counter-strike
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Valve not charging for downloadable content
Despite the rise of micro-transactions and pay-per-download content in the PC and console worlds, Valve recently announce it has no intention of charging for downloadables in games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 2. Designer Robin Walker explains their logic that gives Valve a big gold star in our book: "You buy the product, you get the content ... We make more money because more people buy it, not because we try and nickel-and-dime the same customers." Micro-transactions were innocent at first, but when we had to pay for horse armor in Oblivion and tutorials in Madden, the line had to be drawn. Kudos to Valve for a step in the "don't make the customers angry" (i.e. "right") direction.
CGS boasts $5 mil payroll, Playboy Mansion pro-gamer draft
Hosting its inaugural player draft far from the storied sanctum of The Garden, with a paltry $5 million league-wide payroll, (an amount routinely squandered on a single signing bonus for a young athlete in another professional league,) the Championship Gaming Series continues to take baby steps toward becoming a marquee "sports entertainment" business. Still, come June 12, 60 prospects will split the riches, as they're contracted to join one of six city-based squads that will compete in a small variety of games leading up to the CGS Grand Slam and World Championships this October. Not a bad gig, eh? But what of this Playboy Mansion draft locale? If CGS is to be taken seriously, it's gotta avoid these WWEsque publicity stunts ... right? Maybe not. A lil' scantly-clad drama might be just the lure needed to hook viewers who might not otherwise tune into a glorified LAN party.
Never mind the art, here's a Shadowrun preview
As the first game under the Windows Live brand to bring both PC and Xbox 360 gamers together, Shadowrun isn't the most casual-friendly title imaginable. So unexpectedly complex that after the initial training exercises and multiplayer matches, we were overwhelmed to say the least. A few hours and a dozen or so matches later, it hadn't fully connected, but the pieces were starting to fall into place.Like we said in our previous coverage of the game, Shadowrun is about finding your niche and sticking to it. In other shooters, your niche can be as simple as controlling the rocket launcher or defending the flag. In Shadowrun, it's defined by the powers you equip, how you utilize them and what role you take in your group. Even if you consider yourself a sponge for tactical knowledge, a learning curve this high won't be conquered in your first hour of play. And for a high profile, predominantly multiplayer shooter, that could spell trouble for Microsoft and FASA Studios.%Gallery-1774%
Shadow of the Counter-Strike
We don't typically cover custom-made Counter-Strike maps, but this one is unique in its high level of detail and its tribute to one of our favorite games of the PlayStation 2's golden years. Meet de_wanda and its giant reference to Shadow of the Colossus. Weighing in at 160 MB, this map is one you're going to have to require everyone to download in advance if you plan on playing online. The creator, Soenke C. "Warby" Seidel, has an impressive collection of artwork and maps, including some 3D Shadow of the Colossus-inspired scenes, if you would like to peruse the artist's portfolio. Color us impressed. Very impressed. [Via bit-tech]
Valve's Counter-Strike tweaks to level pistol prices [update 1]
Counter Strike: Source's dynamic pricing system has raised the Desert Eagle's cost to a point that Valve has admitted to be "somewhat out of control." As the only viable pistol option, the "Deagle" has become one of CS:S's most expensive items, since the pricing system raises and lowers costs according to popularity. Valve hopes that by tweaking the effectiveness of the Five Seven, P228, and Dual Elites pistols, players will cash in for these decidedly cheaper options, in turn driving the Deagle's price back down.Update: the new modifications have already been introduced.
German legislation would jail FPS gamers
Late last month, an 18-year-old man went on a shooting spree at his former junior high school in western Germany, killing himself and injuring 11 others. According to reports on the German news site Tagesschau, the man spent a fair bit of time playing "Counter-Strike," which some say may have led to his inspiration to conduct the killing. As a result of this tragedy, two state governments in Bavaria and Lower Saxony have drafted legislation which, according to the Financial Times, would "subject developers, distributors and players of video games whose goal is to inflict 'cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters' to a fine and a maximum of one year in jail." If the measures pass, German gamers, amateur and pro alike, will have to lay off the FPS games for quite a long while and stick to more traditional non-violent games, like, you know, "Pac-Man."[Via Slashdot]
The new economics of Counter-Strike
In an effort to ensure a more diverse usage of armaments, Valve is implementing a Dynamic Weapon Pricing system into Counter-Strike: Source. Essentially, all guns are divided into two categories: pistols and everything else. Within each category, data is collected from the servers as to how much money is spent on each gun. Every Monday, the price of guns will be adjusted to correlate with its popularity from the previous week -- the higher its demand, the higher its price.With this system, Counter-Strike users will be able to balance the game through their habits. Players will continue to have a starting bank of $800, but each week will be forced to tweak their strategy in order to accommodate for market trends. The MAC-10, for example, is on a downward trend and the price is falling. As soon as the gun becomes viable for its respective price range, the demand will increase. Eventually, we foresee, an equilibrium will be reached where the change in price from week to week will be marginal.The projected value of each gun and piece of equipment can be tracked on the DWP market page, where Valve has also provided a more in-depth explanation of their price-adjusting algorithm.[Via Pro-G]
Blow up U.S. tanker in Iranian game
Reuters covers the release of Counter Strike, a game that charges players with the goal of sinking a U.S. oil tanker in a critical channel, blocking the path that two-fifths of all the world's oil travels. Iran's government sponsored the game for distribution within that country.The topical nature of the game isn't new; Kuma Reality Games mirrored real-life U.S. strikes against Iraq. The anti-American sentiment isn't even new, as seen in Night of Bush Capturing.This trend of all sides using games as propaganda interests us. Are games more persuasive than radio broadcasts and dropping leaflets? When will bombers start dropping games over enemy states?
Pizza Hut to sponsor cyberathletes
Pizza Hut recently announced they will become the first fast food franchise to sponsor the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) and its affiliated tournaments. When engaged in league play, CPL professional and amateur members will be directed to special deals at Pizza Hut's web site, although there's no mention if this agreement also includes the Hut's Wing Street brand of chicken wings.According to Pizza Hut marketing exec Bill Ogle, "ordering a Pizza Hut pizza and having it delivered, without having to stop a game in progress, is a huge plus for this audience." While the marketing campaign makes more sense than McDonald's "feeding the world's Olympic athletes", you might want to keep a roll of paper towels handy, lest you defile that brand new 360 controller or Zboard with sauce and grease.Check out the CPL's Summer Championships schedule which includes tournaments for Quake 4, Halo 2, GRAW, and Project Gotham 3. And don't forget the breadsticks.
Street Fighter comes indoors and picks up some chalk
Need I say more? A couple of college kids decided to apply their Street Fighter obsessed brains to an available blackboard. It's the kind of thing you look at and say to yourself "why didn't I think of that?" I'm sure that a lot of copycat examples will be popping up in the next few days: I can't wait to see someone attempt to capture a Mario level up, or a sticky grenade from Halo, or a terrorist facing off a counter terrorist à la Counter-Strike or... you get the point.[Via Wonderland]
For sale: oil paintings inspired by games
Jeremiah Palacek is a painter living in Prague in the Czech Republic. Over the last year he's created 154 paintings, many of which are inspired by, as he calls it "imagery from digital mediums" (read: games). You can see three examples of his work in the image above: from left to right you have an 8 foot by 4 foot monster inspired by Counter-Strike complete with abstract blood spatters, a straight up Duck Hunt imitation and last but not least, a sweeping (at least for those days) digital landscape from Road Rash. Who says games aren't art?[Via BoingBoing]
Girls and hardcore gaming meet in the Home of Chrome
Billed as the first sports academy for competitive gaming, the Home of Chrome in Sweden is a venture set up by VIA to showcase the successful female Quake 4 team g0d (girlz of destruction). We assume the plan is to combine the appeal of micro-celebrities with the universal allure of gaming (and girl gamers in particular).It's an interesting move, and one that every pro team (or aspiring professional gamer) is looking on with envy. As the results of this experiment appear, we'll see if more sponsors decide to follow suit--as the play girlz blog points out, this is crying out for a TV show.
The Subway story
The Counter-Strike-based ad campaign for Subway went awry as soon as Valve appeared on the scene, and it was revealed that the campaign had gone ahead without Valve's permission and was breaking the EULA. Ars Technica has the backstory on the campaign, fleshing out its history and speculating on its future.Despite its illegitimacy, the campaign did achieve results that satisfied Subway, but it's definitely serving as a warning to would-be advertisers as well as providing encouragement. It's not clear what action Valve will take against Engage and IGA Partners, but it might not be pretty.[via Clickable Culture]
Homebrew WADs and mods
With the advent of DOOM being ported to the PSP, homebrew hackers have been busy at work tricking out mods for the popular shooter. One such gamer at DCEmu has managed to fix up Counter-Strike and Quake 1 that runs from the original doom2.wad file. There are all sorts of mod files cropping up for the PSP, but make sure you know how to get them running before diving into it. Check the thread for some great images and information. [Thanks, Wraggster]
