Too bad I grew up. I miss these geometries.

http://www.andrewlipson.com/lego.htm

I have a little idea about it though…

What a shame. I finally managed to buy me a 10m ethernet cable to play Halo 2 properly but now I must admit that it’s one of the worst ports ever. Graphic issues, slowdowns, crashes make impossible to play properly for more than half an hour. If Halo 3 has to be ported like this then leave it to on 360. Anyway I can now play TF2 and unreal 2004 a lot better and I think I’ll soon download Warrock again. It looked cool when I had the crappy wireless connection (I still have it but I don’t use it for games any more, guess why) and with the ethernet it should definitely be a lot of fun. So you can try to catch me online for a match or two. My nickname is darkstar02 (I hate Warrock’s credentials system) and I’ll probably play on the italian or UK server. For other unrelated news: tomorrow I’ll finally receive my Intuos3 grip pen, after almost 2 months since my order!!! As soon as I figure out how to use it properly you’ll notice a drastic change in Gamers Inn graphic quality. I’ll use it predominantly for artworks though so you’d better check out my deviantART page.

Today I changed the navigation bar to a classic first/prev/next/last. Many people requested this while browsing the whole comic without the comic bookmark (I yet have to redraw those gifs) and I finally found a way to satisfy them. I couldn’t do it before because I’m a php n00b. I’m actually learning html and css thanks to this project. I’ll also change the little comicnav under the comic later.

Another good news is that my pen for my tablet has finally arrived. I’ll give it a try this evening after Room #56’s inks. I hope to get used to it fast. I’ve got lots of suspended works…

I’ve been messing around with my pc for about two weeks now but I still have to understand what slows it down while using DX. DX10 maybe? It’s new and buggy but what am I supposed to do about it that considering that it’s embedded with Vista? Dunno. Yesterday I played Halo 2 properly (not online. Just one chapter and a half of the campaign) and it isn’t laggy any more. Mystery. I guess I’ll have some packs of adrenaline running through my body this week-end. Killtacular!

‘niway! Let’s talk about the comic. What to you think of it now that I’m using a tablet? I still have to gain precision (not for headshots) to trace the outlines on the computer instead that on paper but for special effects I think the tablet is great. My wrist hurts a bit after using it though.

…my mother gets allergies. Other than that, my birthday is on March 22 and this year is even Easter eve

I’ll be pretty busy these days but I think ‘ll be able to post the next comics with no delay. About yesterday’s comic… I know it doesn’t have that much of a punchline but came to my mind two days ago and I though I yet had to draw a comic about metal slug and a little tribute was necessary. Now I’m using my tablet for most of the work and I’m really happy of the result. I can now draw effects that would require years if done with a mouse and look even better. I’m currently drawing only the pencils with a pencil (of cours) while inks, colors and effects are made in photoshop and this dramatically reduced the time needed for a comic, leaving me more time for Team Fortress 2.

I started playing it again these days and went back on my good ol’ Sniper, instead of the Pyro, which looks far less dangerous. In fact, I think the damage of the flamethrower needs to be increased. I mean, it’s his main weapon and I frag more with the shotgun than with it. The flames aren’t so good either. They can be asily healed and estinguish automatically after a few seconds. Another question. Doesn’t a flame burns more on its top? Why Valve suggest to get closer to the enemy when using the flamethrower then? I’ll report this to Valve as soon as I remember it when I’m at home. There must be a reason if every n00b can use a Soldier and frag as hell while Pyros can barely light up enemies before being shot down by a Ranger.

Apart from the obvious disappointment concerning the ending week-end I would like to point this site out: Cube Craft. Enjoy!

Many thanks to Enrico who gave me a great link about Post-It art and game sprites. You can find the article here. Here’s a little preview. I actually wanted to hug the building when i saw this.

Speaking of “real” gaming, I’m still pissed for brawl. I’ll play it this evening with Catman, AoA and Ganon hoping that they’ll make me change my mind about it. Or else, I’ll stick with Super Metroid, waiting for this.

N00bs please read here: It’s a fan-game. You don’t have to cry “Nintendo didn’t tell us” and “I didn’t save money for it. I spent it for Mario Party 8″. It’ll be free.

Oh, and I have to play TF2! I haven’t played it in a week. I wonder if the amount of Pyros per server is decreasing. Speaking of which, how many jokes can you think about TF2? For me, the answer is “a lot”. Expect a few more TF2-only comics in the next month.

The last but not the least: E3 is scheduled for July 14-18, starting with Microsoft’s press conference starting at 10:30 am pacific. Can you say “Halo 4″? I can’t. My mouth is filled with drool for Gears of War 2.

Yeah, I know i had to post this earlier but…

…I wanted to test my new digital camera. I bought Kirby about three weeks ago while I bought my camera last week. I know I usually also take a picture of myself with the plush but I get an emotional club on the gums of self-esteem every time I see myself in a shot (not to mention I have the eyes of a drugged at this time of the night). I’ll use my new camera for Photoshop purposes, HDRI, retouching, cute girls and so on. Be sure to check my deviantART account sometime to see what I’m working on. With this I’ll really be able to bring on my motto: “I can work on it in Photoshop”.

For the gaming report, Catman is playing Little Big Planet day and night while Emuboy is… well… let’s just say that I could enter his house, rob all of his X360 stuff and he wouldn’t notice. And that would come in handy! Not because I could finally play Halo 3 (I’m still waiting for the PC version. Yes you can laugh, bastards!) but because I could try some Xna programming on the X360. Lately, Catman and I have been thinking about a game in Xna. Something like Gauntlet, Castle Crashers and Zelda: Four Swords. I yet have to write a single line of code but the gameplay and the elements are already set. Just don’t expect much from it as this game will come after many things in my scale of priorities, that’s something like this:

1. Eat – That’s right: COOKIES!
2. Work – I have to.
3. Comic – I have to have to.
4. Gaming – My repressed violent instincts need to.
5. Sleep – Who doesn’t?
6. Do nothing – That’s what the internet is for (not porn).
7. Game programming – In a brand new language! Yay!
8. Looking for a soul mate – Contact me if you feel worth it or just buxom.
9. Sleep again – Do I have to justify this too?
10. Fraggin’ n00bs – I’m on a mission from God.

I actually should switch #7 and #8 but… whatever, as Squall would say.

Before I fulfill #5 I want you to check out DRIVEY. It’s a graphic demo that you can use also as screen saver. I think it’s got style. What do you think?

Room #200 is finally published! Honestly I never thought i’d have been able to keep the comic going this far without slow downs. Unfortunately I’ll have to slow down in October to have more time to study so expect to have one comic a week and not two.

About the latest story (that I used to also change the physiognomies of the characters without a clean cut) I want to show you the little piece I’m so proud of and I should be hired at Crytek or Epic for: the galactic federation sniper suit.

As you can see I changed some small details in the final realisation, like the knuckle pads and a wider visor. Basically I took some ordinary GF trooper concept arts from Metroid Prime 2 and 3 and worked out my own suit, designed to be more flexible and comfy than armoured. The idea was that a space sniper must be able to change his position quickly even in high-gravity environments.

Environments like the ones in Mechwarrior 5. A trailer popped out of nowhere tells me that I’ll be firing EMPs again in the near future. And that’s a good thing, because a 7-year-long “near future” has just passed.

So, what do you think? Do we have any chance to see mad cats in hi-res textures?

Meanwhile, you might want to check out some L4D custom campaigns. Valve made it easy with the double click, install and play function so you don’t have to worry to put the right things in place. Take a look at the awesome Death Aboard and Dam It. Death Aboard will force you to escape from a prison through the docks and an amazing wrecked ship while Dam It is set (guess where?) in a dam but the fun part is that there are no safe rooms. If your team die the game is over, like a real zombie chase would be. It only has some small tank issues but the whole map is really well done.

Last news: I’ll be away from July 25 to August 1 for a little vacation that I plan to spend in the arcades as soon as I learn how to hack the Neo-Geo cabinets. You know, 99 players, 9 credits with a coin, that sort of stuff that leaves your wallet much heavier. Don’t worry, I’m drawing three comics in advance so you won’t notice my absence and when I’ll be back I’ll show you some doodles I’ll make down by the sea, hopefully.

EDIT: Mechwarrior confirmed. Now I’m cleaning the drool off my keyboard.

They told me I could use those wood sticks that leave marks when pressed on paper. I think they meant an ash picket with Dracula blood on it but I’m not so sure.

Also, I’ve been playing Street Fighter IV lately, as you may have noticed from the recent comics. It’s fun, at least as  Soul Calibur. Not cooler as KoF but what could be it? Oh, yeah, Guilty Gear. I’ve been also playing that these days. I need some training before showing up in the arcades. I also played all the Metal Slug titles from 1 to 5 to get again the hang of it. The only game I can’t train at is Daytona but I’ve changed a lot since I last played it 4 years ago. For example, I got a driving license and I can use a gear lever. Gentlemen, start your junk!

I’ll spend the remaining time drawing, most probably, and listening to internet memes music. There aren’t many good pubs down there (I’m not going to Ibiza) so I’ll also have lots of chances to lay my 100% reflective sunglasses-covered eyes on girls with light armor sets.

Talking about barely covered skin, my friend Daniel reminded me that PSM annual bikini supplement was abandoned about a couple of years ago. The supplement was mainly drew by Adam Warren and Ryan Kinnaird and I sure can’t match their skills but I feel the urge to contribute. We finally knew that most of the people know that Samus is female because they finished a Metroid game and, just to nullify my vote, I was the idiot that died in front of the first torizo with my cousin pointing out “I did see boobies”, so we can now move on and change poll. Pick your favorite girls and I’ll pencil the most voted during my vacation (inks and colors later at home). But there’s more: If two are tied for the first place I’ll draw them both. If Three or more are tied I’ll just draw one of them of my choice. There are also two open slots, so if you want someone that’s not on the list just comment and ask for it. Oh, I almost forgot. There are no male characters because of internet rule #16: “There are NO girls on the internet”. So, why bother? You only have 7 days to vote. Make it quick!