Norguard

I'm 21, myself... ...but that's only on the inside. People will drop their jaw when I tell them my age. The general concensus is that I'm 27-30. I tell ya, it doesn't help you to find ladies closer to your own age. Been playing on the CS:S server for a while now, but I just found the forums a little while ago. Oh, and to the daughters' fathers, out there in forumville, you really expect me to believe that you won't be the crotchety old men in rocking chairs, petting your shotguns as their potential dates walk to the door? I mean, this is your training. I know I will be.

That is truly the most frustrating part of the whole auto/scout deal. When the T auto can take you out in one hit, and it ends up doing it, every time you meet up with one. Sure, headshots are cool, and if they can hit my head, they deserve it, but when it hits my chest and does 100 or 101 while I'm wearing kevlar... ...three rounds running... I get a little miffed. There was a full map I played (Italy) where most of the kills against me were from the scout, in one hit, and not one of them was a headshot. It used to be that I was braver around multiple scouts, because as soon as I heard it was a scout, I knew that even if I was hit once, I'd still have second or two to take him out. I still play that way sometimes, and now, more often than not, it's biting me in the butt.

I don't know if it tailors to them... I think wether it takes 3 rounds or 6, if your team can afford it after that time, they will buy it - or at least 75% of them will. Terrorists will go auto, especially, as they have two of them to choose from, instead of one, and one is stronger than a Scout, no less, and almost as accurate. I've found that a good technique is to be good at evading them. Learn where they will sit, and what your evasion options are, in that corner of the map. People used to whine in the dust BETA, because I'd shoot all of the camping Ts in the head, from the underpass. If you know that you're a better shot than the sniper, play at 1024x768 or more and snipe back with an M4, a FAMAS or a Galil. Even if there are a couple or a few snipers that you are sure you can best. You'd be amazed at how many of those snipers don't actually rangefind, but just wait for you to line yourself up. And how easy it is to shake off the sights of a novice camper. Mind you, if there's a natural born sniper, using a sniper rifle, or even worse, an auto-sniper, like, say... ....mmm, Lunk... ...for example... ...well, I suggest finding a different route, that won't leave you pincoushioned quite so badly. Or frequently. As for a team full of autos, I say find the weakest link, steal his gsg1 (because he obviously has one) go on a rampage, apologize for using it, and give the gun away. The two bolt-action rifles don't make me nervous at all. If they're a good shot, they deserve to hit me, and if they're not, I can usually take them. The autos kinda make me frustrated, though, because there's no real recoil on the top model, there is no interruption of zoom, and if they shot with 100% accuracy, they could kill 4-8 people (depending on wether it was a 1-hit head/chest kill, or a 2-hit kill) in the time it takes an AWP to fire, reload and reacquire. That's ~600% efficiency over an AWP in terms of body shots, and means that if there's more than one, and I'm still walking by the end, I'm sore. I do agree that the prices should be weighted a little heavier, depending on the class, though. Full-auto, then Bolt-action, then scoped automatics. - The End

...yeah. My sucking over the past two days was only multiplied by the fact that you were on during it, and you're all I'd ever see before I died a horrible, horrible death. Heh. I will have vengeance, Lunk. Maybe. I hope... ...please?

Bat, as far as mapping is concerned, I'd recommend starting off really simple. Just a room or two, and make sure that you have all of the basics covered. If you need help getting started, there are tutorials at http://collective.valve-erc.com The good news is that editing for Half-Life 2 is almost exactly the same as editing for Half-Life 1, as far as fundamentals go. When you get into slightly more advanced concepts, there will be some diversion, but to start, you can basically follow the starter tutorials for Half-Life 1 verbatim. There is also a "manual" of sorts for using Hammer, at http://www.valve-erc.com/srcsdk/ You can use them both to get you through the very basics of level creation. If you have any specific questions, once you're in, just ask, and I'll see what I can do. I haven't published any big maps, but I have been using the editor since the days of Quake, so unless it's an obscure HL2 feature, I haven't learned yet, I'll probably have an idea, and I'll be more than willing to help.

Mr. Duke, I must say that reading this whole thread, my heart aches for you and your wonderful family. I can't purport, or even imagine that I can comprehend what a heartwrenching experience this has all been for you. I'm a little younger than most in this thread, and just now, am beginning to seriously contemplate my first house, wife and child. Something that I don't expect to be blessed with for quite some time, yet... Even so, you find willingness to submit yourself to God, in faith of things not yet bourne, especially in this situation, which would see most parents clamouring for results presently. Something, anything, to validate their parenting to themselves, because they feel threatened. Your situation is as mountainous a testimony to me as I am sure it is to others. I thought God was building the penultimate "testimony of coincidences" through my life, and perhaps I can still take on most young adults, but I was just shown, again, that greater people have stayed rooted through even harder situations, and still clung to God's love to see them through. My employer lost a child, just after birth, last spring and when he lead worship at her service, he sang an old Keith Green song, taken just a little out of context... ...and yet, when I hear your story, the same song pops into my head, in the same context. Perhaps you know it, already, but the lyrics were: Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all I see. For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me. I want you to know that my prayers are going out to your family, for continued strength and for peace. Sincerely, Sean