New Realm Media Networks Feature: Live Streaming

Realm Media Networks is proud to announce a new feature, live streaming! Our goal is to use this feature to show off new titles, and allow you to interact with our staff as we play, enabling you to see the features of the game you're most interested in.

For our first trial run, we're pulling an older title out of the archives: Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock for the Nintendo Wii. We'll be streaming live from 7-9 PM Central time on Monday, April 14, 2008. We're using the Mogulus service, and an integrated chat room in the embedded player lets you interact with us at anytime while you're watching.

Before and after the live stream, we'll be looping some old footage of a guitar hero tournament, and there are several videos available through the "On-Demand" menu. Our live and archived streams will be available at anytime through our stream page.

TipperQueen discusses her appearance at CES 2008

It's not every day that you can say you met both the richest man in the world and one of your favorite rock star idols, but long time Dallas resident Kelly Law-Yone (aka TipperQueen) recently did just that at CES 2008. She appeared on stage with Bill Gates and Slash of Guns N' Roses fame to help promote Guitar Hero 3 during Microsoft's keynote address at the annual Consumer Electronics Show.

Realm Media Networks was able to ask Kelly a few questions about her recent experience.

Realm Media Networks: So, to get started, how were you selected to appear at Microsoft's CES keynote?

Kelly Law-Yone: Since I have several YouTube videos of me playing Guitar Hero, including some of my WSVG [World Series of Video Games] performances, Microsoft knew that I was a technical player that could perform on stage. They also had me perform at their GH2 360 release, so I had already worked with them before. I was contacted in December while I was in Florida for a Guitar Hero tournament, so I had less than a month to prepare for all of this.

RMN: What was it like meeting Bill Gates and Slash?

Kelly Law-Yone: I got to talk to Bill briefly backstage about Guitar Hero, which was pretty awesome. He seemed really impressed when he learned that people used their right hand to tap notes on the fretboard. He was really easy going and was always cracking jokes when something didn't go exactly right.

I only got to meet Slash briefly before the show started, and it was hard to recognize him without the shades and the hat, haha. I didn’t even know he was going to be there until I arrived in Las Vegas. I was more nervous about Slash watching me during my performance than anyone, because after all – he's the one playing this on a real guitar. I didn’t want to mess this up, and I didn't!

After the show, I got to take a picture with Robbie Bach and Bill Gates, which was simply amazing. I couldn't believe it was really happening, because I’ve always wanted to meet Bill ever since I was a kid. I also got a picture with Slash and congratulated him on a great performance and he said the same to me! I only wish I had the chance to play him on Guitar Hero 3.

RMN: How did this CES press conference compare to the Guitar Hero 2 launch?

Kelly Law-Yone: The CES Keynote was much more rehearsed and practiced than the GH2 launch. During the keynote, everyone was running around backstage and there were tons of wires on the floor so people would constantly tell you to "watch the floor." CES is one of the biggest events of year, so it was definitely more scaled up.

RMN: Are you going to be appearing at any other Microsoft events?

Kelly Law-Yone: I would love to work more with Microsoft – they are a great group of people to work with. Everyone knows how to have a good time but still stay focused on what needs to be done.

RMN: Many people are saying Guitar Hero 3 has bumped up the difficulty significantly over Guitar Hero 2, does that seem like an accurate statement to you?

Kelly Law-Yone: I actually think it's the opposite; I think GH3 is a whole lot easier than GH2. Part of it has to do with the larger timing window when you can hit the notes so you don't have to be as precise. Some people complain about the complicated chord changes, but all it takes is figuring out what is most comfortable for you. One of my favorite parts about GH3 is the different hyperspeed settings and the fact you can play at your own [hyperspeed] on XBOX Live. I think the note charts in GH2 are much more complicated than that of GH3 actually. "Through the Fire and Flames" is the hardest song to do well on, in my opinion, but if I get through the first few notes of the song I know I’ll pass it, unlike Guitar Hero 2’s "Jordan."

RMN: Thanks for answering a few questions, I'm sure your fans were excited to see you up on stage at one of the biggest press conferences of the year!

Kelly Law-Yone: It was definitely one of the greatest events I have ever been to, and I have to thank Microsoft, my team – Team Pandemic, and my friends and family cheering me on. Being on stage with Bill Gates and Slash seems surreal, and I’m really thankful I got to have this amazing experience. Keep rockin’ everyone, and have a great 2008.

Other Links:
[pic] TipperQueen at WSVG Dallas 2007
[pic] TipperQueen at Midnight Gaming Championship

RAGE, id Tech5, Quake Zero lead QuakeCon 2007 announcements

QuakeCon sees the congregation of thousands of gamers every year, revolving around the FPS genre, and specifically around the company that started the trend, id. Each year brings new announcements in 3D engines and games, and this year was no different. 2007 saw the announcement of a new title, RAGE, which showed off the company's new engine, titled id Tech5. Another project announced was a free, browser-driven version of Quake Arena, although no specific details were given.

RAGE is a slight departure from the normal Quake/Wolfenstein/Doom formula, with the addition of significant racing and "road warrior" type levels. The new 3D engine allows for large, but extremely detailed environments, using Megatextures. As the game is still in production, not much is being said, although early trailers show off advanced character rendering and animations, pushing the level of detail beyond what was seen in Doom 3.

The id Tech5 engine will be used on titles for both Xbox 360 and PS3, including RAGE, but will not appear on the Nintendo Wii, due to hardware limitations.

Quake Zero, still an unofficial title, is planned to be an iteration of Quake that can run from a website, and will be free for users. Much like simple flash games found around the web, Quake Zero will be advertiser supported, but will integrate within the website's framework. The goal is to use Quake Zero to drawing people to a site, and build a community. With a relatively small budget and developer group, id is hoping their free, online experiment will be fruitful.

vVv Vision talks about WSVG, Gears of War patches, and MLG

During the recent WSVG event in Dallas, Realm Media Networks was able to talk to the top two Gears of War teams about the tournament and Gears of War in general. Here's the full transcript of the interview with the vVv Vision, the 1st place team.

Team Members

Jerry Prochazka, Manager (vVv LordJerith)

Ryan Watson (vVv Takedown)

Ethan Holmes (vVv Bawabus)

Kevin Green (vVv StOnEs)

David Held (vVv puff)

Realm Media Networks: How did you guys get into this tournament?

vVv LordJerith: We were signed up for the event, then Matt, the CEO of WSVG, contacted us and gave us his own personal invite. He wanted us to come out to check out the World Series of Video Games. We are excited ... it was really good tournament for us. So it was really great for us to get the invitation, the World Series of Video Games has been a really accomodating and good event for us.

RMN: So are you guys professional gamers, do you play in a lot of tournaments full time?

vVv Stones: Yeah we've been playing in MLG. We just won in MLG Meadowlands [In Meadowlands, New Jersey], the first tournament for Gears of War so far, well, the first really big tournament. [see vVv Vision at Meadowlands]

RMN: So how's the setup for this competition compared to the setups of the other competitions?

vVv Takedown: Here's we're kinda thrown in the back behind Fight Night Round 3 and Quake 4. We're all kind of set in the back a little bit more. At MLG they have the main stage and the big screens and stuff, I think it's a lot better. Gears of War doesn't stand out as much here as it does there.

RMN: So much do you guys play, outside of competition?

vVv puff: We try to get as much practice as possible. Whenever we get off of work, I don't since I don't have a job so I gotta get a job. (everyone laughs) We get on around 8 and practice until about 11. If we're doing good, we're going to keep playing. We get as much practice as possible.

RMN: So how do you guys practice?

vVv puff: We try to run different strategies around different kind of teams to see what they do, and just mix it up.

RMN: Favorite maps & weapons?

vVv Takedown: War Machine, Shotgun

vVv Bawabus: War Machine, Handy B Button without it I wouldn't be good at this game

vVv Stones: Manshion, Shotgun

vVv puff: Clock Tower, Pistol or Boom shot

RMN: Since Gears of War has come out there has been some patches, that made some subtle changes. How has that affected you guys?

vVv LordJerith: This is one of those classic situations where the game developers have kind of shut out the voices of the competitive community in favor of more casual gamers. Fortunately for the competitive community, we can adjust to the developer's desires to favor the casual gamers. Some times it is unfortunate, specially with a title as popular as Gears of War, that the developers don't take time to satisfy both communtities.

In this particullar last patch they took out the weapon sliding glitch, which although a glitch, we discovered actually increased the pace of the game. It made the game more interesting. Obviously when they removed it, we adjust and continue to move forward. But even though it's a small community, because of the growth of competitive gaming it would be nice if the developers gave some of the top teams a little more ear.

Such that Microsoft has done with Shadowrun by bringing in the top Halo teams and Counterstrike teams to help develop the game, ensure it's balanced and keep it fast paced.

RMN: I saw just a couple days ago, it's expected to be announced at E3, about Gears of War would be coming to the PC. Do you guys have any feelings/opinions on that, how the control would differ on a keyboard/mouse?

vVv Bawabus: The different setups with Shadowrun they spent a lot of time balancing the control of the PC and the consoles, because obviously a mouse is much more precise than just moving a stick around to aim. With the way Gears is setup I really see no way they can balance it over than making it so that the aimer doesn't really track with the mouse completely. But that would just be frustrating to PC players.

Honestly, I don't see PCs developing as much as consoles can just because it feels better with the control for a lot of people. PCs obviously cost a lot. It's just easier for more people that are better at games to get into them on consoles.

RMN: So how would you feel if you had to compete across platform for those games, like Shadowrun, that are available for both PC and consoles?

vVv Bawabus: Actually, we've been practicing a lot and I don't think at this point gaming would make much of a difference if both PCs and Consoles got into it at the same time. Yeah we'd beat them, it wouldn't matter. (team laughs in agreement)

RMN: So what are you going to do with the money?

vVv Takedown: I'm probably going to save the money and use it for travel to get to other events.

vVv Bawabus: I'll probably be saving some of the money for college, or other funds, and then donating the rest to charity.

vVv Stones: Dunno, probably throw some rims on my car. New intake, new exhaust? And then I'll probably use the rest to pay my college tuition.

vVv Puff: I'll probably use mine to save it, and then I can move out of my mom's house finally.

RMN: Thanks guys! Congratulations on your win!

Links:
WSVG Dallas 2007 full story
WSVG Dallas 2007 image gallery
vVv Vision website

Guitar Hero 2 rocks Dallas at the World Series of Video Games

The World Series of Video Games (WSVG) made its stop in Dallas for 4 days of gaming competition on July 5-8, 2007. World of Warcraft, Fight Night: Round 3, Quake 4, Gears of War and Guitar Hero 2 were played by individuals and teams, with the top spots earning anywhere from three to ten thousand dollars.

Numerous sponsors, including XFX, Intel and the CompUSA also had booths setup to show off their latest wares, give away t-shirts and interact with the community. A whole convention hall was setup for bring-your-own-computer LAN gaming, where anyone and everyone could bring their system from home to play lag-free with people from the DFW area.

The goal of the WSVG is to "professionalize gaming, to grow it as a lifestyle event, and attract the general public as well as hardcore gamers," says Rick Stark, Marketing Director for the WSVG. By attracting the general public, the WSVG and other gaming leagues hope to attract advertisers and sponsors that can turn video game competitions from something done by a group of friends on a weekend to a worldwide competition that finds the best players of our generation.

No Name Noobs discuss Gears of War and the WSVG

During the recent WSVG event in Dallas, Realm Media Networks was able to talk to the top two Gears of War teams about the tournament and Gears of War in general. Here's the full transcript of the interview with the No Name Noobs, the 2nd place team.

Team Members
Eric Sagonowsky (HoTDoG)

Christian Dupree (SLizZotH)

Anthony Sarillo (Sarillo)

Nick Kolcheff (NiCk)

Realm Media Networks: How did you guys get into this tournament?

Hotdog: We've been practicing for months. We went to MLG in Meadowlands about a month or two ago, and then we decided to WSVG to make some money, and have some fun.

RMN: So do you consider yourself professional gamers?

SLizZotH: Yes we ARE professional gamers, not CONSIDERED professional gamers.

RMN: As professional gamers, what do you think of the setup they have here for Gears of War?

SLizZotH: It's alight, nothing special. But that's because they didn't have enough competition.

Sarillo: For Gears of War it wasn't that special, it could have been a lot nicer than it was. But it was still a fun tournament and there wasn't too much competition.

NiCk: I think the WSVG wasn't prepared for Gears of War, and Gears of War wasn't really ready to handle something like WSVG. I think the next game will be much more organized and a lot more fun.

RMN: So is there anything in particular they could have done better here?

Sarillo: If they had a main stage where all the exciting stuff happens, like the other games out there. Overall it was pretty fun.

NiCk: I just kind of felt they hid Gears of War back in the corner. They really didn't pay much attention to it.

RMN: How often do you guys play?

Hotdog: We practice nightly for 2-3 hours, sometimes 4 or 5. We just do scrims [scrimmage, unranked multiplayer matches] pretty much everyday and take weekends off.

Nick: Scrim time is usually from 5 until 10. We scrim everyday, except for Friday and Saturday. Sometimes we scrim on Sunday, but we usually take weekends off. That's our time of peace, time to be with our friends.

RMN: Favorite Maps/Weapons?

Hotdog: Clocktower/Shotgun

SlizZoth: Canals/Sniper

Sarillo: Canals/Shotgun

Nick: Clocktower/Lancer

RMN: Gears of War has gotten patches since release, changing mechanics as well as fixing bugs. How do you guys feel about the patches?

Nick: First patch made the game a little bit better. The only bad thing about it was that the walls were a little bit sticky. They tried to patch something and ruin another thing. This latest patch completely changed the game. You can't weapon slide anymore. Now it's a fight over the weapons, and now you fight for a long time because you can't slide it. So a lot of teams just play back now.

Sarillo: You definitely have to play smarter, there is no room for mistakes.

RMN: There have been a lot of rumors recently about Gears of War coming for the PC? What do you think of that?

[editor's note: yup, this happened]

Nick: No, Gears of War is not really a complicated game. Most PC games are really complicated, it takes a lot of buttons and Gears of War doesn't take all that. So I don't think Gears of War will make a good PC game.

RMN: Since you guys came in second place, the second place prize is three thousand dollars, what do you have planned to do with all the money?

Hotdog: Fly to more events. MLG! And put the rest into the bank.

Nick: Put that money in the bank, son!

RMN: Where do you think Gears of War is headed, as far as competition?

Sarillo: Right now I think Gears of War has a really bright future ahead of it. The only big events it's been at has been MLG Meadowlands and this, WSVG Dallas. If MLG picks it up, it's going to get more exciting after every event. If WSVG keeps it on the circuit, it's going to be really exciting to watch. It's a really exciting game.

Nick: I think Gears of War is going to be on MLG for a while. WSVG is a big question mark, I think if they hold a few more events for it. Maybe with a lot more teams, and maybe give it a main stage I think it'll really hit the circuit hard. I hope it works out for WSVG. There are a few other big organizations out there that haven't picked it up yet, not giving it too much detail yet, but sooner or later they will. The game has a really bright future.

RMN: Thanks guys, it's been nice talking to you!

Links:
WSVG Dallas 2007 full story
WSVG Dallas 2007 image gallery
N3 - No Name Noobs website

Video Games Live Wrap-up

It's only been a week since Video Games Live came to Dallas, and the stories have been interspersed with our regular video game news. We thought it'd be good to have links to them all in one place in case you missed any of our coverage.

First off we had our the exclusive first announcement that Video Games Live was finally going announce a DVD and CD release, although the dates haven't yet been finalized.

Next we had our review of the show performed on Friday July 21, 2007.

Then there was our interview with VGL co-founder and conductor Jack Wall where we discussed his background and approach to composing.

Finally we talked with Tommy Tallarico, the other, wilder half of VGL about their trips to Brazil and Korea, and the future of Video Games Live.

When you see how much passion the people behind it have, it's easy to understand why Video Games Live is gaining in popularity.