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I don't even have a N-Force board and I use onboard sound. It works fine, except in certain games (i.e. The Matrix Online) where a sound card is required. I've given away my SB Live Value and SB Live 5.1 cards, so I'll probably just pop in an old Diamond Monster MX400 sound card.

it's great, people think they'll have this advantage playing this early. Aren't they going to wipe before release? Or at least before Open Beta.

Awsome point Lunk, and one I continually enforce in my marriage: NEVER go to *bed* (since Texans can't spell) mad at each other. In other words, resolve a fight right away, because it won't get resolved if you put it off, and someone [she] will hold a grudge. I proposed to my wife simply because I thought "why not?" Well, we got married 9 months later and since then I've received some answers to my question. But I have never regretted marriage. There have been a lot of tough times, especialy in the 7 - 12 months after getting married. Take your bond very seriously and remember back on what it was like being alone, and you'll work out anything. Financially, just make it work. If you wait "until you have enough money" you'll likely be waiting a lot longer than you forsee. Propose, set a date, then work hard and save hard, and pray you have the money you'll need. I went into marriage with about $600 in the bank. She had no money. We scraped together enough for a security deposit and first month's rent in an apartment. Thank God that we got almost $1600 in cash for wedding presents. Basically, put your marriage first, everything else will fall into place for you if you work together, and trust God for it.

well that sucks. but even if you're not playing games with us, pop into the forums when you can. There have been plenty of times when the community has been primarily playing a game I don't have/play. The community moved beyond one particular game long ago, these forums are what keep us together now. And with the scope of topics we have here, there is no need to be involved in gaming at all to be a regular here.

PC Gamer did a preview of UTXMP in their latest issue. Read the article and take a look at the screenshots.

yeah, that video is pretty sweet. Thanks for the info on how XMP works, Brillow! I don't think it's a question of "if" this mod goes live, but when. PC Zone magazine featured this mod in it's latest issue, and gave it a wonderful review. Also, some of the refugees from Legend Entertainment who developed U2XMP are working with this team to create this mod. The team itself is amazingly talented, as a quick read through their "Team" page will tell you. They are all veterans of Unreal Ed and other modding tools, and many worked on the Community Bonus Pack for U2XMP and/or beta tested U2XMP.

I'm going to play for a few more days before writing a full review of this excellent mod. Until that time, I have a few screenshots for you.... ....but I can't post them right now because I can't get onto the GC ftp site... that sucks... well, guess I'll post them when I can. Playing this has really got me nostalgic for the good old days of CS. I really recommend you all give it a try. Besides being a very good CS clone, it's probably the most polished beta version of a mod I've seen yet. Just take a look at some of the maps included! And I've played them, they really do look as good in play as they do in the pictures. <--- clicky

okay, can this box run a UT2k4 server? if so, check out the MOBO/CUFFO forum for the thread titled "You don't need CS:S"

Strike Force I'll write more later. I'm alt-tabbed out of the game while it downloads a map. It's a VERY well done CS clone. Try it!

zd, take another look at Chaos UT2, they've released a much improved version just recently.

I've known about the alternative browsers for quite some time, just never bothered to use them. Thanks for posting that info up Mossad, I've just downloaded Firefox and I'm setting it up now.

Shortly after Unreal II was released, a free add-on called "Unreal Expanded Multiplayer (or U XMP, for short) was released. It was short-lived, however, due to Atari closing down it's developer's, Legend Entertainment. Now, a team of incredibly talented individuals, all with some serious experiance under their belts, are working with former Legend Entertainment employees to release XMP for Unreal Tournament 2004. The mod looks to be much like Team Fortress or even Tribes II. There's even some hints at UT2k4's Onslaught. It is definatly a mod I am going to keep a sharp eye on. As of now, there is no release date. This is the UTXMP Promotional Video (Divx5.1 format, plays fine in VLC Media Player). Definatly give it a look, it's only 24mb. It shows off some of the vehicles, the player models, the turrets, mines, a few maps, and lots of combat. While you're downloading the video, here are a few screenshots I pulled off their website.

Well, I had planned on doing this awhile ago, but the day I took all the screenshots, our FTP server went down. So, it has waited until now. I decided to play a little deathmatch, and I did so on three very fun maps. One, KillBillyBarn is included in the Community Bonus Pack 2, and the other two I downloaded while connected to a random server. So, lets start the reviews. First, KillBillyBarn. Almost every UT2k4 player has this map already and might not even know it. It is part of CBP2 and is installed along with all the other maps. Find it on your list of Deathmatch maps. KillBillyBarn is very small, very fast paced and quite different than "normal" UT maps. Even the music is far removed from what you expect. Personally, I laughed out loud upon connecting to the map, having no idea what I was in for. The setting, is a barn on a farm. The map maker took care to add background for the map, which you can read on the map info screen (hit ESC in game or read it in "Instant Action" setup). There are rusted old pickup trucks, a silo, a tiny pond, a barn and a scarecrow. And while the firefight is raging, you get to listen to a good ole hoedown song. The construction of the map is well done, as are all the CBP2 maps, but it's really the originality of the map that makes it so much fun. I wouldn't want to play it every day, but this one is definatly worthy of some time. ******************************************************************** The second map I played should be instantly familiar to anyone who's ever spent time on a Nintendo 64. Temple. For me at least, when I think back on my limited console experiance, this map is one of the first things that comes to mind. Twenty foot tall ceilings, four foot wide hallways, multiple levels, and that impossible to find passage to the body armor. The only thing this re-make left out was the sliding doors. This is quintesential deathmatch. ******************************************************************** After playing Temple, the vote went up and a map called Aztec was chosen. I figured this one would be similar to the many UT2k4 maps dealing with the "egyptian" characters and archetecture. Wrong. Upon entering the map I immediatly recognized the gray cobblestones broken by spots of green poking through, the wooden footbridge over a L-shaped river and the strangely placed crate, open on one side and full of what appears to be straw bales. Yes, this was none other than the Aztec I knew and loved so dearly. The very same map on which I spent countless hours frolicking with AWPs and MP5s. Memories of suicide rushes through those unmoving double doors and that footbridge seen through a scope flooded back to me. Memories of a simpler time, when we all only had one game to spend our time playing. Playing this map again, with it's same paths retextured in lush new colors was probably the most fun I've had with UT2004. We simply must add it to Cuffo.

hmmm, that is odd. you going to be able to return it?

Sooooooooooo......yeah. ET's free and popular and availible now. We going to put it on until we find something else? Or, perhaps a UT2k4 mod? May I suggest Chaos UT, set it up in "last man standing" mode. 4 people fight at a time, with melee weapon. Last man standing wins the round. A higher ping won't be a big deal with a mod, since there are only a few servers (only 1 good server for Chaos UT) for most mods, and just having an active server is much more important than having a good ping.

great vid, good find!

"early on" would be pre-Radeon cards. basically, if you can run CS at 30fps or better, your card is NOT "early on."

restarting could be the mobo, or possibly the power supply. How big is your power supply, and how many cdrom drives, fans, lights, and cards do you have running?

Just watched this Bond movie made inside the Battlfield 1942 mod "Desert Combat". It's quite good, and only 42mb. Check out a short review, and get a download link here.

LOL, this just proves what I heard Jeff Foxworthy say a few weeks ago on tv about guys and sports. "MY team owns!" "THEY lost all the good players, darn nubs" "WE are doing good" When they're doing well, they're OUR team, when they suck, or make bad decisions, it's all THEM. Funny stuff.

if I'm playing, I'll try to join up with you and your clan chuckleslove. Definatly going to be Horde if I play. Now I just have to decide whether I'll play as Orc, Tauren or Troll.

On the contrary, I very much liked BF1942. However, BF: Vietnam is far superior in graphics and in the little tweaks that make the game so much more immersive and fun. BF:V adds the option to play the "radio" when you're in vehicles. Put on one of 10 classic '70s tunes and blare them over the battlefield. It adds to the realism, and it's quite fun to be lying in the tall grass as a sniper and know a patrol boat is on it's way down river toward you because you can hear "Wild Thing" blaring over the noise of battle. As AllKiller said, there is a WWII mod (released by EA Games) that is BF:1942 with BF:V graphics. It is MUCH better than the original 1942, and pretty much destroys any reason to buy the old game over the new one.

Free CoD!

I'd definatly like to play on a persistent world server, know any good ones?

good luck, and keep that mk19 cocked and ready.