Comments - Klink

The screenshot of the level in general looks pretty fantastic. However the only problem I have with it is the stretched texture(s) in the background.

I haven't voted yet, but my vote would go to id Software for 'essentially' creating the genre most popular today. Plus, they actually care about (some of) their games and their fans (removing CD checking in Doom3 for instance).

However, another company which could be on the list (and I say could because they are more of a publisher rather than developer) is Stardock. Why? They refuse to place any sort of copy protection medium (Starforce, SecuROM etc) on any of their games, so paying consumers won't have to jump through hoops or risk damaging their hardware just to play a game. Props to Stardock on that point alone.

I personally think Prey did a good job with the voice acting. When you (as Tommy) get captured and you see yourself looking down on the Earth, the first sentence that came to my mind was 'Oh my God!'. Low and behold, Tommy said the exact same thing which instantly drew a smile on my face.

Tommy's reactions, especially when you are forced to kill Jen, don't seem forced to me. I knew I had to kill Jen but I didn't want to. When I did, I was personally quite ******, as was Tommy.

As many have said here, it just depends on the game that is being presented. Some games need the added character voice direction while others simply don't need it. However, a problem arises when vocals SHOULD be present but are not and visa versa.

Case in point, SiN Episodes - Emergence. I loved the game itself, but I absolutely hated the fact that Blade never speaks once! Ritual used the same excuse Valve did - putting the player in Blade's shoes, thus immersing the player effectively making the player Blade - but it didn't work out. Fans of SiN were used to the wise-*** remarks of Blade. Removing it made it that much more noticable, and actually detracted from the immersion.

It's all a matter of preference. To me, I love it when the main character speaks (but only if it's done right).

I honestly can't wait to play this mod.

Wow, that seriously looks sweet!

I have been waiting years for this. Downloading as I type this.

Can't wait to play this!

Rockin' music for a rockin' mod. Excellent work guys!

Holy crap! You guys have progressed really well. Good work!

As Monkey_Toes stated, the mod is officially dead (and has been for quite some time now). Whether or not he starts the project back up again is a different story, but for the moment Tiberium Desolation will never see release. I would like to thank Monkey_Toes for the opportunity to help out with this mod. It's a shame that I didn't get the website released on time.

While Tiberium Desolation may be dead, other mod projects aren't. Currently I am working alongside several talented individuals on another C&C related project (yet to be announced on ModDB, but has been announced on PlanetC&C and GPGnet), and needless to say we need help on both the modeling and mapping fronts.

If you anyone is interested in helping out in the creation of an RTS C&C mod, whether it would be mapping, modeling, skinning etc, please don't hesitate to drop me a line. It doesn't really matter if you want to be a full-time team member or just helping out with one skin or model - any help is appreciated, and you will be credited for everything that you do.

All I can say is that I'm eagerly anticipating Gunreal's release!

I learnt a hell of a lot from this. To think that I had always created metal textures using mostly filters. Never again I say! Excellent tutorial!

Hey thanks for the mod watch on Renegade 2007. Spread the word!

Will do my friend. Renegade was a fantastic game, and from what I can see the entire Renegade 2007 team are doing a fantastic job. I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Well, thinking about it in terms of the bigger picture, I can see where the reviewing/writing staff are coming from. While a majority of us here are stating that we want truth in reviews, there is a much larger population of people who don't want to read the truth. I'd even bet that some people here who had posted comments about wanting the 'truth' will throw an all out hissy fit if there is any sort of negativity on a mod that they've worked on.

I still stand by what I've said though. It is your duty, nay, your right as reviewers to post the truth and nothing but the truth. If mod/game devs aren't happy about it, tough luck. This isn't the 'real' game reviewing industry where larger companies with promises of exclusitivity get all the positive reviews despite the game being sub-par to what was expected. We are modders. We create mods in our spare time with no finances, no resources nor any technologies that real game developers have. Some of us are working towards a larger goal, in hopes of one day working in the industry that we love. We are still growing. We need guidance.

Constructive critisicm and truthful reviews give us, the modders, that needed guidance so that later on in the future we're able to steer away from our previous mistakes. Without it, we'd be making the same crap over and over and over again, and our only hope of ever entering the industry would be through EA. :P

"INTense" wrote: I know everyone has responded here saying they want an honest review, but have you ever been told your work sucks?

On more than one occasion (although not related to modding). While sometimes it may be insulting, you get used to it and just shrug it off. From there, you listen/read what has been stated, look hard at your work and see if it really does need improvement.

"INTense" wrote: But the reality is, there are always going to be people who dislike what you have done no matter how good it is, the key thing is not to dwell on the negatives, but look at the positives and what you can do to make the "haters" fans again.

Which is why people need to learn not to take constructive criticism as an insult, and negative opinions to heart.

First and foremost I have to agree with Mr_Cyberpunk about the "+/-" system that ModDB now uses when reviewing mods. I have never approved of a percentage/ranking/numbers system that a lot of game reviewers tend to use, only because reviews themselves are subjective. Just because the reviewer writing the review likes/dislikes the game, doesn't mean that everyone who reads it will mindlessly follow what he/she said.

Mods are very similar to games in that most of us have already made up our minds on which mod we want to waste our bandwidth on. Chances are that if you are a Stargate fan and love Half-Life 2 or Unreal Tournament 2004, you're going to download Stargate based mods for those games. It is then not a question of how great a mod is on its first release, rather a question of how well the mod can be should more work be done on it.

Having a percentage/ranking/numbers system completely removes necessary feedback that modders so desperately need for improving their mod. The system that ModDB uses not only nudges people into downloading a mod they've probably already considered downloading (much like game reviews do to consumers), it gives people an idea on what to expect. Are there place-holder textures? Are the sound effects and music not up to standard? Could the gameplay be significantly better? All these questions can be answered with the opinionated reviews found on ModDB.

People who can't stand constructive criticism are literally the worst kind of modders (much like how 'pro' or 'tournament' players are the worst kind of gamer ). Sure, you may have poured your heart and soul into a mod, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's good. With feedback, you're able to view the opinions of those that have played the mod and use it to enhance the mod - to make it far better than what you had previously believed.

Constructive criticism shouldn't be taken lightly - it's a necessity. Without it, people could be spending months, if not years on end creating something that can be just utter crap.

Off-topic, in the future if any of the mods I work on get reviewed, I want an honest opinion - if it's crap, just say so.

That was a really nice tutorial. Excellent work!

migb wrote: I wanted to say creativity, but to be honest, a creative mod with bad gameplay is short lived.
Noone will want to play it for more than a few days, no matter how innovating the concept is.

I can agree with that. Even though some mods may be the most creative ever concieved, they may just end up as mere gimmicks. If the gameplay can make use of that creativity, no matter how gimmicky it may seem, it'll be a fantastic mod.

To me though, crativity, gameplay, atmosphere and more importantly storyline go hand in hand. If a team of modders could implement all of those elements together then their mod will surely stand out amongst the others. Nothing worse than having your design conflict and contradict everything that you've stated with your story.

Daaaaamn. The skin on that model is outstanding! Must have taken ages to do.

Props to you Jason for the excellent model!

I'd just like to make one more comment about your comment Foxhound. Even though you are working on a mod that doesn't make a single cent, it doesn't exactly stop MGM from sending out letters. I've seen several Half-Life 2 and other Stargate based modifications that have been shut down by MGM. They too did not make a single cent for the production.

You can be sure that I'll be heading to the forums. I have several ideas I'd like to share. :)

Ever since Stargate SG1: The Alliance was cancelled by MGM in favour of making an MMO, I've been looking forward to any mod team working on an FPS Stargate based project. As RichardL has stated, be careful that you don't get the cease and desist. I'm definately watching this as it seems very promising, and I wish your team the best of luck in bringing us a great Stargate modification.

All I can say is I'm glad to see a sequel (if you will) to Firearms. It has been so long since I've played the original, yet I can remember it like it was yesterday. I always liked it compared to other HL mods because of the innovation it brought or sought out to bring.

I hope you guys can do the exact same thing, if not more (and better) than what was done previously. It looks awesome so far and I hope that it continues.

Another Stargate mod....

Count me in! :P

I have to say this is looking pretty sweet. I haven't touched UT2004 in a while, and this just might be the mod that forces me to pull out my discs and reinstall. Keep up the good work!

Me likey very much. :P

Although I'm a web designer (and part PR if you can call it that), I consider myself a leech. I REALLY want to learn modelling/animation (seems like the world needs more animators :P) but I haven't really found the time.

Aren't these balloons from Diddy Kong Racing? :P

I'm really liking those early renders and Ice Gate concepts. It's looking pretty good thus far, and I can't wait to see what more you can come up with.

Hey guys. The new website for Tiberium Desolation should be almost complete. I just have a few more design issues I've got to work out as well as finish off a few sections. Keep checking back here for updates.