http://www.adkgamers.com/topic/12017-diablo-3-reminder-special-teamspeak-offer/

As is mentioned in the main Thread, bring your friends.

Even if your friends don't really want to talk to other players besides you...BRING THEM; I will grant you and your team a locked subchannel or channel for the game that only your team knows the password to.

Why use other programs like Skype (a bandwidth and memory hog) when you can use the efficient program of Teamspeak for free AND get your own room for you and your team.

All it takes it a PM to me on here or on Teamspeak and let me know about you and your friends and you will have your own Subchannel with password protection to stay up all night every day and play Diablo III until your heart(s) is/are content.

Teamspeak

Label: =ADK= A Different Kind | ADKGamers.com |

Address: ADK.INSTANTTS.COM:3796

Promotions:

Recently there were a few members promoted to BF3 Advisers.   Since we have been lacking some admin action when certain admins aren't around in the afternoons this is definitely something that was needed.   We will be promoting a few more as well as a promotion or 2 of some Battlefield Advisers to Admins, and then Admins to Veteran Admin.  

Servers:

As some of you might have known we've had 2 generous donors who want to pay monthly to add other servers to the =ADK= Gaming Community.  This evening we added 1 server which is now a 32 man No Explosives Metro.      The second server will most likely be a wide variety of maps with the VoteMap plugin on it.        There is also some deciding being done on the Caspian/Firestorm server.  It seems as though some of the people who really wanted Firestorm don't want that anymore.   So the discussion of adding Kharg to that server for 3 maps might now turn into a discussion of Caspian/Kharg.    Either way, there will most likely be Kharg Island in that server rotation in the next day or so.       When the new DLC comes out we WILL have a server running the new maps.  Not certain what server it will be, whether a new server or one of our current servers there will be the new maps! :)  

Donations:

If you haven't been keeping track, this has been a GREAT month for donations.   Thank you to everyone who has donated this month, and I hope to continue to see more people donating in the coming months!  This is great for the servers and the community!   We're only $50 short of our monthly goal, so do you think we'll be able to make it?!  :)

Apparel:

For those of you who haven't purchased your shirts yet, don't forget to purchase them! :)  You can purchase them HERE.   So don't miss out on the wonderful apparel.   You'll also get some stickers and business cards with every purchase as well!    The stickers are first come first serve as well, so don't wait to purchase your shirts.  

I think I have covered everything I wanted to inform people of, but will update this post if there is anything else that I think the community should know about!

Thanks for supporting the =ADK= Gaming Community

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the happenings of ADK's competitive team fLatline. You may have heard that our Kobra squad had experienced some turmoil, but I wanted to assure everyone that we are still going strong even though we had some players part ways. We are more committed than ever to having two of the best 4v4 squads in the game, and I believe that we still hold that status. We've made some changes to the Kobra 4v4 roster, and have brought on some new talent. I would like to formally introduce as well as give a warm welcome to 3xtremelygood, formerly the leader of ICED, who will be the new CO-Leader of fLatline and captain of the Kobra 4v4 squad. Along with himself 3xtremely good is bringing two friends phamily2 and diegerrr to fLatline. On top of these excellent players we've picked up morz who is the best player on another top team. I couldn't be more excited about what we have going on here at fLatline and the exposure our teams will bring to ADK. 

Something to look forward to will be our upcoming US vs EU match this Saturday. As posted on TWL forums....

Team fLatline will be facing off against the top euro team Paranoia in a friendly match at 5 EST this Saturday (28th). We will be playing two rounds of metro and two rounds of tehran highway in 4v4 squad rush. You can watch the match live at http://www.twitch.tv/adkgamers from my perspective and at http://www.twitch.tv/90n1ne from 90n1ne's perspective. Unfortunately we could not convince Paranoia to stream =(. There will be a small delay on the streams to prevent stream looking by the opposition. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Don't miss out on this match! Please invite your friends to watch to help support fLatline and the ADK streams.

“I don’t think they’re doing anything super well yet,” he added. “They have a bunch of smart people working on it. I think they’re still playing catch up to a lot of people who have been working in the space for a while. I think they’re recognising what the challenges are with building and scaling out this kind of system.”

“That’s isn’t to say they won’t build stuff in the future that is useful to software developers or gamers but they haven’t done that yet.”

Newell also reiterated that Valve are keen to have EA games back on Steam “We think their customers would be happy if their games were on Steam. We tell them that on a regular basis.”

He later said “as we learn about this stuff we’re all going to be making things better for other gamers. Tim Sweeney (Epic founder) doesn’t look at Steam and say “Fuck! We shouldn’t support that because that will hurt long term sales of the Unreal Engine.” He’s like, “that’s pretty cool, that’s pretty useful.” So hopefully EA get their head to the same place.”

At the moment EA are more likely to keep their heads where the money is. Back in February EA announced that Origin had amassed more than nine million registered users, and had churned out more than $100m in revenue. It look as though EA’s Origin exclusives are currently doing very well for the platform. It’s definitely more of a shop than a service at the moment, though. What do you think of Origin?

There's a war going on in the video game world, but it's over dollar signs, not virtual land.

A boxed copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the world's top-selling console game, costs $60.Angry Birds, the world's biggest mobile game franchise, costs $1 for software that you can download in under a minute. The pricing gap between what's traditionally considered the highest-tier premium games and the fast-evolving mobile, tablet, and social gaming market is widening, and it's spelling disaster for countless game makers caught in the middle.

According to The NPD Group, physical content sales were down 8% in 2011. This year hasn't been a cakewalk either, with sales continuing to slide. Though some of the blame can rightfully be foisted upon the decline of the once-mighty Wii, it's apparent that people aren't buying games like they used to, and the industry is scrambling to figure out why. But most agree that it begins — and likely ends — with the high cost of new games.

The sentiment that games cost too much is certainly not new. Wired's Chris Kohler recently outlined a list of reasons games cost too much and combated the argument that the used game market can be blamed. Nexon America's CEO Daniel Kim told GamesIndustry International that "Free-to-Play" games (often called "Freemium" because users are incentivized to pay small premiums for more content) are not going away and the traditional model will have to change.

He's right. $60 has always been an embarrassing, crippling barrier of entry compared to gaming's entertainment peers. A brand new book, DVD, or CD rarely breaks the $20 mark, and even the highest tier Blu-rays cap out at around $30. Why are new games so pricey?

Publishers have long blamed console games' high price on a plethora of issues. Skyrocketing development costs is a biggie, as is piracy. Most recently, publishers are taking aim at the used game market, charging that the buying and selling of used merchandise is taking cash out of their pockets.But whatever impact on profitability these concerns have, it doesn't change two monumental problems:

- Psychologically, $60 just sounds expensive. This isn't anecdotal, this is common sense.  Unless you're financially independent, $60 outright repels a vast slice of the entertainment consumer populace that the games industry desperately needs to convert to grow and survive.

- People are having fun playing more affordable games. The choice and product quality at the bottom end of the pricing scale -- anything under $15 or so -- has grown tremendously in a relatively short period of time. Games like Draw Something, Angry Birds, and Infinity Blade aren't only played by 'casual' gamers.

That being said, the top perennial franchises like Halo, Elder Scrolls, Battlefield, and Madden aren't going anywhere, at least for a while longer. Games that critics and consumers universally laud as "must-haves" can continue to support this massive premium.  But it's the mid-tier titles, the unestablished IPs, the riskier endeavors, the worthwhile games that don't quite master the magic formula, that will never get off the ground. Even highly-praised franchise entries like Rayman Origins struggle, and publishers like THQ have been threatened with NASDAQ delisting despite enjoying sales that "exceed expectations." Black Rock, creators of critical darlings Pure and Split/Second, were denied sequels by publisher Disney to focus on freemium content and eventually shuttered entirely.

The most egregious example of old-school thinking is the release of Plants vs. Zombies on PlayStation Vita.  One of the rarer "crossover" successes, the game costs $3 on the iPhone but a whopping  $15 on the Vita for an identical product. Why? Because it's a dedicated gaming device and core gamers are accustomed to paying higher premiums. How long can this madness last?

It's not just Facebook and smartphones that threaten to steal that audience. The consoles themselves have thriving online stores in Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, offering gaming alternatives with high production value and more relaxed pricing. Just look to successes like Battlefield 1943 (over 1MM units sold), Xbox's Castle Crashers (sold 2.6 million), and recent PS3 hit Journey, which quickly became the PSN's fastest-selling title ever.

If the Old Guard would just drop the charade that $60 is the only feasible price point, they might find an unexpectedly higher volume of purchasers to mitigate the reduced revenue per gamer. I realize that the $60 Call of Duty costs some tens of millions more to develop, market, and distribute than the $1 Angry Birds, but is there really a $59 differential there? Someone wiser than me in economics can surely model up a theory that finds a middle ground.

ZoomRS Components and Allied Electronics said in a joint announcement on Wednesday that they are now shipping the credit-card sized Raspberry Pi computer board. The shipments are being sent to the first group of customers from around the world, all of whom registered for a Raspberry Pi from RS and Allied. This will be the $35 Model B version with two USB ports and an Ethernet port.

Meanwhile, invitations to place an order on the new RS and Allied Raspberry Pi online store have been sent out to customers on a first-come, first-served basis, the companies said. These invitations will be in line with registrations of interest placed on the companies' websites and to match the number of boards available from RS and Allied in the first production run.

"When ordering Raspberry Pi from the dedicated online store, customers can click through to the associated parts and accessories required for activation of the board," they said. "These include USB A-B cables, HDMI cables, power supplies and SD memory cards from a range of leading cable and components suppliers, all available to purchase from stock. By ordering these cables and other accessories (such a cable connector) from RS and Allied at the same time as the Raspberry Pi board, customers can make a saving on the delivery cost, as the same total shipping charge is applicable."

Once consumers receive their Raspberry Pi, they'll still need leads, a power supply and an SD card for storage. The card also features RCA video and HDMI output, so cables for those will be needed as well. Even more, the little board will come naked, meaning owners will need to either purchase an enclosure from a third party, or make their own -- honestly, the latter option would be much cooler, allowing owners to get creative.

"There has been a huge wave of anticipation and extraordinary levels of demand for Raspberry Pi since it was launched, so we are delighted to be delivering the first boards to initial customers," said Glenn Jarrett, Head of Electronics Marketing at RS Components. "We are working very closely with the manufacturer to bring subsequent batches of boards into stock so that we can fulfill every customer order for Raspberry Pi as quickly as possible."

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Raspberry-Pi-ARM-Model-B-RS-Components-Allied-Electronics,15380.html

Our main goal here is to create servers that are fun for everyone and not just a few people.   So when things like this come up, it's our only option to do such a think like this.    We hope to be able to change it back in the near future.  

The next change that we have coming to the no explosives server is how those who break the rules are taken care of in terms of being auto killed, etc. .  

Currently our system works like this:

• 1st offense - Killed
• 2nd offense - Kicked

That worked fine for a while, but we have no found people who are not even caring that they are kicked for using explosives and come back in and continue doing it.    So we now have it set to do this:

• 1st offense - Kill
• 2nd offense - Kill
• 3rd offense - 45 minute Temp Ban

This is clearly stated in the rules of the server, and posted throughout during the time you are playing.  The time on the temp ban could change either direction, down or up, depending on how this new change works out.    We added another kill in there for those people who do sometimes accidentally throw that nade will have that extra chance.  But for those who don't follow the rules, they will be given a short timeout.  

Thank you for the support of the =ADK= Gaming Community and we hope that you enjoy these new changes in hopes of creating a better gaming environment for everyone.

Next we actually need to enable TTS in the TS client this is simply done by the following processes: 

open TS client>Settings> locate the "Sound Pack" drop-down menu on the upper portion of the settings menu> select "Clean sounds and short TTS">Apply new settings> click OK> Click the "Self" tab on the TS client (3rd tab to the left of the "connections" tab> Click sound pack (4th option down the list)> If it is not selected click "Clean sounds short TTS"> test it out by leaving and joining a channel you should hear "Switched to (channel name)" if you properly applied the above settings.

Hopefully this was simply put enough for most to understand it. If anyone needs assistance please post in here and if needed I will provide screen shots of each step.

The above process tree seems long but it really only takes approximately 1-2 minutes to do and you will always know who is leaving or joining your channel. Up next I will explain how to change a users phonetic name so that you will be able to set the TTS engine to tell you what you want for a persons name. Simply Follow the below process tree.

Select the Tools tab in TS> Select the Contacts option> Drag and drop the user that has the phonetic name you want to customize> In the right hand side of the contacts window select the user that you want to customize> In the right hand window locate the "Phonetic Name" text box and type in what you want to hear when the user joins or leaves the channel. When your done you are free to exit the contacts menu without saving, as TS does it on its own.

This is part 3 of the trilogy of articles focusing on competitive tweaks. Just kidding about the trilogy part, there will be one or two more articles before I'm finished with this series. If you missed the last two articles, please check them out here (1st) and here (2nd).


I apologize about the time between these articles. I've been incredibly busy with the merger of my team (pA) and SaGa, and keeping up with the ADK stream.

You should be familiar with the concept of input lag from my previous article. In the last article I mentioned a few software controlled variables that directly affect input lag and reduce the speed at which updated frames are displayed. One of the overlooked controllables of input lag has directly to do with frames per second (FPS). My philosophy on FPS is quite simple, "the more the merrier." Now the simple solution to increasing FPS would be to go out and buy a better computer, while this solution is effective it may not be necessary or budget friendly. The cheaper solution is to change graphics settings to limit the processing load on your computer.

Before we get more into FPS let me talk about monitors briefly (did i really say briefly? lol). If you're in the market for a new monitor you are going to want to read this (if you just bought one you might hate me). Modern monitors (mostly LCD) are entirely digital, therefore there is digital processing of each frame. This digital processing takes small amounts of time, and adds to the total amount of input lag in your setup. Note that LCD "response time" is different than monitor input lag, monitor input lag is the sum of LCD "response time" and digital processing time. CRT monitors are analog and have no pixel response time, no digital processing, and as a result no input lag. CRT monitors serve as useful tools to measure the input lag of LCD's. Compared to CRTs most LCD monitors display less than 2 frames (~33 ms) of input lag (remember? each frame is 16.66 ms for a 60hz monitor). There are some monitors however that demonstrate very high input lag (above 33ms / above 2 frames). If you're a casual gamer and haven't had any problems with input lag then keep doing what you're doing. But if you are the hardcore type looking to improve your game anyway possible you will want to investigate the input lag of your current model monitor (a google search is a good place to start).

One of the best ways to reduce input lag (by 8.33 ms) and improve image fluidity is to invest in a 120hz monitor. Most monitors are 60 hz, meaning they display 60 frames per a second (a frame every 16.66 ms). 60hz is more than adequate for watching movies, but in high speed first person shooter games it is definitely a disadvantage when compared to 120hz. I personally bought a Benq XL2420T, it's a 120hz monitor specifically designed for gaming. It has an "instant mode" to reduce digital processing and display the image as quickly as possible. If you're in the market for a monitor both the XL2410 and XL2420 are great (they aren't the best image, but certainly they are among the fastest), and are among a small amount of monitors specificly designed for gaming. The combination of a low input lag display and 120hz capability will give any player a serious advantage in terms of responsiveness.

This link is a great resource for finding sub 1 frame (less than 16.66 ms) input lag monitors as well as information about input lag.




http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?threads/sub-1-frame-hdtv-monitor-input-lag-database.145141/


(note the XL2410 was tested at 120hz with instant mode enabled compared to the XL2420T on default, this is the reason for the variation in times)


Wow all that about monitors, let's get back to video settings. Ideally you will always want to play at your monitors native resolution to avoid an additional processing by your gpu or monitor. Image scaling is a digital process that is typically performed by your monitor to display resolutions that are different from the native resolution, as a result this will increase input lag. In fact it's a good idea to go into your graphics control panel and make sure scaling is set to off if you are running your native resolution already.

Like I said before the more FPS the merrier. Some will argue that there isn't any benefit in getting FPS higher than your monitors refresh rate. I would argue against this philosophy... Just because your monitor can't display more than 60 or 120 FPS doesn't mean that your system isn't processing those extra frames. This extra processing allows your screen to get the most updated image possible with each refresh. If you are just getting your monitors refresh rate you are not compensating for time anomalies between frames and are likely to notice more screen tearing as a result. I personally don't my frames and believe it's the best choice overall for responsiveness, hit detection, and display fluidity.

I generally play on all low settings to squeeze out every last frame possible. As a competitive player eye candy is not something I care much about. The only exceptions to playing on low settings are options that will either increase ability to see enemies or have that have virtually no effect on frame rates. If you have FPS to spare (meaning you're consistently above your monitors refresh rate) I recommend enabling some level of anti-aliasing (2x or 4x MSAA). Anti-aliasing will help to smooth jagged edges of objects, and in doing so help with the distinguishing of player models from terrain objects. Do not enable post process effects like post process anti-aliasing (FXAA) or motion blur, from my experience they can increase input lag. Anistropic filtering is another great option to max out because it helps with the detail of objects in the distance and has virtually no performance loss (I recommend 16x with LOD bias clamped in control panel). Depending on your video ram you may be able to increase "texture quality" with only a 1-2 frame hit for better image detail (lower this setting back if you notice stuttering or slow texture loading). Mesh quality affects the view distance of many objects but can affect FPS somewhat substantially. I would only increase Mesh quality if the view distance is bothering you.


If you want to keep up with ADK-fL you can find us on TWL fLatline-Zebra and fLatline-Kobra, and CGL fLatline 8v8, fLatline 5v5, fLatline Zebra 4v4 and fLatline-Kobra 4v4. Also check out our adkgamers.com team page that will be updated soon. And don’t forget the ADK live streams- Elegy, 90N1NE, Dream. Let me know if you have question or add me on battlelog if you want to frag some time (Elegy-fL).

Till next time,

Sam "Elegy" Wright from team fLatline signing off.

Top left corner of the website click the small steam icon:

or click 'Sign In' which will open the pop login box and then click the Steam Icon:

It will then bring you to the Steam Login page where you enter your username/password:

Once you do that you should be able to access the forums and do everything that you normally would just as if you went through all the steps to register. 

For a user who already has an account on the website but wants to integrate Steam to their current account:

Visit "My Settings" by clicking the down Arrow next to your name in the top left corner of the website which will bring you to your settings to edit.   Click 'Link Steam Account':

Once you click 'Link Steam Account' it'll bring you to this page:

One you get to the page above click on the Steam Icon and you'll be able to link your Steam Account.

If you have any questions or issues please let us know.    We are hoping that there could be more steam integration in the future for everyone, but for now this is a great thing for everyone including the community!

Enjoy!

Skill: You can have a lot of raw skill, but you have to know how to use it. Things you should work on are:

Target Finding- Knowing where most of the enemies are. Use the minimap.

Acquisition- Putting you cross hair on target quick. Practice reaction time by playing a bit more aggressive.

Threat Detection- Knowing who is going to kill you the fastest.

Knowledge: things you should know to preform at your best. Examples are:

Knowing the map- Know where all nooks and crannies are, and where people like to hide. Also knowing where the choke points/flank points are.

Predicting the enemy- Find out what the enemy is trying to accomplish, and what routes they will most likely take.

Common Sense: Things you should already know.

Avoid Obvious Death Traps- If some one is spamming nades or 320's in one spot. Don't go there. It's that simple.

If you die more then twice with out gaining any ground take a different approach.

If you see a teammate in trouble, that is in the general area, help them out with what ever they are doing.

Use the minimap! It is always helpful. Glance at it often.

Know Your Enemy: Identify and act appropriately to the situation.

Note their strengths- If someone is repetitively killing you with a chopper. Avoid them at all costs. Don't pick a fight against someone you cant beat.

Note their weak spots- If someone can't hit you from medium range, keep attacking them from medium range so you have the advantage.

Strategies: Ways to out smart your opponent.

NOTE: I like to use the suppressor because it hides you from the minimap. If you don't use it these strategies might not work as well.

Think what they are thinking- If someone is spraying at someone else in a different direction, the last thing they are going to expect is some one jumping around a corner to kill them.

Flanking- I am going to use metro as an example (RU side). Lets just say the most of the enemies are at the side stair, and front escalator is well covered. BUT you watch the minimap for 10 seconds to know where all of the enemies are down the back escalator. Jump down the back escalator. Then you can flank front escalator OR side stair, and get loads of kills and hopefully have your team push the rest back.

Prioritizing: Infantry vs. tanks. with AND without explosives.

With explosives- Hide from the tank in a spot where you can easily run to another spot to hide. If you can safely get behind the tank without it seeing you. Do it. One rpg hit on the back of a tank will disable it. If you can't get behind it safely then just pop out hit it and run to the next hiding spot. Then hit him again. Just be aware of any infantry around the area.

Without explosives- If there is a tank battle one on one, and you are in the area help them out. look to see if the tank is being repaired. then try to flank them and kill who ever is repairing. If you have rockets shoot some at the tank AFTER you kill the person repairing it so your teams tank can win.

Communication: Teamspeak related.

spotting- Always spot enemies in-game and on team speak. Let people know their location and what they are doing. Example: Tank at A, near antenna. (note: If someone already spotted and called out the enemy don't re-spot them unless you'r sure no one heard them or no one is not helping with the situation.)

Call for back up- If you are defending a position and you notice your about to be overwhelmed say you need help, and give information about what you need help with. Example: I need help at B. One tank and a soldier coming from the north.

Do not broadcast irrelevant things- Try to avoid saying anything that wont help out the team. Example:"aww man i died. stupid tank." You can say it out loud. Just try not to hot mic it.

Well that is all that I can think of on this matter. I hope these tips help someone out. They sure help me out all the time.

Here's an image of what the business cards look like.  

This was probably the hardest part of everything that went on.    It was actually easier to talk to all of the new members about expectations and what will be going on, than it was for them to pick out a name.     But after much debate over the name and the tag, they decided to come up with fLatline (-fL)

They chose the name fLatline, as that is what they will be doing to their competition when they enter into their scrims and matches.   They wanted a name that was straight and to the point, and everyone knew what it meant.    All the guys at fLatline seem to be excited for this new change and are already looking for some tournaments to enter. 

Some of you might be asking, "Well what about the 4 v 4 teams that they already have"  Those teams won't be changing, they will just all be under one name now.   "A Different Kind - fLatline (Name Here)"   Where (Name Here) will most likely be some sort of animal.     A lot of competitive groups that have multiple teams in one tournament will often use colors to identify each team.   Flat Line wants to be different, and I think it's a great idea and something that everyone will get a kick out of. 

With all this being said, expect even better things to come from this group of guys.   There will be even more articles, streaming, videos and entries into tournaments.     So make sure you let everybody know about this great news, and don't forget to stay up to date on the latest and greatest with fLatline. 

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