Friday, November 25, 2011

Modern Warfare 3 - Random Quirks and Information

Primary Weapons
  • CM901 gains increased fire rate by attaching an underbarrel attachment (M320 or Shotgun), 667 to 750 RPM.
  • Mk14 loses a minute amount of refire rate and drastically increases visual kick (not viewkick) by attaching an underbarrel attachment.
  • The AS50 has a lower zoom level than the Barrett, even lower than the ACOG.
  • The AK47 with the Hybrid Sight has a lot of move sway when ADS'd.
  • The FAD loses ROF when an underbarrel attachment is added.
  • The Riot Shield will stop showing cracks when Dynamic Environment is turned off (PC only). However, this will stop dynamic meshes from moving, so what someone could see could not be the same as what you could (example: Enemy shoots something off tabletop, it will disappear on his game but not yours).
  • Extended Mags on shotguns will increase the bullet count by 1.5x AND the pellet count by 1.5x.
  • The M4A1 has a very fast sway, compared to other guns.

Secondary Weapons
  • The Five Seven, when on Akimbo, has a very short reload time. Confirmed on PC.
  • The Five Seven has a very short reload time when using Extended mags. Non-existent in PC, confirmed on PS3.
  • The MP412 has a bigger hipfire box than the 44 Magnum and Desert Eagle, making it a poor choice when Akimbo.
  • Secondaries only need 250 kills compared to the 300 on primaries.

Equipment
  • The Trophy System will stop up 2 to projectiles, and creates a much smaller explosion. This includes frags, semtex, flashes, EMPs, concussions, smokes, Predator missiles, Reaper missiles, AC-130 105mm shells, and AC-130 75mm shells. However, they must be rather close to the Trophy System.
  • The Trophy System will trigger from throwing Ballistic Vests near it. Confirmed on X360.
  • The EMP Grenade can destroy equipment on impact, though an explosion is enough as long as it is in the explosion radius. However, it will explode in mid-air after 1 second, and the radius is not very large.
  • Knifing your own Trophy System awards credit for Sitrep Pro.

Killstreaks
  • Specialist will unlock all perks AND proficiencies. In turn, you will gain challenge credit from these, including those that are not unlocked yet. However, you do not get the Breath and Attachment proficiencies, or the Damage proficiency on non-Shotgun weapons.
  • The Reaper has a limited amount of missiles.
  • Juggernauts do regenerate health. Sticking them with Semtex is a one-shot kill.
  • Osprey Airdrops will always drop one Airdrop Trap.
  • The Recon Drone will trip Claymores and Bouncing Betties. Confirmed on X360.

Perks
  • Recon will paint enemies with Lethal OR Tactical grenade explosions.
  • Overkill will take into account your heaviest weapon, no matter which slot you put them on.
  • Blast Shield will MINIMIZE the effects of Flash and Concussion, not completely negate them.
  • Overkill Pro will disable the attachment proficiency on both weapons.
Random
  • Enemy killcams can reveal Airdrop Traps. If they have skulls on them, or it does not display an icon denoting what killstreak reward it is, then it is a trap crate.
  • The Thermal Scope has a lower zoom level than the ACOG.

Too lazy to name, but most of this info comes from DenKirson's forums, as well as TmarTn's videos on YouTube.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

ISML Elimination - Day 6 Results / Final Votes





ARENA 01: [[Shana]] Misaka Mikoto
ARENA 02: Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko) [[Tachibana Kanade]]
ARENA 03: Nakano Azusa [[Aisaka Taiga]]
ARENA 04: Katsura Hinagiku [[Nagato Yuki]]
ARENA 05: Akiyama Mio [[Suzumiya Haruhi]]
ARENA 06: Yui [[Eucliwood Hellscythe]]
ARENA 07: [[Kashiwazaki Sena]] Gasai Yuno
ARENA 08: [[Konoe Subaru]] Takakura Himari
ARENA 09: [[Shionji Yūko (Alice)]] Kaga Rin
ARENA 10: [[Ayanami Rei]] Kinomoto Sakura


DOUBLE KUGYUU WIN INCOMING!!

Friday, November 11, 2011

ISML Elimination - Day 5 Results / Day 6 Votes





ARENA 01: [[Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko)]] Misaka Mikoto
ARENA 02: [[Nakano Azusa]] Katsura Hinagiku
ARENA 03: Nagato Yuki [[Aisaka Taiga]]
ARENA 04: [[Akiyama Mio]] Yui
ARENA 05: [[Suzumiya Haruhi]] Eucliwood Hellscythe
ARENA 06: [[Nakamura Yuri]] Charlotte Dunois
ARENA 07: Sengoku Nadeko [[Senjōgahara Hitagi]]
ARENA 08: Honma Meiko [[Ika-Musume]]
ARENA 09: [[Tōru]] Toshinō Kyōko
ARENA 10: [[Kinomoto Sakura]] Chii


The power of Kugyuu is strong with this one. I'm not as disappointed to Kanade losing to Shana as opposed to if she lost to Misaka, but we know that's the opposite. HUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHEUHEUHEU

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

ISML Elimination - Day 4 Results / Day 5 Votes




ARENA 01: [[Tachibana Kanade]] Shana
ARENA 02: Akiyama Mio [[Aisaka Taiga]]
ARENA 03: Yui [[Nagato Yuki]]
ARENA 04: Katsura Hinagiku [[Suzumiya Haruhi]]
ARENA 05: [[Nakano Azusa]] Eucliwood Hellscythe
ARENA 06: [[Nakamura Yuri]] Sengoku Nadeko
ARENA 07: Charlotte Dunois [[Senjōgahara Hitagi]]
ARENA 08: [[Elucia de Lute Irma]] Haqua du Lot Herminium
ARENA 09: Kawashima Minami [[Minato Tomoka]]
ARENA 10: [[Ayanami Rei]] Evangeline McDowell


I feel like there's some 4chan trollvoting going on, seeing Aria won against Kurisu by 1000 votes. That's pretty damn big. Either that, or tsundere wins, and Kugyuu ALWAYS wins tsundere battles.

Anime Nostalgia - Vandread / VD: The Second Stage


For those who don't know, Vandread is set in a universe in which after colonization past the Sol System, the men and women are completely segregated (on completely different planets: Mejere by the women, Taraak by the men) causing the gender war to be more than just a metaphor. It's an interesting take on the space frontier and what not, and it makes for interesting humor as well.


I grew to love this series. It's short, but every episode had a purpose. Characters undergo a lot of development with varying degrees, and even the very minor characters do so as well. The story is just as great, though slightly cliche in a lot of parts, but what isn't nowadays?

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Hibiki - I hated Hibiki in the beginning. He was such a douche, to a point. However, I could understand some of it. If I was captured by an opposing country in a war, for example, I'd be VERY scared of what they could possibly do. When you grow up knowing so little about others, it's hard to cope with it in the beginning.

Still, I'm just mad at him for delaying stuff with Dita until the very end.

Dita - The happy-go-lucky Dita. Oh yes. A lot of people love her. I do, but she's not my auto-favorite character, you know. She's sweet, and she really doesn't care about someone being male or female. Her character development is a bit harsh, as she learns how to cope with depression during the events with Gascogne. Still, I think she matured a bit during Season 2, but not so much in S1.

Meia - Tsundere incoming, with massive amounts of tsun and minimal amounts of dere. She was rather closed-minded and spiteful of the men who were in the Nirvana. She opens up more and more to her real personality by the end of S2, and it's really a great sight. As strict as you are in S1, I have grown to love you XD

Jura - Errhhrurhurhruhruh... clearly, I don't like talking about Jura. Her growth was so minimal, and it's mostly towards her more-or-less selfish actions, though comedic in nature. Still, Duero and Jura... such a weird match, yet somehow, it could work!

Barnette - Oh yes. She's a strong supporting character, yet shadowed until S2. Seriously, in a world of beam weapons and more standardized gear, I can't help but love her older gun collection. Really, she changes her outlook on the current events after the crew's loss of Gascogne, and she becomes 10x cooler. 

OVERALL
The biggest factor in the show, I think, is the Paksis. It's a majorly-used power source, yet it holds many secrets. There's a lot of imagery that it emanates. In the first 5 episodes, the Ikazuchi fuses with the females' ship, Paksis being a factor. It represents the reunion of man and woman, albeit at a slow pace. It also changes the crew's ships, showing a potential change and growth of character. I'm probably overthinking this, but really a lot of it is very metaphoric in nature.


Currently, I'm rewatching both seasons. It's a show worth rewatching, and looking back at everything you know and surprisingly, discovering new things you might have totally missed, both in content and beyond.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

ISML Elimination - Day 3 Results / Day 4 Votes





ARENA 01: [[Nagato Yuki]] Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko)
ARENA 02: [[Aisaka Taiga]] Misaka Mikoto
ARENA 03: [[Senjōgahara Hitagi]] Eucliwood Hellscythe
ARENA 04: [[Suzumiya Haruhi]] Charlotte Dunois
ARENA 05: [[Fear Kubrick]] Sena Airi
ARENA 06: [[Kosaka Chihiro]] Takahara Ayumi
ARENA 07: Anjō Naruko [[Chiriko Tsurumi]]
ARENA 08: Aria H. Kanzaki [[Makise Kurisu]]
ARENA 09: Sawatari Fū [[Shinohara Akari]]
ARENA 10: Kisaragi Chihaya [[Abstained]] Miura Azusa


I'm actually not surprised that Minko won against Nako. She has more charm to her, and of course, who doesn't like tsunderes?

This week, I have to abstain again, because you CANNOT pick over Chihaya and Azusa. They're both equally awesome! However, if you pick Aria over ChrisTINA, I WILL have to kill you. That is the choice of STEINS;GATE.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Sakuya's HoN Chronicles - Nomad. Such a Badass.

They're both Nomad, and they're both awesome. Still, our topic is about the Sand Dude.


I love Nomad. Well, I love both of them. Nanosuit Nomad was one of the unsung heroes of Crysis. He's a stark contrast to the more brash Psycho, yet just as badass.

But this isn't about Nanosuit Nomad. This is about the Prince of Sands. He feels like your standard AFK farming hero, but somehow I have more fun with him than, let's say, Swiftblade. To the non-HoN players, here's a breakdown of his skills:

Q: Sandstorm - Nomad covers himself in sand, and grants him invisibility and additional movespeed. Furthermore, any allies inside the storm will be granted the same benefits. This makes ganking tons of fun when you take all 5 allies inside your Sandstorm and surprise the enemy.

W+E: Mirage Strike - Two skills in one, there's True Strike and Mirage Strike. True Strike (W) causes Nomad to charge to an enemy, and is given additional attack speed after he hits you with it. Mirage Strike (E) sends out a mirage to attack a target with Nomad's current attack damage, while making himself invisible.

Passive: Wanderer - Increase bonus attack damage depending on distance traveled. It will only proc at 20 charges (max 100), but every attack will grant you 25 charges if you have less than 20.

R: Edge Counter - For 1 second, enemy attacks done within this timeframe will cause Nomad to counterattack and send out a shockwave that deals damage + stuns the first damage dealer. Some spells cannot trigger this.

He's not full of utility or anything, but he's highly suited for 1v1. I just love his kit, very straightforward, yet maintains some flexibility.

I'll post a video analysis tomorrow, or maybe tonight. I could play LoL or something while it renders since it doesn't destroy my FPS.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Why MW3 Will Suck?

Comments on IIJERiiCHOII's video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVvXx-OaZjM

Why would it suck?
Because it's a mirror of every COD since COD4. Instead of MW2 + MW3, they could have released MW2 NOW and make it a REALLY good game. 
Skyrim will have an entirely new setting, with features that actually set it apart from Oblivion. What's the new stuff transitioning from COD4 to MW2 and MW3? Guns... perks... and all of them are synonymous to something from the previous game. Not exact mirrors, but there is too much recycling going on.
Also, multiplayer-heavy games like this need longevity. Patch it every 3 months, I don't care, but make them last a good amount of time, and once you see the population go down, start on a sequel with improved AND unique features that separate them from the previous title, gameplay-wise. 
The only reason I'm "acquiring" MW3 is to put an end to its single-player story. After that, hello 500 hours of Skyrim, Sword of the Stars 2, Diablo 3, and Mass Effect 3.


ISML Elimination - Day 2 Results / Day 3 Votes





ARENA 01: [[Tachibana Kanade]] Katsura Hinagiku
ARENA 02: Shana [[Abstained]] Nakano Azusa
ARENA 03: Sengoku Nadeko [[Akiyama Mio]]
ARENA 04: [[Yui]] Nakamura Yuri
ARENA 05: [[Kirishima Shōko]] Oikawa Tsurara
ARENA 06: Wendy Marvell [[Irisviel von Einzbern]]
ARENA 07: [[Kasuga Kusunoki]] Nagase Jun
ARENA 08: Oshimizu Nako [[Abstained]] Tsurugi Minko
ARENA 09: [[Yarizui Sen]] Yuzuriha Inori
ARENA 10: Hoshii Miki [[Abstained]] Kikuchi Makoto

3 abstains, cuz I'm bawss.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Sakuya's HoN Chronicles - Y U NO STAY IN GAME?


Seriously, there's always a disconnection... or a ragequitter.

I was trying out Dampeer earlier on a non-stats pub, and I will say that he's tons of fun. I'm amazed I got a 5-kill streak with him, too. The only thing that shut me down in that game was Night Hound in early levels, because when he times his smoke cloud right, I lose my nuke from Terrorize. If you don't know, Night Hound's smoke cloud slows and silences anyone in its radius.

Anyways, after a failed gank on top, our Bubbles died trying to "help," when little did he realize our Wretched Hag is bad, and I had 20 HP left. He ragequit after that, and minutes later, our Parasite did, too. 5v3 is so fun /sarcasm

Still, I think I just found my semi-carry :D A lot of people still think he's a semi-troll, but people think Succubus is a semi-troll, yet she can easily carry an entire game.

ISML Elimination - Day 1 Results / Day 2 Votes





ARENA 01: Misaka Mikoto [[Charlotte Dunois]]
ARENA 02: [[Nagato Yuki]] Senjōgahara Hitagi
ARENA 03: [[Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko)]] Eucliwood Hellscythe
ARENA 04: [[Aisaka Taiga]] Suzumiya Haruhi
ARENA 05: Taneshima Poplar [[Yamada Aoi]]
ARENA 06: Dalian [[Yune]]
ARENA 07: Yoshida Kazumi [[Hecate]]
ARENA 08: [[Ayase Chihaya]] Hōjō Hibiki
ARENA 09: Millhiore Firianno Biscotti [[Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois]]
ARENA 10: Minase Iori [[Takatsuki Yayoi]]

Here it is! The final stretch~

We all know Mio won last year, but this time, she's been eliminated at the first round. Such a bummer. Of course, Kanade won by a giant landslide, though some may think our Flawless Princess' matchup is one-sided.

Mind you that those people are Misaka supporters, and are mad they have one loss because of Tenshi.

To you, I say...

YOU MAD?

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Sakuya's HoN Chronicles - In the beginning...


Don't make me backhand you now!

I've played LoL quite a bit, at least 600 games. I know how to play every role with at least one champion. I know the ward spots, I know the timings on creeps, and I know how every champ works. Suddenly, I start playing HoN, and the differences are so drastic. Much faster pacing, snowballing is more prominent, level gaps are much higher, last hitting takes more skill, and positioning is EVERYTHING. If you play LoL, you know what if you screw up your positioning, you almost always have that "get out of jail free" card with Summoner Flash.

So really, I know how to play MOBAs. I can jump into LoL on solo queue confident I'll do great. In HoN, I'm second-guessing if I should solo MM, play no-stats public, or wait for a premade. Also, I really think I need to learn lane matchups, hero roles, itemization, etc. I haven't had the time to go into practice mode with all the heroes to at least see what they're capable of.

And so due to these troubles, I joined Epoch Project, a HoN mentoring group. However, it's not exactly for the one-on-one mentorships, though they prove useful. I'm really there for the learnhouses. I feel that I learn better with experience, whilst having someone giving me good feedback on what I am doing wrong. Most of the time, I'll catch myself making a mistake and correct it, but sometimes there's just a time where I so stumped on what the heck happened in a game. I've just been in one, and though the feedback was decent, at best, I hope to join other LH sessions.

On that same note, here's my experience with heroes I frequently play:
Maliken - Really, the main reason I play him is because of my awesome Norio Wakamoto voice pack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loSesaCMLqc). Still, he's a great hard carry. He's like HoN's older Crit-based Tryndamere without that stupid Fury bar. The lower his health gets, the faster he auto-attacks, and he can actually stay in that health level using a single lifesteal item (Whispering Helm) and his Life Essence stance ("green sword").

Fayde - I think she's a really good ganker, and my Enma Ai voice pack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MqjzLmRJDc) makes her worthwhile. Still, she's highly reliant on Codex when ganking, or at least another hero with a stun, as she will rarely wombo-combo (instagib thru one combo, think LeBlanc Double Sigil > Distortion > Chains). She also needs to snowball early.

Witch Slayer - First off, I WANT HIS PIMP SLAYER ALT. Seriously, it makes him 100x more badass. Anyway, he's my favorite babysitter/hard support. Having 2 disables and a targeted nuke makes him a very good asset to a team without being so item dependent.

Hellbringer - Though he needs to get his core items fast, he's a great support character. If you think Tibbers hurts, Malphas hurts even more. However, Malphas hurts more than Tibbers in their autoattacks. He also has a bigger AOE stun, which doesn't need that Pyromania stun proc.

Plague Rider - AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!! PLAAAAYGUUUUUUU!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpuv7VPb2rA) PR is one of the most no-brainer heroes, and also one of the cheapest at 65 silver coins. A must have, his ultimate is reminiscent of Lich from DOTA, or Brand from LoL. A perfectly placed ultimate will decimate an entire team. Pair him with Flux, Kraken, or Tempest of the best results.

Wretched Hag - I like Hag (or Hottie, in my case, since I bought the alt). Her Wretched Hottie alt totally reminds me of Le Blanc. Anyways, she has decent burst damage, but she's got a 6-second CD blink, and it's got very good range. Her skills are also AOE, so it's really not hard to play her. All you need to learn is timing and positioning.

The Chipper - The Chipper is like... Singed with nukes. Anyway, all of his skills, save one shielding skill, are skillshots. However, his Rocket Barrage skill has some awesome range and a ministun. Singed has Mega Adhesive, Chipper has Tar Toss. However, when someone is tarred, you can shoot a Rocket Barrage at them to ignite and deal a DoT. His ultimate is like Rumble's, but it's shorter and does not slow until you get Staff of the Master. He'll definitely be a purchase soon, as well as his alt, which turns his walker into a tank.