August, 1999 News and events from the month of August.

August 29, 1999
|Vote|10:46pm
Ok, so I'm not asking for a vote, but I just wanted to mention that Hellface's new votemap is getting a good rotation on Testmonkey's Monkey Den II server. This map is unique in that you have to work to vote on the next map in the rotation. I played it for a while tonight, and found it quite neat! Maybe pop on by and give it a run. You'll need the Votemap, as well as the latest versions of Betrayed, and BAM!. I'll be giving a review of BAM! in the near future, but I'd like to playtest it first. In related news, the Old Geezers Clan won their match tonight on the OGL, congrats to the boys! I need to update the files section of the site, but I'm still waiting to hear back on moving in specifics from Planet Fortress, so I may hold off for a bit. I'm back to work tomorrow, so I probably won't update until tomorrow night. Have a great week and take it easy...

|Ice Cream|6:08pm
Boy, I sure wish I had some ice cream now...it's so frickin' hot here! Ugh! Anyway, I'm a little bored, so I'm going to head out and play on the Mountain Server Group's TFC servers for a bit. Sure, it's a small rotation, but it's fun at times. If you want, come by and say hi. I just want to wish the Old Geezers Clan luck with their latest OGL match tonight, hope you guys kick some butt! On another note, a new Pic-O-The-D/W/M is up, sent in by Dasyati. Go to the screens to have a gander. I'm out...

|Review|1:45pm
Ok, here's the one you've been waiting for. I've finally completed the review on NML2. Let me just say this, it's a great map! We've all had fun on it, and UncleBRUCE is definitely on the cutting edge of custom map designing today. I definitely look forward to more from him. On another note, I'm got some running around to do today (ack! is that the sun??!), so I won't be around for a while. With the good news I received from Planet Fortress, things are definitely looking up. Enjoy the review, and I'll be back later...

• NML2 - Sweet!

|Hosted!|11:56am
Well! Good news has finally arrived! It looks like I'll be given my shot, and Planet Fortress has decided to host me. I'm pretty excited, can you tell? Sorry if I'm a little pumped, but I am! Anyway, I've taken the first steps in getting things organized with PF to get my site ready to move over there, but it's still in the beginning phases, so I'm not sure when I'll be moving over. As soon as I do, you'll all be the first to know. I'll post it here, but this site will continue to run here until all is working good over at PF. After that, there will be a forwarding page here to bring the stragglers to the new spot. Look for more features and content once I'm moved, as I'll have then room necessary to carry this out. More news on this as it develops. My thanks goes out to the Planet Fortress hosting crew for giving me this chance! Also, the review for NML2 will be out soon...

August 28, 1999
|Hosting Update|11:29pm
Well, I'm starting to get a little discouraged in my hunt to get this site hosted. I've been in contact with Planet Fortress a few times, but still no definite yes or no answer. They say I might conflict with their "other" map review sites. Maybe, but they haven't updated those sites in a month or more! And besides that, how will mappers be motivated to make better maps, when a site either gives out 4 out of 5, or 5 out of 5's on every review they do? I want to try them all, good, bad, and ugly, just to bring all of you the latest scoop, and give mappers good quality feedback from myself and the community at large. I've also decided to contact Valveworld about hosting me, as they have much fewer hosted sites, and they also have a strong focus on the Half-Life community. Say a prayer for me boys, and I'll keep my hopes up, so that I don't get too discouraged. I thank you for all your words of praise, and dammit! one day, we'll have our spot in the sun...

I'm off for a little public server action again, with one of the Mountain Server Group units, so you can find me there. Then it's off to be for some much-needed sleep! Look for my review of NML2 tomorrow....g'nite...

|Done on the Pubs|6:42pm
I've finished my tour of duty on the public servers...for now. I'll probably be on again later tonight. I've still got to work on my review of NML2, but I'm taking my time on that one. Thanks to a couple of Old Geezers who showed up to help poor old Borg on the Mountain Server Group server. We had a blast, and generally pissed off everyone we played against. Thanks to Dark Ranger and PaleRider, it was fun! I'll post again if I head out to the trenches.

|More Reviews|11:34am
I've got a couple of more reviews finished, and I've only got one more to go before I'm finished this current batch. I'm still not sure about another server today, as I don't really have any new maps to run, and I'd rather play around on the public servers, seeing what they're currently running, and how the community in general is playing. I'll try and let you know where find me when I go out to play, until then, have a look at the latest.

• 3fortX - It's supposed to be Christmas, but...
• Feursturm - say that 4 times really fast!

|Reviews|2:44am
Well, my first batch of reviews is currently up. Some of these were playtested just last night, and others have had earlier evaluation. There's still more to come, but check these out until I have the rest completed.

• SpacedOut - fun! just watch your step...
• Nibalks Warehouse - ugly.
• Revolt - so aptly named.
• ShortView - remember to stretch before any strenuous excersize!

August 27, 1999
|Playtest Done|8:09pm
Well, our first official Team Fortress Collective playtest is over. It went pretty good, considering the long lag spikes we had, and a re-start in between. I just wanted to thank my Bro, David, for running the server for us to use, hats off! I did get enough done to review these suckers, so post your feedback about them in the forums. I may run another server tomorrow, but we'll see. I got word back from Test Monkey, seems he's going to try and give us all some server time for playtesting! Good news indeed. He's got to fix some problems with his server, when he gets time, due to long work hours. After it's all working well again, we can have at it. Look here for details on this in the future. Have a good weekend, I'm out...

|Friday|7:34am
Well, Friday's finally here again. I'm going in for my last day at school and then it's going to (hopefully) be playtest time. I'll give specifics later on today if I'm going to have the playtest, but it all depends on what's all going on tonight. If it's not up tonight, it will definitely be tomorrow. Some of our Europe-bound members have complained that the playtests are happening too early in the morning for them...3-4am (whiners!) j/k! But seriously, Saturdays are usually better for them. We'll see how it all works out. Have a great day, and I'll talk to you all later.

|Server Done|12:00am
I've shut down the server for tonight. Keep checking back tomorrow for news on whether I'll run it again on Friday night, or on Saturday. There wasn't really enough people around to give it a good run tonight, so better luck next time. I'll be playtesting a couple of new maps next time, so we'll see you there. G'nite.

August 26, 1999
|Server Load Test Tonight|7:10pm
Good evening, all. Just getting ready to settle down to a nice b-day supper, but I wanted to give you some notice about a server test I need to do tonight. I've gotten access to my brothers server, which is also on cable, and he's allowed me to use it for playtesting if I need it. Therefore, I need to load test it, and find out how many players his server will support, for future reference. I'm also in contact with Test Monkey, to see if we can have a couple of playtests on his server. So, be sure to check the Server page for server details, and the test should begin at 9pm MST. I'll be running the standard (valve) map rotation tonight, just for simplicity, so you won't need any maps just yet. When I start the server, I'll post it here, and give the server password on the Server page. I Hope at least 12 of you can make it! Keep checking back for the update.

|*Yawn*|7:00am
Hey all! Just a little sleepy this morning. It would be nice being able to sleep in today, seeing as how it's my birthday and all, but alas, I must be off to school again. I'm in my last 2 days of A+ Certification, so we're trying to re-build our computers...heh! Anyway, be sure to check out the Screens section, as I got a little b-day gift from Nijtram.

August 25, 1999
|Another B-Day|10:50pm
Just another quick update. I'm just about to head off to lullaby land, as I'm beat. It's the Borg's birthday tomorrow....I'll be 29....ugh! So, if I don't post tomorrow, you'll have to understand. Celebration, you know? I've been working on a few reviews, and I'm getting them done...slowly. I'm also working on another server to use for playtests, and I'm trying to get back in contact with Planet Fortress. Congrats to ZFactor Productions, as they're the newest member of the Planet Fortress family. Give them a look. Signing out.

|Belated B-Day|7:30am
Well, unfortunately, I forgot to wish Team Fortress Happy Birthday yesterday! :( I was so busy working on updates that I plain forgot about it. I hope you can all forgive me? Anyway, Planet Fortress has some good news on that, as well as some links to some movies and tidbits that Valve released for the occasion. If you'd like, I suggest you head over there and check it out. I'm still working on map reviews, and should hopefully have something soon. But, first I'm off to school! I'll see you all later...

August 24, 1999
|Criteria|10:14pm
Well, after a long wait, and some hard thought, I've finally got my map review criteria up. If you're a map maker looking to get some playtesting, and a public review of your latest Team Fortress Classic/Team Fortress 2 map, then you'll have to pay a visit to the reviews section. There you'll find out how to submit your map, and what will be looked for during it's evaluation. I'm going to accept only finished maps at this time, to cut down on review process times. I'll try to get reviews up as soon as I can, and when up, they will be mentioned here. I've got some candidates already, so we should see some soon!

|Files|6:45pm
Well, I'm slowly, but surely getting all the areas of this site fully operational. I've gotten a good start on the files section, so go have a peek. If there are any good files you've come across in your travels, let me know! I'm also working on the map scoring details (still), and I've already gotten a few maps for review. So, while i'm working on the reviews, I'll be getting my scoring model done....whew! Busy, busy, busy! Be sure to stop by the official site of the Lambda Arena Mod, just out! Downloads for it are available in the files section.

August 23, 1999
|Forums Online|10:10pm
Ok, I've finally managed to get the forums up! Just be kind, as this is only a freeware version, and it's capabilities aren't as good as the licensed version. I'll pretty much leave this section alone for now, as I've got to get the download and map reviews sections underway. I don't think there will be a playtest server up this week, as bandwidth is a major concern. So, until I hear about a new home for this site, I need to watch things carefully. Things may change quickly, so don't forget to check back every once in a while.

|Updating|8:30pm
Well, just a quick note, to let you all know that I'm still working away at my newest creation! I'm putting some serious work into getting the forums working, as I've gotten my hands on a freeware version of the Ultimate Bulletin Board. I love this board! I've also been in contact with Planet Fortress, and they're considering my site, but I've still got a ways to go before they'll accept me. The verdict on my site is still up in the air, so keep your fingers crossed that I can impress the hell out of 'em! I'll update when I get the forums working, so keep checking back. I'm also starting work on a map review, and still looking over my map scoring criteria. More to come...  

August 22, 1999
|Welcome|4:17pm  
Official Launch day!!!

This is the future home of the Team Fortress Collective. For all of you who don't know me, I am "Borg". Since the inception and release of Half-Life, and the subsequent Team Fortress Classic mod, I've been hooked on this game! With the many friends I've made (and fragged many, many times), I've finally decided to start a website dedicated to things in the Half-Life/Team Fortress Classic/Team Fortress 2 lifestyle. For those of you who say: "lifestyle? come on!", you've obviously never played. Before you comment further, I suggest you try it...but beware! this game has been known to convert many normal people in to another in the masses of computer-aged "hermits". To all my friends and acquaintances, keep your eyes here for a possible clan formation, custom multiplayer maps, utilities, patches, mods, and anything else related to the multiplayer online community. Exciting things are going to happen, and this is just the start! I'm also currently trying to get my site hosted, so I wouldn't really bookmark this place just yet. If you find the site down or unreachable, it's probably because the host (me!) is shutdown. I'm hoping to get on with Planet Fortress, so keep your fingers crossed!

Regards,

Borg.