Lo and behold, for a third of the price ArtofWar is charging me, the server runs fantastically. Great pings and, best of all, no lag interpolation when we get more than one car out. I haven’t fully stress tested the thing yet, but all impressions point to it being loads better than what we’re currently using.

It’s still missing some content at the moment, but that will get ironed out in the very near future. Tickets submitted, and all that jazz. As usual, the information is on the server page if you need it.

It's back!

Entries were made by Karbine, Max, Jackpody and Companioncube, in order from left to right.

After submitting to a prop count test and basic road/offroad test, a winner was chosen unanimously by the FALOTI Corp janitorial staff…

With its spacious interior and luxurious accommodations, clearly the RV was the winner here.

Congratulations to Karbine for his excellent entry. However, since all the entries were so fantastic, everyone gets to reap the reward equally. Now I bet you wish you’d entered, too.

And now, a photo montage of all the great entries.

Max looks particularly pensive as he stumbles over a log in his crawler.

CompanionCube is FREE OF FEAR as he launches himself through the course.

Jackpody takes his driving seriously enough to always remain ten miles per hour under the speed limit while driving in the passing lane.

After a night of blow, binge drinking and cheap whores, Karbine decides to blow this joint and take this bitch on a road trip to Milwaukee.

Thanks again, guys!

75.102.38.39:27015

Gentlemen.

We have a new Gmod server. The information is, as usual, available on the server info page. That said, it’s time for a small contest. Here are the guidelines:

• Total prop limit must be under 75 props, including wheels.
• Vehicle must be drivable and steerable.
• Vehicle may be powered however you please. ACF engines get preferential judging, however.
• Can be any four wheeled car-type vehicle. This includes jeeps, crawlers, go karts and the like.
• Deadline is Thursday, Feb. 16. Judging will be done throughout the evening as people are available, winners announced when all entries are viewed.
• Judging will be based on the BEST LOOKING vehicle that meets the above criteria.

Either myself or Ajax will be doing the judging.

Winners will receive a custom rank in the server with privileges equivalent to the Employee rank, but it may be named whatever you like. No, you can’t have admin.

LOOKS LIKE A REAL WINNER HERE, FOLKS.
Go get 'em, Companion Cube!

Now then, carry on.

A lot of people compare this game to Gears of War. Having never played a Gears of War game before, I can’t say if that’s true or not. Both of these games have chain blades and BIG ARMOR, which is as much of a comparison as I can draw between the two.

The gameplay is a fair mix of shooting and slashing with a decent variety of weapons you can acquire throughout the campaign. The shooty weapons are broken down into four basic categories: pistol, automatic rifle, ranged weapon, and power weapon. Each weapon is unique in some way, but most of them fall into one of those four categories of usage. My favorite grouping of weapons is the Plasma Pistol, Hellfire Bolter, Lascannon and Plasma gun.

Your alternate weapon is a melee weapon, of which you have a choice of three for the majority of the game, though you start out with a combat knife. Melee consists of making different attacks depending on how many times you press the melee key, with the option to perform different types of stun attacks by pressing the stun key after making attacks. Some people will complain about the relative lack of combos (four attacks, with a different stun ability for each). While playing the demo I would agree with that sentiment, after playing through a considerable part of the game (I’ve not yet beaten it), I think it is just fine. Any more combos or attacks would have made the game too complicated; as it stands now it is easy to learn and, though repetitious, very fun.

In regards to the final point: yes, you will do a lot of the same thing in this game. Slash, stun, dodge, shoot, etcetera. At the core of this, the gameplay is still enjoyable for me. It is a lot of fun to watch and, in major engagements, exciting and challenging to the extreme. Simply mashing the melee button is a quick way to get yourself killed; stuns and dodging are absolutely necessary to make it through. I have a major tendency to forget that I actually have guns because the melee weapons are so rewarding to use, especially when you’re able to perform executions. This has gotten me killed quite a bit.

The campaign, compared to other games, may seem a bit short. I am doing my best to take my time and enjoy the game, and so far this is my third day into it, with six hours played. I have not tried multiplayer yet but I have heard it is solid enough to be fun. There is a co-op last stand DLC in the works, a major step down from the promised co-op campaign but, co-op is co-op. I won’t complain too much.

If you are not a Warhammer 40k fan, a lot of the fluff and interesting bits of the storyline may be lost on you. If you are a fan of the series, then you should find the included fluff rather enjoyable. Purity seals are fun to watch fluttering as your GIANT PAULDRONS move around. The Imperial Guard makes a respectable showing and, for once, are portrayed pretty fairly as less of a human meat-shield wave and more of a HOLD THE LINE type deal.

The bottom line? I don’t know if it is worth $50. Maybe $40. But I do not regret my purchase one bit. Though frustrating at times, the game is solid and the story is interesting to me as a 40k fan. That admittedly is a large part of the appeal, so if you know nothing of 40k or don’t like it, you probably won’t like this game as much as I do. But there is a demo, so you should at least give it a try.

As usual, the server information will be posted on the conveniently named Server Info page.

In regards to the forums, I have decided to (again) start over from a clean installation. When funds provide, I will be purchasing an updated VBulletin license and reinstalling them to the server. That will probably not be until the end of next week, however.