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With the fourth installment out, I know I am personally trying to finish some of my unfinished Indiana Jones games (Infernal Machine and Emperor's Tomb). I'm sure many others have either already finished these games or are on their way to finishing them. So, what's your favorite Indiana Jones Video Game moment? Anything like quotes, action sequences, characters, etc... Personally, my favorite was following the stories in both Fate of Atlantis and Infernal Machine with Sophia. I love her personality, and she fits right in w/ the Indy universe.

I'm thinking of buying another copy of Kotor off of Amazon, But I'm worried that it won't work on my computer specs Computer Spec: Windows 7 Professional Pentium® Dual-Core CPU 4gb Ram 32-bit Operating System Intel® Q45/Q43 Express Chipset Would Kotor be able to run on this?

The impact of 3D has been everlasting in gaming, and more than likely this is the reason why many have gotten into game art and design. Although playing 3D video games today is amazing the process behind it can be tedious and sometimes even frustrating. In this article I’m going to briefly summarize how you could create 3D Game Models using any animation software. The process of creating a three-dimensional character or object that is later put into a game sounds exciting (as it is), but in reality it is a static creation cycle similar to how an architect would create a building or design a city. Before you start the real video game work you define shapes, objects, and sizes and then proceed to insert your colors and textures. Of course everything comes “alive” once you insert the models into the game, because this is the part where the game starts taking its true form. But to create any model in the first place you will need animation software. Some Popular 3D Modeling Software Applications: 1.) Maya- Considered to be the application at the helm in industry work today, especially in larger video game studios. Like 3Ds Max it’s professional and also used to make other media forms like movies; the student version or scaled down version is the most affordable. 2.) 3Ds Max- As mentioned above, 3Ds Max is also popular in the game making world, and you could even say it’s widely known for competing with Maya. 3.) Blender- Open source and completely free software package with great abilities, a good start for someone with no budget. A generic overview to creating your Model: 1.) Much like your own body your bones and joints define how you move; this is what makes up the first step in the 3D modeling process, designing a skeleton for the model. 2.) Design a texture-less skin and colorless one around the bones and joints. It is not meant for appearances, just to see how your model will look in shape. 3.) Adding in detail is the next step, and this occurs as you color in the skin to get the look you want. Then you complete it by adding in necessary parts like eyes, clothes, etc. 4.) Telling the model how to behave by directing what bones and joints will move in what directions. In 3D modeling software this process saves you time because after you dictate the beginning and end locations, it usually automatically fills in the middle steps. 5.) Export the model into a video game design software compatible format. Most 3D modeling software programs have this exporting tool built in, and are able to export to a variety of formats for game development. In short, creating a 3D game model is not a hard process, but still not a brain dead easy one; it takes dedication and a learning curve to work over. Once this is accomplished you can do this as a hobby or even do it as a profession. Nevertheless, it will take practice, persistence and developing creative talents as an artist.

Alright here it is, my first thread since unretiring: Since we have wide range of ages represented on this forum, this should be interesting. What was the first Gaming System you played on, and what was your favorite game from that system? Of course having said your initial answer, don't be afraid to discuss all an any classic gaming rigs and the classic games you grew up on. Gaming is big aspect of what makes this forum, and surely we all have fond memories of some of the games and consoles of old. I'm sure you, like me, were influenced by those games and they help mold you into the gamer you are today. So, let's share those gaming memories...

I was going to post this in the "Very Good Things" thread, but I decided that I would go all out and provide a review of the product and give it it's own spot on the forum. So a few weeks back I was lucky enough to notice an amBX Premium Kit available on Sellout Woot for about $75. For those who have never heard of amBX, it's basically a set of gaming peripherals that strive to enhance the ambient atmosphere of a video game, thus further enveloping the player in the game's world. Some videos: (This BBCode requires its accompanying plugin to work properly.) (This BBCode requires its accompanying plugin to work properly.) (This BBCode requires its accompanying plugin to work properly.) The premium kid comes with 2 lights, a 2.1 speaker system, 2 fans, and a rumble pad. In most games the fans simulate wind while running or falling, but several have other added effects, like in CoD4 when a grenade explodes you feel a blast of air depending on how close it is to you, and when a helicopter passes overhead you can feel the rush of the whirling blades. The rumble pad lies near the base of your keyboard sits beneath your wrist, much like the wrist rests (wtf are those called, anyways?) that come with many keyboards. The pads vibrate much like a console controller, providing feedback when you shoot a gun, take falling damage, etc, depending on the game, of course. And the lights are obviously an extension of the game lighting, as you can see in the videos. While they don't always match the lighting on your screen precisely (well, for some games they do, but it's not always perfect), you don't really notice the inconsistencies while you're playing. Instead, they really draw you into the game. I was very impressed with the lights, especially for games that have embedded amBX support. At first I was very skeptical. I figured that the lights would be distracting, the fans would be loud, and that the rumble pad would be a nuisance. Furthermore, I already have 5.1 surround sound on my computer, so I wasn't even planning on using the speakers. Nevertheless, I decided that I would take a risk and purchase the kit. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's by no means a perfect system, but I have fallen in love with the amBX kit. The purpose of the product is to enhance the gaming environment, and it certainly does. Call of Duty 4 and other shooters have never felt more real. And it even re-sparked my interest in other games that I had stopped playing months ago. For instance, it was just so cool to be playing Oblivion and feel the rush of wind when you cast a fireball spell, and then experienced your entire room filling with a burst of white light fading into blue when you cast a healing spell. My only real complaint is that not enough games use ambx support. Thankfully just about every game can make use of the lighting, and the automatic lighting that amBX simulates is pretty accurate, but only a handful of games make use of the fans and the rumble pad. Luckily the number is steadily increasing and the community on the amBX website is pretty active, with developers constantly making updates and patches for different games to provide ambx support. They even got it to work in Windows 7 before the OS was released! If anyone is looking for a way to revitalize their gaming experience, this is definitely what did it for me. I'd be glad to answer any questions about the product, and would highly recommend it to anyone with a bit of extra pocket money. Also, out of curiosity, do any other swampies play with amBX?

Well, with E3 all done with and our minds filled with excitement for what's next, I figured it was also a good time for us to put together some of our favorite games that we know and love that others can purchase at a great price. Please feel free to post your favorite games and where you can get them for cheap (try and keep the websites confined to known and trusted sites). I personally loved the following and you can get them for $20 or less: Bioshock for PC is $20 on Amazon Mass Effect for PC or 360 on Amazon for $20 and $17 respectively Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is on Gamestop.com (digital download) for $5 Sid Meier's Pirates is $5 on the Steam client Defcon is $10 on the Steam Client I'll post some more later, but check these games out...please feel free to post any games that you think are high on quality but not on price!