Check Out Valve’s New Employee Handbook
It appears that Valve’s new employee manual has been leaked on the Flamehaus forums (see PDF link below). From reading the handbook, Valve certainly seems to be unique in that their operational structure is very free-form — if you’re the type of person that likes to be told what to do and when to do it, you probably wouldn’t like to work at Valve very much. I highly recommend giving the handbook a once over. It’s a fascinating look into one of the most influential companies in the gaming industry.
Valve New Employee Handbook PDF (via Flamehaus)
Get Fallout Free for Next 48 Hours
For the next 48 hours or so (technically until 11:59 GMT on April 8th), game-distributor GoG.com is selling the original Fallout for a grand total of zero dollars. Even better, you don’t have to install Fallout right now. Simply navigating to the page and clicking “Add” will drop Fallout into your GoG account — where you can download it in the future at your leisure.
While almost 15 years old at this point, Fallout is still worthy of your time. It’s a game filled with memorable characters and wonderfully dark humor all framed by a rich, apocalyptic world. If I was promoted to Leader of Earth and could mandate that every person had to play a certain game at least once, that game would be Fallout.
You can’t get a better deal than $0. I highly, highly recommend that you take a stroll over to GoG.com and give Fallout a try. You can click here for the link.
UPDATE: Sale is over.
Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote is Down to Eight
Only eight players are left in the “Madden NFL 13″ cover vote challenge. After initially starting with a field of 64, fans have whittled down the competition to the following matches:
- QB Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs WR Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals)
- QB Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs RB Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens)
- LB Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers) vs WR Victor Cruz (New York Giants)
- WR Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions) vs TE Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots)
So which player gets the honor of being on the cover of Madden NFL 13 and suffering a season-ending injury in Week 2? My money is on a final matchup between Cam Newton and Calvin Johnson, with Newton bringing home the gold.
*Sigh* I hate the offseason.
You can vote in cover challenge here.
The Best Farming Simulation Video Ever
Warning: The following video is equal parts confusing, hilarious, and pure awesome. In my book, any footage that sandwiches two minutes of extreme farming simulator between Bob Marley and a sex scene from Mass Effect 2 goes down as one of the greatest things ever. Check it out below (note: mature language).
The Music of Mass Effect 3
The Mass Effect 3 theme is a hauntingly beautiful piece of music that pairs perfectly with the game’s somber tone. Clint Mansell, who scored Black Swan, The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream, is part of a rockstar group of artists that composed the score. Give the main theme and one additional song a listen below, courtesy of Youtube.
Back to Duty
Hey Dear Readers,
As you may have noticed, we here at DoC Gamer have been on a bit of a hiatus recently. While the break was nice, we are ready to get back to writing about our favorite hobby. It’s an exciting time; we are planning to add a new contributor or two in the next few weeks. If you want to apply, please use the Contact page (link on the navigation bar).
Happy Gaming!
-Kane
Mass Effect 3 Invades Your Life March 6
Bioware’s highly anticipated conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy releases on Tuesday, March 6th. After being delayed from its original Holiday 2011 launch date to “ensure that it exceeds everyone’s expectations,” according to series Executive Producer Casey Hudson, we can finally become re-acquainted with our favorite reporter-punching space marine.
Keep in mind that all PC versions of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital, will require EA’s Origin software. Mass Effect 3 will not be available through Steam. It’s a shame Origin is forced on us, especially considering Steam is a vastly superior product at this point, but I suppose I will begrudgingly deal with Origin’s frustrations for the chance to play Mass Effect 3.
Check back after Tuesday for our First Impressions of the game.
Republica Turns 1 Year Old
My favorite Minecraft survival multiplayer server, Republica, turned one year old today. An entire week of events is planned and it should be a great time.
Here is the birthday week schedule:
- Saturday, Feb 11: The Capital becomes decorated for birthday week.
- Sunday, Feb 12: The Republica Adventure begins (first course designed by Ragnas).
- Wednesday, Feb 15: The Republica Adventure continues (second course designed by MajorKane).
- Thursday, Feb 16: Republica’s Birthday. Cake for everyone!
- Friday, Feb 17: The Republica Adventure continues (third course designed by SupahTree).
- Sunday, Feb 19: The Republica Adventure concludes (final part).
Check out the Republica forums here: http://republicasmp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1224-republicas-1st-birthday-spectacular/
The Final Light
This Minecraft fan-fiction was written by SupahTree on the Minecraft Server Republica (www.republicasmp.com). It has been re-printed here with his permission:
[This book is the journal of a Mr. Mar Jenkins]. Some people mine for fortune, other mine for thrills, some are just bored. But me, I mine because it’s my life. Both my father and mother were miners, though I never met them. They were both killed by creepers. And in this world, it’s always hardcore mode…
Dec. 11th : National Dig for Gold day. I’ve decided to participate in this stupid holiday one more time. Before I become too old to mine. I used to participate in these stupid mining tournaments all the time. I would do it to fill the empty space that my parents couldn’t fill. I wanted to fill my 1×1 hole with gold and diamond ores. But I knew they would never fill the space. They were simply temporary fixes, like snorting bone meal and spider eye dust; nothing permanent. I was always miles ahead of everyone else when it came to mining technique and speed. Hah’, I guess it’s no surprise when I have my dad’s enchanted diamond pick and the genes of a mining champion from both of my parents.
How to Install Mod and Blade: A Song of Ice and Fire
With the seriously disappointing Game of Thrones: Genesis doing nothing to satisfy my urges to rally my countrymen’s banners or fight off the Others, I had to turn to a Mount and Blade mod.
Mount and Blade: A Song of Ice and Fire picks up at the beginning of the War of Five Kings (start of the second book). Five Westeros factions have been modeled and added in: the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, Tyrells and Martells. Each family has a unique troop tree and named lords/heroes.
The mod’s incredibly detailed map of Westeros is definitely the highlight for me. Ever wanted to ride a horse up to Castle Eerie or fight wildlings at the Wall? Well now you can.
Follow these simple steps to install Mod and Blade: A Song of Ice and Fire:
- Buy a license key for the original Mount and Blade. This mod does not work with the Warband or Fire & Sword expansions.
- The mod is only compatible with M&B version 0.903. Download that version here: http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/mountblade/demo/20624.html. When the game asks you for your license key, input the one you bought through Steam or some other site.
- Download the M&B: A Song of Ice and Fire mod here: http://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?id=692
- Install the downloaded mod.
That’s it! Now you can enjoy exploring Westeros.
