how much of an attention span I'll have given the multitude of other things I want to do during my free time at this stage of my life. I'll just continue to help others, but I will not be doing mod requests. I'll do my best to teach people how to make their own mods, but large tutorials are projects in and of themselves so try to make your requests for information reasonable. I will do what I can to help keep the mod scene alive for Redemption. That includes helping others with hosting of mods, maps, and models that have passed my seal of approval. With that said I would like to announce two new maps available at E-Mods.net. They are not included within MoTA, but it is adviced to have installed the textures component of MoTA for one of the maps to look right. The new maps are from Demortia and were made for the Crimson Keep guild still up in operations. One of the maps have actually been around for 2 years now, but has resently been given a home here. The other map has just arrived. The above maps will be added to the maps section eventually. For screenshots and information follow these links: Demortia is also working on a project called Highgate Sanitorium. The theme behind it is based on Silent Hill and other horror games. Check out the topic at the below link: E-Mods.net will continue to track projects like these as they develope. Graduation Time! June, 11th 2008Finally! After all this time, I have been given a go on graduation. This Friday I'll be wearing the robe and the cap. This last semester seems to have gone quite well. I think I'll be having A's on all three classes this quarter. I just checked my grade in the C# class and was quite relieved to see the 95%. I know I aced my HTML class... at least I better have. I have one more final to take in Photoshop tonight, but that class is also easy so I'm not worried about it. After Friday I'll be looking for a career. I was offered a job to do coding for a game in C# that will be made for the XBox 360, but am rather mixed in feelings about that offer. Granted I have come to love C# since it reminds me of Java, but is so much better. I may actually divorce Java for C# so coding mods for Redemption may become much more scarce, but I should at least look over the AttA content as well as a Bloodlines texture conversion project - neither require any Java. Now on to other news: Brainwashed by Vista I have finally given in. I can't get a linux OS to install even if I wanted to, but I no longer want to try. Several things have hit me like a two-ton brick. The first thing that comes to mind is "Why install Linux? My computer is like an XBox 360 and Linux would only hold back my DX10 hardware." And second, the 'stuff' that Vista has been coming out with these days along with how well my computer purs when Vista is running has me realize that I'm right where I prefer to be. I have gone as far as to remove the XP partitions from my computer and redo the partitions to have only Vista, a backup partition, and a gaming partition. I definitely would like to buy more XBox 360 port overs. The Renewed Me I have come to know myself well over these years. I am a capitolist, a conservative, and a hardcore gamer who loves C#. I am neither 'Old School' nor 'New School', I am 'Weird School'. I can do by myself what it takes a whole team of people to do and I prooved it in my C# class. People wonder how the hell did I finish so much of my final project with only a one man team. When I presented my C# video game in front of the class last Thursday, there were a lot of gleaful faces and a bunch of whoas, which scored me a 100% on the final. After all my failures at life, I feel something has got to give. This last semester has definitely changed me. I no longer whine about the unfairness of the world. I accept it as natural selection and try to lift myself up from my past weaknesses. I no longer want to be at the bottom of the barrel. I didn't even graduate from High School. I ended up with a GED, which doesn't take me very far. College has strengthened me immensely. I decided that if I cannot find a reasonable career by the end of Summer, I'll go back to school for an even bigger degree. IDE Failure April, 27th 2008Something seems to have gone horribly wrong with my IDE ports. It appears that none of them work anymore. Thus there is no going back from my SATA. I am clueless as to what is wrong here or how to fix it. If I am to install any linux operating systems, I'll need to install another hard drive, but IDE hard drives are now out of the question. The IDE hard drives work just fine within the external usb mount so it's not them. I tried several things from switching to slave/master jumper to switching IDE ports (I have two) to removing all SATA connected devices just to see if they may be conflicting with IDE. None of the above worked. I guess I'll save up for another SATA HD or just give up installing linux. Oh well. No real biggy I guess. The 3 operating systems installed should serve me well for quite awhile. Microsoft Partitions Finished April, 24th 2008I have finished the 6 NTFS partitions for my 500+80gb HD's. I had trouble with my 80gb drive for some reason so I decided to place that drive into an external USB mount. Now it continues to serve as a backup drive as external rather than its usual internal inplacement. Now for the 120gb HD currently setting around in bubble wrap. I guess I'll need it afterall if I am to install the linux operating systems. The 120gb drive will be dedicated to everything linux while the 500+80gb drives will be entirely Microsoft NTFS formatted. I guess things might work out better than I thought. The 8800GTS card takes up a considerable amount of chassis space, leaving only enough room for two well placed and spread out HD's. There would have been no way I could have fit all 3 drives into the chassis with that big bulky badass vid card in the way. The external mount is the only way for me to have all 3 drives. Unfortunately, I wont be installing ubuntu due to some apparent problem its install interface has with my 8800GTS. Fedora core 6 appears to work just fine with the 8800GTS, but I'll need to install the 120gb drive before I finish installing Fedora. Linux has quite a high demand for the MBR of a hard drive. I tried to install Fedora into a 20gb partition of my 500gb, but it wouldn't let me because it requires the (Main Boot Record) off the hard drive, which is currently being occupied by Microsoft OS's. Hopefully by tommorow I'll have Fedora installed on the seperate HD where it'll have its own MBR all to itself. New Hard Drive Installed April, 22nd 2008I have finished installing Windows XP into the first partition of my new hard drive. I'll try installing XP-64bit tomorrow then I may try either installing the Linux os's before installing Vista or just install Vista then install the Linux stuff. I'll know what to do by this weekend when hopefully everything is complete on my big partition project. Models Section Updated April, 13th 2008I finally finished up transfering models from the old site to over here. Go visit the Models section and download whatever you like. Big Multi-Partition Project April, 12th 2008Since I have found out that at least one game I just purchased (Neverwinter Nights 1 - Diamond Edition) does not currently function on Vista, I have been considering reformatting then installing multiple OS's. Even with money running low I still had enough to purchase a nice big 500gb SATA HD for $90 usd at newegg.com. The drive should arrive sometime late next week. By Saturday I'll be reformatting then installing at least 5 other operating systems. I'll be installing XP, XP 64-bit, Vista, ubuntu, and Fedora Core 6. I have heard that Vista has some issues with multiple OS's, but I'll see how things go with it when I start installing stuff. I remember that the best thing to do is install oldest first then work your way to newest. I'm still thinking about how much space I should alot for each OS. Since Vista is the hog, I'll give it at least 100gb. XP and XP 64-bit will have 30gbs each and the linux OS's will have 20gbs each. That should leave me with 300gb~ for game install partitions. This should mount up to the 120gb+80gb HD's I currently have installed. With the big huge 8800GTS hogging space in my chassis, I'm going to have to figure out where I'm going to make room for all 3 HD's. I may have to remove one of the HD's or get a new (bigger) chassis. On another note, I have been using a fairly nice 19' widescreen monitor for quite a long time now, but since I haven't been playing Redemption much of late, I just now realized how dark the game appears on this monitor even with brightness as well as in-game gamma turned up, the game seems dark and bland. The game looked beautiful on my 17' CRT monitor, but holy craptaculous on this widescreen LCD monitor. When I turn up the gamma just to see anything, the game's colors dilute. I don't have any problems with other games... well actually, games that truly support widescreen that is. Jeesh, even screenshots and videos of Redemption come in unusually dark in a manner that makes no sense when everything else looks just fine. I don't understand this. When I visit this site to look at the MoTA map images from school on their LCD monitors which are not widescreens, the brightness looks just fine. Even the videos look bright and vivid. This concerns me greatly. So I may be pulling thus another switch back to my CRT monitor. I would try to have both installed, but the CRT monitors are rather big. Been Gaming April, 6th 2008Since having been procrastinating for the past few months then finally returning to school last monday, I have been doing nothing in the case of making mods. I've even let my website collect dust. This doesn't mean I don't care about the site, simply that I have nothing worthy to say on it. I guess I should say something just to throw people a bone here. I still have AttA on the back burner with all of its stuff in a still cluttered folder. My biggest issue with this latest project is that, unlike MotA, I have serious lack of credit concerns. A lot of the models didn't have readme files included and those that do don't specify who made what in the sense of multi-credit readmes. This has led to two choices; give up AttA till I can hear some words from the authors about the content within the compilation so I can name files accoidingly or do not use the author names as part of the files like I did in MoTA. So I essencially have a 'don't build AttA out of fear of author rage' or simply 'build it anyway then they might come'. So what have I been doing besides nothing? I've mainly been playing a bunch of new games I've purchased since my computer upgrade. I have been buying games for my psp, ps2, gamecube, and pc. Few of which I have actually played all of the way through. Some I have not played at all. I just resently bought Condemned (PC) and the newest DoW - Soulstorm (PC). I beat Condemned just last night and it was quite freaky. Too bad Sega isn't really into the PC scene or the port over would have been a little better. I'm currently playing Soulstorm as Imperial Guard on my first run. In between Soulstorm I also have Oblivion+Black Isle expansion. Since I didn't like Oblivion's vanilla leveling system, which comes with constantly increasing random monster strength that feels like every level up I obtain is punishment on my character, I have downloaded some mods to fix this problem. I'm still going through the tutorial dungeon so I haven't played these enough to make any real judgements on them. I hope they solve my issues with the punishing leveling system. So I'm pretty much spending most of my time gaming. I'll probably continue to use my free time to game rather than mod till at least summer, but who knows, I may have a mood swing with a ton of inspiration from now till then. Gallery Update February, 1st 2008I'm currently working on reorganizing the gallery, adding a bunch of new sections and whole new pictures to look at. If you're interested in seeing my progress on the AttA Pack for VTMR then keep checking on the gallery since I'm using it to show the models that I plan to put into AttA. Several models are already posted on the gallery for the AttA Pack. I hope to find out the specific authors to each model picture I upload. If anyone recognizes a specific model by its author then go to our forum to contact us. The Addons Through The Ages topic would be a prefered place to post that information. The AttA Pack is quite a large project. Each model is being reviewed using Milkshape 3d to check for skeleton structure types, materials, and anything about the model which may need to be fixed, repaired, or discarded. Since there are over 5900+ models and as many materials consisting of characters, weapons, items, props, and various wear the AttA Pack may take a considerable amount of time to finish the review stage. If anyone wants to assist in helping to look over these models then please contact me and let me know how many models you're willing to review. Everyone may participate in the review stage of development as I upload a screen capture of a model that passed the review to the gallery including what information I know about the model. Unfortunately, since all models are compiled into one folder, it is now difficult to put an author name on a specific model since the majority of the pack derives from other packs. I have retained all the readmes that I have been able to find, but most of them are not helpful when it comes to placing a specific author name on a model and its material(s). There are 5900+ models currently compiled and the readmes only speak of less than 100 specific models. I have a feeling this project will be more work than the MoTA pack. After we have reviewed all models and assigned author names to their correct properties, the real hard work of building an entirely new template .NOT file from scratch to house the models will begin. The .NOT file will use proper naming conventions for easy identifation and optimal performance from a coding perspective. The templates will attempt to look natural on the storyteller object list. The main reason I'm doing such drastic changes is to prevent conflicts with each other, maintain consistancy between all template names, and because I can get away with it unlike MoTA where maps used specific template names that I cannot change without breaking the map. Why do all this work? The pack is not only meant to be a more stable compilation of almost everything publicly launched, but a historical reference for when things fall apart. This community has faced several Babylonian proportional falls, which have caused readmes to be lost along with various works. Ofcourse this would not have been a viable project 7+ years ago due to very few people on high-speed internet, but this is now a more high-tech age of fast paced communitication, allowing for larger file transfers to more people. This is the age where people can now download their games without leaving their homes. Not to mention that it is far cheaper to run servers capable of handling such bandwidth as apposed to 7+ years ago. My server handles MoTA without barely taking up 30% of bandwidth limit. This past month there was only 10% of my bandwidth used. I think it can handle AttA. Wodal Mod v0.3a Launched! September, 21st 2007The newest version of Wodal is now available, containing several new fixes and a number of features. You can view the list of changes to Wodal at the Wodal Mod 0.3a Launched topic. With the launch of 0.3a the Mods section has been updated. Quite a bit of performance tweaks were done to assure that the Wodal Mod is stable and fully functional in a long term PnP gaming experience. The new features are mostly for Wodal coders, but the new content should be enjoyable to end-users as well. Links, Walkthroughs & Tutorials Update September, 10th 2007I finally have the links, walkthroughs, and tutorials sections finished up. I have decided to carry through with my next compilation for what could eventually be for the Models section. I have finalized the name I want for the next big compilation pack. I'll be making a pack consisting mostly of compiled skins and models made to work together for optimum stability and to fix problems that have occurred with authors that could not be resolve. This vast compilation pack will be called Addons Through The Ages (AttA). I have already compiled all of the models, artwork, and other files from quite a few packs. The objective is to construct a completely new template database to more stability house the THOUSANDS of models currently acquired. I guess the question on peoples mind would be whether or not this pack will be compatible with the individual works. The short answer will be no because much like MoTA, a lot of reconstruction work will be needed to assure that nothing will conflict with each other when combined together. Naming conventions will be followed to organize everything by pack names like Bloodlines (For the Mega Pack) or NoN. Author names will be integrated into the file names as well as template names where I can figure out who is who. Organization will be the key to assure stability in this pack. Considering that several times I have encountered one pack that has the same exact textures and models of another pack, I can't always make heads or tails of what files belong to who. The goal of AttA is much similar to the goals of MoTA. Not only am I attempting to archive public works, I am also attempting to make sure the works collaborate together in unity while giving proper credit of the work's original owner, which whenever is in question, can come here for clarification. E-Mods.net intends to support all works published here even if the authors are unavailable so authors will always have help when their works are compiled into AttA. Mods & Guides Update September, 4th 2007The mods and guides sections have been finished. The next step is to finish up some Embrace Video Tutorials for the tutorial section then add some fun AoR videos and audio files for the Media section. I'll also have some Bloodlines Tactical Strategy videos added to the Walkthrough section. The Models section may be saved for last, pending ideas for a possible Models of the Ages pack (ModoTA) (Name is not official yet). Another patch is in the works for the Maps of the Ages pack that will add some new shortcuts to play some of the chronicles in single player as well as some more bug fixes to existing chronicles. The Wodal Mod 0.3a is still in developement and may not launch till after the 15th. Some fixes are planned to include a lot more support for single player, which requires save/restore coding to assure propper functionality in long term play. There has been a request for additional commands to be available in Wodal so those will need to be created as well. I hope to have much finished before college starts on the 24th of this month. Maps Section Updated August, 25th 2007You can see what has been finished in the maps section. Next up for updating are the mods and guides sections. By mid next month this site should be fully operational. |
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