Friday, 4 July 2008

Usually it would be more greyed out, but...

Record Breaker - 10G - Complete a lap of Okatama Grand Circuit in under 90 seconds.



It's impossible... Even with the Audi R10 TDI. My best time is about 100 seconds :( I'm going to have to get our gaming group's Forza master for this.

Thursday, 3 July 2008

Mini-update

Managed to get the first TF2 Pyro guide part out early. The GTA one is coming along nicely and going to start on a GRID one soon. Going to list and review good free online games soon too. Meh, enough with the mini-update, gonna play GTA IV again.

EDIT: Achieving now with header.

Achieving: TF2, Pyro Edition... Part I

Hello again and welcome to the first part to the TF2 Pyro Achievement Guide. The prelude/prologue can be found here. In this guide I'll give pointers on the 10 easiest achievements to unlock both the Milestone 1 achievement and the Flaregun.
To the left you can see the gun in question.
It replaces the shotgun and is a ranged incendiary. In my experience (meaning that you may experience otherwise), the following 10 achievements were the easiest (in difficulty, not time needed). Also, not that my methods are done without caring about my kill per death ratio, so most can be a bit kamikaze-ish. But now, here they are, with pointers how to get them (if possible):

Cooking the Books - Ignite 5 enemies carrying your intelligence.
This is an easy one, just camp at your intelligence at 2fort or Well. After a while, someone will come to get it eventually. Just burn them and then flee if you wish, you got 1 for the achievement. Just stay hidden untill they get the intel.

Combined Fire - Use your shotgun to finish off 20 players you've ignited.
This one is easy, but requires quite a bit of grinding. remember that the Q-key makes you switch to your last equipped weapon, usually switching between primary and secondary. Set them on fire, then spam your shotgun at them. Reason why this is in the first section is because I like the flaregun so much (It fits the class) that I always have it on me. And since it replaces the shotgun... Yeah.

Second Degree Burn - Kill a burning enemy who was ignited by another Pyro.
You'll need either a friend as a pyro or just a random pyro for this one to work, let the other set him on fire and then finish the job. While each server had about 6 Pyro's, it was terribly easy. Got it on one of the first kills. For the helper: The Flaregun counts as an ignition too. Might be useful.

Next of Kindling - Ignite an enemy, and the Medic healing him.
Okay... For this one you most likely need to go kamikaze. Find a medic paired with another player and either flank them or attack them in the back. don't try to kill, don't waste time. Ignite the medic then continue running to the medic's buddy to set him ablaze too. Doesn't matter if you die afterwards, you'll get the achievement as soon as you got both on fire. Medic + Heavy is nice, since the Heavy is kinda slow.

Freezer Burn - Provide enemies with freezecam shots of each of your taunts.
Another kamikaze one. Kill an enemy with whatever weapon and as soon as he dies hit the G-key. Atleast, if that's your taunt mapping. Don't worry about dying, aslong as he sees your taunt on the killcam, you score. Note that you need one with each weapon, being the flamethrower, shotgun/flaregun and the axe. Tip: Using Q to switch to another weapon quickly and then immeadiatly hitting G has a chance of working too, if you can't get a melee kill or a shotgun kill.

Firewatch - Ignite 10 snipers while they are zoomed in.
Snipers have a severe case of tunnelvision when zoomed in, so most of the time they won't notice you coming. The Flaregun works as well, incase you have it already. 2fort is a good map to pull this one off, since there are relatively easy to reach sniper nests. It's easy to see when they're zoomed in, so it should be a piece of cake (unless that cake is a lie).

Dead Heat - Kill an enemy in the same second that he kills you.
Unfortunatly, this is more of a luck than a skill based achievement. Use the flamethrower often and it'll unlock eventually if duels (one on one fights) end up in draws.

Fire and Forget - Kill 15 players while you're dead.
Same as with Dead Heat, this is luck based. Just use the flamethrower and duel alot. If you die first, you score. Rinse and repeat 14 more times. Enemy Pyro's don't work well for this, since they have flame retardant outfits.

I Fry - Ignite 10 disguised Spies.
Just "spycheck often". It'll unlock eventually. Note that rookie spies often run away from the front towards your base disguised in your colors and behave eratically. they will have their disguise's primary weapon visible and might be easy to spot. Otherwise, just use your flamethrower to let the flames lick any teammate you encounter, even if it's a "teammate".

Camp Fire - Kill 3 enemies in a row, all within the same area.
As usual, this unlocks when you're dead too, use your flamethrowe to wreak massive havok on control points, fronts or bases. Flanking makes this alot easier.

Achieving: Team Fortress 2, Pyro Edition... Prelude

Team Fortress 2, the incredibly fun game by Valve. Makes me think of Pixar movies every time I see it. Anyhow, since the Orange Box, Valve has achievements for their games. Let's start with the Pyro, since that's the latest pack. Some advice though: Achievement servers don't work due to the mindset of the players there. Just go and play on whichever server you usually play on, but than as Pyro. Also, bear in mind that a team with 8 Pyro's isn't the most balanced one, so don't be afraid to play something else untill the madness ends. With each major patch, a class gets alternate weapons, which need to be unlocked. So let's take a look at the Pyro ones:

The Flaregun. Well, it, just as the name implies, fires a flare, allowing you to harass Snipers and other long range foes. It's a projectile, which can be returned with the flamethrower alt fire and sets the target it hits on fire. If it misses, it just burns out, doing no harm.

Replacing the Shotgun, it's not a viable weapon for maps like Well or 2Fort, since it doesn't work underwater. Choose the shotgun instead then. On the other hand, it's fun to see snipers running away once you lit them on fire in 2Fort, so it's your choice. The flaregun is unlocked by gaining the Milestone 1 achievement.
Milestone 1
Achieve 10 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.


It's not hard to unlock, just play alot. but that's just the first unlockable, both Milestone 2 and 3 have their own unlockable. Behold the Backburner:
It doesn't only look mean, it IS mean too. Whenever you hit someone in the back, you get a critical hit. Even Heavies go down fast if you catch them in the back. However, you don't have an air blast. But since that's only fun for Heavy Tennis and some achievements, it's not a loss. You also get 50 additional health to make up for it though when you have it in your weapon selection, increasing survivability. It's hawt. Aaaaand so we take a look at Milestone 2:
Milestone 2
Achieve 16 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.


It's not the end of the world either, just 6 more achievements. That's not much and still doable. But we're not there yet. The most awesome weapon isn't in your hands with Milestone 2. No, Milestone 3 is the one you want. Why? Because you want this:
Like it? Yes? Well, it's different from the normal axe because it only does 50% damage. Well, to non-burning enemies, that is. Once they're set aflame, you'll only deal critical hits. Add a Pyro friend with a flamethrower, with you running after him with the axe. Massacre. however, you need this:

Milestone 3
Achieve 22 of the achievements in the Pyro pack.

This one might be a bit harder. And, I have to admit, I ground a bit of them, being on an empty server with another player. The axe streak achievements are hard, so I did them that way. But, now that we know why we are getting the achievements, we have set ourselves a goal.

The achievements will come in 4 parts: Till Milestone 1, then till 2 then till 3 and what's left.

Part 1: Milestone 1. Unlocks Flaregun.
Contains:
  • I Fry
  • Dead Heat
  • Firewatch
  • Campfire
  • Fire and Forget
  • Cooking the Books
  • Combined Fire
  • Second Degree Burn
  • Next of Kindling
  • Freezer Burn
Part 2: Milestone 2. Unlocks The Backburner.
Contains:
  • BarbeQueQ
  • Hot on your Heels
  • Baptism by Fire
  • Burn Ward
  • Weenie Roast
  • OMGWTFBBQ
Part 3: Milestone 3. Unlocks the Axtinguisher! *insert epic music*
Contains:
  • Pilot Light
  • Dance Dance Immolation
  • Hot Shot
  • Hot Potato
  • Milestone 1
  • Milestone 2

I love this week

After Blizzard announced Diablo III at the WWI in Paris, Valve said that the next patch for TF2 is the Heavy Weapons Guy one and Square-Enix is going to make Chrono Trigger for the DS now! I like it when a developer returns a good game from the era in which they still were appealing to me. Secret of Mana now, please?

I'm not a fan of JRPGs at all, but for the old classics like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana I make an exeption. I don't like final Fantasy at all though. Even though I haven't touched my DS since my last holiday to Austria (<3 Advance Wars, still need to get Dark Conflict), I'm exited about this.

Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Achieving

Every once in a while, I'll come up with an achievement guide for one of the games that I have. Expect the TF2 Pyro and GTA IV one soon.

Achieving: GTA IV

GTA IV has achievements that I personally divide in 4 catagories:
Story, Faffing About (as Yahtzee would say it), Social and Multiplayer.
The story ones are gained by doing missions, the faffing about is by doing sidemissions and stunts/endless searches/mindnumbing grinds. Social is done by the dating stuff in GTA 4 and Multiplayer are the XBL ones. Most of these achievements are done by me, but there are a few tiresome and tedious ones that I will talk about without having done them, just to get the guide out on time.

A few control tips (for the X360): When you need to switch weaponry, use the left bumper and a direction on the d-pad to switch weapons. Up = Assault Rifle, Down = Shotgun, Left = Pistol, Right = Grenade. Right bumper is for taking cover, use it. When aiming, press the right control stick to zoom in a bit for more accuracy. The game tells you all of this, but if you missed that, you know now.

Story Achievements:
Off The Boat - 5G - You have completed the first mission.
Simple achievement, just start the game and play.


Feed The Fish - 5G - You completed the mission "Uncle Vlad".
Same as "Off the boat", by following the missions you'll get this one eventually.
Simple mission, nothing special.

Lowest Point - 5G - You completed the mission "Roman's Sorrow".
Finally a mission achievement that's fun to get. Break out the guns and save your cousin. Again, just follow the mission. Small tip though: When you go on a mission that you never did before, stop by the weapons shop to buy some armor. You'll need to be able to take a few more hits and you never know how missions are going to end.

Impossible Trinity - 10G - You completed the mission "Museum Piece".
Another fun shootout. Make sure to take cover. This mission kind of starts an entire chain, so no need to get bored after this one.

Full Exploration - 20G - You unlocked all the islands.
Although it's unlocked by completing the missions, it's kind of a miscellaneous achievement. Just do your missions and it'll unlock. Packie tells you to help his brother, who's on the last island. Easy.

Gracefully Taken - 10G - You completed the mission "I'll Take Her".
This is a fun mission. No spoilers, but she likes to take over the wheel. That is, untill you knock her out. Then you can drive in peace again. Too bad Niko has to kidnap her, she digged Niko's accent.


Social Achievements:
Retail Therapy - 10G - You unlocked the special ability of buying guns from Little Jacob.
Hang out with Jacob untill he calls you that you can buy guns from him. If you select "Guns" at his topic on your cell phone, he'll set up shop from his trunk nearby, with lower prices. He'll call you often enough, just go with him when he calls.

Driving Mr. Bellic - 10G - You unlocked the special ability of Roman's taxi.
Same as with the Jacob one, exept that you can be a taxi driver now. Easy, but I didn't bother with all of the social ones untill later in the game.

Faffing About Achievements:
Order Fulfilled - 10G - You completed all 10 Exotic Export orders.
At some point, just after you met Brucie, Roman calls you about a business proposition with Brucie. Brucie wants you to steal cars. Simple. A few tips: If you see people hanging around the target vehicle, kill them first. Otherwise they'll drag you out of the car and beat you to death with a bat. It happened to me. 5v1 isn't the way to go without a gun. And if the car is being driven, shoot at it. The driver will run away.

Courier Service - 10G - You completed all 10 package delivery jobs.
Once you're done with the Little Jacob missions, he will call you for jobs. When you feel like doing one, take your phone, select him and then select "job". He will tell you to pick up a car at his cafe and you need to bring it to the buyer/dropoff point.
Tips: Don't fight the cops if they arrive, just flee. If you just need to drop it off, expect a gunfight with a rival gang. And if you are on a timer, keep your cell phone out so you can keep track of the time. Also, your GPS tells you the correct way, according to all the traffic rules. Use your own GPS system (the one in your head) to take shortcuts through one-way streets and alleys.

One Hundred And Eighty - 10G - You scored 180 with 3 darts.
EASY! I took Roman out to play darts and I got it in the second game, just be patient. Although your aimer is shaky, it is still easy.

One Man Army - 40G - You survived a 6 star wanted level for a full 5 minutes.
This one is easy, if you know how to do it. A good friend of mine gave me this tip: Just play the game untill you can get a rocket launcher and then make your way to a restaurant in Alderney named Mr. Fuks Rice Box. Once there, climb to the roof via the ladders and then climb onto the fan to get on the large flat top of the roof. Once there, note the large airco system. Take cover behind it, so neither the cops on the street or on the lower part of the roof can shoot you, since they can't climb to where you are. Shoot them and once the N.O.O.S.E. comes, just use a rocket on their car to blow them away. Make sure you take cover. Once you get 6 stars, go get a cup of tea or something while Niko is in cover.

King of QUB3D - 15G - You beat the high score in QUB3D.
Beat the most tedious puzzle game ever. The score to beat is a mere 10950 points, it only took me three tries. When I was handed over GTA IV by a friend, he told me that this puzzle game was a "3d Tetris". Not true. Just watch the tutorial. The arcade machine may be hard to find, but there is one in Modo menswear in North Holland, on the middle isle.

Walk Free - 50G - You successfully lost a 4 star wanted rating.
Strangely enough, I wasn't trying to get this one, I was trying to make a 500 feet wheelie at the airport. Once I was there, I noticed that I had 4 stars once I broke into the airport. Nice. I drove away, fleeing untill I got to the very edge of the wanted zone, got off my bike and walked the remaining few feet. As the stars disappeared, I got an achievement. So the tip is: use a vehicle to get away, get out and walk the remaining few metres.

Assassin's Greed - 20g - You completed all 9 assassin missions.
You can get this later in the game, when one of your contractors tells you that someone has work for you. As an assassin. For these missions, get yourself a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher. Every mission there is some armor and a weapon behind some crates for you to pick up, but the sniper and the rocket launcher get the job done easily. First mission is snipe-able, second done with the RPG, third sniping again, same with fourth and the rest is rocket launcher work. Well, exept for the last mission and one in which the target lures you in an ambush.
Some specific mission tips:
Migration Control: Get a motorcycle and drive up all the way till the helipad and use the rocket launcher while the heli is still on the ground.
Taken Out: The limo is the car you need. Ambush it with a rocket launcher and then get out of there, his bodyguards are in the last 2 cars and they will shoot you.


Multiplayer:

Ah, multiplayer, the bane of my gaming existence. I'm not bad, others are just better. Actually, I actually won something with GTA IV. I can't really give advice on multiplayer, too many variables :P. If I achieve something here, it's by grinding and luck.

Word of advice: Before you try the co-op types, gain a few ranks. I was kicked out of several games because of my rank (rank 1 :( ). Although the co-op ones give ALOT of xp, you need a team, not some loose players.

Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie - 10G - You killed a Rockstar in multiplayer.
This one was spookily easy. First kill I made in deathmatch, BAM! Achievement unlocked. He was trying to escape in a vehicle. I had a rocket launcher. You do the math.

Cut Your Teeth - 5G - You were successfully promoted up a rank in multiplayer.
I won my first match, so up I went! Easy 5G. What they don't tell you (or atleast they didn't tell me) is that you unlock more clothing for your online avatar each time you gain a rank. Ofcourse, they say clothing, but you unlock additional faces too.

Teamplayer - 10G - You killed 5 opposing team members.
I played a team deathmatch. It's fairly easy to get 5 kills in 20 minutes when you're playing 8 versus 8. Note: You need 5 kills in one match.