Shading in Valve's Source Engine
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Now We Are All Sons of Bitches
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches MICHAEL BONTATIBUS “Wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes,” the enigmat- ic G-Man murmurs as he leers into the camera, finishing an eerie opening monologue—and so begins Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation’s flagship game. The last time we saw Gordon Freeman, the protagonist, the same rigid and mysterious (though more poorly animated, since the prequel was released six years earlier) G-Man was handing him a job offer after witnessing the former scientist transform into a warrior, bent on escaping from the besieged Black Mesa Research Facility alive. Now, suddenly, Freeman finds himself on a train. No context.1 Is it a prison train? The three other individuals on it wear uniforms like those the inmates wore in Cool Hand Luke. The train soon stops at its destination, and we realize that it is a prison train, in a way—Freeman has arrived at the Orwellian “City 17,” where the ironically named Civil Protection abuses and oppresses, where antagonist Dr. Breen preaches poet- ic propaganda from large monitors hung high above the town. In the years since scientists at the facility accidentally opened a gateway between dimen- sions and allowed a bevy of grotesque creatures to spill into our universe, Earth has been taken over by the Combine, an alien multiplanetary empire. Breen is merely Earth’s administrator—and we realize that the ashes the G- Man spoke of were the ashes of the prelapsarian world. It’s classic dystopia, complete with a Resistance, of which Freeman soon finds himself the “mes- sianic” leader (HL2). -
Navigating the Videogame
From above, from below: navigating the videogame A thesis presented by Daniel Golding 228306 to The School of Culture and Communication in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the field of Cultural Studies in the School of Culture and Communication The University of Melbourne Supervisor: Dr. Fran Martin October 2008 ABSTRACT The study of videogames is still evolving. While many theorists have accurately described aspects of the medium, this thesis seeks to move the study of videogames away from previously formal approaches and towards a holistic method of engagement with the experience of playing videogames. Therefore, I propose that videogames are best conceptualised as navigable, spatial texts. This approach, based on Michel de Certeau’s concept of strategies and tactics, illuminates both the textual structure of videogames and the immediate experience of playing them. I also regard videogame space as paramount. My close analysis of Portal (Valve Corporation, 2007) demonstrates that a designer can choose to communicate rules and fiction, and attempt to influence the behaviour of players through strategies of space. Therefore, I aim to plot the relationship between designer and player through the power structures of the videogame, as conceived through this new lens. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1 AN EVOLVING FIELD 2 LUDOLOGY AND NARRATOLOGY 3 DEFINITIONS, AND THE NAVIGABLE TEXT 6 PLAYER EXPERIENCE AND VIDEOGAME SPACE 11 MARGINS OF DISCUSSION 13 CHAPTER TWO: The videogame from above: the designer as strategist 18 PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY 18 PORTAL AND THE STRATEGIES OF DESIGN 20 STRUCTURES OF POWER 27 RAILS 29 CHAPTER THREE: The videogame from below: the player as tactician 34 THE PLAYER AS NAVIGATOR 36 THE PLAYER AS SUBJECT 38 THE PLAYER AS BRICOLEUR 40 THE PLAYER AS GUERRILLA 43 CHAPTER FOUR: Conclusion 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY 50 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. -
How to Play Minecraft with Friends for Free
How To Play Minecraft With Friends For Free How To Play Minecraft With Friends For Free CLICK HERE TO ACCESS MINECRAFT GENERATOR After you’ve done some tasks, you will have some points to redeem for Minecraft gift codes. Then you can head over to Kiwipoints.com/gifts/Minecraft and click on the claim button. You can select the number of points you want to redeem by using the drag down menu as well. This wikiHow teaches you how to play Minecraft for free. Minecraft is a popular indie sandbox and survival game developed by Mojang AB. Minecraft allows players to build, demolish, fight, and explore in an open-world. There are a few ways to play Minecraft for free. You can use an unauthorized Minecraft launcher, which is not exactly legal. Minecraft Account Generator (Minecraft Account Premium Free) – Minecraft has unique gameplay and graphic that attracts millions users around the world.It was released in 2011 with several updates for new version. In order to access and play it, you need the registration to get free account, and update it to the premium one for more features. If you have used Valve Corporation’s games Portal and Portal 2, it is very pity if you ignore Portal Gun Mod 1.12.2/1.10.2. As mentioned above, Portal Gun Mod adds several elements such as turrets, beams, portal guns and much more. This mod also includes some different items from the Portal game. It might surprise you to find out that Minecraft isn't a free-to-play title. -
Portal: Impact Guide for Players
Portal: Impact Guide For Players Portal and Portal 2 are games developed by Valve Corporation available for consoles and PCs. The games are first-person puzzle solving games but also provide rich narrative development, interesting characters, and have developed a strong cultural impact including merchandise and a popular series of internet memes. The popularity of the Portal series stems from the quality of the games and from the way the games teach players how to play them so seamlessly. Indeed, Portal is one of the very best games at presenting players with embodied learning and scaffolded instruction – a model for 21st century teaching. How to use this guide: Players – We’ve identified several interesting or important themes in the game. As you play through, reflect on your play. How have you experienced these themes? Are there other important ones present in the game? What kind of impact does your play allow in the larger world? Answer the questions we’ve provided – but feel free to add more at www.gamesandimpact.org. Warning: Questions contain some spoilers about the games. Theme: Problem Solving Portal begins with a player alone in a test chamber; solving puzzles is a key mechanic for both the gameplay and for the story of the game. Puzzles gradually get more difficult as players are given tools sequentially in order to build on top of their previous solutions. Game Why do you think the game doesn’t give you the portal gun immediately? What is the point of limiting you in the early part of the game? Why do you think the test chambers are designed the way they are? What do you think the game’s designers are trying to teach you? At the end of the 19 test chambers, you begin the second part of the game where you get to face GLaDOS directly. -
Portal Prima Official Mini Eguide.Pdf 2008-05-31 12:20 3.1 MB
PRIMA OFFICIAL GAME GUIDE DAVID SJ HODGSON STEPHEN STRATTON MIGUEL LOPEZ Prima Games David SJ Hodgson A Division of Random House, Inc. Originally hailing from the United Kingdom, David left his role as a writer of numerous 3000 Lava Ridge Court, Suite 100 British video game magazines (including Mean Machines, Computer & Video Games, Roseville, CA 95661 and the Offi cial Nintendo and Sega Saturn magazines) and a bohemian lifestyle on a dry-docked German fi shing trawler to work on the infamous GameFan magazine in www.primagames.com 1996. David helped to launch the fl edgling GameFan Books and helped form Gamers’ The Prima Games logo is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., Republic in 1998, authoring many strategy guides for Millennium Publications, registered in the United States and other countries. Primagames.com is including The Offi cial Metal Gear Solid Mission Handbook. After launching the wildly a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United unsuccessful incite Video Gaming and Gamers.com, David found his calling, and States. began authoring guides for Prima Games. He has written over 30 Prima strategy guides, including The Godfather: The Game, Knights of the Old Republic, Perfect Dark © 2007 by Prima Games. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be Zero, Half-Life 2, and Burnout Revenge. He lives in the Pacifi c Northwest with his reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, wife, Melanie, and an eight-foot statue of Great Cthulhu. including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Prima Games. -
Learning Human Behavior from Observation for Gaming Applications
University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2007 Learning Human Behavior From Observation For Gaming Applications Christopher Moriarty University of Central Florida Part of the Computer Engineering Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Moriarty, Christopher, "Learning Human Behavior From Observation For Gaming Applications" (2007). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 3269. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3269 LEARNING HUMAN BEHAVIOR FROM OBSERVATION FOR GAMING APPLICATIONS by CHRIS MORIARTY B.S. University of Central Florida, 2005 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2007 © 2007 Christopher Moriarty ii ABSTRACT The gaming industry has reached a point where improving graphics has only a small effect on how much a player will enjoy a game. One focus has turned to adding more humanlike characteristics into computer game agents. Machine learning techniques are being used scarcely in games, although they do offer powerful means for creating humanlike behaviors in agents. The first person shooter (FPS), Quake 2, is an open source game that offers a multi-agent environment to create game agents (bots) in. -
Investigating Steganography in Source Engine Based Video Games
A NEW VILLAIN: INVESTIGATING STEGANOGRAPHY IN SOURCE ENGINE BASED VIDEO GAMES Christopher Hale Lei Chen Qingzhong Liu Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas Huntsville, Texas Huntsville, Texas [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract—In an ever expanding field such as computer and individuals and security professionals. This paper outlines digital forensics, new threats to data privacy and legality are several of these threats and how they can be used to transmit presented daily. As such, new methods for hiding and securing illegal data and conduct potentially illegal activities. It also data need to be created. Using steganography to hide data within demonstrates how investigators can respond to these threats in video game files presents a solution to this problem. In response order to combat this emerging phenomenon in computer to this new method of data obfuscation, investigators need methods to recover specific data as it may be used to perform crime. illegal activities. This paper demonstrates the widespread impact This paper is organized as follows. In Section II we of this activity and shows how this problem is present in the real introduce the Source Engine, one of the most popular game world. Our research also details methods to perform both of these tasks: hiding and recovery data from video game files that engines, Steam, a powerful game integration and management utilize the Source gaming engine. tool, and Hammer, an excellent tool for creating virtual environment in video games. -
Design and Implementation of a Single-Player First-Person Shooter Game Using XNA Game Development Studio
Final Report Design and implementation of a single-player first-person shooter game using XNA game development studio Master of Science Thesis in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Hatice Ezgi TUGLU Kahraman AKYIL Chalmers University of Technology Department of Computer Science and Engineering Göteborg, Sweden, 2010 The Author grants to Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg the non-exclusive right to publish the Work electronically and in a non-commercial purpose make it accessible on the Internet. The Author warrants that he/she is the author to the Work, and warrants that the Work does not contain text, pictures or other material that violates copyright law. The Author shall, when transferring the rights of the Work to a third party (for example a publisher or a company), acknowledge the third party about this agreement. If the Author has signed a copyright agreement with a third party regarding the Work, the Author warrants hereby that he/she has obtained any necessary permission from this third party to let Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg store the Work electronically and make it accessible on the Internet. Design and implementation of a single-player first-person shooter game using XNA game development studio Hatice Ezgi TUGLU Kahraman AKYIL © Hatice Ezgi TUGLU, October 2010. © Kahraman AKYIL, October 2010. Examiner: Per ZARING Chalmers University of Technology University of Gothenburg Department of Computer Science and Engineering SE-412 96 Göteborg Sweden Telephone + 46 (0)31-772 1000 Department of Computer Science and Engineering Göteborg, Sweden October 2010 1 | P a g e HUMANKILLERS Will you keep your promise? 2 | P a g e Abstract “Humankillers” is a name of the game that was developed for Master Thesis in Computer Science Department at Chalmers University of Technology. -
Comparison of Unity and Unreal Engine
Bachelor Project Czech Technical University in Prague Faculty of Electrical Engineering F3 Department of Computer Graphics and Interaction Comparison of Unity and Unreal Engine Antonín Šmíd Supervisor: doc. Ing. Jiří Bittner, Ph.D. Field of study: STM, Web and Multimedia May 2017 ii iv Acknowledgements Declaration I am grateful to Jiri Bittner, associate I hereby declare that I have completed professor, in the Department of Computer this thesis independently and that I have Graphics and Interaction. I am thankful listed all the literature and publications to him for sharing expertise, and sincere used. I have no objection to usage of guidance and encouragement extended to this work in compliance with the act §60 me. Zákon c. 121/2000Sb. (copyright law), and with the rights connected with the Copyright Act including the amendments to the act. In Prague, 25. May 2017 v Abstract Abstrakt Contemporary game engines are invalu- Současné herní engine jsou důležitými ná- able tools for game development. There stroji pro vývoj her. Na trhu je množ- are numerous engines available, each ství enginů a každý z nich vyniká v urči- of which excels in certain features. To tých vlastnostech. Abych srovnal výkon compare them I have developed a simple dvou z nich, vyvinul jsem jednoduchý ben- game engine benchmark using a scalable chmark za použití škálovatelné 3D reim- 3D reimplementation of the classical Pac- plementace klasické hry Pac-Man. Man game. Benchmark je navržený tak, aby The benchmark is designed to em- využil všechny důležité komponenty her- ploy all important game engine compo- ního enginu, jako je hledání cest, fyzika, nents such as path finding, physics, ani- animace, scriptování a různé zobrazovací mation, scripting, and various rendering funkce. -
Machinima As Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation
A Binary Within the Binary: Machinima as Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Megan R. Brown December 2012 © 2012 Megan R. Brown. All Rights Reserved 2 This thesis titled A Binary Within the Binary: Machinima as Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation by MEGAN R. BROWN has been approved for the School of Film and the College of Fine Arts by Louis-Georges Schwartz Associate Professor of Film Studies Charles A. McWeeny Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 ABSTRACT BROWN, MEGAN R., M.A., December 2012, Film Studies A Binary Within the Binary: Machinima as Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation (128 pp.) Director of Thesis: Louis-Georges Schwartz. This thesis traces machinima, films created in real-time from videogame engines, from the exterior toward the interior, focusing on the manner in which the medium functions as a tool for marginalized expression in the face of commercial and corporate inclusion. I contextualize machinima in three distinct contexts: first, machinima as historiography, which allows its minority creators to articulate and distribute their interpretation of national and international events without mass media interference. Second, machinima as a form of fan fiction, in which filmmakers blur the line between consumers and producers, a feature which is slowly being warped as videogame studios begin to incorporate machinima into marketing techniques. Finally, the comparison between psychoanalytic film theory, which explains the psychological motivations behind cinema's appeal, applied to videogames and their resulting machinima, which knowingly disregard established theory and create agency through parody. -
After 12 Years in Charge, Superintendent to Retire June 30
The EST. 2009 JANUARY 2020 FIFTY CENTS STUDENT NEWSPAPER of BOONE COUNTY HIGHR SCHOOL EBELLION SPORTS B4 CHEER WINS STATE Cheerleaders dominating season continues with two regional titles and a state championship RRobertButler The Rebels Small Varsity Cheer team won the KHSAA State Championship, Dec. 14, at All Tech Arena in Lexington, KY. The Rebels posted a final score of 96.1 and beat second place Pikeville by more than six points. This win highlights the Rebels dominant run so far this season. Before winning state, they had al- ready won two regional tourna- ments and a state wide tournament. Head coach Michelle Schuster says that there is a lot of pressure being reigning national champs. She hopes that after their state champi- onship they can place top three at nationals later this season. “I am proud of how this team has handled the pressure. They con- tinue to be humble and persevere,” Schuster said. Seniors Ashtyn Fangman, Lanie Fangman, and Madi Monroe all recognize the pressure that comes with winning the national championship, but they say that their team possesses a unique drive and work ethic that allows them to outperform their opponents. MorganDaniels/REBELLIONSTAFF “The best part of being a part of the varsity team this year is that The Rebel small varsity squad emerges for their routine at the KHSAA Region 5 Championship at Boone County High School on Nov. 23. They we have a team that is willing to do eventually went on to win the regional championship that secured their spot in the state tournament. -
A Novel Multithreaded Rendering System Based on a Deferred Approach
VIII Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment Rio de Janeiro, RJ – Brazil, October, 8th-10th 2009 A Novel Multithreaded Rendering System based on a Deferred Approach Jorge Alejandro Lorenzon Esteban Walter Gonzalez Clua Universidad Austral, Argentina Media Lab – UFF, Brazil [email protected] [email protected] Figure 1: Mix of the final illuminated picture, the diffuse color buffer and the normal buffer Abstract Therefore, the architecture of newer game engines must include fine-grained multithreaded algorithms This paper presents the architecture of a rendering and systems. Fortunately for some systems like physics system designed for multithreaded rendering. The and AI this can be done. However, when it comes to implementation of the architecture following a deferred rendering there is one big issue: All draw and state rendering approach shows gains of 65% on a dual core calls must go to the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1 machine. a serialized manner . This limits game engines as only one thread can actually execute draw calls to the Keywords : multithreaded rendering, deferred graphics card. Adding to the problem, draw calls and rendering, DirectX 11, command buffer, thread pool state management of the graphics pipeline are expensive for the CPU as there is a considerable overhead created by the API and driver. For this 1. Introduction reason, most games and 3D applications are CPU Game engines and 3D software are constantly bound and rely on batching 3D models to feed the changing as the underlying hardware and low level GPU. APIs evolve. The main driving force of change is the pursuit of greater performance for 3D software, which Microsoft, aware of this problem, is pushing means, pushing more polygons with more realistic forward a new multithreaded graphics API for the PC, models of illumination and shading techniques to the Direct3D11.