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Some gamers are content to grab a game off the shelf or download it from their console menu and play it. Then there are those few who are PC gamers because they’re never content to leave things as they are. They express their creativity through building fan sites or modding their favorite titles to add extra features or cheats to make their game experience more enjoyable.

Here’s an FYI for all the creative gamers out there on the latest software for your “toolbox”:

• Earthrise Fan Site Kit Earthrise_Fansitekit.zip - Masthead Studios has released the fan site kit for Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic science fiction MMO game.
• TGLEdit .NET (1.0) tgledit.exe - Simple CLI/GUI program for modders, designed primarily for use with windows setups, to update the BC TGL files, during install.
• Bridge Commander Ship Menu Creator (5.5) bcsmc_v5.5.rar - This program is the intended replacement of the BCMP’s ship plugin tool and it now has several modes.
• Mattman’s America’s Army Script Generator (1.0.3.6) script_generator_1036.exe - This is a Admin Forceclass script generator for America’s Army. It will generate scripts of 2000 of any weapon, or combo of weapons.
• Rumblepad 2 Config (V1) rumblepad_2_config.zip - This is a Utility for anyone using a Rumblepad 2 Controller with Quake 4.
• Easy Saber Editing Script (2.0) eses_2.0.zip - This script is very very limited in its capacity on its own, but is actually probably more useful than you would think it is, if you knew how it worked.
• Standard Input Server (RCon chat etc) (0.1) standardinputserver.zip - Ever wondered why one can communicate with a server via RCON, but the clients playing on the server can’t communicate back? Now they can! ….well, in a manner of speaking.
• Jedi Saber Style jedi_saber_style.zip - This is a simple Script MODification born to add on Single Saber Mode the combat animations of the Dual and the Staff Mode.
• Crazy Virs Trainer (last) crazytrainer.rar - Here is a trainer that will allow you to change what is in your garage at any time, as well as give you the ability to teleport, although there are better versions out there there which included other features as well.
• FreeTastic (2.5) freetastic.zip Here is a modfication that will change all of the prices within GTA San Andreas to make them all free. This will also set all of the ammunition so that it will have enough ammo to last for hours without reloading.
• GAMI Installer (German and English) (1.8.2) 4303_gami_installer1_8_2.rar GAMI is a mod installer for GTA San Andreas created by GTA Action.com. There are two languages included German and English. This installer is able to choose every part of mods before you install them.
• IPL Adjuster (3.0) ipl_adjuster_v.3.0.rar This tool will be very useful when a map needs to be moved.
• Trickster Online Fansite Kit Fansite_Kit.zip - Inside you will find official game and production images for Backgrounds, Pets, Characters, Monsters and official trickster Logos!

Have fun and play nice. Check out Gaming Today’s associated File sites for more mods and tools geared towards specific games. Just go to FileFront and click on Network Game Sites on the side bar under our logo to find your favorite game.

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It’s an age old question: are the guns in games really all that accurate? Oftentimes in the process of reviewing a game, reviewers will praise a game for its realistic weapons – but realistically, the average game reviewer doesn’t know the difference between a Walther PPK and 5″/38 caliber guns. (The former is the gun James Bond has made famous, while the latter is something you’d find on a battleship.)

Popular Mechanics takes a look at this subject by diving in and taking a look at the way various games handle weapons, including Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Call of Duty 4, and even America’s Army.

[A]ccording to Philippe Theiren, an RSV2 designer at Ubisoft Montreal and the team’s self-described “gun guy,” bullet penetration now takes into account incredibly fine details, like whether the target is wearing leather or cloth. “It’s actually an excessively complex formula,” Theiren says. “If someone shoots through a plant, then a car door, then it hits Level 3 body armor, all of that effects the force of the round.” Actual ballistic data associated with the guns in RSV2, then, determine whether you can fire a burst through a wooden table and take someone out.

Except, of course, when the developers feel the need to cheat. All of the guns in RSV2 start out extremely accurate, based on factory stats and more, before game balance and player expectations come into play. A shotgun firing buckshot, for example, has significantly more penetration in RSV2 than it should. Why? “People associate shotguns with powerful, close-range weapons,” Theiren says. So a shotgun blast will punch through walls and armor just fine, even though buckshot is known for its lack of penetration in the real world.

“I take these weapons, and look at what defines them, or what people think defines them,” Theiren explains. “For an Uzi, people think it fires lots of bullets, and it’s really inaccurate.” That, he knows, has nothing to do with reality—if anything, Uzis are considered some of the most reliable and accurate submachine guns around. But the 80s (and Miami Vice in particular) offered us the Uzi as a low-life villain’s weapon, spit-fire and out-of-control. “So I make it fire faster than it should. It’s about taking the personality of a weapon, and making it shine in the game,” Theiren says.

It’s a pretty interesting feature and might go a long way in explaining why the same weapon is so dramatically different from one game to the next, even when they’re all giving off the vibe of a realistic shooter.

Now, I need to go back out to my yard so I can keep practicing with my Phalanx CIWS.

America’s Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) has been updated to v2.8.3.1. Based on feedback from players; account, game play and server administration issues are taken care of in this update. Their are also quite a few bugs zapped as well. Detailed patch notes are listed after the break.

You can grab America’s Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) v2.8.3.1 from the downloads section of the official America’s Army website. Read the full article

Are you in the mood to plunder and pillage in an open world environment that allows you to step into the shoes of a resurrected battle weary Viking? You now have the opportunity to do so because Viking: Battle For Asgard from Creative Assembly and SEGA has finally hit stores for the PS3 and Xbox 360.We have been bombarding you with information on the game for months now, but just in case you missed it, here is some background information for you:

Viking: Battle For Asgard thrusts players into a mythological world overrun with demonic warriors unleashed by Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld. As Skarin, a rage-fueled Viking hero, players will wage all-out war to free mankind from the grip of evil and ultimate annihilation. Players can command dragons and wield fire, ice, and lightning, laying waste to enemies in either small skirmishes or epic battles featuring hundreds of warriors. Enemies will suffer graphic dismemberment with disturbing realism from an array of Skarin’s melee, range, and magic attacks. Upgradable combat skills and Skarin’s otherworldly abilities create an ever-changing landscape of epic violence and heroic victory.

Woo Whoo! Hopefully this will be a fun and bloody action game for to drive away the Winter chills. For more information on the game along with tons of screenshots and trailers look no further than our previous posts.

Via: Press Release

An Islamic Blog, Empowered Muslim Youth is calling the US Department of Defense’s  America’s Army videogame a brainwashing and recruiting tool for the global war on terrorism.

Computer War-games have increased tenfolds (sic) since the global war on terrorism invaded our minds and ears in 2001, with most of the games targeted towards a young audience…

These visual games are a perfect opportunity to psychologically prepare and even mentally train children to fight in battle…

There is no doubt that this well-thought tactic, issued by high-ranking govermental officials, and it is not very surprising. The global war on terrorism is running out of soldiers, as US officials have said…

Brainwashing the youth to fight in almost real-life situations which a solider would face if fighting in Iraq for instance, is most definitely a way to recruit more soldiers for the future…

There has been a lot of controversy in the US over the America’s Army series’ use as a military recruitment tool, so it’s not entirely surprising that a site aimed at Islamic youth would label the game as a brainwashing tool. To some extent I would agree. The games are meant to simulate extreme environments, testing gamers’ mettle in the face of crisis. The game could certainly help to identify those people who may adapt to a military mind set.

However playing the game shouldn’t take away an individual’s ability to reason for themselves, providing they were stable to begin with, which is often associated with true brainwashing. Therefore, I would say the game is an indoctrination tool rather than a brainwashing device.

via GamePolitics

As a United States Army combat veteran, I thought that I might find ‘America’s Army: True Soldiers’ for the Xbox 360 to be an enjoyable experience. I thought wrong. Every once in a while I play a game that is so bad that I wish I could just throw it out the window and pretend like I never played it. If we were permitted to drop expletives in our articles, I’d break out some old Army terms to describe how terrible this game was. Reviewing games is typically an extremely fun job, but this time around it felt like work.

There’s really not much that can be said about this game other than the fact that it’s a lousy …(insert 50 f-bombs and other random curse words here) game! I’ll start with a few positive aspects of the game, but the positive section will be a quick read.
Read the full article

The U.S. Army has just released the latest update to America’s Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) v 2.8.2. The game has been an effective recruiting tool for the army, allowing potential recruits to “test drive” Soldiering in the U.S. Army from basic training to the battlefield.

This is the latest of 24 updates to the game which was launched July 4th, 2002. The current series, America’s Army: Special Forces (Overmatch), highlights the critical role that Special Forces play in the Global War on Terrorism. It also features the cutting edge technology that allow those forces to overmatch larger groups of enemies.

Version 2.8.2 includes two new multiplayer missions and a number of other new features such as voice activated controls and field dressing. Specifics on the new missions and content follow the break.

Players can download America’s Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) v 2.8.2 from FileFront here.

Read the full article

That’s right, the U.S. Government’s hippest recruiting tool has gone to the big leagues. Now we’ll get a chance to see who really is the best of the best. Army of One? Army Strong? How about Army of Geek?

America’s Army will join alongside Counter-Strike in what CPL is dubbing the “Bring Your Own Computer” tournament. Each tournament will feature $10,000 in cash prizes. America’s Army is just one of a handful of games that will be hosted by the Summer 2007 CPL Championships, which will be held Aug. 30 through Sept. 2 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Not only is the U.S. Army sponsoring the tournament, but they will be there firsthand to show off their America’s Army Future Soldier Trainer. “This leading-edge simulation technology allows users to feel the recoil as they use realistic weapons armed with lasers in scenarios that range from single player training experiences to multiplayer missions adapted from the America’s Army PC game.” — Way cool.

If I’m not mistaken, is AA not the first “free” game to appear at the CPL? Well, I supposed free is relative considering the tax payer money involved in its development. Still, it is nice to see a game as easily accessible as America’s Army at the CPL. Should be a nice changeup for the usual CPL audience.

You can read more about it after the break:

Read the full article

Word from Electronic Arts is EA Sports has chosen the tunes you’ll listen to as you get your game on with the upcoming release, Madden NFL 08. It’s a good mix of well known and up and coming artists. EA’s soundtracks have been instrumental in introducing several new bands including Good Charlotte, OK GO, Fallout Boy, Chamillionaire, Franz Ferdinand, Ozomatli, 30 Seconds to Mars and many more. Here is this list of talent on Madden NFL 08.
ARTIST SONG
Ozzy Osbourne……………………………………..”I Don’t Wanna Stop”
Pharoahe Monch feat. Showtyme………….”Desire”
Pitbull feat. Don Omar……………………………”Fuego Remix”
Queens Of The Stone Age……………………..”3’s & 7’s”
Red1 feat. Afu-Ra………………………………….”Dem No Worry We”
Shadows Fall…………………………………………”Redemption”
Swizz Beatz …………………………………………..”It’s Me Snitches”
Sum 41………………………………………………….”Underclass Hero”
Team Shadetek feat. 77Klash & Jahdan…”Brooklyn Anthem”
The Bravery………………………………………….”Believe”
The Hives………………………………………………”Tick Tick Boom”
The Used……………………………………………….”The Ripper”
Timbaland feat. Justin Timberlake………..”Release”
Yellowcard…………………………………………….”Fighting”
Zion I & The Grouch……………………………..”Hit’em”

Madden NFL 08 will be released in August on the Xbox 360â„¢, Xbox, PlayStation3 and PlayStation2, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP, PC and Mac.

On July 4, 2002, arguably the best freeware game ever was released when America’s Army launched. Since then, the game has grown to encompass more than 8.5 million user accounts and has been in the top ten action games played online since its launch. It’s even branched out to consoles and cell phones.

Colonel Casey Wardynski, originator of America’s Army, said, “(The) America’s Army game brand has had an incredible impact around the world placing Soldiering front and center within popular culture and showcasing the high-tech, team-oriented and values-driven nature of the Army.”

To celebrate the anniversary, the America’s Army team is debuting a new website done up the Army’s new camouflage pattern, and showing off new content. For example, how about wallpapers created by developers that give players a little sneak peek at America’s Army 3?

A few astounding statistics about the first five years appear after the break.

Read the full article

News.com.au’s couriermail.com.au has news on an interesting use of video games. It seems the Royal Australian Navy is successfully using a video game to bolster recruitment. The game, Battleships Extreme, has been played over a million times since it’s launch in October 2006 on the MSN computer messaging website. The object of the game is to blow up the opponent’s fleet of ships.

Brigadier Simon Gould, director-general of defence recruiting, said more than 1,000 players have been inspired by game to sign up for the Navy.

The idea is effective but not a new one. The United States Army has used this recruiting technique with their own video game,  America’s Army since July 2002.

Everyone knows that America’s Army is a great shooter, and everyone knows that it’s produced by the US Army. This June, the US Army is set to sponsor a channel at the website of the Global Gaming League, and anti-recruitment groups are slamming the Army for these plans. “It is part of this campaign for the last 20 years to invade youth culture with militarism,” says Project on Youth and Non-military Opportunities co-founder Rick Jahnkow. “It affects the way young people think. It affects their world view. That is a very dangerous thing.” Oskar Castro of the “admittedly anti-war” American Friends Service Committee said, “You don’t have ‘game over’ and start again. ‘Game over’ means you come home in a body bag and a casket,” in a statement he made decrying the practice of using games as a recruiting tool.

I’m fairly sure that anyone who falls into the ‘Teen’ category (the ESRB rating for America’s Army) is well aware that you don’t get to get up and go home after being killed in a real war. Why is it that these people get worried about how games affect someone’s world view, but they never mention the violence in TV, movies, or even the news? Besides that, what’s wrong with a young person anting to join the military? It’s a job that pays well, has great benefits, and allows that person to travel. Granted, it may not be quite as desirable a job with a war going on, but kids today are aware of the war. It’s not like they don’t see it on a daily basis from every news outlet.

It’s time for people to realize that games are not the brainwashing machines that the mainstream media thinks they are. On that note, these activist groups should stop using games as a prop for their cause.

The first step is admitting you have a problem. Your version of Americas Army is outdated, and you are powerless to play without patching. Don’t worry, you know your codependent enablers here got your hook-up. The newest update to AA titled Overmatch brings the regular compliment of fixes but also includes 3 new multiplayer missions designed by grad students from SMU. The missions were developed using only the built in editor (released in version 2.8 ) and their vastly superior “college” brains.

In a definitive show of force, Free-to-play FPS Americas Army has announced they have topped 8 million registers users. Having debuted in 2002, the game has averaged more than 150,000 new accounts each month. The announcement was surely made to let encroaching adversaries know that while you may have numbers, so do we. And while an Aimed-Shot may hurt, a Javelin will ruin your day. Cold War anyone? Download Americas Army