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gump
12-08-2003, 10:43 PM
Hi, im Paul and im tech manager at PlanB. Due to the data loss, my orignal post got lost so I thought id redo it and incorparate some of the questions from the other thread.

What specification are your gaming PC's?

Our PCs feature AMD AthlonXP xp2200 or higher, 512Mb of Crucial PC2700 DDR memory, nVidia nForce2 Geforce4 video and have 17" monitors. The peripherals are keyboard, optical mouse (with a mat), Logitech wingman attack joysticks, headsets with boom microphones and they run Windows 98 SE.

nVidia nForce2 Geforce4 video, thats geforce4 MX isn't it?

Yes, we are using the in built video of the nForce2 chipset, which is based on the gefroce4 MX core however using the system memory which runs at 333MHz DDR which is faster than the memory speed on most of the geforce4 MX boards. With some testing to find the optimal drivers and settings for each game we are confident all of the games run fine, and certainly will not hamper your gaming ability (if you want to know why people will always blame external circumstances, such as the computer or lag when playing online for a poor performance then look up "Actor-Observer Bias"). All the machines have AGP slots which we intend to fill with DirectX 9 cards once the game requirements become clear for the next crop of must have games like HalfLife2 and Doom3, however just now it looks like only the very top end of cards available today will provide the performance required by these games.

What games do you have installed?

* Half life (with Counterstrike, natural selection and day of defeat)
* Unreal Tournament 2003
* Battlefield 1942 (with Desert Combat)
* Enemy Territory
* Motocross Madness 2
* Crimson Skies
* Colin McRae 2
* TOCA2

Can I bring my own games?

If you provide us with the original install media (CD/DVD) as well as any patches required then we will be happy to install it, provided you don't turn up and ask us to install your entire CD wallet full of games.

Freely available mods and demos can be installed if requested in advance by email.

Can I bring my own components/peripherals and use them on a planB machine?

External peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and joysticks are fine. Our machines have 4 usb2 port on the back of the machines and we provide two ps2 and one usb port to the desktop for our joysticks (you may be located upto 5 meters from the PC you are using, as our equipment is in racks). Other usb devices like external CD rewriters are also ok so long as you email (paul@planbgaming.co.uk) with details about the device and include a link to suitable drivers for Win98SE if required.

Internal peripherals are a lot more difficult as they require us to remove the machines from the racks to open them. We are happy to do this if you want to use your own video card, however this is subject to compatibility and you must email 7days in advance of the event providing details of the card make/model/chipset as well as details of when you will be arriving and leaving the event. Provided the card is compatible with our systems we will reply with confirmation, including the name of the machine you will be using and the times we will be available to install the card. Please do not bring video cards to events without confirmation as without the opportunity to check compatibility and obtain drivers we cannot install them.

The other commonly requested component to be used in our machines is hard drives, and we will not allow these to be installed in our machines. However there are usb2 caddys available for about ?40-50 which will allow you to use your hard disk with our machines. A lower cost option is available, a usb2 device which allows you to use an internal al hard drive on any machine with a usb port can be had for ?28.36 from ebuyer (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?product_uid=43759).

We regret we cannot take responsibility for any equipment, or data contained there in, which is connected to our equipment.

Can I eat or drink while using your machines?

Yeah thats fine with us so long as your sensible and aware you will be charged for any damage done to the machine you were using.

Do you guys have your own game servers or just host on the games machines?

We currently have a pair of 2.4GHz game servers with 1Gb ram each, running slackware linux. Between them we provide game servers for various HalfLife mods, UnrealTournament 2003, Enemy Territory and bf1942/DesertCombat.

How can I contact you guys?

If you have any questions then ask away, else Private Message/Email either myself or Andy (PlanBGaming), or drop into #planbgaming on quakenet.

SlyDave
12-09-2003, 12:12 AM
Are the machines running Steam? Becuase I just know this is going to cause headaches at the LAN. Either its gonna work and people will have to upgrade and can't, or it wont work and everyone will have to install fresh copies...

BlackDemon
12-09-2003, 02:53 PM
Steam sucks. I'm boycotting playing any form of game that needs to use it until it's sorted out to actually be usable because I refuse to faff around when I can just play something else with minimal hassle.

gump
12-09-2003, 07:27 PM
Steam blows goats, im not touching it with a barge pole. Since many of our events dont have internet, we have no intention of upgrading till valve sort out a version that works online. If tbg dont manage to get broadband then id suspect half of the lan's copys of steam will be rendered useless anyway. Maybe if they sort it out intime for half life2 in 2007 i might installit, but till then they can keep their steaming pile of software to themselvs.

SlyDave
12-09-2003, 08:45 PM
Steam blows goats, im not touching it with a barge pole. Since many of our events dont have internet, we have no intention of upgrading till valve sort out a version that works online. If tbg dont manage to get broadband then id suspect half of the lan's copys of steam will be rendered useless anyway. Maybe if they sort it out intime for half life2 in 2007 i might installit, but till then they can keep their steaming pile of software to themselvs.
lol :) Glad im not the only one who thinks this, Steam a nice idea, they just didn't pull it off very well.

gump
12-09-2003, 08:56 PM
Very soon, we will post more detailed information for Cyber Cafe managers about the official Valve Cyber Cafe Program, including information on pricing (hint: $10 per computer per month & you don't have to buy the retail software), technical instructions for setting up Steam in cafes, security info, etc.

yeah, would be nicer if they went trying to rip off the comunity that helped put them in the position they are today. I mean i can totaly see how $10/month is cheaper than buying half life for ?4.99 on budget cdrom :|

SlyDave
12-10-2003, 01:56 AM
yeah, would be nicer if they went trying to rip off the comunity that helped put them in the position they are today. I mean i can totaly see how $10/month is cheaper than buying half life for ?4.99 on budget cdrom :|
Sad isn't it, and it certinaly seems that way.

I find one of the biggest problems is that these are people that make computer games, not multi million pound cooperations. What Valve are doing says "Shooting self in foot" all over it, but they have gone to far now to pull out, they are commited. HL2 will either redeem them or doom them.

Munkeh
12-10-2003, 11:04 PM
Isn't all this fee business to combat piracy? Thats what i think they mainly done it for. They just simply are not making the money they need to be after putting so much time, money and research into a game platform. They do all this, only to have ppl crack and hack it. The way i see it, its not valve shooting themselves in the foot, its the cheapass public killing themselves by downlaoding/installing games and software illegally.

is this not true?

Wedgeh
12-10-2003, 11:13 PM
Since HL2 rental per month includes all major updates including TF2, it's supposed to provide better value for those who aren't intending to play it until they're dead... I for one am enjoying the new lease of life CS has got from 1.6 and steams OK most of the time :) Dunno how long I'll stay with it, but then I only really downloaded it out of curiosity anyway

welshbloke
12-13-2003, 06:03 PM
What games do you have installed?

* Half life (with Counterstrike, natural selection and day of defeat)
* Unreal Tournament 2003
* Battlefield 1942 (with Desert Combat)
* Enemy Territory
* Motocross Madness 2
* Crimson Skies
* Colin McRae 2
* TOCA2

Will you be adding any of the recent game releases to this list prior to the event?