Archive | November, 2011

Battlefield 3 PC Fixes

30 Nov

Let me preface by saying that I love Battlefield 3. Once the game is up and running successfully and I’m in a match, it’s awesome – BEAUTIFUL graphics, awesome class-based teamwork strategies, and a variety of objective-based maps. When I’m able to actually get into a game, it’s hard to find much that I don’t like about it.

The Problem(s)

Notice that keyword “when”? Battlefield 3 isn’t exactly the most stable of games. I found that I suffered from three main problems: first, the game would take an inordinately long amount of time to load a map; second, that the game would often crash when I alt-tabbed (I’ll be damned if I’m gonna sit and stare at a loading screen that whole time); and third, that the game would sometimes crash when changing maps, even when I didn’t alt-tab out.

All these issues seemed incredibly strange given that I upgraded my PC just about two months ago – I’m now running the Phenom II 965 quad-core CPU and 4 GB of RAM, and it’s been able to handle anything else I threw at it. So I tweaked the graphics settings in the game to confirm that it wasn’t my PC that was causing the performance issues. I also changed the in-game settings to make Battlefield run in a window, which didn’t seem to help much.

Solution 1 – Long Load Times: ATT (ATI Tray Tools)

As I said before, my PC is typically able to run anything without a hitch, and even runs Battlefield 3 perfectly at max settings; so why the long load times? It could be partially due to an overloading of EA’s servers (just an initial guess), but I suspected there was more to it. I found a blog post on a community called Up In Smoke that basically hypothesized that Battlefield 3 did not natively make use of multithreading; that is, you’d have to tweak your GPU’s settings to allow it to make use of the multiple cores on your CPU. For me, that meant downloading a tool called ATT (click to go to the download page) since I have an ATI graphics card. After installing ATT, I went into the Tweaks menu, clicked Advanced Tweaks, chose Multi Thread Support from the drop down box, and entered 4 into both fields, to force it to make use of all four cores in my CPU.

If you’ve got an Nvidia card, however, you can simply open your Nvidia Control Panel, click 3D Settings, then Program Settings, find Battlefield 3 in the drop-down box, and turn on Threaded Optimization.

[Source: Up In Smoke]

Solution 2 – Alt-Tab Crash: Realmware BF3 Borderless

So after a bit of Googling, I came across Realmware, the website of a small software development team that provides, among other things, software fixes for Battlefield 3. In particular, they have a tool called BF3 Borderless (click to visit the download page), a program that forces Battlefield 3 to run in a borderless windowed mode – the same trick I use with my Steam games, only Origin doesn’t provide such sophisticated launch settings. This essentially makes it look like you’re running the game in fullscreen mode, but makes alt-tabbing a lot smoother. So far, it’s not perfect, but without a doubt has made the game crash much less frequently upon alt-tab.

Solution 3 – Crash During Map Change

While I’m not quite as confident about this solution as the others (after all, BF3 Borderless already took care of most of my game crash issues), it certainly hasn’t cause MORE problems, at the very least. I came across a video (click to view) that suggested the following solution: go to http://www.evenbalance.com, download and install pbsetup.exe (PunkBuster support for many games), and run it. Click on “add a game,” choose Battlefield 3 from the drop-down box, and click “check for updates.” This will automatically download and install PunkBuster updates for the game.

Disclaimer

All three of these programs seemed to solve the problems I’d been having most of the time. I do personally recommend them, and can confirm that they do not contain malware, spyware, or any other malicious software. However, as with any new install, please use your best judgment before installing. Additionally, just because these fixes worked for me, it does not mean they are guaranteed to work for you.

Although I am recommending these three programs, I did not have any part in their development, and I cannot be held responsible for any hardware or software issues that could occur for you as a result of using them.

Hopefully these tools help you out as much as they helped me. Good luck, and see you on the battlefield!

~Jessica “Ruckus” Brohard

Alice: Madness Returns – First Impressions

29 Nov

I know I’m forever late (well, almost 6 months – which is basically forever in video game time), but I just now got around to playing Alice: Madness Returns for the first time, due to the combined forces of a Steam sale and the generosity of a friend. To be fair, I did send him my extra copy of Portal a while back, meaning I single-handedly introduced him to a fantastic game and a gaggle of internet memes.

Anyway, not only is A:MR a great game (more on that later), it’s an absolute godsend for taking my mind off my frustrations while wrestling with Origin in trying to play Battlefield 3 - if you’ve seen my Twitter feed at all lately (I’m sorry), you might have noticed the cacophony of complaints I’ve been lodging against EA’s digital distribution service. But that’s really for a separate, expletive-riddled blog post.

Back to the topic at hand. One of the best things so far about A:MR is that you don’t have to use Origin (ok, I promise, that’s the last time I complain about EA in this post)  - the game was also released for Steam, Xbox 360, and PS3. To be honest, it’s actually refreshing to forget about competitive games for a little bit and focus on a game with a gripping storyline, an immersive world, and lovely imagery. Well, I guess I should say another game – because after all, Skyrim also fits the bill on those qualities.

If you didn’t play the first game, American McGee’s Alice, which was released over a decade ago, don’t worry. You can jump right into its sequel, as the intro cutscene provides a full recap of the events leading up to A:MR.  Playing on the volatile nature of the human mind, the story opens with Alice recanting her tale to the therapist at the orphanage in which she resides as she tries to forget all memories of the fire that killed her family. From there, you’re plunged right into the dark but vivid Wonderland, with the task of collecting Alice’s memories to piece together her gruesome past and sort out fantasy from reality.

Although based on the classic child-appropriate fantasy Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the game is surprisingly dark and mature – Alice’s primary weapon is a bloodstained knife, and she collects human teeth found along the way and exchanges them for weapon upgrades. Yet at the same time, it impressively retains the whimsical nature of the original story; it includes some downright silly tasks, such as using a pepper grinder to shoot pepper into the nostrils of a flying pig snout in order to reveal hidden pathways.

On a more topical subject, everything just fits together perfectly to form the game’s world; each element (such as the soundtrack, the world’s creatures, and Alice’s frequently-changed outfit) is fittingly creepy on its own, and quite charmingly haunting when pieced all together. And here’s the real kicker: although A:MR was released almost 11 years after its prequel, the voice actress from the first returned to claim the titular role once more.

Basically, what I took over 500 words to say is that Alice: Madness Returns was underrated and horribly under-publicized. Sure, it can’t be compared to any modern-day military shooter, but it’s still a fantastic game, whether you enjoyed the first or are new to the series. Plus, with Steam’s awesome and frequent sales, it won’t break the bank – add it to your wishlist and keep your eyes peel for Steam’s upcoming holiday sale!

Video: SWTOR Beta Impressions

26 Nov

If you’ve been watching my Twitter feed, you may have seen me tweeting about Star Wars: The Old Republic lately. Like thousands of other players, I had the pleasure of trying out the beta this weekend, and absolutely loved it. I’ve been leveling a Bounty Hunter so far – I’m only level 7, so I haven’t tried out any instances yet, but the beta does last all weekend! Check out the video to see what I thought about the beta so far.

Video: Skyrim Tips and Exploits

22 Nov

I’ve logged well over 50 hours in Skyrim in the week or so since it was released – naturally, I’ve figured out a few tips and tricks after playing so much :) Hopefully these’ll help you out as well!

Thank you to my friend Julius for tip number 3!

MLG Providence Columbus BarCraft recap

20 Nov

Or, since I’m feeling smarmy, “What You Missed and Why You Should Have Been There.”

We officially kicked off the Columbus BarCraft movement with the first event last night. Now, this is something we’d been actively planning and attempting since the end of August; I attended the Seattle BarCraft that occurred for MLG Raleigh during PAX Prime, drank a few cutesy StarCraft II-themed drinks, and realized that it was something I wanted to start in Ohio. Don’t laugh, we have computers here – you just have to drive through a few corn fields to get to them. And after all, Columbus is a stop on the MLG pro circuit.

Soon after PAX, I joined forces with my friend ChestersJensen, who had also expressed interest in the idea, and the movement was formed. We brainstormed venues and landed on Momo, a bar/lounge that hosts a large fighting game tournament every year – the only problem is that the aforementioned tournament happened to fall on the same weekend as MLG Orlando. Our sights were set instead on MLG Providence.

Calls were made, projectors were borrowed, and the day of the event arrived. Everything went off (almost) without a hitch. We arrived to find that a slight miscommunication with venue’s management had led to a double-booking; a group of bronies had taken over the space we were going to use to host a My Little Pony marathon – don’t worry, I don’t really get it either.

So we improvised. Momo was large enough, and we had borrowed a projector, so we projected the MLG stream onto a sheet that we hung on the wall in a different area.

Once we got the event started, BarCraft was a huge success. It was scheduled to run from 2:30 pm until whenever MLG ended for the day – which ended up being about 10 pm. Upon my arrival at 2:30, only four of us were there, watching Nestea versus Boxer, and exchanging awkward pleasantries as we got to know each other. But by 6:30, over 40 people had shown up; and at BarCraft’s close, a running total of over 65 had come and gone.

A couple people were Tweeting about the event, and djWHEAT even retweeted us! I was shocked so many had come out for our first ever attempt at a BarCraft – and that the crowd got so into it. It was a really proud moment, seeing something that I had helped create be so successful. From now on, we’ll be making the Columbus BarCraft a regular event – keep checking http://www.reddit.com/r/ColumbusBarCraft to stay updated!

Swag Giveaway Winner!

16 Nov

Congratulations to ChillyBillz!!!

Again, for those who didn’t win – thanks so much for entering, and be sure to check back regularly as I’ll be doing more contests and giveaways in the future!!

-Ruckus

Skyrim: Initial Thoughts

14 Nov

While The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim did just come out on Friday, I’ve already logged enough hours to give more than just my “initial” thoughts of the game. Yet at the same time, I know that I’ve encountered a comparatively small amount of the game’s content. Despite my three-day-weekend-long marathon, I’ve yet to grow bored with Skyrim. I think this is partially due to the sheer number of options presented to the player; nearly everything is customizable. For instance, you can choose whether to use magic or weapons primarily, or both – though the saying “jack of all trades, master of none” applies.

If you haven’t heard much about the game, the leveling system is pretty fantastic. Your character has skills and abilities like stealth, one-handed weapons, and alchemy. These skills are increased through certain actions – for instance, making potions levels your alchemy skill, and the higher the skill, the better your potions. Leveling any of these skills counts toward your character’s overall level. Also, with every level your character gains, you earn a point to be put toward a “perk,” which is basically a supplement to your skills. And of course, you can choose to grind whichever skills you want, depending on what you really want out of the game.

But, the best thing about Skyrim is possibly also the most frustrating: the fact that there are so many ways to play. Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say that the path you choose to take while questing can have a huge impact on the rest of the game. It’s unfortunately impossible to play out all the possible outcomes of a questline – which I think will end up giving Skyrim a very high replay value.

TL;DR: Eat ramen for a month to be able to afford Skyrim if you have to – it’s worth it.

Or, if you have played Skyrim, let me know what you think!

Memorex Universal Game Selector review

10 Nov

I did a video review for Pixelated Geek of the Memorex brand Universal Game Selector case for the Nintendo DS – check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe <3

MW3 Midnight Launch recap

10 Nov

The midnight launch of Modern Warfare 3 was a few nights ago, and I’ve JUST now caught up on sleep. If you didn’t see in an earlier post, I was representing GUNNAR Optiks for the evening, handing out information cards about the product and raffling off a free pair of MW3 edition GUNNARs. 

It was a ton of fun repping the company for the night, and even though I prefer Battlefield to Call of Duty nowadays, it was still pretty awesome to be at the midnight launch, surrounded by tons of people who were excited for the game release. Best Buy had tons of promo activities going on to keep gamers entertained while they waited for midnight.

For instance, I got to wear a Kevlar vest – it weighed 40 pounds!! They were also supposed to have a portable climbing wall, but unfortunately plans apparently got changed at the last minute. The Best Buy location I was at also had a Magnolia home theater set up, which they used as a demo station for the launch – people waiting in line to buy the game could try it out beforehand for a few minutes.

Although only a few attendees had heard of GUNNAR previously, there was definitely quite a bit of interest that night after hearing about the product. The guerrilla marketing tactics the company is currently employing seem to be doing the trick; no doubt GUNNARs will soon be a household brand amongst gamers.

This week: what you should be playing

7 Nov

LOTS of exciting games have been coming out lately (not to mention the release of Modern Warfare 3 at midnight tonight!), and many people have work and school off this Friday for Veteran’s Day – so here’s what you should be using that three-day weekend on! I’ve been picking up a lot of new releases lately, and wanted to share my thoughts on them. Hopefully you’ll notice that this is quite the diverse selection across genres and consoles – so even if you don’t want to completely copy my game library, you should be able to find at least something you like.

Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC)

I know, the Battlefield versus Call of Duty issue is a hot topic right now, what with the former still freshly-launched and the latter releasing in just a few hours. I chose to go the Battlefield route after a few too many all-nighters on the CoD series left me feeling sort of burned out. And I’ve absolutely not been regretting the decision so far.

I’m new to the series, but so far, there are a couple things that really stand out. First, I really like the squad system. You can get three of your friends together and play as part of a larger team, but still have the more intimate feel of playing with people you really know. You can even turn on squad-only voice chat. From a tactical perspective, squads are extremely helpful as the game allows you to respawn at the location of one of your squadmates, ensuring you never have to face the other team entirely alone.

Also, as a long-time Team Fortress 2 fan, I absolutely LOVE (love love love) the class-based aspect of the game. It’s less versatile than TF2, simply because in the end it is a military shooter and therefore a bit more realistic, but each role still plays a vital class; assault, who can drop health kits for teammates; engineer, who can repair vehicles; support, who drops extra ammo for teammates; and recon, who snipes from long distances and calls out enemy locations with a radio communication device.

Of course, whether you’ll want to play BF3 or MW3 (or both!) is all up to personal preference. But as for me, I’m a Battlefield girl now.

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