Tank!

Firefight footage from E3 is out and it looks hellaz cool.  New revelations: You can now board and drive Wraiths, there is some kind of "bubble shield" armor ability, Covies can come armed with plasma launchers, orbital bombing shown in more detail.



Oh. And Race is back.

Living Dead Double EXP Weekend

Zombie playlist this weekend.  Is a good chance to pick up the "Delicious Brains" and "Zombie Repeller" achievements, each worth 25G.

Clan night next week

I'm out of town next Tuesday, but clan night's have had pretty good attendance as of late.  If folks are interested in gaming next week, leave a comment here and I'll start an e-mail thread amongst those interested.

Clan night tonight. 8pm PT. Left 4 Dead 2.

Since they have apparently made the human AIs retarded in L4D1, we'll try L4D2 tonight.  Maybe 3v2 Versus will work better there.

Reach Firefight Details

Crazy customization options, but the best announcements: No buggers, and no Black Eye skull.  YAAYYYY!!!!

More here in the weekly update.

Firefight 2.0

Firefight returns in Halo Reach.  Details are scarce, but a trailer has been released, including some kind of ridiculous air raid ability.

Clan night tonight. 8pm PT. Left 4 Dead 1.

While attendance is still low due to summertime silliness, I'm planning to host an L4D1 tonight.  Campaign is still good times, and Versus mode works better with 5 people on L4D1 than on L4D2.  For all you goons that voted for H3, I need you to actually show up on clan night to make it work.

ZOMG LONGSWORDS!!!!!!!!

If you don't know what a Longsword is, I recommend you check out the E3 Reach Trailer.

L4D1 @ 9pm tonight

Note that due to request of attendees, we'll be playing Left 4 Dead 1 tonight.  Starting at 9pm.  See you kids on-line.

Clan night tonight. 9pm PT. Left 4 Dead 1.

Please let me know if you'll be playing tonight.  We have a few regulars out and want to make sure we have critical mass.

HR: Player Profiles - darknorpo

Player: darknorpo

• Rank: Corporal
• Games: 12; Kills: 135; Deaths: 158; Assists: 65; Time: 0:01:44; Wins: 5; Medals: 218
• Win %: 42%; K/D: 0.85; K/G: 11.25; D/G: 13.17; A/G: 5.42; M/G: 18.17; Encounters/G: 30.69

Bombadier Frontline Leader, Hammer Specialist. Having logged the fewest games in the Beta helped darknorpo to lead the clan in K/G (11.25), A/G (5.42), Encounters/G (30.69) and Medals/G (18.17).  Tending to use the default AR and frag grenades the most often like the Bombadier archetype, also shows an ability to use the Gravity Hammer effectively.

Best suited: Short to medium range slayer, leading fireteams into the frontlines.

Recommend: Logging more gametime and learning the maps.  A proven ability to lead in past games would be really beneficial to the clan in Halo Reach.  Also suggest getting comfortable with the Magnum.  Should be a fairly easy learning curve and more versatile for killing.

HR: Player Profiles - CoolerSopranos2

Player: CoolerSopranos2

• Rank: Corporal
• Games: 21; Kills: 148; Deaths: 233; Assists: 72; Time: 0:03:01; Wins: 5; Medals: 191
• Win %: 24%; K/D: 0.64; K/G: 7.05; D/G: 11.10; A/G: 3.43; M/G: 9.10; Encounters/G: 22.21

Run and Gun Frontline Support. A really high melee kill percentage (24%) with almost nearly as high of an AR kill percentage (23%) imply a Halo 1 style of play, charging into action and punching through the finish.  A low K/D ratio (0.64) is compounded by low Assists (3.43/game) and high Encounters (22.21/game).  DMR stats do show up in top five weapons (19 kills, 13%) along with Headshot! medals (13, 7%).

Best suited: Medium to long range slayer, providing kill and assist support to team mates.

Recommend: Suggest changing play style to Ranged.  Learn how the Magnum works in Halo Reach.  It is very similar to the Magnum from Halo 1 and is an extremely effective weapon in the new game.  Also consider getting better with the DMR and hanging further back from the action.  Improving accuracy and headshot skills, while staying out of direct fire will really boost the K/D ratio.

HR: Player Profiles - TimMAY 1023

Player: TimMAY 1023

• Rank: Corporal
• Games: 21; Kills: 108; Deaths: 187; Assists: 82; Time: 0:02:50; Wins: 8; Medals: 168
• Win %: 38%; K/D: 0.58; K/G: 5.14; D/G: 8.90; A/G: 3.90; M/G: 8.00; Encounters/G: 18.53

Ranged Precision Slayer, Sniper Specialist. Though not obvious from the Reach stats due to low game count, TimMAY 1023 is the only player in the clan with an affinity for sniping.  Interesting stats include highest kill percentage with the Needle Rifle (11%), lowest Death/Game ratio (8.90) and second lowest Encounters/Game ratio (18.53) all point to a play style hanging really far back from the action.

Best suited: Long range slayer, controlling sniper weapons and calling out enemy locations.

Recommend: Continuing to refine sniping skills, learning spots on maps to move around to, learning common terms for map geography to direct team mates.

HR: Player Profiles - Beer4Porter

Player: Beer4Porter

• Rank: Corporal
• Games: 28; Kills: 109; Deaths: 324; Assists: 82; Time: 0:03:57; Wins: 4; Medals: 159
• Win %: 14%; K/D: 0.34; K/G: 3.89; D/G: 11.57; A/G: 2.93; M/G: 5.68; Encounters/G: 18.73

Bombadier Frontline Support: Beer4Porter is the only player in the clan where only two weapons contribute to over 50% of his overall kills (frag grenade 36%, AR 27%).  This points to a strong propensity to hang back from the action, lobbing frags and spraying from afar.  Although he earned the most Assist medals compared to other medals (51%), his actual assist numbers are relatively low (2.93 per game).  Relatively low Encounters/Game stat is consistent with a Bombadier type and helps to balance a low K/D ratio.

Best suited: Short to medium range slayer, providing tactical and objective support for the team.

Recommend: Although slaying may not be Beer4Porter's strength, he is by far the best team mate for fireteam spawning.  Really excels at following a fireteam leader and backing out to allow respawns.  Consider learning how to gain objectives better as well, would be another way to really help the team.  i.e., grabbing flags, learning efficient carry paths home, where to bring the skull so that it can be defended, etc.

Clan night tonight. 8pm PT. Halo 3.

Per popular vote, we'll be playing Halo 3 multiplayer moving forward.  Please use your Halo 3: ODST multiplayer disc or make sure you have purchased all the DLC maps if you don't have ODST.