Games this Month

Starcraft (Version 1.06)
http://www.blizzard.com
Like a thorn in our sides, Starcraft's Mirage map has lodged itself into the Net Party, at least it points out our numerous mistakes in the game. If you don't have a strong understanding of economy and production then your toast before you build your first unit.

It's not about fun anymore it's about winning the map.

I stopped playing online and it has dulled my edge a lot. I get into the stupid habit of sending just a few units against the computer. They're great for scouting, but against a base they'll just get killed, especially on a large map where the computer has a longer time to build forces.

A mistake my friend made was just putting one worker per mineral patch. At the least you should have two. The amount of minerals you'll get will expand you fairly quick. Just remember to keep up with the supply depots, pylons, and Creep Colonies.

Besides worring about resources, I got involved into a battle and I forget about the minerals I've collected. Sooner or later it's over a thousand. Better to keep that number close to zero and keep expanding, because that's what the computer is doing.

Lastly always take the battle to them. You don't want a bunch of people blowing apart your base and your workers. If that happens, even if you beat them out, the damage has alreay been done. The longer you wait to attack or wall yourself in, the more enemies are gathering outside.

Quake II (Version 3.20)
http://www.idsoftware.com
Co-op Quake II was a blast over serial, No lag. Basically started with a deathmatch map just to show Otto the ropes, towards the end I lost control of myself and had to blast him with the rail gun. :-) So I was getting a little itchy, is that so bad?

The ammo is the same, so making your shots count is far more important than solo-play. It's just cool to see the other person walk around and fight. It gives the game a whole new edge.

Most of the monsters in Quake II don't freak me out as bad as the damn dog does! First he's hard to hit on the ground, has a good amount of hitpoints, and that life sucking tongue-thing or whatever hurts. I sneaked up on one and just let loose with a gernade (see screenshot). That really felt good.

Shame I play Quake as if I was solo, I like rushing in and blasting things while Otto's more cautious and like's to take snipper shots. Most of the time, I get in his line of fire and get killed. My fault, but it's part of the fun.