The Matrix Online

Well, I've not really been into my designing for the last week, as if you didn't know.
The Online MMO what I played is closing down, in two days from this post, actually.
What to me is sad from the point of view of how many friends I made on there, and it's DataDyne's
home. Because it's where we all met and started. You can read more about DataDyne's background on our main home page. So really, if it wasn't for MxO none of us would of met. But also, it makes me annoyed from a design point of view from The Matrix. The Matrix online uses one of the engines same as used by F.E.A.R what we know is like the most scary FPS game on the market.
It uses a spin-off engine called Lithtech Discovery. The Matrix Online is the *only* online game to ever use this engine. Now, back in the day (rememeber the Matrix is like what? 6 years old from making?) if we go back a few years and look at some other online games, as in World of Warcraft and many others, even to new ones to today like Fallen Earth, The Matrix Online on graphics, The Matrix Online beats them hands down. When The Matrix Online did first come out, hardly no-one could run the settings on high. Even today some computer still find it hard to deal with it's graphics. But, as we all say. It's not all about how a game looks, it needs backbone.
The Matrix Online is diffrent from any other MMO out there. It... has, well *did*. Have an on-going story-line. With Live Events every day what helped out play and understand the current story. The Matrix Online was always a story-based, or Role-Play based game you could say. But also still have good PvP background. Sadly, MxO never got the love it should of got. The WarnerBrothers and Monolith put too many Devs, and money into The Matrix, and also lauched with LOADs of bugs, so it wasn't a very to play due to all the bugs, but however. it still did well. Another thing with The Matrix Online, it had a MASSIVE Live Event Team, what played in-game characters such as, Niobe, Ghost and other only Matrix Online seen characters. Basicly, all day. Now this, as well as Development things, costed loads. Everyone wonders why MxO died and got sold onto Sony, well basicly. It was making far less money then it was using. Because think about it... why would they sell it otherwise? Because after all it's all about money. Now sadly, when getting sold onto SOE, they never gave MxO the love. They always made us feel as players, as we're the step-kid of the familiy who never felt welcome. We went from a big Live Event team, to none. We went from a big Dev team, to 5. (I think) one of the other things what 'killed' The Matrix. Was the new Combat System they did, I myself agree it was the best move, but sadly a lot of the player base moved up and went because of this. I guess SOE could not help that, just a shame they didn't give it a go.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll post Part2 later on and maybe with some screenshots.

"The Disused Plant" - Resident Evil 3 remake

Well, I'm working on doing a whole campain of Resident Evil 3 Nemesis levels to the best I can.
I'm a MASSIVE Resident Evil fan, Nemesis was the best one I liked the most.
For some odd reason I like to work from the end level to the start. So, the last level in Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, was where Jill made her way through Raccoon City Park, into a Disused Water Treatment Plant. Owned by Umbrella. Where two epic fights with Jill and the Nemesis take place. "Jill: You want stars, I'll give you stars!" Here are a few screenshots of the first wood bits with the Bridge. I've not yet done the insides, nor the top bit of the plant. This one will take longer then any of my maps I've done. Because I want to get this just right to the best of my ability.

"The Park"

Well, last night I played through 'The Park' with a few friends. It seemed a lot harder then the first time we tested it, odd. Guess 'The Director' was going easy on us. I'm still trying to work out what seems to be crashing us when running the game on high. I'm kind of thinking it's the grass texture at the end. Because it's the *only* used texture of its kind in the whole level. But for some odd reason, it's stopped letting me edit it. I think it's because I changed it's name. That means I'll have to use the old file what doesn't have the ending done. But I guess it isn't too bad because I can just do a drag and drop job, I guess.

"The Park"

Well, this level is actually playable now. If you go to our fourms and download "The Park." it's in it's final beta stage, I still need to find out why my navs are bugging (level plays fine, though.) and also it randomlly crashes. What to my finding it must be a funny texture somewhere.

(got to click on the images then they show in full-screen.)

My first post!

Yaaay, well this is actually the first time I've *ever* used a blog. I mostly do my own design on Left4Dead levels using Hammer Editor for DataDyne. Who is on steam. We mostly run my maps on our own Servers. We have two: One is my own Server what sits under my desk what we named 'Barney the QA Server' And we also have an 24/7 up and running one called 'Firebomb' we got the name from 28 weeks later when they do the whole fire bomb, because I tend to fire bomb the whole server, then crash it when we're done testing/playing the game for a giggle. =p I will actually get some screenshots up of my last level I did. I named it "The Park."