XsT - Team Fortress Est. 1999

Keeping it alive

2010-12-05T21:10:00.001+08:00

Ok, just a post to keep it alive... now that so many new games are out... heh, im sure we can get something on.

possibly the best tf2 vid i've seen:)

2010-03-20T12:59:00.000+08:00

Enjoy...

Dee goes traveling

2010-03-04T15:52:00.002+08:00

Our dearest Dee-|XsT| is now in Istanbul making a pit stop before continuing on her 2 month long eurotrip journey. Such a cultural feast! ~~~~

Enjoy and take care Dee, TAKE LOTS OF PICS!!!

Asia Fortress

2010-02-12T13:24:00.001+08:00

WTB Team for Asia Fortress.

Any takers?

Home Club pres. COUP 30th Jan

2010-01-28T18:09:00.005+08:00

HOME PARTIES PRESENTS COUP
PLAYING: DEEP // TRANCE // TECH

LINE UP: JUSTIN // DEKOYAN + RIVACE // LESLIE // I.D.TAG // JULES // JSTN + YAN

A splinter cell of electronic dance music fiends, possessing their deadly arsenal of beats, melodies, and rhythms in the form of pure, unadulterated EDM. An aural delight running the gamut of techno, house, trance, with the odd sprinkle of broken beats thrown in for good measure - it’s a dance mutiny, cultural insurrection, whatever.

Revolution is nigh, long live the electronic!

ENTRY: $15 inclusive of one standard drink

Our dear Rivace (ICP) and mut (XsT) and JULES (wow looks like there are a number of DJs playing TF2)will be playing back to back on the 30th Jan. All electronic dance music enthusiasts, come join us for some drinks, laughter, peace and joy ~_~

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=260891063114

BOOMZ!

TF2 Food Debate

2010-01-12T14:13:00.000+08:00

Snow Leopard of Pakistan - Beyond the Myth

2010-01-08T12:09:00.002+08:00

For those interested in this highly elusive cat (and Pakistan's people). One full length episode divided into 6 parts. Hope it teaches us all something about life, love, and beauty. Enjoy :)

Happy 2010!

2010-01-03T21:52:00.003+08:00

Hope you all had smashing holidays! Welcome to our new members:

Nishino, Nasty, Snide, Fellowlad, Valent, Pokie, Conggy... aaaaand here is our...

Scrim Lineup

Scout: Nasty, Nishino, Snide (sub)

Soldier: Fellowlad, Valent, Dome

Medic: Mut, Best_Lame (sub)

Demo: Dome, Valent, Conggy (sub), Pokie (sub)

Subject to change every now and then. Thanks guys!

Happy 2010.

xoxo,

MUT.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T18:59:00.002+08:00

Wishing all from XsT and our TF2 friends a very, very merry christmas and happy new year :)

Lots of love, hugs, tickles, licks and kisses from mut~!!!!

<3 <3 <3

Open for recruitment

2009-12-20T16:49:00.002+08:00

Dear readers,

XsT is now open to recruitment!

Looking for:

Active players interested in scrimming.

Priority goes to good scouts.

~~Small boys~~

Just let either Mut or Dejomel know via PM and we'll do a quick assessing to see general proficiency, and also we'll invite you to our next outing :)

Thanks!

Cheers,

Mut.

Final XsT LAN Party of the Year!

2009-12-19T08:23:00.002+08:00

Book your calenders!!!

The Final XsT LAN Party of the year is upon us! Everyone is welcomed to join! We will be playing TF2 as well as classic games like TFC & Quake and new games like CODMW2.

Date: 19th December, Saturday
Gaming: 1100hrs - 1400hrs
Lunch: 1400hrs - 1500hrs

Location: e2max Cathay
Also, need suggestions for lunch location, preferably somewhere that can be booked.

Pls RSVP to Mut, DomeJnr or myself (Sick) by this week so we can do the booking!

Attendance List:

Mut
DomeJnr
Sick
Dee
Snide
Sloth
Aelesia
RSVP NAO

Cheers,
Sick-|XsT|

LAN Outing - Wear a Hat!

2009-12-16T10:21:00.002+08:00

Mut and I are declaring the LAN outing as BIMBO DAY!

We are wearing our wedges and cute hats.

So wear a hat/cap if you have one and join the fun!

<3 Dee

Fat Cat Eats

2009-12-09T11:49:00.000+08:00

Damn cute video, just wanted to share.

TF2 BBQ

2009-12-06T20:39:00.006+08:00

Hey hey! On behalf of Mut and Dejomel, we thank everyone for coming to this Year End BBQ thing and being part of our small XsT 10th surprise Anniversary celebration. Lots of laughter, joy, love and peace! Hope you guys had tons of fun!

For all the pics, just click on the one above :)

Looking forward to moar outingz in the future ~_~

Final of the final

2009-12-05T13:30:00.004+08:00

Details

Date: 5th December 2009
Day: Saturday
Time: 5:30pm - late
Event: BBQ + GuitarHero/Rockband Party
Venue: 104 Tamarind Road S806053 (http://gothere.sg for directions)

View Larger Map

Cost: S$20 per pax.

Food, drinks, an Xbox360, a PS3, GuitarHero, Rockband and a PC will be provided.

Confirmed Attendance List

Mut
Dejomel
EvilGenius
PokiePoke
Matafleur
Snide
Sloth
TheNork
Burn
Cleric.
Sick + Tiff
Valent
Dee
Rivace
Aelesia

Distinguished Guest D

Heavenly

If lost, please call 96228394 or 91897451

Space Jam on Crack

2009-12-03T15:49:00.004+08:00

Is it just me, or is this hilarious

Event of the Year (Finalised)

2009-11-30T14:58:00.011+08:00

Details

Date: 5th December 2009
Day: Saturday
Time: 5pm - 11pm
Event: BBQ + GuitarHero/Rockband Party
Venue: 104 Tamarind Road S806053 (http://gothere.sg for directions)

View Larger Map
Cost: S$12 per pax.

Food, drinks, an Xbox360, a PS3, GuitarHero, Rockband and a PC will be provided.

Confirmed Attendance List

Mut
Dejomel
EvilGenius
PokiePoke
Matafleur
Snide
Sloth
TheNork
Burn
Cleric.
Sick + Tiff
Valent
Dee
Rivace
Null
UGL
Aelesia
Adsf

Distinguished Guest D

Not Attending

Craig
Zhan
Nasty
Mote
Best lame
Dkiwi
Niche
Jules
LeviathanX
Nic
Deadpris
Distinguished Guest K
Distinguished Guest S

TangyOrange

Floorfilla

To Be Confirmed

Dc
Jaradcel
Insanity
Hero
Astatine
Individual
VGD
Distinguished Guest X

Oh Yeah

2009-11-25T07:49:00.001+08:00

Best of luck to friends participating in AsiaFortress! :)

Event of the Year

2009-11-23T23:07:00.027+08:00

Hey people!

There will definitely be a time, place and/or post where everyone and anyone can have the great luxury and enjoyment of flaming me for my horrendous weather forecast predictions, uncannily awesome bowling skills and the part I played for depriving 7 fellow homosapiens their rights to rollerblading and cycling ... but it is not this day.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you ... the Event of the Year.

Following the moderate success of the previous outing at Kallang Leisure Park, Mut and I have decided to organise one final event for 2009; a barbeque.

There will be food, drinks, an Xbox360, a PS3, GuitarHero, Rockband and a PC.

All TF2/L4D/CoD friends, girlfriends/boyfriends, spouses, siblings and pets are invited!

(Please let us know though, so we can estimate the numbers)

Details

Date: 5th December 2009
Day: Saturday
Time: 5pm - Anytime
Venue: Mut's place
Event: BBQ + GuitarHero/Rockband Party

Money: $10 per person

We're going to cater the raw food instead as it'll be cheaper and more convenient :)

Confirmed Attendance List

Mut
Dejomel
EvilGenius
Craig
PokiePoke
Matafleur
Snide
Sloth

TheNork

Burn

Spam

Sick + Tiff

Valent

Dee

Rivace

Null

UGL

Tentative Attendance List

Dc
LeviathanX

Floorfilla
Jaradcel
Insanity
Hero
Astatine

Individual

VGD

Jules

Distinguished Guest No. 1

Distinguished Guest No. 2

Distinguished Guest No. 3

Not Attending

Zhan

Nasty

Mote

Best lame

Dkiwi

Niche

Note: Mut, Spam and Rivace are most likely going Zouk to catch DJ Sasha after the BBQ, so we try to wrap up by 11pm - 12am? :D Anyone else who wants to come with us are very much welcome.

Iceskating

2009-11-22T12:40:00.005+08:00

YOOO thanks for coming peeps. More pics will be up sooooonish. In the mean time, some pics are here and here. Looking forward to next outing... hopefully not in the rain... or not indoors when it's sunny @_@!!

My team

2009-11-20T13:58:00.003+08:00

A quick (and horrible) photoshop of my Borderlands team.

My current Brick build.

Borderlands

2009-11-20T13:34:00.001+08:00

Original: The infamous spy pic.

Brick

Mordecai

Roland

Lilith

Fan service ftw

2009-11-20T09:52:00.001+08:00

Mut & Dejomel Love Child (Outing @ KLP)

2009-11-20T01:12:00.012+08:00

Hey people!

After much deliberation with the combined efforts of the XsT Committee Tribunal Council and the self-proclaimed Fuhrer of TF2 WCG 2009 Team PIE, it has been decreed that the upcoming outing shall have a drastic change in itinerary.

In layman's terms, we will be carrying out the planned wet weather programme for the outing as the weather forecast predicts that the weather will be wet on Saturday, thus we will be unable to carry out our initial programme that did not involve or include the wet weather programme.

Though many of you are disheartened by the fact that we are no longer able to rollerblade or cycle, as well as that our beloved friends VGD, Wish, Luminarium, EmmisirX, Snide and Matafleur have decided to attend an anime festival cum convention instead of joining us in our glorious event, I am confident we shall have a great time at Kallang instead of East Coast Park nonetheless.

Details are as follows.

Date: 21st November 2009
Day: Saturday
Venue: Kallang Leisure Park
Time: 10:30am - 3:30pm
Itinerary: Ice-skating --> Lunch --> Bowling
Budget: S$20 (Ice-skating), S$10 (Lunch), S$10 (Bowling)

Meeting Venue: Kallang Leisure Park Ground Floor
Meeting Time: 10am

What To Bring: Socks (not ankle socks for ice-skating), Bowling ball and shoes (if applicable).

Attendance Confirmed
Dejomel
Mut
Dee
TangyOrange
EvilGenius
LeviathanX
Astatine
Heavenly
Best lame

Attendance TBC
Aelesia
Sick
Ripple

Not Attending
Tyco
Snide
Selr
Dc
VGD
Wish
Lok
Luminarium
EmmisirX
Matafleur

See y'all there and hope you guys have fun!

water jet-pack

2009-11-18T17:25:00.001+08:00

Rollerblading outing @ ECP

2009-11-13T15:48:00.013+08:00

Hi sexies. Dejomel and I feel like going lollerblading and cycling at East Coast park next Saturday. Who wants to join? All TF2 friends are welcome to join us :)

Date: 21st November, Saturday

Time: Morning/Early Afternoon?

Where: East Coast Park

Food: 11am, eat brunch?

Budget: ~$6/hour for bike/rollerblade rentals, ~$10 for food

Confirm going:

Mut

Dee

Dejomel

Levi

Botak Snipa

Darren

Unconfirmed but interested:

Evil Genius

VGD

Nasty

Pokie

Wish

Lok

Lumi

Wet weather plan suggestions:

Dejomel: Ice skating

Mut: drink tea, have cake and talk cock

Thanks :D Oh gf or bf also welcome ~_~

COD MW2

2009-11-10T16:15:00.000+08:00

Just bought COD Modern Warfare 2 for the PC... going to play tonight, any kaki?

Cat Tea Party

2009-10-19T18:23:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I went to this cat tea party @ Dempsey Road organised by STRIP and Cat Welfare Society. All the cats were so adorable and fat! Hope to have more of this soon :) (I also recently went to a guinea pig run at Bishan Park, if you're interested you can check out the pics here )

A few pics of very cute cats:

And angrier ones...

Pretty Melody Chen was our host for that afternoon with lots of yummy snacks and gorgeous merchandise. More pics here.

Dee and I went to the Cookie Museum and Supperclub last Thursday... will be uploading pics soon (once I find my mum's camera cable).

fire sound waves

2009-10-10T18:01:00.000+08:00

L4D Trailer in Hokkien

2009-09-28T21:19:00.001+08:00

Flower

2009-09-22T11:37:00.004+08:00

Okie I've one more game!

It's called Flower by thatgamecompany, creators of fl0w.

If you're tired of testosterone-driven blood and gore or if you'd just like to de-stress the healthy way, try this!

The main mechanic is simply tilting the PS3 game controller, traveling as the wind as we gather petals which make make a complete song. Playing this on HD with 5.1 surround really adds to the immersive experience with seamless transitions and amazing audio integration. I feel so happy saving trees and making the grass greener. Hope you do too!!!

A good reason to have another joint after Rock Band Beatles :P

A couple of games

2009-09-21T10:44:00.002+08:00

Hey guys! For this short break post-GCA, I managed to acquire/try out a couple of awesome games. First and foremost, Selamat Hari Raya to all Muslim friends :)

1) Rock Band Beatles (360)
Not really a true blue Beatles fan but the songs are a joy to play through compared to GH or Rock Band 1. The main draw of this Rock Band version is really the trippy theme and graphics, much unlike the graffiti street art.

Btw, the vocals now feature harmonic voices (as with Guitar Hero 5), which means that the game can support up to 3 mics singing different parts at one time :D

Was completely blown away by the whole psychedelic visuals; playing this game just makes you soooo happy :D Having completed the entire game, I must say the ending cutscene is just breathtaking!

*SPOILER*

Definitely not for your typical e-peen conscious rocker because the hardest songs aren't really that hard (in that case you could go try out Guitar Hero 5, THAT is challenging.) but more for the casual rocker who appreciates easy-going songs, the Beatles themselves, aesthetically pleasing visuals, transitions or better still, smokes a whole lotta stuff.

BOOMS!

2) Scribblenauts (DS)

I've just played the sandbox part of this game and haha, it provided hours of entertainment. Maybe I'm just easily amused but Scribblenauts does have a HUGE library of stuff, from your daily words like cats, fishes, stones, paper, to time machine, flamethrower, and the most comprehensive library of obscure bird breeds.

I've come to conclusion that God was able to prevent a fight between Satan and a Trex by walking around with one eye, holding a kangkung wearing a bikini. But apparently well, to some the puzzle might be too predictable. To others, it's hard like fuck.. but my brother pointed out that he was able to solve almost every level with a jetpack and fishing rod, so there might be some balancing issues there.

Nevertheless, just exploring the library of items is a good enough reason for me to get this game!!!

3) Fat Princess (PS3)

Ahaha yeeees! Okay this is only reason why I got a PSN account (add me @ muthucurry). For us TF2 players, the element of teamwork should be quite intuitive with the various classes. Stuffed in the RTS genre, it's a little bit of that and yet strangely similar to TF2 in some ways.

Attacks usually come in 2 forms - individual target or AoE, with damage types being upgraded by a Worker.

The classes are Mage (spell damage like burn or freeze), Priest (heal individuals like a TF2 medic or AoE heal), Worker (probably one of the most impt classes here to do fixing/upgrades like a peon), Archer (ranged) and Warrior (melee).

Basically the fat princess is your flag and there are different modes of gameplay very much like Unreal Tournament (CTF, territory control, team deathmatch etc) BUT in order to make it difficult for the enemy to bring the princess back, you gotta keep stuffing her with cake which can be found lying around randomly on the map.

The more cake she eats, the fatter she gets, and more players are needed to quickly carry her back... but that also means that the players CANNOT attack when they're carrying her.

I'd say the game is pretty much balanced for now (points-wise naturally the Priest gets it faster like a TF2 medic)

If you're bored of the princess, you could release your inner jock and just have a bloody game of soccer!

4) Brutal Legend (360)

Only managed to play a bit of this at GCA so can't say much... it's a little glitchy on the tech side but the winning factor is most probably Jack Black humour so if you're into that sorta thing, it's actually quite funny :D

OR if you're a gamer AND a metalhead.

BOOOOOOMZZZ!!!11

GCA 2009

2009-09-11T13:08:00.003+08:00

Hey all,

Games Convention Asia 2009 will be next week 17th-20th September at Suntec! I'll be down on most of the days at the business centre or at the office (nearby) but will be free to roam about the exhibition mostly on Saturday. Will also be lucky enough to attend the conference on Thursday :)

If any of you guys are dropping by for lunch or anything, give me a ring or a msg ~_~

Apologies for my absence as well :( While Dome has his exams, I've also been busy at work preparing the games showcase for GCA (and other deadlines). Free time is a luxury these days and the drive to improve in TF2 has dropped to zero; I've become a casual TF2 player!!!!111

Nevertheless, good luck for your exams Dome!

Inactivity Notice

2009-09-09T18:44:00.002+08:00

Hey people!

The O' Levels begin in exactly 48 days from today, and I am scared shitless at how completely unprepared I am.
But in either case, heading to the TF2 WCG 2009 with my fellow XsTs is one thing I will never regret.

My first paper begins on the 26th of October 2009, and my final paper ends on the 14th of November 2009.

So until then, I'll be completely inactive and just busy sorting my academic life in order.

Hope to see everyone soon (preferably at an XsT paintball gathering cum outing sometime in November).

Wish me luck!
-Dominic

Been a bit quiet lately...

2009-09-08T17:53:00.001+08:00

Hello all!

Wow its been a bit quiet lately huh! Guess the last TF2 update didnt really perk up interest.... as opposed to how the class updates usually do.

In anycase, Insanity, Hero and myself (Sick) have been playing quite a bit lately and look forward to you guys joining us! Usually at night around 9pm. Just give us a PM.

Cheers,

Brendan

For all MMO friends:)

2009-08-19T14:44:00.004+08:00

Classless Update

2009-08-14T10:29:00.002+08:00

Ooh lah lah!! Some very interesting changes there...

Additions / Changes:

Added "Auto Reload" option to the multiplayer advanced options.
Clip-based weapons that reload a full clip at a time can now have their reloads aborted by firing.
Pistol now fires at a fixed rate, not based on the speed at which you press the firing button.
Added a color blind option to add a Jarate icon above enemies who are busy accepting a terrifying existence where they have no dignity.
Significantly reduced the amount of network traffic being sent.
Capturing the flag in a CTF game mode gives the entire capturing team 10 seconds of critboost.
Sappers attached to a teleporter automatically place another Sapper on the other end of the teleporter, if it exists.
Engineers wrenching a teleporter will repair the other end as well, and remove Sappers from both if they exist.
Disguised Spies no longer trigger On-Hit effects (like the Blutsauger's heal).
Removed self-inflicted minicrits. Fixes Jarate'd Soldiers/Demomen having ineffective rocket/grenade jumps.
Added an item panel to the spectator cam that shows non-standard items being carried by the player you're spectating.
Added an "Inspect" key that allows you to look at items being carried by your team mates.
Backpack improvements:

- Added drag & drop to move items around. Item positions are maintained on the backend.
- Added multi-select, allowing you to delete multiple items at once.
- Added a new key to the key binding page that opens your inventory directly to your backpack.
- Fixed mouseover panel being incorrectly position when the backpack first appears.

Cloaked Spies standing in valid backstab positions no longer raise their knife.
Added current map name and gametype to the bottom right of scoreboard.
Added class icons to tips on the loadout and loading screens.
Improved visuals around flags when they're being carried by a player.
Improved critboosted visuals, making it much clearer when an enemy has critboost.
Updated the loading panel to show the game type under the map name during level transition.
In-game chat dialog now supports full Unicode characters.
Added BLU main menu background.
Added response caching for some server queries to help reduce the CPU load from DOS attacks.
Teammates no longer block friendly radius damage. Prevents nearby teammates causing rocket/grenade jumps to fail.

The rest can be found here.

Carneyvale: Showtime on PAX10!

2009-08-11T22:09:00.007+08:00

Hello everyone! A bit of good news for those who've been following the local indie games scene... for those who don't know, Carneyvale: Showtime is an XBox Live Arcade game developed by Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Gamelab (7 developers in our team, of which one of them is yours truly :P) and has won several awards last year.

I'm proud to say that this game has represented Singapore in various prestigious competitions such as Dream.Build.Play (Grand Prize), IGF (Finalist), and most recently, Penny Arcade Expo Top 10(PAX10)! So very happy for the team :)

Apologies, I just learnt that XBLA is finally available for Singaporeans! You can get the game for 400 points. Do try it out!

For aspiring game developers, you can read this interview.

To view the gameplay, watch this (@ 4:37):

Hopefully gamers will be more aware of how our local game developers are doing and the games that they produce, from mobile games, casual games to hardcore games.

Developing AAA titles is definitely not far off!

That's my share of *cough*patriotism for Singapore heheh

Btw, a couple of Showtime developers play TF2 too. If you see player(s) by the name of Fang or Bman, please do say hi to them ^^

Mut's 21st Gathering

2009-08-02T17:45:00.002+08:00

Hello TF2 friends, thanks so much for coming. Hope you all enjoyed yourselves :) More pics can be found HERE.

Happenings over the past few weeks!

2009-08-02T11:58:00.003+08:00

Hello all!

In a blink of an eye and it is already August! Yikes! A couple of things have happened over the past few weeks and so this is an update!

1) Our lovely ladies Dee & Mut have both turned 21yrs old! Woohoo! I have personally known them since secondary school and now they are legally adults! XsT wishes them all the best in their future plans and hope that we have many more wonderful gaming years to come!

2) We have a new member! Pokiepoke-|XsT|, who I got to know during the WCG, has now officially joined us! Say hi to this dangerous demoman if you see him around the servers! He is also our resident GHWT drummer heh.

3) Our dear Hero-|XsT| is now back from studying in the UK and is now playing on our local servers. Do guide him along as TF2 is new to him! The more kaki we have the better eh.

Ill be in the servers these few days, following which I'm heading for my graduation trip and ceremony (UK, Paris and Melbourne). XsT Paintball session will follow in September/October yeah!?

cheers,
Sick.

Mut's 21st Birthday Gathering

2009-07-31T10:21:00.002+08:00

Hello XsT friends or friends of Mut (or crashers), please check if you've confirmed your attendance for Mut's Birthday tomorrow evening.

Dee
Spam
B1
Dejomel
Rivace
Null
UGL
TheNork
Sick + Tiff
Pokie
H3ro

For details, please check:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106605727023&ref=ts

Thanks!

Cheers,

Tan Hong Ming

2009-07-27T14:17:00.000+08:00

R.I.P Yasmin Ahmad, film-maker with a heart of gold.

Holy Grail: Black Knight (Gmod version)

2009-07-26T10:59:00.000+08:00

Scrumdiddlyumptious

2009-07-19T02:47:00.000+08:00

Half-life 2: Stalker Rape

2009-07-13T20:46:00.003+08:00

Childhood Gems

2009-07-08T14:22:00.003+08:00

Recently, my sister got re-hooked into playing Heroes of Might and Magic 5. With the introduction of online games, turn-based strategy games and adventure games have been forced into a steep decline, though many of them still live, ironically because of online communities.

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to games when genres such as adventure games were at its peak, games which my siblings and I picked up along the way, thoroughly enjoyed, and were never forgotten.

Here are some of the games I grew up with (aside from great, popular titles like Monkey Island)

1) Heroes of Might and Magic (1995 - 2006)
Genre: Turn-based strategy
Developer: New World Computing , Nival Interactive
Publisher: 3DO, Ubisoft

HoMM1 Screenshots: Main, Battle, Faction
HoMM2 Screenshots: Main, Battle, Faction
HoMM3 Screenshots: Main, Battle, Faction
HoMM4 Screenshots: Main, Battle, Faction
HoMM5 Screenshots: Main, Battle, Faction

2) Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (1993)
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Al Lowe (Leisure Suit Larry) and Josh Mandel
Publisher: Sierra

Download

3) Odell: Down Under (1996)
Genre: Education
Publisher and Developer: MECC

For some reason, I really enjoyed this game (which they installed in every school PC) and have bits of marine knowledge with me till this day.

4) The Neverhood (1996)
Genre: Adventure/Puzzle?
Developer: The Neverhood Inc.
Publisher: Dreamworks Interactive

5) Creatures (1996 - 2001)
Genre: AI Learning (?)
Developer: Millenium, Cyberlife Tech,
Publisher: Mindscape Entertainment, Creature Labs

Creatures Screenshot
Creatures 2 Screenshot
Creatures 3/Docking station Screenshot

6) Lode Runner: The Legend Returns (1994)
Genre: Puzzle, Platform
Developer: Presage
Publisher: Sierra

7) Grim Fandango (1998)
Genre: Adventure
Developer and Publisher: LucasArts

8 ) Princess Maker 2 (1993)
Genre: Life Simulation
Developer and Publisher: Gainax

This is actually quite fun, don't let the kawaii exterior fool you!
(especially the M18 hack)

9) Space Quest (1991 - 1995)
Genre: Adventure
Developer and Publisher: Sierra

10) Commander Keen (1990-1991)
Genre: Platform
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Apogee Software

11) Jazz Jackrabbit (1994-1998)
Genre: Platform
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Gathering of Developers

Just sharing a few random 11 titles, hope it brings nostalgia for those who got introduced to gaming during the 1990s :) Feel free to share your childhood gems !

WCG 2009

2009-07-04T18:41:00.003+08:00

Hey everyone!

Dome Jnr, Mut and myself (Sick) just participated in the WCG 2009 under the team name "PIE", formed just 5 days before the event. It was the brainchild of Dome Jnr. and for that we are very grateful to him.

We were teamed up with dKiwi, Best_Lame and PokiePoke, who became great friends to us over these few days. Thanks for the training, the company and the experience guys!

Even though we lost 5 - 0 in the first round to Malaysian clan Anomaly (congrats to them!), it was such a fun learning experience for us.

Thanks to all who came down to support us (Dee, Indi, Insanity) and thanks to Clan O9K who trained with us yesterday.

Hopefully we can continue training and play more games in the future!

cheers,

Sick

It is time to choing the servers!

2009-06-17T12:44:00.002+08:00

Hello Team!

Yes yes, I am finally back! And this time, it is more or less for good!

It is time to choing the servers once again!

Do join me or drop me an SMS if you guys/girls want to play online.

Cheers,

Sick

Left 4 Dead 2

2009-06-03T23:10:00.003+08:00

"By the time you read this, Valve will have announced the existence of Left 4
Dead 2 at Microsoft's E3 press conference.

By watching the announcement trailer, you'll discover that there are new characters, special zombies, and even melee weapons like a chain saw.

But if you want to learn more, read on, because we were at Valve last week to actually play through one of the sequel's campaigns (the E3 demo only features the first two levels of the campaign that we played), and we got all the bloody details.Now it might seem unusual for Valve to be rolling out a sequel to Left 4 Dead so quickly; after all, the original game shipped on November 18.

The sequel is due out on November 17, almost one full year later. However, Valve's Chet Faliszek (known almost universally in the industry as just Chet) told us that when they finished production of Left 4 Dead last year many of the developers had ideas they wanted to pursue for a sequel. And since Valve employees get to choose their next project, it quickly paved the way for Left 4 Dead 2.

Source: http://pc.ign.com/articles/988/988161p1.html

Left 4 Dead 2 will feature five new campaigns that are linked together as part of a larger and more coherent narrative story.

The all-new cast of characters will also develop their personalities as the game progresses.All of the existing Boss Infected will return, along with new additions. Two of these were shown in a Rock Paper Shotgun exclusive hands-on preview of the game – The Charger, a miniature Tank with a powerful charging attack, and the Wandering Witch, who wanders the entire map instead of staying stationary, forcing the Survivor team to rethink their tactics for Witch evasion.Melee combat in Left 4 Dead 2 has been expanded.

Axes, baseball bats, chainsaws and even frying pans are some of the tools available for players. It is not clear if Valve intends to retain the "right-click" melee attack option in Left 4 Dead, or if it will be completely replaced.

The new and improved AI director has been given the ability to alter the layout of certain sections of the campaign, forcing players to seek out different pathways with each playthrough. The director also has the ability to change weather effects and to create random objects in the game world.

Wandering Witches .. Chainsaws .. Insane maps ..

No shit man.

May 21, 2009 - Team Fortress 2 Update Released

2009-05-22T15:13:00.001+08:00

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Maps

Added new map, Pipeline. Pipeline is the first map in a new game mode named payload race, which uses two carts in each map instead of only one like traditional payload maps
Added new arena map Sawmill
Added new arena map Nucleus
Added new community payload map Hoodoo
Updated Dustbowl to fix not being able to jump into the window in the first building of the second stage

Sniper Changes

Added new sniper rifle replacement, The Huntsman. Instead of a sniper rifle, you have a bow that allows you to move around faster while firing, and fire more quickly than the sniper rifle. Works better at medium range than the standard rifle
Added new SMG replacement, Jarate. If thrown on an enemy they will take more damage for short period of time. Also extinguishes flames on yourself or allies
Added new SMG replacement, The Razorback. Will protect you against a single spy backstab, and stun the spy for a short period of time. Comes with a 15% move speed penalty for the wearer
Standard sniper rifle now shoots through friendly players
Added 54 new Sniper voice lines
Added 35 new Sniper achievements

Spy

Added new revolver replacement, The Ambassador. First shot is very accurate and will cause a critical hit if it hits an enemy's head. Accuracy is poor for a period after that
Added new watch replacement, the Dead Ringer. When armed, you will appear in all ways to die to the first damage you take from an enemy. You'll be cloaked for 8 second after taking this damage. Upon de-cloaking you'll make a loud, distinct sound
Added new watch replacement, the Cloak and Dagger. Your cloak meter is only depleted when you move, so you can stay invisible indefinitely if you're standing still
Spy name tags now show up properly when disguised as their own team
Fixed a bug that would cause spectators to see disguise weapons incorrectly
Fixed a bug where enemy spies disguised as friendly spies would have cigarettes that didn't burn
Fixed a bug where overhealing disguised spies would show the wrong overhealing amount to the medic
Made it more obvious on first person view model when your motion cloak is out of juice and you are partially visible
Also made it more obvious on first person view model when you're bumped while cloaked
Improved the way your disguise weapon is determined to make it clearer and fix a couple of rare issues
Spies disguised as enemy spies now get a random mask to help complete the disguise, and their target id will be set appropriately
Spies disguised as medics now have an Ubercharge: line in their disguise target info
Spies outward facing "disguise health" now matches their disguise target when they first apply the disguise
Spies can now pick up health kits for their "disguise health", even when uninjured
Disguise UI doesn't show up in minimum UI mode (hud_minmode)
Spies that disguise as a player using an unlockable now show that unlockable in hand
Spies can now use enemy teleporters
Added 70 new Spy voice lines
Added 34 new Spy achievements

Scoreboard changes

Dominations no longer get wiped when teams switch sides
Dead players draw slightly darker in scoreboard
Converted class labels to class icons
All players now display the total number of people they are dominating

General

You now find new and old items as you play, instead of through achievements
Fixed a bug that would cause the scout's ball to regenerate at inappropriate times
Demomen can now detonate their stickies while taunting
Flamethrower's air burst now extinguishes fire on friendly targets
Grenades and rockets deflected by a pyro under the effects of Kritzkrieg will now be criticals
The Heavy and Sniper now have new custom death animations
Fixed payload HUD not updating properly if you join in the middle of a match and the cart isn't moving
Engineer's dispensers now give 20%, 30%, or 40% of player's max_ammo (for each ammo type) on each use, based on the level of the dispenser
Added -sillygibs commandline parameter which will allow the non-violent gibs to be enabled
Added a new taunt for the Kritzkrieg, which also heals for 10 points
Improved the deathcam camera handling used when a player plays a custom death animation
Added missing chalkboard and serverbrowser images for community maps shipped in previous updates
Removed "Final" from map names in the serverbrowser quick list

Servers

Added "sv_allow_voice_from_file" convar, which defaults to 1. When set to 0, it'll prevent clients from using the "voice_inputfromfile" feature to broadcast wav files over voice
Enabled "sv_allow_wait_command" convar, which defaults to 1. When set to 0, it'll prevent clients from using the "wait" command

Competitive play

2009-05-18T19:07:00.002+08:00

We are forming a team for this game. Once I get my hands on it.

mychowchows on Sunday Times

2009-05-17T14:34:00.001+08:00

A scan for those who're lazy :)

Coup d'etat

2009-05-17T13:53:00.008+08:00

The COUP event which was held last night at BluJaz cafe was wonderful! Kudos to Rivace for his first time playing out! You certainly did not disappoint your fans! hahahaha ha hahah

A huge thanks to all our TF2 friends who came down :)

YEAHHH!

Meet The Spy

2009-05-17T12:59:00.003+08:00

This is the real thing, leaked onto youtube. Be quick to catch it before it gets removed!

China's version of STOMP

2009-05-15T11:33:00.002+08:00

http://www.chinasmack.com/

10 times more informative!

Best of all, it's not in Engrish nor regulated.

So yeah have fun!

Team Fortress 2 - The Sniper Update

2009-05-13T12:03:00.005+08:00

Apparently there has been news on the first Sniper Class unlockable for the upcoming update.

The Huntsman

You will shoot them and they will stick to the wall and they will die

Any experienced sniper will tell you how irritating it is when your targets keep moving around. The question is how to stop these cheaters from wind-sprinting around like they own the place. And the answer is to pin them to a wall. How? With arrows!

"Now, hold on," you might be thinking. "I'm strong, but no one could throw an arrow that hard." Introducing the Huntsman longbow, which solves that age-old throwing problem.

"Now, hold on," you keep saying. "Aren't bows and arrows primitive and harmless?" Why don't you ask the dinosaurs? Except you can't, because the cavemen bow and arrowed them to death. One headshot from the Huntsman can mean an instant crit, in addition to a bolt-riddled corpse hanging from a wall that's gruesome and funny.

And even if you don't kill them, they'll carry around a certain arrow-shaped something as a living testament to your awesome archery skills and their frankly unawesome dodging skills. Comes with 18 arrows and a one-second charge for full power shots.

As taken from the sniper update page.

mychowchows.blogspot.com

2009-05-12T18:32:00.005+08:00

http://mychowchows.blogspot.com/

Alright here is my latest project that functions like an online encyclopedia of what I call chowchows (aka Smelly Smelly). These are items like comfort pillows, safety blankets, stuff toys etc... things that people cannot sleep without. They usually have a long and colourful history and I hope to get people to share these stories on this site!

http://mychowchows.blogspot.com/

So do pass the word and contribute to the site!

LOTRO

2009-05-06T11:15:00.007+08:00

I've been playing this MMO called Lord of the Rings Online, a huge plus point if you're a LOTR fan of course :) Just an opinion, not a review!

Found this beauty in Trollshaws, just east of Rivendell. As Strider casually mentioned while resting here with Frodo, there is even the bird nest (on the ear of the right troll).

Bilbo’s first duty on this journey was to investigate a light in the distance that turned out to be a fire with three Forest trolls around it. Bilbo attempted to snatch something from the trolls to bring back to the Dwarves, to show that he was a first class burglar, for everyone knows that trolls have large treasure troves. However, he was caught and the Dwarves who attempted to help him were captured as well. They were then rescued by Gandalf, who tricked the trolls and turned them all to stone. Gandalf was the one who had found the trolls’ cave where they were being held. Before they left, Bilbo took an elvish dagger from the trolls’ collection, which he would later name Sting.

I’m constantly amazed by the detail and effort put into crafting the virtual Middle Earth. Very happy to have picked up this underrated gem while the world is still preoccupied with WoW (which is of course still the most overhyped *best* MMO out there but yeah move on) and the other so-so MMOs, especially free ones. Glad Turbine took the huge risk (creating a game from existing text isn’t as easy as people think) and interpreted Tolkien’s works so perfectly while staying true to the story.

The people are considerably more mature in thinking and are willing to help others (but I’m playing in an Aussie server instead of an US server, if that hints at anything). Grinding is completely unnecessary and for the first time, I’m actually compelled to read quest logs instead of just clicking through, because every single quest just seamlessly adds to the story, if not creates a more in-depth richness to characters, classes or relationships.

The art and music remain unsurpassed, aside from the default UI but UI can be heavily customized. Animations may not be as smooth but the detail is crazy. Never thought I’d be finding myself sympathising with a mob while bashing it up, all because it wailed for help halfway (very unexpected). Everyday I find myself exploring, unearthing various monuments (such as the three trolls) and linking it back to the lore. Few games have given me such opportunities to stop at my tracks, admire and reflect on what seems to be just a digital render.

The only thing that falls short in this game is its PvP mode. Hero players can’t really fight each other in PvP zones unless it’s player vs player mob (yes you can play as a warg, spider etc), though you can casually “spar” others. But this falls in line with the story (because it’s not right to see men kill hobbits and I’m sure elves can’t be bothered with dwarves) and I’m not a huge fan of PvP or the need to display e-peen anyway so it doesn’t affect me much.

That being said, LOTRO is a little more casual than WoW in the sense that it’s not as fast paced, which is good because I have the time to fully digest landscapes, story and vastness of space without being too preoccupied with battles and PvPs. It is also more realistic (or boring, depends on you) in that sense. For those who’re more into online dick-size comparisons over story depth and paidic enjoyment, this game is definitely not for you and you can carry on playing WoW or even Quake (haha okay I’m damn biased here but just really sick of persistent fanboys.).

Most importantly, zomg Turbine is ab-so-lute-ly diligent in delivering patches, new content, fixing bugs for us even though LOTRO generally doesn’t have as much players as other MMOs. The community spirit is strong and Turbine is determined to strike a good chord with us. How many creators of MMOs or even other games can safely say that they’ve been paying this much attention to what the community needs without giving half-assed excuses?

So if you’ve finally decided to move on from WoW or rekindle your love for LOTR, then give LOTRO a try ;)

COUP

2009-04-23T18:41:00.004+08:00

Kay guys, I've another small gig coming up, but this one is a little more accessible and special. Held at BluJaz Cafe (not far from City Hall MRT) 2nd floor, whoever comes can chill, have a few beers and enjoy the music. Non-clubbers can definitely join as it's not a dancey gig but more of a chill gig.

What's special about this time's gig is that it's hosted by COUP, a collective of electronic music enthusiasts recently founded by my friends and I, including familiar faces like Null (under the moniker, jacklepop) and rivace. This is the lineup:

2200 - 2300: Fiq
2300 - 0000: Justin Ma x Chermy
0000 - 0100: Dekoyan x Rivace
0100 - 0200: Chee Who? x Yi Siong
0200 - 0300: Justin Ong x Jules

As you can see, Rivace, the very ultra talented 1000 years-old scratch grandmasta, will be playing back to back with me, which is also his first time playing out as a DJ. We will be dishing out some lovely beats and progressive house, so come down and support us and our friends :)

Thanks~!

Regarding hypocrisy

2009-04-23T11:34:00.003+08:00

I'm a free thinker but somehow this article made quite some sense to me. There are a couple of XsT-ians who are Christians so this might be a nice little snippet for you :)

The caller to the radio program mentioned religion, so the radio talk show host began to rant about hypocrites. “I can’t stand religious hypocrites,” he said. “They talk about religion, but they’re no better than I am. That’s why I don’t like all this religious stuff.”

This man didn’t realize it, but he was agreeing with God. God has made it clear that He can’t stand hypocrisy either. It’s ironic, though, that something God opposes is used by some people as an excuse not to seek Him.

Jesus said this about hypocrisy: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:8-9).

Notice what Jesus said to perhaps the biggest hypocrites of His day, the Pharisees. In Matthew 23, He called them hypocrites—not once, not twice, but seven times! They were religious people who were putting on a big show, but God knew their hearts. He knew they were far from Him.

Non-Christians who point out hypocrisy in us when they see it are right in doing so. They are agreeing with God, who also despises it. Our task is to make sure our lives honor the One who deserves our total dedication. — Dave Branon

Hypocrisy is a common sin
That grieves the Lord above;
He longs for those who’ll worship Him
In faith and truth and love.
—Bosch
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2009/04/23/devotion.aspx

It's nice to note that in many subtle ways, people of different religions are helping each other strengthen their faiths. While people doubt our faith and accuse us of being hypocrites, we can choose to defend it strongly and claim "who are you to insult God?", or it could be "hey he's right, what HAVE I done to improve my relationship with God".

These 2 common choices can be applied to everything in life, even aggro faced in gaming, or family, or friends. It's just a matter of reflection before speaking and keeping an open mind.

After all, we all don't want to be "religious people putting on a big show".

Send in your application video!

2009-04-22T18:33:00.003+08:00

To facilitate our recruitment, please send us a video tape that is modeled after this. I guarantee you a spot if its as pro as this!

Lets kick the Gloom!

2009-04-20T20:30:00.008+08:00

Ok so let me kick off this gloomy exam season with a lame post!

Question 1: What is the difference between a bowling ball and "Pi Sai" (nose shit)?

Question 2: What is the difference between a coffee cup and "Pi Sai" (nose shit)?

Anyways before I give you the answer to these questions, I want to share 2 games that I have been playing over the past week. Both games are vastly different, not just in their gameplay, but in their modes of development.

Call of Duty 5: World at War - COD5 feels like I'm watching a movie! And I'm sure it had a big budget too. Its supposedly ultra-realistic and is a good break from the cartoonish feel of TF2. Anyone here has COD5? Could do with some kaki.

New Star Grand Prix - Simon Read is an indie game developer from the UK and for F1 fans, this game is truly majestic. Forget about Forza or GT5-like graphics, this is top down classic racing that requires you to plan fuel strategy, tyre strategy and racing strategy, while keeping your team boss and fans happy! Simon's doing a great job getting feedback from the community via his forums and the game is constantly being tweaked to eradicate bugs and for a better racing experience. You can download the game to try the first 3 tracks in career mode and subsequently buy it online for SGD$15. I'm really glad I did!

As for the answers to the riddles above...

Answer 1: Bowling ball you throw it and it rolls. Pi Sai you roll it, then you throw!

Answer 2: Coffee cup is placed ON the table, Pi Sai is stuck BELOW the table.

Cheers,

Sick.

New TF2 multicore discussion in forum!

2009-03-22T14:06:00.003+08:00

New TF2 Multicore discussion now in the forum!

Has enabling this new feature helped anyone? Post your comments and views there!

cheers,

brendan

New Forum!

2009-03-13T08:57:00.004+08:00

We have a new forum! Both for guests and friends of XsT to engage in more meaningful and in-depth chat (over and above our tagboard on the right) and for XsT members to have private discussions.

http://teamxst.phpbbserver.com/

Note: For XsT members, please register using your official in-game nickname. Only after you have done so, then we can invite you into the member group (which may take a short while...but im always online la!).

Here is to happy discussions and building friendships! As a clan, we are really friendly people and we do want to engage everyone in community building and have fun while doing it :)

cheers,

sick

The Best Is Yet To Be....

2009-03-11T21:18:00.003+08:00

Over the past week, XsT has had several changes to its line-up. Several members have left to form their own clan, and we wish them all the best.

We are also happy to announce that Dejomel-|XsT| has joined us as a member and we look forward to many happy gaming moments with him.

As a clan, XsT looks at every clan development positively and our current members are happy to mark a new direction we will be taking. This will be unveiled over the next few weeks, together with a new look site!

Quake Live

2009-03-02T19:44:00.004+08:00

Alright guys and girls...remember the good old Quake 3 days? Well its back, and its free. You can play it just using ur browser... and it feels exactly like the old Quake 3.

www.quakelive.com

Tale of How

2009-02-24T22:44:00.002+08:00

Just wanted to share this animation which is really nice :D

The Tale of How from Shy the Sun on Vimeo.

A Portal Triumph

2009-01-23T10:13:00.003+08:00

There have been a few TF2 paper cut-outs, DIY stuffed headcrabs but there's been nothing like an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Made for a cosplay event, the materials used to build the replica include:

florist's foam, wonderflex, bondo, PVC pipe, ABS plastic, LED lighting, an acrylic plunger handle, roll-feed paper spindle, an old drawer pull, rubber hose, coaxial cable connectors, and gallons of frustration.

The article on engadget can be found here.
I'm making a note here; huge success.

Outing Photo

2009-01-21T18:43:00.004+08:00

Wow what a nice nostalgic lan gaming session! TFC, TF2, DOD and HL2 DM were the games we played and it felt truly refreshing to be playing as a group again!

We really need to think of better photo ideas...

cheers,
sick

update XsT Lan Outing? Really?

2009-01-12T20:52:00.005+08:00

*Update*
Location has been Booked! Cathay E2Max @ 1100 - 1400hrs.
Current attendance is as follows:

Mut
Insanity
Q
Ren
Duece
Sick
Rat
Crimson
S1
Dee
Spiddy

more more more people! btw where the world is crimson!?
---------------

Hey all!

Happy new year! Sorry for the long blog absence (thanks gad for getting a new design up!) Been rather quiet on the TF2 front for XsT eh? Perhaps we all need another release class pack...

Or a lan party!

The Cybercafes are now packed with people playing L4D... so maybe we too can have some TF2 + L4D fun!

Im proposing this Sunday, 18 January @ 11am. Probably at E2Max, unless someone has somewhere else in mind.

So how? Post attendance in the comments here! Or get on Vent and discuss! Cheers.

sick aka brendan.

Evolution Theories

2009-01-07T02:32:00.001+08:00

Oh yeah, by the way...

2009-01-03T15:29:00.000+08:00

Have a good 2009 everyone.

2009-01-03T15:24:00.002+08:00

After some hiatus, I logged in to my Google Reader to check my RSS feeds. I've subscribed to a WoW commentary feed. No surprise there as many of you are probably long aware that I've recently resumed playing with the release of the new expansion last month.

There is an ongoing discussion about class and raid balancing, along with some recent gripes about the game becoming too "easy mode" (sound familiar? TFC > TF2?) What interested me was a particular argument differentiating between a "casual" guild and a "hardcore" guild.

A "casual" guild of such can be equated to the likes of a TF2 team, much like ourselves. We've been around, we play the game with our own personal goals in mind (getting MVP, achievements, mass murder etc) However, we do not partake in competitive scale events. Sure, we have the odd scrim here and there when we got the numbers and the time. But never something to the extent of competing in a league, local or overseas.

Typically, a clan that participates or has great desire to participate in competitive events is seen as "hardcore", roughly equating to a WoW guild which has a raid schedule to clear all possible bosses/content in the game per dungeon per week. In addition, they maintain a good standing in worldwide arena rankings. Failure to do so, results in reprimanding from the raid leader. Generally, it's like a TF2 team where a frequent and regular match schedule is practiced in addition to playing at least 4 hours of ranked public servers everyday.

Of course, there are the in-betweens and hybrids with all sorts of names in WoW: Retired hardcore raiders, casual PvP raiders and casual-hardcore (lol) just to name a few.

As you might have already guessed, the topic which I want to talk about is between casual and hardcore. The argument which was presented in the WoW commentary was that current raid content is far too easy and hardcore guilds feel that they're being shortchanged. Average (and even sucky) players are walking around with epics, blasphemy to the raiding guilds which sharpen their skills to a knife's edge.

I get the feeling.

It's almost like those players who farm achievement maps for their unlockables. Then again, I might get flamed for saying this, because clearly we're not playing World of Team Fortresscraft. But if I had to equate a MMO to TF2, this would be how I would do it.

Having been in a raiding guild on a PvE server with a serious raiding schedule, I can say that I'm a little disgusted with WoW players who put in little or no effort into acquiring their epic loot. It's almost as if no thought was put into playing their class because sometimes when I go for pick-up dungeon runs with them, they seriously know jack shit about "aggro" and optimum "dps". All they know is, "If we kill this boss, I MAY get the item that I want."

But this bleeds into the larger argument of, "what do we play this game for?" This goes for all games with some form of personal achievement. To relate, in TF2 for example, the reason I play the Pyro is to prove myself that although it may be an easy class to play, mastery is incredibly difficult.

The recent discussions and terminology, "W + M1" is pissing the hell out of me as you will hopefully soon see in another detailed post about Pyro theorycraft. I've been at the receiving end of this very blunt butter knife of insults in most games I play - particularly in WoW. "Hunter just autoshot and afk right? So easy." Everyone takes the piss on something they don't understand so selfishly. No one ever considers factors like weapon breakpoints and limitations. But I digress.

Going back to the main topic, the interesting bit about this WoW discussion is that the argument about "sponsorship" came in.

Sponsorship, to me at least, can be seen in many ways. It could be that a clan/guild is backed by an enterprise who deems their gaming efforts as "marketable" for "potential brand exposure". It could also be seen as a small group of core members who contribute monetary assets to better the development of the clan/guild. Clearly, my views are drawn from the traditional FPS world of gaming sponsorship. XsT could be classified as being sponsored, we had vent and web server paid for, domain name, and even our own private server. Not to mention the occasional free food at our barbecues.

Among the WoW community, individuals claimed that casual raiders will never get to see some of the content hardcore guilds would see. Hardcores and former hardcores claimed that they were often sponsored, which is why they have a significant edge over these casuals - sometimes gold-buying was involved.

Some scoffed at the word "sponsored", saying that they fail to see how someone paying for a guild website or vent falls into the category of sponsorship. The reply the skeptics got from hardcore players was, "you have no idea."

This was what led me to write my article. How is it that some one or some people, with the intention of taking the clan or guild one step up, can strengthen the bonds within a team by adding value with a service?

The key, is initiative.

Would a hardcore WoW raiding guild have achieved so much if they spent time worrying about who was going to pay for the next month of vent or webspace? Would the communication between the players be as effective if not for voice? Would you trust your teammates as friends if you didn't find out that little extra about their real-life through the forums or chats? Most importantly, you wouldn't have as much fun as you are having right now if not for the knowledge that your teammates are having fun with you because of who they are.

If you have to worry about the transparency of DKP for every single raid, I don't think the incentive to show up on time for the raid would be as great for anyone. DKP means loot priority and loot priority usually means you get a raidspot. The reason why so many WoW guilds fall apart is because of internal disputes and drama which usually involve loot.

I suspect that in the world of gaming, initiative and transparency from individuals is what defines pro-ness. Regardless monetary or effort. It adds value by increasing communication and awareness between members both in-game and in real life.

Even though we don't see him much, Spiddy has already kindly funded our site and vent for this whole year. Simple value-add acts which help forge a stronger relationship through communication. With no expectation of return, that in itself, is sponsorship. Big thanks to him for it!

In conclusion, sponsorship, in all its forms, are acts of individuals which add significant value in generating unity amongst players. It most definitely is one of the many key components to the success of any clan or guild, one that I will continue to support.

Dominos

2008-11-25T18:52:00.000+08:00

LaserQuest Details!

2008-11-21T16:51:00.003+08:00

Hey all!

Ok for tomorrow, the nearest MRT is Bukit Gombak.

Alvin aka REN will be the IC there....he will then guide you to the HomeTeamNS location. Those driving will go there straight.

HomeTeamNS @ Bukit Batok
2 Bukit Batok West Avenue 7
Singapore 659003

Nearest MRT station : Bukit Gombak
Bus services along Bukit : TIBS 187 188 945
Batok West Avenue 7 NR 8

Meet at MRT station: 1020 hrs. Pls dont be late...later no more slots.

What to wear: Black or dark colours la....unless u want us to aim you..

People going thus far:
1) Sick
2) Insanity
3) Ren
4) Duece
5) Q
6) Rat
7) Tiffany's bro (bao zhong)

more people have not confirmed....best if a few more come along.

cheers,
brendan

Oblong's g-speak: the 'Minority Report' OS brought to life

2008-11-21T14:11:00.000+08:00

g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo.

Revelation Rave 6:12

2008-11-19T17:10:00.004+08:00

Hey guys, I'll be having another gig, this time offshore - at St. John's Island. It's a pretty intimate party for friends only. The only price you have to pay is ferry ticket $15, to and fro. Gonna be 4/4 electronic beats (techno, house, trance, progressive) the whole night.

Can check out more at http://partyengineers.wordpress.com.

So if interested, drop me a message :)

xoxo

Stack some more?

2008-11-11T11:51:00.001+08:00

Seems like we're not the only stackers around.

-Insanity

Details for LaserQuest

2008-11-01T19:10:00.003+08:00

Hey all!

Guess everyone has voted...and im actually quite surprised by the outcome!

So its time for some OLD SCHOOL LASERQUEST YEAH!

Date: 22 November (Saturday)

Time: 1030 - 1300hrs. This is the only free time slot available that day.

Location: HomeTeamNS Clubhouse @ Bukit Batok - 2 Bukit Batok West Avenue 7 (Singapore 659003)

Nearest MRT station: Bukit Gombak. Website: http://www.hometeamns.sg/index.cfm?GPID=50

Game modes we will play will be... 2 Team Battle, 3 Team Battle, Solo Deathmatch.

Please confirm attendance by contacting Sick (myself) or Insanity (dennis), by 8th november.

Cheers,
Sick aka brendan

bored

2008-10-31T14:58:00.001+08:00

Team XsT End of Year Fragfest

2008-10-29T09:59:00.003+08:00

Hey all!

Decided that we "arm-chair" warriors need to get some exercise and some real life fragging.

Still in the planning stages, but need a vote (see poll on right) for the following event to be held weekends of last 2 weeks in November. Date TBC.

Paintball or LaserQuest?

Paintball:
Approx $50 per pax. Maybe 4-5 times entering the arena.
About 1 hour
Limited number of shots (dont waste bullet la..no spamming)
Open field with obstacles, pain like hell.

LaserQuest:
This is NOT lasermania..this one much better. Have different level terrain. At bukit gombak HomeTeamNS clubhouse.
Approx $30 per pax for 5 - 6 sessions. Total maybe 1.5hrs.
Unlimited number of shots (spam fest)
Dark rooms, loud music.

So what you guys think? vote on the right please. Both events require at least 10 people for me to make a booking...and that needs to be done by early next week latest...holiday season sure crowded. Comment on text box or msn me.

One we have voted, I will get the event and date sorted out...and will call for registration.

cheers,
sick aka brendan

WMGT OMGWTFBBQ - Thanks!

2008-10-27T15:42:00.002+08:00

Would you love me if...?

2008-10-14T01:11:00.002+08:00

Just sharing a cute little animation ^_^

From Bill Plympton's "I Married a Strange Person".

Enjoy!

Haha Merlion

2008-10-09T19:07:00.003+08:00

Yeah, so I tried to make "local creatures", following up from Gad. Well, the only national creature we have I suppose, is the Merlion. Spore has taught us that our national creature actually wriggles (without feet). Like a worm. But I really wanted to make it hop, y'know, not make our national creature look dumb.

Haha but I phailed... it really looks like a very... sad Merlion. :'(

Happy Belated Childrens' Day

2008-10-09T14:58:00.002+08:00

From the XsT - ADM crew :D

Some Local SPORE Flavour

2008-10-09T02:11:00.004+08:00

Recently started a new species of rabbits, modelled after Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit. More importantly, I wanted to re-design a new themed set of buildings from familiar structures and icons. So I did a Shophouse, referenced from the old 3-Storey shophouses in the Chinatown and Haji Lane area. Also, a Rickshaw for land-vehicle. I'm still tweaking the designs as I find new uses for some of the stocked parts, if anyone's made a better attempt, or got anything else interesting, please post!

In retrospect...

2008-10-07T22:32:00.005+08:00

XsT are nubs.

The proliferation of the term nub is certainly widespread. There's no doubt that I myself have been addressed a "nub medic" on more than one occasion. However, the damnation of an entire team as 'nub' is not only unnecessary, but also extremely immature.

Such is the nature of online gaming, faceless names with faceless avatars compete in the battlefield that is Team Fortress. Immaturity to an extent is most certainly a trait of any online gamer. Having said this, it's ironic that the naming of individuals and parties as 'nub' also suggests superiority in age.

'Nub' stems from the more widespread term 'noob'. Prior to having the term spelt in leetspeak, it was more commonly pronounced as 'newb', itself stemming from the longer variant 'newbie'. Newbie implicitly expresses one's 'new-ness' or 'freshness' to a certain subject matter - a sort of new-born if you like.

Although age does not account for very much in the realm of online gaming, chronologically, a band which has held together for almost a decade, does show a bond of cohesion, far greater than many others. As observed, this aforementioned band is none other than our own, XsT.

Stackers.

I do not recall when this term, 'stacking' first incurred. Neither do i know of whom incurred it. I asked Q over a chat before whether CS players frequented the use of this term in public servers, he too is unaware of this terminology and its origins.

I do not recall having ever being called 'stackers' in any other game. It amuses me every time I think of how many use this term to express their discontent with defeat. I recall in TFC, for example, in its day (much like the frenzy TF2 enjoys today), many would deliberately not want to be on the 'clanned' team just so they could enjoy greater satisfaction fighting them.

Thinking about this made me remember the more commonly used accusation in TFC:

Spammer.

It's odd that the unacceptable 'spam' of yesteryear has become the staple of today's gameplay, simply through the use of a new game feature - crits. The spam which is accepted of today's Team Fortress is best phrased by the legendary Heavy Weapons [ICP]Malicious:

"...do not consider it spam. I prefer to look at it as, 'Area Denial'..."

Area denial. By the nature of the maps that we play today, so much is centered around territorial control. Denying area is part and parcel of basic gameplay. It has certainly become accepted.

Delving further into this line of thought, it is a wonder how the so-called 'clans' were never accused of 'stacking' in TFC. It then occurred to me that players had a much more pressing issue to deal with...

'Nades.

And by grenades, I mean the secondary ones. As Truman noted before, "having a conc, a mirv, a emp... priming a nade, was like having to control an extra arm." It is by this very 'extra arm' that allowed for the one-man armies, independent of any affiliation, to excel. An individual armed with a full restock of grenades could clear his/her way into the enemy base, snatch the flag and clear everyone out as they make their exit. Never did the opposing teams articulate imbalance. This was what many referred to as 'pro'.

Sadly, gone are those days. It always puzzled me to why people never address anyone as 'pro' these days. Then I realised, there isn't such a thing anymore, you simply can't be a one man army.

With grenades, one could tightly clutch the pin of their grenade in dire moments, releasing it as a final deathwish upon their assailant. Likewise, 'noob spammers' would make full use of their grenades at every opportunity. Many of the more long-standing members here will tell you that they've been on the name bashing end of the stick more than enough to give a damn.

What's liberating is a thoughtful quote from another oldbie, Binary, old Quaker buddy and visionary Half-Life Deathmatch player:

"... well the map has fragshells right? Why did you pick this map if you're unhappy with using them?"

These words echo through TFC classes like the Demoman, Engineer, HW guy and the odd Soldier. These classes were deemed to be the most explosive and 'spammy'. Yet at the same time, it liberates independence from the shortcomings of an individual's team.

The nature of TF2 strips you of your independence. The words of Binary most certainly apply in today's context of 'stacking'. You are forced to play as a team (for obvious reasons the game title implies). Teams with greater 'team-work' are surely to be incredibly superior as opposed to 'independents'. You no longer can rely on your 'nades to save you. You no longer have armor points to survive the enemy onslaught. In place of these, you have your Ubercharge and your Kritzkrieg - expectedly both of which, require 2 or more people to execute to its full effect.

It is clear, why many would choose 'stacking'. It is by these features I've detailed above that the disparity between a team working together and a team which does not communicate is extremely pronounced.

So is it that the acceptable 'stackers' who 'spammed' unacceptably in the past is to be damned for not allowing their enemies to secure victory? Given, there is a thin line we all tread between pwnage and griefing. However, there is a glaring difference between complaining and accusing. It's so easy to shift your own team's difficulties to the bearings of the enemies. Unfortunately, the attitude which initially intended to demonise the enemies to inspire fervour, shot itself in the foot and now it just leads to immediate surrender. It's so easy isn't it? To give up and just eat the bashing? Personally, I feel it makes for bad sportsmanship.

True, I do realise legit accusations could be made saying bad sportsmanship is not 'giving up', but instead 'ganging up'. However, consider the argument put forward above, consider the definition of terms, consider the new game dynamics, consider the first word in the name of the game perhaps. In this perspective, bad sportsmanship is not working together as a team.

There will be individuals who will violently disagree with what I have said and there will undoubtedly be numerous other viewpoints. However, I do wish you to take this away with you; if you think its bad now, you better pray they don't reintroduce 'nades.

Simpsons Zero-Life

2008-10-02T14:59:00.002+08:00

Arrived at my feeds this morning. Thought I'd share it with you guys. That's Dr. Frink from the Simpsons, the dude who has ridiculous ideas for scientific advancements. Very subtle play on character in an easter egg for a Simpsons game.

Small cat needs home

2008-09-29T20:59:00.003+08:00

Sorry to hijack the blog for a while, but this kitten found us at our neighbourhood. My fat cat wants to rip her guts out, so can't keep her :( Can eat solid food. Looking for a good home urgently, very affectionate and friendly with people.

Anyone?

Gang Garrison II

2008-09-28T20:31:00.000+08:00

Thanks for this one Rat.

lol hungry

2008-09-23T02:24:00.003+08:00

lol rushed but just share abit

haven't been drawing for a long timezzz

like, no like? c&c welcomz

GCA

2008-09-21T12:22:00.002+08:00

And so yesterday, I paid the Games Convention Asia 2008 a visit, together with [ICP]Burn and [ICP]TheNork. Didn't really take too much pictures... there was waaaay too much going on.

Anyway I first visited the trade fair, was quite empty because the opening was on Thursday :( But nevertheless, went to the booth that I was working at, talked cock, visited other booths like Playware Asia, Sheridan, etc... stole chocolate eclairs and tea nom nom nom. Then proceeded up to the exhibition.

Random guy on random figurine

A Rock band stage, where anyone could go up and play... of course there were tons of cosplayers. A pity really, I thought I caught a glimpse of the TF2 spy... his various class masks were lying around. He could've cloaked past me, I wouldn't know.

TheNork playing Mirror's Edge. I gave it a try myself... lemme just say Mirror's Edge is THE next game to get (will elaborate when I've more time).

And then ending off with kids in balls (not part of GCA, don't worry).

Tired of the Ubercharge?

2008-09-18T22:42:00.004+08:00

Meet the Uber Emergency Shelter

Portal Typography

2008-09-18T00:41:00.001+08:00

Portal - Still Alive typography from Trickster on Vimeo.

Sandworms & Sea Monsters

2008-09-16T12:08:00.002+08:00

So Truman and I were chatting last night about what Spore creatures he would make if he were to ever play Spore. He was going for giant Sandworms from Dune. Considering that Spice is the commodity of choice in Spore, he's not very far off. It's funny how we come up with the strangest topics to chat about near the wee hours of the morning.

That was when I trawled this up from youtube. A giant worm-like creature filmed at a harbour off Japan. It's shocking and perhaps a breaking discovery, Spore inspiration imo.

Close Encounters with Saiko Rabbitus

2008-09-13T13:56:00.003+08:00

That's an Epic Mweh chasing us.

And something extra, another Epic Mweh chasing Pinters.

Spore Creations

2008-09-12T08:53:00.004+08:00

I know a couple of you guys got Spore recently. Insanity's suggested a creature feature post. Send in your screenies of your creations. Here's mine, Psycho Rabbits (saiko rabbitus).

mut's screenies:
Okay, unlike Psycho Rabbit, I sorta rushed through the game so now I've "completed" it and maxed out the badges in Space stage without really paying attention to evolutionary creatures. It's totally mindblowing. But I'll share my screenies anyhow! :D

Here's my 1 and only creation for now - Insanity

How can she BONK!

2008-09-12T01:19:00.001+08:00

TF2 Roleplaying

2008-09-11T14:24:00.003+08:00

Quarterly Awards & POTY

2008-09-07T21:06:00.002+08:00

Hey guys. We're opening nominations for the PLAYERS OF THE YEAR now. The POTY awards are open to anyone, within or outside of XsT. You can nominate anyone, from superstar players to the guy you met on the pubs last night - the catch is, you can't nominate yourself.

All you have to do is send in a write-up of no less than 100 words justifying your nomination. Tell us how this player has impressed, inspired or pwned you, perhaps even dictate a specific occasion? Your entries are accepted unbiased and all nominations will be considered. You can make as many nominations as you like.

We're opening the nominations to non-members of XsT. If you wish to nominate someone, do add me (SteamID: Psyrabbit-|XsT|) and forward your nomination.

And now for our long overdue quarterly awards. We're giving out 4 M.I.R.Vs today to players who've contributed extensively to the team.

First up is Kenny, whom a couple of us felt is long overdue for an award. Kenny's performance has improved significantly since his entry into the team. He receives an award for outstanding performance as a demolitions and heavy weapons role.

Feanor's soldiering skills have caught the attention of some of the XsT admins of late and we're awarding him an M.I.R.V. for excellence in his soldier.Among other things, Feanor is very much like "the other soldier" in XsT - killing everything in front of him and not giving a thought for the Medic behind him until he's dead. He is however, extremely adept at his rockets.

Unlike Feanor and "the other soldier", Rat gets a Medic Guard badge in his M.I.R.V. for the fastest reaction time in defending his Medic. His prowess in defending himself and his healing buddy from a backstab is among the best in the business. Rat's vigilance in identifying opponents also shines through in 3v3 Arena games, his combat readiness and situational awareness is also outstanding.

Like Rat, Q is getting a Medic Guard badge for protection of his medic. His deftly reflexes are no where hampered by his large mousing surface area, one call from his Medic of an impending backstab and he swings round delivering rockets at the oncoming assailants. With combinations of rockets and shotguns, Q is certainly as deserving as others as a Master of Acquiring Victory.

XsT - Team Fortress Est. 1999

Keeping it alive

possibly the best tf2 vid i've seen:)

Dee goes traveling

Asia Fortress

Home Club pres. COUP 30th Jan

TF2 Food Debate

Snow Leopard of Pakistan - Beyond the Myth

Happy 2010!

Merry Christmas

Open for recruitment

Final XsT LAN Party of the Year!

LAN Outing - Wear a Hat!

Fat Cat Eats

TF2 BBQ

Final of the final

Space Jam on Crack

Event of the Year (Finalised)

Oh Yeah

Event of the Year

Iceskating

My team

Borderlands

Fan service ftw

Mut & Dejomel Love Child (Outing @ KLP)

water jet-pack

Rollerblading outing @ ECP

COD MW2

Cat Tea Party

fire sound waves

L4D Trailer in Hokkien

Flower

A couple of games

GCA 2009

Inactivity Notice

Been a bit quiet lately...

For all MMO friends:)

Classless Update

Carneyvale: Showtime on PAX10!

Mut's 21st Gathering

Happenings over the past few weeks!

Mut's 21st Birthday Gathering

Tan Hong Ming

Holy Grail: Black Knight (Gmod version)

Scrumdiddlyumptious

Half-life 2: Stalker Rape

Childhood Gems

WCG 2009

It is time to choing the servers!

Left 4 Dead 2

May 21, 2009 - Team Fortress 2 Update Released

Competitive play

mychowchows on Sunday Times

Coup d'etat

Meet The Spy

China's version of STOMP

Team Fortress 2 - The Sniper Update

mychowchows.blogspot.com

LOTRO

COUP

Regarding hypocrisy

Send in your application video!

Lets kick the Gloom!

New TF2 multicore discussion in forum!

New Forum!

The Best Is Yet To Be....

Quake Live

Tale of How

A Portal Triumph

Outing Photo

*update* XsT Lan Outing? Really?

Evolution Theories

Oh yeah, by the way...

Sponsored

Dominos

LaserQuest Details!

Oblong's g-speak: the 'Minority Report' OS brought to life

Revelation Rave 6:12

Stack some more?

Details for LaserQuest

update XsT Lan Outing? Really?