Reach

A budget tells us what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it.
William Feather

IT IS AWESOME.

And I'm sure everyone can agree.

That is correct. Halo: Reach is here, and I thought I'd do a special post just for it. It deserves it anyway.

Total Rating:  ☆☆☆☆ and a half.

Right. Halo: Reach is a true action game from start to finish, it's entirety detailing the last stand of Noble Team on planet Reach, and their epic struggle against the deadly Covenant force intent on destroying it all. You play as Noble Six, new Noble Team member, same gender as yourself and wearing the same armor as you wish it to be. It's up to you and the rest of Team Noble to fight for Reach. From the beginning. You know the end (at least, I hope you do).

I thought I wouldn't be able to get it last Tuesday, and instead have to wait until this week to get it. Thankfully, my dad helped me out, and I got Reach on Tuesday (yay!).

The controls are a bit changed up (for the third time in the Halo series) but I soon had it down, just in time for the best parts of the game. The campaign is classic Halo bringing itself full circle,  and with plenty of juicy gameplay from beginning to end. Firefight from ODST returns, and that itself has been gloriously redefined. Matchmaking is as good as ever, and new features, such as Daily Challenges and Credits for buying things as well as ranking up, make the replay value incredibly high for a fifth installment in a series. All that, plus the expanded and improved Forge mode, Theater, new maps and gamemodes, and a great Community equals a brilliant game.

Bungie's send-off to Halo is a brilliant closure and I am really happy for them. They wrapped up Halo for them, and now they can move on and make a new masterpiece, as I'm sure they will.

On Blog news:

Do not miss next week's post!!!! It's reveal day, so we get to see all the trailers for things AbstractWorks side. Next Monday everyone.

So yeah, more on everything then. Reach is awesome. Next big game: PORTAL 2!!!!!

Revival

"All glory comes from daring to begin."
Eugene F. Ware



SOMETHING HAS BEEN SET IN MOTION.
Can you feel it? It is a new feeling at AbstractWorks, but definitely welcome.

There was no post last week for two reasons:


1. Labor Day, so my family and I went out in the city.
2. I was hard at work preparing for school.


Well, I've been working hard to make up for that. I've been deep in the Source SDK all week and weekend, recruiting our new AbstractWorks Mapping Crew (www.awemaps.blogspot.com) and working on Forgotten.


At the moment, Forgotten is 15% done mapping wise and only in it's first draft. I hope to get the first draft done quickly, so I may go over the maps to connect them and make them look nice. Tom's joined in after finishing his first map. With his new knowledge of mapping, hopefully Forgotten will get finished sooner. I'll add a few screenshots of the current maps into the post tomorrow.


Rebel's Mind and The Wick are on hold again, as the group is diverting all their effort into a group machinima we are revealing next week. When we release the pilot, I'll begin work on RM episode 1, I promise.

In other news, the popular web series Red vs. Blue finished it's eighth season today. I hope to see the episode after I type this. I'm excited!!! I hear they will be moving on to Halo: Reach now. Speaking of which, it came out an hour ago. I should probably pick up my copy tomorrow.


While we are the subject of new games, I've already preordered Portal 2, which releases February 9, 2011. I absolutely cannot wait for it. Shows how much of a Portal geek I am!


If you've been following Valve related news(www.halflife2.net) then you know Valve has 3 surprises for the coming year. They sure do know how to raise hype. I hope it's Episode 3. I really do.


Well, there you have it. Everything on my mind. Sigh. I need a coffee. I'll wait for morning.


Forgotten screenshots tomorrow.


See ya next Monday(for sure!!!)!


EDIT: Here are some epic screenshots of Forgotten so far.

If you head over to the Forgotten page you will see it is updated! I set up a Mod DB profile for it and updates will come over there as well. I am now going to go get Halo: Reach! Wish me luck!


-Jack

Reconstruction

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." 
Seneca


IT IS TIME TO REBUILD.
Bold letters are great attention grabbers, huh?


Let us look back at Term One. Many Projects were set in motion, but none came close to finishing. The Wick, though it is written to Chapter 8, was never finished typing. Rebel's Mind only got a Test Video. Forgotten was pretty much forgot about. 


Basically, not much progress was made in Term One.


But that was because it was the beginning. And the beginning is always slow.


But that is not the case in Term Two. This is my second chance, and I'm not wasting it.


The definition of the prefix re- is again. So basically, we are going to begin again.


So without further ado, let us find out what will be going down this Term.


Rebel's Mind: This is a maybe, just because AbstractWorks has a machinima we are all producing, and RM is my own project. So if I release it, it will be slow developing.


The Wick: I want to get half the book done, no, I need to get half this book done. So expect that to be updated soon.


Forgotten: This is a real tough thing to get around to working on. I have like 3 of the levels made, but I've to busy to really get down and get so deep into Source SDK.


Updates: Every Monday starting Monday, September 6. Expect new content around September 13.


To prove I am not lying when I'm serious this term, here are links to three maps I've produced over the Summer on Source SDK. The first two are really basic deathmatch maps, but the third is all out warfare. Enjoy these and expect more soon, after I help out Cen, Tom, and Dean with mapping and settle into school.


Well guys, I guess that's it. If you are still supporting me, I thank you and hope this Term will a great one.


Remember, updates begin September 6th!


Links:
http://www.garrysmod.org/downloads/?a=view&id=87038
http://www.garrysmod.org/downloads/?a=view&id=108062
http://www.fpsbanana.com/maps/143046

Return

Forgotten

by Rosa Lee

If I were Byron would you know my words?
Would you feel the emotions I write?
Or would I be a nameless poet
who has gone into the light?

Would you hold my words close to your heart
as you sit by the fireside?
Would your pain come gushing out in tears
that you'd no longer hide?

Would the things I feel affect you
as they do not do today?
Would I be unforgettable
if a book told you what I had to say?

Or would I still sit on a shelf
and things just go unchanged?
As you wander through my Library of Life
and say that I'm deranged.

Here's a book called, "How I Love You"
and one called, "If I Cry".
You shuffle quickly past this one;
it's labelled, "Inside Me as I Die".

You haven't stopped to read my words
in such a long time now.
I wonder if you will again
or if you remember how.

You see the author's name on these
I'm sure you recognize it.
They are written by someone you loved
for her intelligence and wit.

The name is so familiar
as you stop and turn the page.
Could it be this dead poet's words
are from this day and age?

A face appears before you now
whenever you close your eyes.
Her words are coming back to you,
"Through poems, no one dies."

It's not too late to resurrect me,
from these dusty old remains.
If you would feel my thoughts again
you would understand my pains.

Do you remember me?

I faded into the midst of the world for a time, caught in the joys of living. 

I mean, why would you remember, for as I recall, there was not much I could do before. Why return, you may ask.

Why did I return? Was it because I was fed up with sitting on the shelf? Mingling in the world? Living where others lived?

Was it just my time to return? Or on that matter, Destiny?

I don't know about that.

What I do know is that I've got stories to tell too.

And there isn't anyone who can deny me of that.