CaRaB00's Page

Gamers Update: PC Fix

2009-08-30T20:23:25Z

After reinstalling Call of Duty: World at War three times, the game crashes whenever I start it up. So I googled it and got the fix.

Fix was changing the sound options to 24 bit, 44100 Hz (Studio Quality). Stupid and I would never thought of that. Hopefully the patches fix the problem.

Damn google.

Currently watching MLG Pro Circuit. Damn Carbon 3-0 Str8 Rippin. Watching Triggers Down vs Carbon Finals. Waiting for Str8 Rippin to get out of Loser Brackets.

Static Shock

2009-02-05T17:15:11Z

Apparently with my Canadian hoodie, it causes a static shock all throughout my body and shock my headphones in my ear.

And yes it hurts.

Gamer's Resolution

2009-01-04T04:23:00Z

Gamer's Resolution
http://www.2pstart.com/2008/12/31/gamers-resolutions/

-Carlo

Sick =/

2008-10-09T12:50:13Z

Ever since the change of weather (October), I've been sick. Perhaps my immune system was low when I stayed up late and had no sleep, but I've stayed up late often enough to fight it off. In fact, almost everyone I know is sick.

Ack and now I'm @ work when NO ONE IS HERE. Literally I can walk around with my shirt off and no one would say anything.

-Carlo

mourn the dead

2008-09-23T05:56:10Z

We are gathered here today...

that my first Xbox 360 (Launched) died. We will call it, "The Modded One." It has survived through the ultimate disease called Red Rings of Death for almost two years. It was modified in a way that no other original Xbox 360 can handle. But after servicing it's last breath to this very player, it died on 9/20/08.

The Modded One was picked up by Carlo Ang on day of launch. It was a special day because he camped out the night before from 8PM to 10AM the next morning -- through the cold and rain. As previously stated, it was enhanced that could service special abilities that no other Xbox 360 can handle.

Though you are not at service anymore, we will remember your service. It will still live on!!

-Caraboo

Laptop

2008-08-18T19:15:38Z

Haven't posted in a while. I have been researching for a laptop for quite some time, and recently with a week worth of research, I conclude that I want this laptop:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8907043&type=product&id=1213046783376

I will edit later.

-Caraboo

New Rules in Effect as of 08.03.08

2008-08-03T20:26:43Z

My bedroom rules:

Food/Drinks:

*No food in my room unless consumed at once (within opening of food).
*Only odor-type food. Only exception is potato-chips since it can be consumed at once.
-No Chinese, Pizza, or even order-outs.*
*No food in the garbage. Use your own plastic bag if needed. Ice Cream pints, Potato Chips etc.
*No drinks in the garbage either. Soda Bottles, Arizonas, etc.
*Drinks are allowed; however please clean up after yourself.
*No garbage is left behind.

*If consumed at once + cleaned up after-words, I will consider and give a leeway.

This mostly happens with Emmanuel and Paris (since they mostly stay @ my place during the night) but I am putting this rule in effect for everyone visiting/partying at my place. Today I saw a cockroach pass by my room, and I am taking drastic measure to eliminate it.

The new rules also applies with my family - this includes me.

[Edit In] Asian rule is still in effect FYI (taking your shoes off before entering my room).

-Carlo

Heat Wave

2008-06-10T17:17:50Z

Last night, the elevator was down so I walked up 7 flights. Not bad since I just played ITG2 @ QCM.

Then Emmanuel told me that there was an advisory for conserving energy in Yorkville. For some strange reason I got paranoid and I turned off everything: No AC, no Computer, and that means no gaming. At 11:30pm, I slept with two windows open and fan on. Conserving energy ... yep.

And why did I have a hard time waking up this morning ... @ 11:00AM?!

-Carlo

Apirl Showers...

2008-04-30T04:11:43Z

When Apirl is about to end... fckn' April showers come in.

On Monday, my shoes got soaked within first hour I got out of the house. I was about to dry 'em off but I had to do manual labor @ my work (which consist of going out in the rainy weather). Fckn' Heavy lifting in the rain + my pants get ruin because of orange boxes ... oh well. I even bought socks by the end of the day and got home soaked wet.

So today - I prepped myself. Double duty socks + 2x more socks... and guess what? It's fckn' sunny by the afternoon.

-Carlo

Fall 2007

2008-01-08T21:18:46Z

w00t I actually did better this semester. I was surprised that I passed Biology - thinking I was gonna fail the second time.

Comparative Literature: Great Books 2 B
Intro to College Biology C-
Intro to Anthropology C+

Sucks that I got a C+ in Anthropology, but that's what I get for not studying the Final.

Now to figure out what Major I should declare in QC. Mann I'm so behind.

-Carlo

man

2007-12-12T06:13:21Z

I just realized that I'm a guy.

I mean I'm not saying I'm gay or like men but,

I just realized that I'm a typical guy.

Laugh.

-Carlo

my [not so] luck with computers

2007-12-10T22:05:21Z

With my recent entry, I bought the EVGA 8800GT (512MB) Superclocked GPU. But I found out that NVIDIA is releasing a new [and better] GPU, 8800GTS (512MB). Basically my GPU put onto the predecessor, but better.

Oh and my computer keeps shutting down. I'm scared and pissed of at the same time. Perhaps it's my old IDE Hard Drive that's causing problems. When I get home, I'm going to force it to BSOD or Blue Screen of Death.

-Carlo

should be sleeping but...

2007-12-10T06:15:09Z

Computer Geek Mode =D

Now I actually started building my gaming system, starting with this.

Yes, I shell out $300 along with $150 new Power Supply. During Winter Semester session, I will make my money and spend it towards my next gaming build. Finally, I can beat V's current computer configuration. w00t for 8800 GT!

Not to mention that my father is planning on giving me $500. Tomorrow during work, I will plan out my computer parts.

-Carlo

P.S: Call of Duty 4 (PC) in Shipment Free-For-All = easy EXP Leveling.

RE:Outbreak

2007-12-03T16:22:15Z

Resident Evil Outbreak

Their online services shut down before the end of this year. C'mn guys - I know I've been procrastinating but we gotta play this game at least one more time before it goes down.

Javi? Jeff? Maybe Carol? It sucks because I never actually experience playing with a full-fledge team here.

-Caraboo

Random

2007-11-06T01:00:09Z

I was on the bus today and we stop at one of the bus stop. People were getting off, and there was a halt at the front of the bus. The bus driver was lowering the bus (this is the bus that lowers the front) and it took a very long time. I'm wondering, "Man that must be some old lady who can't get up on these steps. Oh man I gotta get off my seat." As I got up, it was some really fat lady who took her time climbing up the steps of the bus. She took so long that the traffic light turns red twice.

And of course -- she took my seat - I guess I would consider her disabled if she took that long.

Carlo

drinking helps me sleep

2007-09-04T03:37:14Z

yes drinking helps me sleep.

one smirnoff ice = good night rest (10:30pm LOL)

at least i'm prep for tomorrow's class.

-carlo

classes

2007-08-27T04:11:09Z

Damnit I should of known!!

I checked my professor for this one particular class and it changed. Now I researched the professor's rating [yes I am using that as my source too], and he's totally bad. The reason why I took this class was to make up for the bad professor I had before -- not take another one x.x;

Now tomorrow morning during work, I gotta check for another class. Hopefully my new line of work isn't as hectic as last years.

-Carlo

im sorry but...

2007-08-11T18:26:06Z

Call of Duty 4 will kick ass. HALO 3 IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THIS.

yes I've said it.

-CaraB00

PS can't wait till Nov.
PSS Im still sore from Thursday -- god damn.

Football !!!

2007-08-10T05:06:34Z

Football is fckn' fun. Though I have some fck-ups on my team such as slipping + fumbling, throwing to wrong team... I've made yardage + blocked some defenders for wide receivers. Heh I made one dude tired by running around the end zone five times.

My legs are sore ... damnit

haircut

2007-08-07T05:21:14Z

i love my type of haircut

because my hair doesn't mess up when i sleep.

goodnight

Gaming ESP? [Article done by Jason MLG]

2007-08-04T04:36:59Z

Video Game mode: this article was done by Jason from MLG.

http://www.mlgpro.com/?q=node/149378&query=node/149378&pagenumber=1
[Note: this article's format has been changed for viewable purposes. This is not my work, and if author asks me to remove it, I will do so]

While a lot of my time at events is spent following pro players and covering their matches, I do like to hit the floor during the Open Bracket and observe the amateur players. Of course, I learn the most about gaming at its highest level from watching the pros compete, but getting some time in watching the masses struggle for survival has taught me a few things as well. Succeed or fail, these players provide insights into what really separates professional players from the rest of the rabid gaming fans hoping to make a name on the Pro Circuit.

Glitches and Tricks just are not enough to get past this massive field of gamers

At a recent event, I wondered out onto the floor on Friday night to watch the Open FFA. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just hoping to find inspiration for a story or a player who seemed interesting. I found both when I stumbled onto a player who appeared to have mastered every glitch in the Halo 2 arsenal. The tournament was still being played in split screen, although I couldn’t tell you exactly what round it was, and this player was doing absolutely nothing but double-shots, BxRs, Grenade reloads and all those other tricks players have for speeding up their ability to do damage. This kid was running all over the map, shooting constantly, executing the glitches flawlessly and…failing miserably.

No matter how many times this player pulled off a RRxYYRRx combination, he was still outflanked and out-shot over and over again. I watched as he battled an opponent at Carbine 3, landing a double shot on his opponent, but before he could finish the kill, a burst of BR fire came from across the map and finished him. I was close enough to hear him swear under his breath and before he could acquire a new target, someone tossed a grenade in his direction and he was forced to wait five seconds in the death screen while the battle raged on. This scenario played out similarly over and over again on other parts of the map, with this glitch-master picking up assists for the rest of the field and dying in the midst of several opponents repeatedly. When the match was over, he had fewer than 20 kills and nearly twice as many assists.

I imagine a player in that situation would go home feeling cheated. Perhaps he would later explain to his buddies on Xbox Live that the host was stealing his kills from across map or that “random” grenades killed him too often for him to get into a rhythm. He might even argue that Halo 2 is just too flawed and suggest that his melee lunge failed repeatedly or that he was killed through the geometry on numerous occasions. Whatever excuses he made about it, I can assure you that the look on his face and the way in which he removed his controller from the Xbox in anger says that he never once considered that he just was not as talented as the players that advanced.

Be Scared. Master Chief knows exactly where you are.

I’m sure Glitch-Master has played countless hours of Halo 2, just like a huge portion of the gamers that attend our events. I even have to say I am impressed with his dexterity and mastery of the complex button combinations required to pull off all the weapon tricks he used during the match. However, despite the hours of experience he had obviously put into the game and his talents for manipulating the Battle Rifle, this player was lacking a key component to success on the Pro Circuit. Smash kids call this elusive talent “Mind Games” and it is a tricky concept to nail down.

In Halo, players often talk about tactical awareness, which is the idea that a player has a general knowledge of the positions every teammate and every opponent possible at all times. In the Halo: CE era, this involved watching not just your own quadrant of the screen, but watching all of your teammates' screens as well. In Halo 2, while the ability to screen watch is still important, communication and other methods of obtaining that tactical awareness have become more important. For a practical example of this kind of awareness, watch the way good objective players such as Walshy or Shockwave rotate the Oddball or how more support-oriented players such as Karma rapidly acquire targets and help their teammates across the map. In contrast, our glitching FFA player exposed himself recklessly while attempting to finish kills and alerted all seven other players in his match to his position at all times by shooting constantly and needlessly.

I think this concept of the mental game goes even further than just plain, old tactical awareness. Patience is another key factor that players with a strong mental game can boast. Just about every player on the circuit, amateur or professional, knows to pause and allow shields to recharge after a battle, but patience can also be about when a player decides to act and how they use all the information they have for an advantage. For instance, a player sitting on Pink 3 that begins firing the instant an opponent appears in one of the doorways leading out of the Red or Blue base may not be likely to finish that foe quickly. With cover handy and retreat a feasible option, the exposed opponent will not allow him or herself to die quickly. By firing right away, the player at Pink 3 has not just missed a chance to pick up a kill, but has also alerted the opponent to his or her position. Patient players, players that have a strong mental game and tactical awareness, will allow an opponent to take a few extra steps down the ramp and expose themselves to a full four or five shots before they begin to fire. Of course, this is just an example and the positions of teammates and other opponents could change the situation drastically, but the concept is still the same. Being able to think and act tactically is just as important has having an awareness of the players on the map.

This guy can see the future, but he doesn’t know that you’re spawning in Library

There is a final wrinkle to the mental game that I believe truly separates professional players and talented amateurs from our poor FFA player eliminated early in the event. It is a little harder to put a name to this quality, but I believe it could reasonably be called “Prediction.” This quality is probably the most internal and least teachable part of professional gaming. The idea behind prediction is that players can, with limited or no external information, predict the movements of their opponents and counter them. For instance, in a game of TS Lockout where the opposing team has been trapped at Bottom Blue, a player may suddenly abandon their post and check a different portion of the map, only to find the opposing team spawning away from the trap at Blue. By predicting this sudden shift in spawns, a player has the opportunity to generate more kills and more control for his or her squad.

No, I don’t believe in ESP and I don’t think that players who regularly predict the movements, spawns and attacks of their opponents can see into the future. So what am I talking about? The human brain is not a computer. It doesn’t process information using numbers and files like a computer does. Instead, science shows us that our brains are more like incredibly powerful pattern machines, recognizing the habits and cycles and learning to respond to those things with actions that are beneficial. So when a player gets a gut feeling that someone is sneaking up behind them at sniper tower or properly predicts a spawn from the opposing side, it is not because they are psychic, but instead because subconsciously, I believe their brain recognized subtle clues experienced the last time the player was in the same situation. The combination of experience, game knowledge, talent and that subconscious ability to process information quickly allows a player to appear to be looking into the future.

I believe the key element that player in the FFA was missing was a strong mental game. Despite his talent and experience playing Halo, he wasn’t thinking enough about his approach to the game. Being able to do all of the weapon glitches in the world and even having a spectacular Battle Rifle won’t make anyone a pro player. Everyone copies the same setups and tactics used by professional teams, but not everyone is equally successful using those strategies. This is because parts of that mental game are missing or not quite as well developed in the amateur field of gamers that make up the Open Bracket in any event.

So the next time you pick up a controller and start playing, don’t just play by instinct and repeat the same patterns over and over. Whenever you are not in the midst of battle or responding to the calls of a teammate, make it a mental exercise to think about what might be coming next and how the opponents might surprise you with a trick or lucky spawn. Holding your position in a setup is important, but thinking ahead is far better. Don’t just try to emulate the tactics used by professional players. Instead, try to emulate their approach to the game and I am sure that you will find even greater success in your efforts to become a professional gamer here at MLG.

ipod story

2007-08-01T23:44:28Z

I went to Apple store @ 59th and 5th ave. After waiting 30 minutes [and checking in late], they checked my IPod and told me solutions -- though they can't fix it because its out of warranty [bastards]...

Wendys. I'd wish there's one in my area.

Though today was hot, I decided to walk from mid-town to 90th [my home] because I didn't want to pay another fare. Walking along 1st ave, I stopped to drink my water around 70s st. I noticed that there was a flock of men around this one car. So I looked and wow, I saw Derek Jeter. I'm like Oh shit... but I didn't want his autograph because a) not big fan of baseball let alone Yankees and b) bother him since there was a lot of people there.

Then I called Sara and told her the story lol.

and yea that's what happen to me today.

Dead Xbox 360

2007-07-27T22:05:27Z

Three Red FCKN' Lights ...

*cries more* motherfucker.

Dying 360

2007-07-26T01:17:59Z

My 360 is dying. It wont play guitar hero after 5 minutes of use. It wont even load.

*cries*

x.x;

Otakon Report

2007-07-23T21:06:06Z

Otakon Report

Otakon 2007 wasn’t that great for the Sci-Fi group or for me for that matter. Though arguably the best one was the first time I went to Otakon, I had the most fun with the Sci-Fi group [this and last]. Overall, this trip was fun as hell but there was what QC is known for – drama.

Thursday Highlights
*I love V’s pillow – king size pillow
*Arrived in Baltimore around 9:30ish AM – slept for the whole entire ride.
*Slept some more.
*Woke up and picked up Chun-Li’s Otakon badge (that’s the only badge I recognized).
*Started drinking with the Red team room (Jocelyn, Vadim, Ramiero, Lenny, Francis, and Clover).
*Got smashed, and attempted a Pokemon hacked Battle with Lenny.
*Attempted to teabag V and people was telling me that I had my pants down – which I kinda don’t remember
*Got into trouble with security because we were too loud [the Asians].
*Asian GLOW!! [I was sooo red].
*Past out.

Friday Highlights
*On the way to Otakon, Otakon staff got lost and asked us to escort him to the convention. Being that I’ve been in Baltimore like five times, we helped him. But Otakon staff??
*Video Game and Dealer’s room doesn’t open till 12:00pm – damnit
*Caroline lost her wallet. We backtracked all the way outside. It would be a miracle to find it now. But we found it at Lost and Found at the convention center. Anime freaks are sooo nice. Paul Lemieux III autograph the wallet.
*Went to Game room. We waited on line for Halo 2 Mountain Dew challenge. Basically win three matches to win a T-Shirt – which obviously we won (sorry Jon – I took all the kills).
*Went to Dealer’s room and bought Caboose hat – formally changing my name to Caboose for Halo 2.
*Got Chinese food. The Chinese restaurant I wanted to go to CLOSED down just last week. They were the best last year and I was soo unhappy x.x;
*AMV Contest. Loved the Action AMV with Samuri Champloo + Inuyasha fight scene. But overall, it sucked.
*Video Game room: Played DDR with a fat person. He chooses song, AA’d/SDG Love Shine; Did my S4R on him, he gets pissed because it was too hard. Then he left in the middle of the third song. I’m good but damn I don’t make people leave.
*Night time: two screw-drivers but wasn’t smashed. Just tipsy – went to sleep.

Saturday Highlights
*Woke up and attempted to enter Smash 1v1. Sucked
*Went to Halo 2 and V contacted two of our sci-fi members to challenge the current winning team. We thought they would rape us. But we managed to win =D Sci-Fi members represent.
*Went to Dealer’s room. Saw Khyla @ Otakon booth [she’s pretty in Sailor Neptune? costume].
*Video Game Room: Played DDR with another player. He says he’s good, but AA/SDG on him. Second song, played Paranoia Rebirth with S4R and Jon attempted to towel me up before the song started. Third song – player left on the middle of the song – wtf? Jon said that he got served LOL.
*Went back to my hotel and had the "talk".
*Hentai room with Jeff – though I already seen this Hentai before (and it wasn’t exciting). Damnit I should of went to a strip club.

Sunday Highlights
*Played DDR with someone actually good.
*Bought Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo messenger bag.
*Bought gifts.
*Went back to hotel and slept till the bus arrived. Played Mario Kart DS + Team battles. Though we lost badly, Team Battle was WICKED. Slingshotting boost =D Went back home around 12:00am