4. Ikariam

Ikariam is a free online realtime strategy game released in 2008 by Gameforge AG. The concept behind Ikariam is much like Sid Meier’s well-known Civilization games, where players command a small village and construct buildings such as Barracks, Ports, and Taverns to create a larger city, and palaces which are constructed to allow for the expansion of a small empire. Unlike other online browser games, Ikariam has a greater emphasis on trade and diplomacy but does also feature combat. It is impossible for a colony to be completely captured by another player, but it can still be pillaged, controlled, or blockaded. (wiki)

[/Personal-Experience] Ikariam is still in beta (maybe alpha?), it’s still missing a lot of content and it has numerous bugs, yet it still has very solid gameplay. Build times and research times in Ikariam are quite lengthy and trading rather then combat is emphasized, hence it’s a very good game if you like games that are a bit more casual and you don’t like having to check your browser every hour.

3. Travian

Travian was originally a German browser-based game developed by Travian Games GmbH. The game’s developers drew roughly from Classical antiquity and particularly from the Roman Empire to create a predominantly militaristic real-time strategy.

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18/06/08 EVEN NEWER Kitchen Nightmare website/blog released!
Currently a work in progress, expect lots of updates!
Here.

For a bit of personal interest I decided to find out what happened after Ramsay left the restaurants, sadly it’s mostly depressing but yet an interesting read. I still have a few gaps in my information so if anyone can help out it would be greatly appreciated.

Season 1

Bonaparte’s Restaurant

[/Episode Reminder]

A 21 year old Chef who can’t make an omelette, a owner who’s unaware of what’s going on in her kitchen.

[/The Aftermath]

April 2004, London Evening Standard publishes an article alleging that the Kitchen Nightmare production company faked the culinary disasters and placed the chef there purposely. More Info

May 2004, The Daily Mail reports chef Tim has been offered a job by Gordon Ramsay to work in one of his London restaurants, but Tim knocked back the offer as he has ambitions to run three of his own restaurants and become a TV celebrity. More Info.

July 2004, Sue Ray the owner, says she is going to sue Gordon Ramsay and the television show producers for landing her £400,000 in debt. Claiming the episode unfairly portrayed her restaurant. More Info

September 2004, Gordon Ramsay goes back to visit Boneparte’s Restaurant as part of a revisited episode, and found since the episode screened, Tim was sacked, the restaurant had stopped serving food and Sue has put the business up for sale, she says she has narrowly avoided bankruptcy.

February 2005, The Guardian reports Sue has now placed Boneparte’s on the market for £450,000. More Info.

March 2005, The Daily Star reports that Sue the ex-owner of Bonaparte’s Resturant is now homeless and jobless. Sue went bankrupt owing £400,000. Within the same time Sue was caught drink driving, at her court appearance said stated that her TV appearance in Kitchen Nightmares led to her financial and personal downfall, she pleaded guilty and was banned from driving for 12 months. More Info

July 2005, The Daily Mail publishes an article about ex-chef Tim, which comments about Tim not being able to hold a job since the airing of Kitchen Nightmare and claimed he just got sacked from his third job when his boss found out about Bonaparte’s. More Info

June 2006, Ramsay won a High Court case against the London Evening Standard, which had alleged, after reports from previous owner of Bonapartes, Sue Ray, that scenes and the general condition of the restaurant, which was the subject of the first episode of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, had been faked. Ramsay was awarded £75,000 plus costs. Ramsay said at the time: “I won’t let people write anything they want to about me. We have never done anything in a cynical, fake way.” Wikid

August 2007, Tim the ex-chef goes to court over drink driving offenses, he claimed the negative publicity from the show has led him to drink driving. During the questioning by police Tim repeatedly made references about Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and it being the cause of his ‘ruined’ life. More Info

[/Status] = Closed.

[/Extra]
Extra Reading 1 Extra Reading 2
Apparently the restaurant has been purchased and renamed, need more info.

The Glass House

[/Episode Reminder]

Owner who lacks self confidence, chef who is getting paid too much for the work he is doing.

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10. Irene Cara - FlashDance
-FlashDance(1983)

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Jcp7v0uoybc[/youtube]

[/Info] The Academy Award winning theme to Flashdance, it has also won the Golden Globe Award (best original song) and managed to hold onto the NO.1 position on the U.S Hot 100 Billboard for 36 days.

9. Huey Lewis - The Power of Love
-Back to the Future(1985)

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=kOu8×1gqW3c[/youtube]

[/Personal Fact] Although it began as humorous after spending an entire evening splicing ‘The Power of love’ into every song playing while co-DJing my friends party, my friends now hate the song and have banned me from DJing again. ditto.

8. Survivor - Eye of The Tiger
-Rocky III(1982)

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=MO_2nQj4O-4[/youtube]

[/Random Fact] Eye of the Tiger was used for a short time as the entrance theme for pro wrestler Hulk hogan (who also appeared in Rocky 3)

7. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
-Top Gun(1986)

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1 Comment

Segment #2 is coming along nicely, I’ve recorded all the footage I can without extra help (AKA Mr. Hirearch)…

One draw back I’ve found with recording demos in HL2 is all voice talk is recorded in the demo, and hence when I try to edit the footage nearly all the audio is overwritten by the ‘actors’ and me talking.. pretty annoying as now I have to drop the sound and manually insert all the SFX (and sync everything).

Just a few extra scenes I need to do for segment 2 (mainly just a reminder for myself)

• Have a short sequence of Red Team looking around AFTER spy vanishes
• Some scenes showing blue side empty
• Pyro and Heavy from behind looking down sewer
• Engineer saying, that engineer is a spy (maybe)
• Have closeup of engi idle (whacking wrench on hand), put thumping sound there to show time passing(while waiting
• Pyro, Heavy, Engi looking at each other when spy first vanishes while running across bridge
• Echo through Tunnel

LAST UPDATE 15/Jan/2008

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Yay, Segment one is recorded, edited and sound mixed.
All done!

I’m ready to start recording segment #2 I just need to find 4 people to control the characters.. hopefully tomorrow or on the weekend.

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This entry will be used to describe the movement of the spy and what he has has to do.

Again a lot of the shots may be scrapped/or new shots added depending on how they look when we start recording.

Spy shot #1

The spy will uncloak on the opposite side of the bridge to Red, equipped with gun.

Spy shot #2

This will be recorded from multiple angles and spliced together, the spy will start to run across and before half way he will cloak and vanish. He must cloak before the turret begins to fire at him.

Spy shot #3

Spy will run out of fort disguised as Engineer and sit on the opposite side of the turret.
Spy engineer will use the good job emote ‘nice job partner’
Real engineer responds with the thanks emote.
Spy saps turrets and runs back inside.

Spy shot #4

The Camera will track the spy as he runs past, then return to track the red team following him.
Once the spy enters the sewer entry room he will hide behind the corner to the right.

**MORE INFO COMING

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I’m pretty happy with my first segment plan although filming and cutting it will be interesting.. Either way time to start planning Segment #2.

To start with a list of everything that must happen in this segment, ordered.

1. Spy appears on opposite side of bridge to red (centered)
2. Red spots him
3. Spy vanishes while running towards/across bridge
4. Red Team looks around, puzzled.
5. Spy(As Engineer) runs out and sits next to turret (opposite side to where current engy is sitting)
6. Spy says ‘Good work’, Engineer ‘Thanks’
7. Spy saps turrets and runs inside fort while ‘evil laughing’
8. Heavy and Pyro chase while Engineer removes sap.
9. Spy heads to the left inside fort towards sewer
10. Pyro and Heavy chase him down the ramp but when they get to the sewer they can’t see him
11. Spy as Engineer again turns up behind them, they look at each other puzzled
12. Pyro and Heavy face/look towards to sewer again (spy stands slightly behind them)
13. Real engineer turns up.
14. Spy and Engineer look at each other
15. Engineer goes to grab pistol (using taunt)
16. Spy quickly stabs him
17. Pyro heavy, don’t notice.
18. Spy is shown loading him, aiming at heavy head(from behind) (gulp)
19. Heavy is shown looking sad
20. Spy quickly shoots both

End of segment.

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Another blog entry on Segment #1.. Explaining what must happen on the red side.

Red = Pyro
Green = Heavy
Yellow = Engineer

Shot #1

The opening shot for the red side will show them in a huddle in the Red Briefing room. All will use the ‘cheer’ emote at the same time, then run out of the room Pyro first, Heavy, then engineer last.
There will be minimal camera movement in this shot, just a slight wobble to add an observer feel.

Shot #2

This shot will show the Pyro running to camera left and down the ramp, while the Heavy and Engineer go camera right out onto the fort.
No camera movement on this shot.

Shot #3 - 4

The opening camera position will be on level with the 2nd floor of the fort and will track the engineers movement to his final position where the camera will rest.

The Heavy will stop at the top right of the fort, while the engineer runs across to the other side and jumps off. Once on the ground he will start building a turret.
5 seconds after placing the turret the pyro will run out from the doorway behind the engineer and run to camera right(leaving the shot).

Shot #5-6

The final two shots will be just used to give the viewers the final placement of the Red Team.

Extra Information
Equipment

• Engineer will have wrench in hand
• Pyro flamethrower
• Heavy mini-cannon

While the Turret is building the engineer will be hitting it with his wrench.

Engineer will also be on the turrets right side (ready for the next segment).

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And now the hardness begins, planning shots and shot ordering…

*Update;
After trying to plan the opening I realised they it may not be worth the effort to plan it, as this segment will have an insane amount of cuts with what being used purely depending on how ‘cool’ it and thus it will be nearly impossible to set what has to shown without shafting the segment (hope that made sense).

Instead for this segment I will be just listing the ‘must have’ shots and leaving the rest for the editing process.
Blu side

1. The following shots will all be rapidly shown spliced with the red team getting ready
   1. Spy reloading gun - dollying in (di) - slow motion
   2. Spy flourishing gun (di)
   3. Spy holding knife (di)
   4. Spy flourishing knife (di)
   5. Spy holding sapper (di)
   6. Spy holding cig case (di)
   7. Spy flourishing cig case (di)
2. Camera dollying in across the prep room towards spy (slowly)
3. Spy passing knife from one hand to another (slow motion)

Red Side

1. Red team in a huddle in their prep room
2. Red team running out of prep room
3. Shot from outside the fort of Red Team setting up
4. Engineer building turret beside bridge (camera float down from heavy on top of fort)
   1. Also in same shot, pyro running out of fort and standing beside bridge

*Edit #2
It just occurred to me that I could reduce the amount of rapid shots by overlaying the shots using mattes(which I spent many hours learning to use in one of my previous video projects).

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I’ve spent most of morning experimenting with the TF2 engine and recording tools, after multiple attempts at recording a demo then exporting it to individual TGA files (and compiling in virtual dub) I found it a lot more efficient to do the dirty and export straight to AVI using the inbuilt tools.

In case anyone is wondering how to export demos to AVI from Team Fortress 2;
1. Start the demo
2. Bring down the console (~)
3. Type ’startmovie <NAME> AVI’
4. Close the console
5. When you want to stop recording, bring up the console and type ‘endmovie’

Although there is still a few things to be wary about when recording AVI demos using the TF2 engine, firstly be sure to run TF2 in a windowed mode as you need to be able view/edit the AVI settings popup. Secondly it’s a good idea to have either a Windows media codec pack or Divx encoding pack installed to get a good render.
Lastly audio, if you want to record the audio you’ll have to add more parameters after the ’startmovie’ command, you can find out what the parameters are by just typing in ’startmovie’ in the console.

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