EyeTV 3 for Mac: smart guides (at last!)

I've been using EyeTV 2 for the past few years with my iMac G5 / TwinhanDTV Alpha digital TV tuner combination, and since then I have not looked back.  The convenience of pre-recorded digital TV means that I avoid watching live TV nowadays.  I much prefer watching the shows I have recorded at a time of my choosing, and with the option of skipping those annoying ads.  But as good as EyeTV 2 is, it was missing what I consider to be an essential feature- the ability to create a list of TV shows that you want to have recorded in future, no matter when the shows are broadcast.  Eg. a list of titles/keywords that can be run against the EPG, with the resulting matching programmes automatically scheduled for recording.  If I want to record each weekly episode of Good Game, and all Columbo movies that happen to be broadcast at obscure times, then I shouldn't need to manually scan the EPG and schedule everything myself.  

Thankfully, Elgato's EyeTV 3 provides a solution to this problem in the form of smart guides.  A long-overdue feature, smart guides are highly-configurable and work as advertised.  Smart guides can be created to simply record all future shows matching a particular title, or more complex smart guides can be designed to use a combination of fields such as repeat, channel, director, year, description and more.  So it is easy to schedule a series for recording on a particular channel based on its name, with recordings limited to non-repeats only, and keeping a maximum of three recordings.  Precisely what I was looking for.  Of course there are many other new features in version 3, but for me, the inclusion of smart guides alone makes the US$39.95 upgrade for EyeTv 2 users an essential purchase.  In fact, somewhat of a bargain I would say...

(image from elgato.com)

Classic FPS Gaming Maps

AmstradHero here again! The recent release of the Call of Duty 4 map pack has added a few nice additions to its already impressive multiplayer map line-up. While I'll leave a detailed analysis of each map's advantages, disadvantages and ups and downs to Ferris (well, okay, maybe he won't provide that, but I've dobbed him in now!), I feel like I should make a couple of comments about the gorgeous 'Creek'. Firstly, it's visually stunning. Buildings, trees, foliage, a dried creek bed, this map has got character and attractive scenery in spades. Even better, that wonderful eye-candy doesn't impact the performance one iota, and it's still a frantic pace of killing and warfare despite its beauty and large map size. Even better, it's a well designed map. This is one thing that makes or breaks multiplayer maps, and while it's painfully obvious when a map doesn't work, it's not always obvious why.

Rather than producing a monologue of how not to make a map (although I may do that at a later date), let's take a look at some classic maps that have worked. As someone with a passion for building game levels, I would unashamedly say I would have loved to have come up with the design of these three gems.

Counterstrike: de_dust

If you haven't played this map, then either you've been hiding under a rock for the past decade or more, or somehow you've managed to avoid playing one of the most influential FPS titles ever. Not bad for something that was born from a Half-life mod. The elegant simplicity of this level is what makes it work. Even better, it showcases a few great design achievements.

Firstly, it caters for its gameplay. Counterstrike lived and died by its rounds of several minutes. Which means the action has to be tight and fast. If players are sitting around for minutes at a stretch with nothing to do or simply traversing to get to the action (yes, I'm looking at you, Battlefield 2), then it is no good. A round in de_dust could be over in a matter of seconds if things went badly, either leaving you to savour victory, or contemplate brutal defeat. Occasionally rounds would time out, but it was significantly less likely than someone actively winning.

Secondly, it caters for both the aggressive and the cautious. There's the tight inside area for quick carnage, or there's the bridge underpass for a skirmish of sniping and counter-sniping. Both are strategically important, meaning that you're catering for your two character archetypes in FPS games.

Unreal Tournament: Facing Worlds

No list of classic maps would be complete without this map. It's been in every incarnation of Unreal Tournament thanks to the recent addition of it for UT3 - oh, the travesty at it not being included in the shipped version! Why? Because it is unequivocally FUN. Yes, it is a heaven for those players that love sniping, and potentially hell for those that don't, but despite it's massive and imposing sniper nests at opposite ends of the map, this Capture The Flag map again delivers the goods in terms of grandeur and gameplay.While at first it seems like snipers are king, snipers can't capture the flag. So again, it caters for its design. As a pure deathmatch map, it would likely be an abject failure, but its matching of a level made for sniper fodder contrasted against the need for run and gunners to actually achieve the objective needed to win means that it was an instant classic from its inception.

Even better, the game mechanics of dodging (and translocation, if it's not disabled) that are integral to UT mean that sniping isn't the instant fatality provider that it could easily be if this map existed in other FPS games. Not to mention that the potential for countersniping is so high that snipers have to continually monitor their opposition rather than just peppering the running players with headshots.

Quake 3 Arena: The Longest Yard

This level was unusual and innovative for its time in that it consisted of a heck of a lot of nothing. Really and truly, there's virtually nothing in this level. Eye candy is virtually non existent, as is in fact, anything. There's minimal geometry or hard ground for players to stand on, yet it still plays great if you fire up Quake 3 now.

The reason this level is so well designed is due to item placement. If you can control the level in Quake 3, then you have a massive advantage over your opponents. The Longest Yard is a strange and incongruous beast that both enforces this aspect of the game (which is a weakness or strength depending on your opinion - but that is another argument I don't have time for here), but also breaks it ruthless style. The two most powerful items in the level (the railgun and quad damage) are situated in the middle of empty space in clear view (and shooting range) of the rest of the level. Which means despite that you are screaming through the air at break-neck speed with very little ability to kill other people, they very much have an excellent shot at killing you, especially if they've managed to make the jump previously and pick up the beloved railgun.

So there's a trio of classic and brilliantly designed FPS levels. You'll notice a lack of games from recent titles, and you might argue I'm dwelling in a nostalgia paradise, but the truth is that these maps were very influential in the success of their individual titles, and have also influenced the development of levels in all FPS games since. I'm sure if you look in your favourite FPS map, you can see a little fragment of them in there...

(images from moditory.com and gamespy.com)

Peggle Addiction: a first-hand account

Who would have thought that a simple puzzle game could drag me away from Call of Duty 4?  Especially a simple puzzle game that relies as much on luck as it does skill?  But it's true- I am completely hooked on Peggle Deluxe.  It is such a slickly-produced game, from the little snippets of catchy music to the bright and colourful graphics.  But it's the addictive nature of the game as you watch the little ball bounce between the pegs, holding your breath as you hope for enough points to earn an extra ball, that keeps you coming back.  It was quite a surprise to find that the simplicity of the game masks a deeper level of skill, which dawned on me the more I played the game.  Skills such as timing your shot to hit a moving peg, and then deflecting the ball straight into the free ball bucket (also moving) at the bottom of the screen.  Not easy to do consistently, and very satisfying when you manage to pull the shot off under pressure.

Peggle is the perfect 'casual' game.  It is easy for non-gamers to pick up, but with enough depth and challenges to keep more hardcore gamers hooked.  My tip for the best Peggle character to choose?  Well, it depends very much on the level you are trying to beat.  I don't think you can go past Renfield's Spooky Ball for beating levels with lots of evenly spaced out pegs.  However, Claude's Flippers come in handy on levels where the ball has a tendency to drop down the sides of the screen.  Master Hu is a good fall-back character, with his Zen Ball proving effective on most levels.  Mr Pigeon swears by Warren's Lucky Spin, but we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.  Mind you, I rated Tula's Flower Power, so I guess nobody's perfect...

Polski Fiat / Fiat 126p / FSM-Niki 650

You know, until recently I wouldn't have looked twice at a Fiat 126p (or FSM-Niki 650 as they were know in Australia), thinking that the were a wholly-unremarkable, sluggish small car.  That changed when I read an article in Top Gear magazine (also published on the web) about the Polski Fiat 126 Group 2.  Who would have thought that a company called 126 Group 2 is currently producing a Fiat 126-based rally car in their Poland workshop?  

A quick search on the web reveals that the Fiat 126 has a large following, with enthusiasts all over the globe, including Australia.  Witness the Martin Racing 126/Niki-rebuild video (and Australian Top Gear competition submission) below.  Don't miss the blast around Mt Panorama featured at the end!

And 4performance's 'Building a Fiat 126p Rally Edition' youtube video is quite interesting, showing each step of their rebuild in detail.

What makes cars like the Fiat 126p so interesting is that they are affordable and look to be very simple to work on, both of which are important to anybody wanting to build a car as a project.  

Perhaps the Fiat 126p is another car I should add to my imaginary future garage?...  :)

(image from topgear.com)