Keystone Gray

The following is a transcription of true events in New Jessie, dated May 13th, 2010: March 12, 2010

In case anyone hasn't seen it yet. ... />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on3DMeotV3k I'm just surprised Raideur's fetish isn't shoving real hedgehogs covered in olive oil up his ass. ... Dear god I hope it's not. Those crazy French. <3

Offensive Achievements Flash and Clear (10g) - Flashbang a group of 2 or more enemies and eliminate them before the effect wears off. Scoped and Dropped (25g) - Assassinate an enemy military's top commander, with a semi auto weapon, from at least 200m. Mission Accomplished (25g) - On an objective-based sim, successfully complete the objective (flag, demolition, etc.) Terminator (100g) - After a pull-out order has been issued on last-death, continue to survive and dominate the enemy for 5 more minutes beyond your teammates. Defensive Achievements Whites of Their Eyes (10g) - Score a musket kill on an attacker. G-Unit (10g) - Score a kill on an attacker that is using a Carducci weapon or gangster avatar. Homeland Defender (10g) - Defend for 2 hours straight without taking a break. Servant of the Imperator (25g) - Defend for 5 hours straight without taking a break. Adult Undergarments (50g) - Defend for 8 hours straight without taking a break. Misc. Achievements Sam Fisher (100g) - Kill a Blood Fist member before they recognize your presence and ban you. Gentlemen (25g) - Successfully infiltrate an enemy compound (on your main account) by convincing a guard that you're there to help them. Shapeshifting Rat (50g) - Successfully infiltrate an enemy compound (on your main account) by disguising in enemy tag and armor. Fed the Fish (Rank 1) (10g) - Push a cadet into the river. Fed the Fish (Rank 2) (25g) - Push an (un)welcomed guest into the river. Fed the Fish (Rank 3) (50g) - Feed Keller.

Another large revision and update. Simplified the list (again), separated it into four tiers: All Finished Products, Pipeline, Development, and Drawing Board. Also, list now encompasses projects outside of Titan (personal ventures, but if there's a holdup on Titan product development, at least you'll be able to see if I'm working on something else in the meantime). Drawing board will only list confirmed projects. Guns in each tier are listed from most recent to oldest in sequential order under their respective categories.

Lupus, read the last two pars. It's a Diablos Korobase joke.

Ok seriously, no more in 'progress list', I'm just going to build guns as the motivation comes up. xD Whenever I put an obligation to finish one I never actually do it. I sat there staring at the Skorpion for so long that I finally just stood up and said "screw it, I'm gonna get something to eat", picked it up, and forgot about it.

Keystone: So I was playing Campaign single player L4D1 on Expert. Tank shows up at the gas station. I fall back with my bot buddies and Louis I guess stops to try and raid the fridge in the kitchen of the diner for watermelon. The tank slams him against the wall and incaps him. I go back to put a couple magazines into the Tank's face as he's killing Louis, and then as I'm running away, Bill and Francis run out the back door and CLOSE IT ON ME. Keystone: The rest is pretty easy to figure out. Xayvien Rau: Look on the bright side. Xayvien Rau: Black guy died first. Keystone: For watermelon. Xayvien Rau: Worthy cause. Keystone: What about pills? Could have been stopping for pills. Xayvien Rau: Haha, yeah. Xayvien Rau: Except if he found pills he'd have beaten down the Tank.

LUPUS: Bringing new definition to the "furry" term. :D

Shadow Company is a blanket term used by many, many publications to signify the dark implications of hiring PMCs. Shadow Company is not a real PMC, the documentary is merely calling its exposé as such due to the "shadowy" nature of corporatizing warfare. I doubt that a PMC would call itself Shadow Company in reality, because of this very same implication. Such an implication would be very, very bad for business. Blackwater USA, for example, renamed itself due to the word "black" having such a negative connotation, as well as Blackwater's disasterous complementary media coverage.

[spoiler warning.] I extracted and transcribed the random miscellaneous radio chatter that Shadow Company's radios give off every so often, during the second-to-last mission in the caves. Figured I'd post it here, because it's interesting to say the least. It gives a bit of insight into their professionalism and operational quality, but also into the debate as to whether they are a PMC or a SOCOM task force. Key: Oxide: Central Command HQ (Oxide's base controller is apparently Shepherd's right-hand man. He has direct contact with him at all times, pre-Price/Soap infiltration, probably face-to-face). Disciple: Infantry Mongoose: Infantry Scaler: Helicopter Carnival: Zodiak Teams / Logistics(?) Avatar: UAV While thumbing through some other files, I also found that at one point during the Zodiak chase mission's development, a Predator UAV was to be used on Price and Soap. Obviously this had been cut. Also, another tidbit: Actual Shadow Company infantry are keen to pick up on the fact that Soap and Price are SAS based on their combat styles, which they know from the SAS handbook (as quoted from their battle chatter files). Apparently they have access and clearance to that information, which is top secret as I understand. They also state that Soap and Price move very predictably, and that they've downed tougher targets than the two of them. Finally, and most curiously, one battle chatter line has them saying, and I quote, "Headshots pay double; keep your shots high and tight." They're apparently being paid to eliminate targets. Judging by the conversation posed between Disciple Two's sandstorm patrol and Oxide, they may be paid through a manipulation of the hazard pay statutes. They are also apparently paid to eliminate Makarov's Ultranationalist troops in the Boneyard, as they are able to remark about being paid double for headshots on them, as well. More transcripts to come later, if I can find the time.

There was a PD Source. It was a TC. The project was abandoned, but I played the beta and, lag aside, it was fucking beautiful. It had dynamic crosshairs, which was a bit annoying (think Insurgency), but otherwise it was great.

Yes, the stairs need repairs. I think the build is beautiful. I have a questions, however. ∙ Will more cover be added for both attacking forces and our defending forces? ∙ Will the terrain underneath the build be lifted to meet the structures so as to prevent issues with falling underneath the build, and to prevent attackers from exploiting it? ∙ Our old HUD goto system is outdated by the new build; when is it estimated that we will be getting an updated replacement? ∙ Will we be retaining the traditional "base of operations" style bunker system (below ground), are we operating as a fortress (above ground), or both, as with the old build? Also, might I suggest, if we have the prims for it: ∙ Offices for officers. ∙ A lounge. It doesn't need to have video games like the VV lounge, but anything would be better than that bare-bones hangar or the all-pro, no-go armory for people to gather during the slow periods. Maybe even a TV. Hell, the Mercz had one on their front lines. ∙ And decoration in general. The old build was scant, and uninteresting. This new one is interesting but very bare, and I have a feeling its novelty will wear off quickly as we enter engagements. Ammo crates, defensive positions, sandbags, etc., anything to liven the place up a bit and make it feel combat-y.

KEYSTONE GRAY: RESIDENT SISSY GIRLY MAN. *Waves a minigun around.*

Tsume, you work so damned hard. I don't know how you do it, but hats-off dude. No, seriously. Take off that stupid hat. <3

I'd use my instrument, but it's broken. Those fucking kid rebels destroyed it. :( />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETFNSVNQqfE But in all seriousness: Fleet lives on in my heart. Deep in my memories are the massive battles and the battery assaults on the walls of the Alliance Navy's Dorien outpost from high in the sky. Maybe someday it will make a return. I may be a trooper or a pilot until that day, but fleet is where my home is, and I'll sure as hell be there.

I wish: No more politics. Just fight everyone, and if they fuck around, we treat them like we treat CATI: Ignore it and keep fighting. Nowadays such a methodology is impossible, as there's always a psychotic nutweed who thinks it's prudent to wage jihad against the "brainwashed Iron Symphony infidels", and copybot/harass/attack/attempt to cause harm to us. Sooooo, other alternatives: ∙ More deployments. More deployment authority. The Mercz go on four or five raids a day, if not more. We go on one or two. The same 40 people cycle through raids all the time, and the rest of our membership either can't go on raids due to timezone constraints or just can't be around during raid times. They're ultimately left out. ∙ We need to start having more adversarial firefights in-house. A lot more. Two teams, one at the hub, another defending the base, both teams picked from Ordo membership. I'd love to see these happening four or five times a week. If the concern over this suggestion is that there will be infighting and drama, the solution to such a thing is also very, very incredibly simple: If someone starts a fight with someone, they sit out the next few events. They'll shape up soon or get shipped out faster. ∙ I really wish people used Rostok when it was around, because it was a good idea and I miss it dearly. I don't know why IS-vs-IS is such a touchy subject, it's it exists in the first place. But we really should start looking into fighting AN and Mercz every once in a while. Shooting each other shouldn't be an insult to one another's humanity.

I tried to grow a beard. But then I found out that my beard is somehow (aka SOMEFUCKINGHOW) auburn. I'm blonde, god damn it. Blonde! Do you have any idea of how retarded a blonde looks WITH A RED FUCKING BEARD? Shaved that bitch off in a week.

Even though Arma 2 isn't a console port, it still sucks. What, 20 patches and 1 whole sequel, and they still haven't fixed guys sniping you with SMGs from miles away through seven trees, two shrubs, and a cactus? I think even FarCry's sequels fixed that bug, and that's really saying something because Farcry kinda sucks too. :| At least in CoD4 and CoD6, smoke grenades and trees phase the enemy AI's ability to see the invisible bullseye on your head.

Rank is Prestige Level 1, Stat Level 27.

Soap is a guaranteed badass. I have proof. On Duty, enjoying his favorite past-time: Hunting terrorists. Off Duty, enjoying his other favorite past-time: Hunting dinosaurs. Discuss.

I'm still loving the one I got from Syl. Has my rank on it n' everything. :D

Unfortunately, the brainless masses will buy it up anyway. Same with L4D2. So this tactic won't work, and we need a new one. The petition method won't work either, as Infinity Ward has been claiming that all of the votes on the current petition are fake.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's release is tomorrow, for most people. Building its success upon the frame of its predecessor, it's set to become the best-selling game of 2009. Already breaking records for pre-orders at GameStop and other gaming venues, MW2 has been hailed already as the "greatest game of all time" by many of its fans. Gaming units, clans, and guilds looked forward to it in absolute reverence, and as the promotional trailers and advertisements rolled out of the woodwork, the game looked poised to obliterate MW1 entirely. However, recent events point away from this initial standpoint. Many facts have been released about the game and its 'features' since it was initially announced, ones that have swayed the opinions of a very 'small' sales demographic. These features include the removal of not only dedicated server support (the most famous of complaints), but also the server browser, leaning (a CoD staple), demo recording support, full field-of-view widescreen support, and mod support. Instead, they have replaced all of these features with an experimental PC version of X-Box Live, one that has had almost no testing outside of the IW office LAN. Joining a game will require entering the game, searching for a game lobby, waiting for people to join the lobby, waiting for the game to choose a player's computer to host off of, and then being forced to endure a game limited to 9v9 engagements that is being hosted on a listen server from someone's PC. With a cap of 18 players, there will be no more massive battles like you'd find in CoD4. What the fuck? In CoD4 I can boot the game, flip to my favorites, double click my favorite server, and be on the ground and shooting people in 15 seconds. Are we really being forced to sit for five minutes to even get into a game? Infinity Ward has essentially 'consolized' their gaming franchise with the interest of putting as little work into making a competent server system as humanly possible. They instead borrowed the X-Box Live framework and pasted it onto their own server, completely dodging the 'let's make a good server browser' bullet. Their rationale is simple, but it is also a thin veil: "Let's stop pirated servers." But, when has a system like this stopped pirates before? Surely somewhere, someone is sitting in their living room playing a $5 copy of Halo 3 online on a white disc with "Halo lol" scrawled upon it in black marker. And pirated servers only account for 1~% of current CoD4 servers. So what gives? It's maximum profit, minimum effort. Unfortunately, those most affected by these changes aren't the ones dropping the most money into Activision's coffers. All over the Internet, X-Box fanboys and children worldwide have made it their personal mission to invalidate the opinions of PC gamers with a massive, shadow-casting, intimidating "So what?" Their experience isn't changing in the slightest, and won't be for some time. Console games have traditionally been less sophisticated than their PC counterparts, and that is no insult to console gamers. PC games have always been a cut above console games merely due to the customization ability. By standardizing MW2's general operation, Infinity Ward can essentially make one game for one system, write a different control set for PC, and kick back to enjoy profits. By doing so, they are destroying the online gaming community. Clans can no longer play together in their own servers, the mod community is being flipped the bird (and are returning that bird in kind), and most importantly, casual players are getting more spotlight now than hardcore gamers. The answer to why is fairly simple: hardcore gamers don't make as much money. Infinity Ward knew that what they were doing would have them lose a lot of customers, but not enough to hurt their wallet. A plan was devised, and they made preorders available before announcing what they knew was going to drive the PC community absolutely mad. Not only was Modern Warfare 2 going to have a load of PC-related features removed, but it will also force everyone to utilize the Steam service for multiplayer. No exceptions. Everyone will need to create a Steam account and run Steam in the background to play MW2. While this may not be an issue for me, as I do use Steam for 99% of my gaming, I still find it to be complete bullshit to force people to use a marketing platform to play this game. Most PC gamers turned in their preorders overnight when the news hit, and understandably so. Unfortunately, anyone who preordered the game on Steam may not turn in their preorder under any circumstances. But this story wouldn't be as good without icing on the cake. Insult to injury? You bet your sweet ass. Steam preorder purchasers will not be permitted to play the game until November 12, two days after the game's official PC release on November 10. Steam users saved five dollars but got fucked over hardcore. Has Infinity Ward and Activision lost their fucking minds? ----- I've named this article "The Fall of Good Gaming" because these issues are not pertaining solely to the CoD franchise. Most games have gone down this same road, in which the game was developed for the console gaming community and then half-assedly passed off to the PC crowd. Maximum profit, minimum effort. Examples of which include the port of Resident Evil 5, Deus Ex 2, Fallout 3, Borderlands, GTA4, the recent Rainbow Six Vegas games, Red Faction's sequels, and all of Splinter Cell's PC games. While any one of these games may be a good game in their own right, they all have one single thing in common: They were lazy ports. Borderlands, as a more specific example, is a beautiful game. However, the developers decided that they didn't want to work on the most highly advertised feature of the game - the multiplayer - and passed it off to GameSpy to code. That effort ended in failure, as 95% of everyone who played it on the PC could not play multiplayer in the first few nights. Even still then, the terrible server browser makes playing with friends on a pub server almost impossible. Hacking Borderlands is also extremely easy, because player profiles are stored locally. A little over half of PC Borderlands multiplayer users are at level 1337 or 9001 and one-shot-killing everything. The level cap is 50. ----- Good gaming is dead. I have no choice but to begrudgingly play Modern Warfare 2 and can only pray that the single player redeems the 50 dollars I paid, because half of that price is going to a multiplayer that I won't even be able to play in a favorite server anymore. Hell, I have more faith in the PC gaming and modding community than Infinity Ward. I'm certain someone will hack a good server browser into MW2 and we can all start playing unofficial patches, because as with all Console-to-PC ports, you can be sure that IW will patch the console version at least 20 to 30 times before they even give PC gamers a single one.