Take a trip through the history of one of the most iconic weapons in video games, the double-barreled shotgun. After hitting the scene in Doom II the double-barreled shotgun has been used in tons of shooters. It's a great gun, but in shooters of late the reload time has been a bit higher than i'd prefer. That said, there isn't anything i'd rather have at the Zompocalypse.

If it wasn't for PC Gaming the video game industry wouldn't be nearly as cool. One part of PC Gaming I am in awe of is the rigs some people have. Like a souped up show car, some PC setups are amazing to behold. Since being a wee lad I have been involved with PC Gaming and a huge part of my current love of it comes from LAN parties. After the proliferation of ultra-fast Internet and online play some may have the impression LAN parties might be old hat. After attending PDXLAN 2014 I can tell you that LAN parties aren't going anywhere and for good reason, they are awesome. After contacting Matt Conwell I was able to attend this year and was impressed with the PC builds I was able to behold. Don't take my word for it, check out the imgur album I created of the event and rigs in action. Apologies if I missed anyones setup, there was so much to take in.

http://imgur.com/a/PET9v#0

I want to thank PDXLAN for letting me hangout with them and Matt Conwell for answering my questions about one of the coolest geek events in Portland.

jdodson: PDXLAN has passionate community around it. From it’s early years to what it is now, how do you look at how things have evolved?

Matt Conwell: I am proud the way the community has evolved. From early on in 2004 we started doing charity-minded activities. The community really latched on to that and has taken it further than I could ever have imagined. What surprises me most about the community is the range of attendees that we have. Our average age is 32 years old - much higher than other LAN Parties. Most people hear "gamers" and they think teens and college age. Our jobs are all over the board. From microprocessor engineers to stay at home moms - our community is diverse.

The decade of running an event has given my wife and me a way to positively grow a community and shape it into what it is today. Our sponsors often comment about just how unique PDXLAN is.

jdodson: Any games come to mind that have dominated PDXLAN this year?

Matt Conwell: Really - gaming isn't just one game anymore. Typically there is a game in each genre that dominates. In the MOBA space it is League of Legends. In the FPS space it is Battlefield 4. The RTS space is still dominated by Starcraft 2, and the MMO space is dominated by World of Warcraft. At PDXLAN there is always someone playing the game you like - the hard part is finding them. :)

jdodson: We talked a bit about the network setup for this years PDXLAN. I wonder if you could describe it for everyone?

Matt Conwell: Our network has gone through many iterations over the past 12 years. Currently we use a 1GB fiber connection from Xfinity as our internet backbone. We use a class B range as a bridge of a class C will just mess up in game browsers. From the Internet gateway we go to the core switch (Cisco 48 Port GB w/management). From the core we go via 1GB to each table of 24 people. Each table switch is a DLink 24+2 managed switch. (24 ports x 100MB / 2 ports x 1GB)

We haven't upgraded the network to full GB for a reason. Most tables pull 250mb/s consistent. Spikes take it up to about double that. It would take 10 users at full 100mb to saturate the line to the core. If we were able to give everyone GB without upgrading the line to the core, one person could saturate the line. A lot of file sharing takes place. While we could drop WFS at the core and kill file sharing - we've elected to just keep it a 1:10 ratio. There is talk about upgrading to a 10GB core and 1GB to the attendee with 10GB lines to the core - but no staff member has won the lotto yet. :)

Two other cool things about the network are SNORT and Captive Portal. We run SNORT on the PfSense box to drop and ban internal IP addresses from the gateway found to be torrenting. We don't want the LAN's bandwidth soaked up downloading all those Linux ISO's. We also run captive portal at the LAN. When an attendee arrives they input their personal password when their browser first loads to gain access to the Internet. That password ties their DHCP IP address to their name, and seat number.

jdodson: As I was touring the event I noticed a lot of beefy PC’s and displays. All these rigs come with some hefty power requirements, how do you manage to not blow a circuit breaker every hour?

Matt Conwell: We have the same power setup that we did 12 years ago. We put 6 computers on a 20 Amp circuit. Over the past decade we've lost CRT's and gained more efficient LCD or OLED monitors that take 1/4 of the power. Additionally processing power per watt has greatly improved. Systems today take the same power - but they just do a whole lot more with it.

We do have restrictions in place. We ask that attendees not have a power supply of over 650W per seat. If they need more, buy two seats. In reality all we care about is the constant draw of a power supply. Most systems don't use a constant draw of 600W - and if they do... they can afford two seats :)

jdodson: Certain types of traditional media outlets have some very negative views of gaming culture as being hyper violent and in some ways a contributing factor in events like school shootings. How do you look at these kinds of negative stereotypes about gaming culture?

Matt Conwell: In the 1950's it was music. In the 1970's and 80's it was Television. In the 1990's it was movies. Today, people blame games. One reason we do so much for charity is to gain awareness that gamers make a huge difference in the world. The PC-gaming market is an enigma in the marketing world because there are so many types of people in the demographic. Salary range is $0-infinity, Age range is 6 to 95. Education level is Kindergarten to PhD. Geographic location is Earth. Over 80% of people are considered "gamers" by the media. To the media a gamer is anyone that plays a phone, tablet, console, or PC Game. As a clinical Psychologist once put it to me: "It is more clinically relevant if a person does not play a video game, than if they do." Food for thought.

jdodson: For you, what game hooked you into the LAN scene originally?

Matt Conwell: My first "LAN" was a two person LAN in 1996 with my roommate playing Warcraft 2. From there it went to Starcraft in 1998 and CounterStrike in 1999. My first real LAN was in 1999 in the George Fox Computer Science Lab. CounterStrike may have affected my grades at the time....

jdodson: What games have you been playing lately?

Matt Conwell: I have really been loving Minecraft. If you like logic and Legos, stay away from this game. Other games I currently play are Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare (a FPS version of PvZ), and I dabble in World of Warcraft from time to time. Games that stand out to me over the last decade are "Sid Meir Railroads!" and "Orcs Must Die!" - two PC games that are amazing - but got little press at the time.

jdodson: LAN events have changed over the years and as such I remember when Counter-Strike 1.6 required a constant connection to Steam. This was a major hassle for many LAN events at the time as fast Internet connections were not as common. Curious how the shift in technology has impacted PDXLAN over the years?

Matt Conwell: Oh man. When Steam came out and started forcing online only play - it was a headache. At the time we load balanced 10 cable modems into an aggregate Internet connection. Because of this a packet could leave one modem, and then the response could come back in another. It was weird. We dealt with it mainly by increasing the Internet connection (So thankful for Comcast!).

I think game developers have to start doing more of this as a result of the rampant piracy that is out there. It's sometimes hard to deal with technically - but from a business perspective I get it.

jdodson: What was the last movie you saw? Do you recommend it?

Matt Conwell: Lucy. I'd give it a B- as it had a good premise and Scarlett Jo-Hansen, but the last part of the movie got strange. In my household movies are rated as "Theater" "Rental" or "Meh" - this moive gains a "Rental" from my wife and I.

jdodson: You recently completed your first year of PDXAGE a tabletop gaming event in Portland. Curious how the event went and if your approached changed from PDXLAN?

Matt Conwell: The event went better than expected. Starting off in a new space is hard - getting the word out about the event is the hardest. PDXAGE stands for "Portland Analog Gaming Event" where as PDXLAN is Portland LAN.

PDXAGE leveraged the experience we had in PDXLAN for sure - but it also helped us build out some mad scheduling skills. I really have seen the increase in table top gaming the past few years - I think this event has a lot of potential. It's also a heck of a lot easier to set up than PDXLAN in terms of Power and Networking :)

http://www.pdxlan.net/
http://www.pdxage.com/

Hotline Miami is a great gam I loved every ultra-violent second of. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is currently in development and according to Dennation Games will come out sometime this year. With that, a new Kickstarter dropped today to fund a 12 inch collectable figure of Jacket, the main character of Hotline Miami.

Right now you need to buy it at $85 to get the Jacket Figurine + digital rewards. It's a really interesting Kickstarter and if you love the game, I recommend you check out the video.

"Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gun play and skull crushing close combat. Set in an alternative 1989 Miami, you will assume the role of a mysterious antihero on a murderous rampage against the shady underworld at the behest of voices on your answering machine. Soon you'll find yourself struggling to get a grip of what is going on and why you are prone to these acts of violence.

The primary figure is 12" tall and comes with four removable heads: Tony (Tiger), Richard (Rooster), Aubrey (Pig), and a bloody, bandaged Jacket head. The figure also comes with interchangeable clothing including a letter jacket, t-shirt, pair of jeans, Air Vigilante sneakers and a hospital gown. Three weapons - a shotgun, baseball bat, and katana - are included for Jacket to hold as he is posed using the 15 points of articulation."

I am a sucker for 2D pixel-chunky RPG's. What can I say? Little jdodson loved Final Fantasy games as they helped opened my eyes to how beautiful video games can be. I've recently been hearing about a new Kickstarter game called Elysian Shadows and wanted to share it, because it looks great. They have 11 days left to raise 38k to fund the game so if you are interested in getting your hands on this, the time is now.

Elysian Shadows features some really beautiful art and shading mechanics. It's a bit hard to explain, so check the Kickstarter page and video for a full realization. Not only does Elysian Shadows feature a pretty interesting premise, it also will ship on a lots of platforms including the Dreamcast.

No release date has been specified at this time but when it does Elysian Shadows will launch on Linux, Mac, Windows, Ouya, Android, iOS and Dreamcast.

"When dreaming up the gameplay experience of Elysian Shadows, we drew inspiration from not only the great 16-bit RPGs of our youth, but also a vast list of games we grew up loving, many of which aren't even in the same genre. We wanted to create an experience that could also be enjoyed by people who are traditionally disinterested in the slow-pacing of RPGs. We sought to revitalize the old school formula and integrate gameplay mechanics from action games and even platformers to create and even more exciting and immersive gameplay experience."

It's no secret that the place I spent the most time last year at PAX was the Indie Megabooth. This years line-up looks great and I wanted to share it with everyone planning to go to PAX Prime. A few games I am itching to checkout: Chroma Squad, Hotline Miami 2, A Voyeur for September(I hope this means Mewgenics) & Upsilon Circuit.

If you are planning on attending PAX Prime let me know and let's work out a time to say hi. I have Saturday tickets.

Indie Games featured this year at the Indie Megabooth:

• Witch Beam – Assault Android Cactus


• Turtle Sandbox – Cannon Brawl



• Behold Studios – Chroma Squad



• The Started Hare – Chromancer



• Sirvo – Close Castles



• Interdimensional Games – CONSORTIUM



• Red Hook Studios – Darkest Dungeon



• E McNeill – Darknet



• DoubleBear Productions – Dead State



• Refract – Distance



• Amplitude Studios – Dungeon of the Endless



• Marauder Interactive – Enemy Starfighter



• 17-BIT – Galak-Z



• Team Gemini – Gemini



• Defiant Development – Hand of Fate



• Dennaton Games – Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number



• Asteroid Base – Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime



• MTB Design Works – Miegakure



• Metanet Software – N++



• Infinitap Games – Neverending Nightmares



• Q-Games – Nom Nom Galaxy



• Funktronic Labs – Nova-111



• Vlambeer – Nuclear Throne



• Northway Games – Rebuild: Gangs of Deadville



• Hopoo Games – Risk of Rain



• Radial Games – ROCKETSROCKETSROCKETS



• Samurai Punk – Screencheat



• Kitfox Games – Shattered Planet



• SoundSelf – Soundself



• Juggernaut Games – StarCrawlers



• Ryan Green and Josh Larson – That Dragon, Cancer



• Question – The Magic Circle



• Croteam – The Talos Principle



• Acid Nerve – TITAN SOULS



• Ska Studios – Unannounced Project



• Team Meat – A Voyeur for September



• White Lotus Interactive – XING: The Land Beyond



• Pocketwatch Games – LEADtoFIRE



• Love Conquers All Games – Analogue: A Hate Story



• Totally Choice – Woah Dave



• Robot Loves Kitty – Upsilon Circuit

http://indiemegabooth.com/indie-megabooth-announces-line-pax-prime-2014/

We all love Valve's Half-life series, Portal, DoTA 2, Counter-strike, Team Fortress 2 and Steam. This unfettered happiness means we are all making Valve extremely successful and therefore rich beyond our wildest dreams. While none of this is bad for now, I wonder if this will always be the case. Many companies over time seem to evolve from the amazing things they start out to be to later end up wielding an evil sword against anyone that comes against them. As Valve marches on, do we see them changing for the worse? What happens when Gabe Newell moves on from the company? Will Valve go the way of Microsoft or EA?

Curious what your thoughts are here as this will be one of the main topics in the next Roundtable.

That said, I want it to be clear that I love Valve and to date they are doing a great job. I just wonder if the gravy train of awesome will ever stop, like it often does with many companies that change over time.

Nintendo Power's first issue was released for free to certain fan club members and in stores July of 1988. At the time Nintendo was gaining more and more traction as a pretty big household staple and to further it's reach they decided to start one of the greatest things to happen to the late 80's and 90's, Nintendo Power magazine. I first read this issue at my cousins house and immediately wanted a subscription. Nintendo Power was filled to the brim with comics, news and tips for all the games I loved. I have recently started re-reading them and decided to review them as I have time.

Nintendo Power issue 1 contained some of the best art on a magazine cover I can think of. Featuring a clay scene of Super Mario Brothers 2, Nintendo Power issue 1 contains 20 pages of Mario 2 walkthrough magic. This issue also features a really interesting walkthrough for most of The Legend of Zelda second quest. The Zelda second quest walkthrough doesn't cover the last few levels of the game but follows up with the remaining information in issue 2.

Compared to a modern magazine, Nintendo Power is pretty big considering issue 1 shipped as 113 pages.

Nintendo Power featured a fold out poster in each issue and I enjoyed putting the cool ones up on my wall. This issue shipped with a poster for Super Bases Loaded which ranks it pretty high in terms of the most lame posters featured in Nintendo Power.

Counselors Corner has tips for a few released NES games such as Metroid, Ghosts and Goblins and Super Mario Brothers. I am curious how well known certain video game secrets were before Nintendo Power published them. The infamous Super Mario Brothers 1-up trick is featured in this issue but I remember first hearing about it from a friend.

One staple that I loved was the Howard and Nester comics. Howard was the comic character from the real life Howard Phillips, spokesman for Nintendo at the time. I am not sure if Nester was based on any real life person, but he was always snarky and fairly prone to doing dumb stuff. I always enjoyed reading each comic even though they don't hold up as well as my memory of them.

Issue 1 goes on to drop the classic Konami code for Contra and provides information and walkthroughs for Gauntlet, Double Dragon, Contra & Jeopardy. The last bits of the magazine feature some interesting fan letters and the Top 30, a list of the most popular NES games. As issue 1 shipped, the top 5 NES games were The Legend of Zelda, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Metroid, Super Mario Brothers & Kid Icarus. As Nintendo Power continued on and other games launched this list changed a bit, but Zelda was nearly always at the top of this list even after the Super Nintendo launched.

At the time this issue shipped an entire year of Nintendo Power cost $15. This seems like a steal now but at the time was something I didn't have an easy time doing. That said, it didn't stop me from reading as many issues as I could get my hands on.

"Hi everyone! Welcome to our stream where our fish, Grayson Hopper, plays a Pokemon game. Unfortunately, we don't have a dedicated light for Grayson at night as he lives in a tiny dorm room and we would rather not sleep with the light on. :( But in the future we will be getting him a dedicated lamp and improving the quality of the stream to include recent inputs determined by the motion tracking. Things can move a little slow, so another option we're considering is making the system distributed where we have a site where you can provide a fish stream link and we'll include it in the controlling."

Some people hooked up a webcam to a fishbowl and based on which parts the first swim that maps to a Pokemon control. But this is something you really need to see to understand.

http://www.twitch.tv/fishplayspokemon

So far 4 million people have been mesmerized by a fish playing Pokemon and I can't really blame them, it's a fun idea.

"Below is an adventure game viewed from a top down perspective. You are a tiny warrior exploring the depths of a remote island. The game is about exploration, though that goal is contingent upon the character's survival in a world where there is brutal combat and permanent death."

If I was excited for the release of Below, I am now even more excited-er(I realize that is not, in fact a word). At first I didn't quite understand why the game featured the main character being so small, but seeing the gameplay I see now how it works. Zooming so far out allows more scenery on the screen as well as gives the designers the ability to make for some HUGE boss fights. That and it's a really unique concept.

Below is a XBox exclusive(for now) but will also ship on Steam. No word on the Steam platforms, but when we know more i'll report back.

As someone that has always loved comic books, it's been a bit sad to spend most of my adult life not reading them. The only series to catch my attention was Hellboy and beyond that, I haven't read much I enjoyed. During the recent Humble Walking Dead Bundle they were giving out the first 3 issues for free. So, like many, I downloaded the first 3 issues. I didn't get a chance to read them during the bundle but started them a bit thereafter. I was immediately impressed with the black and white style and bleak tone. I appreciate that comics style in that it is serious, but isn't so serious it gets boorish or overly dark. Many of the scenes play out and let the "comic" nature of the story at times be, well, comical(Grimes getting hit with a shovel comes immediately to mind).

http://horrorcomicsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/1523961-rick_shovel_comic.png

As an entrant to the whole Zombie resurgence, The Walking Dead hit things off in 2003 with well used idea from 28 Days Later. The main character, police officer Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma after the Zom-pocalypse has hit. Whereas this story device wasn't original to the series, it's use here was great and it didn't feel dumb or cliche. In fact, what better way to bring the main character to the new Zombie-Earth?

After reading the 3 free issues I needed more as the story gets so great I wanted to keep going. The Humble Walking Dead Bundle was finished and so I couldn't pick up volumes 1-5 for $15, which is a steal. Instead of nabbing the digital volumes I decided to opt for the Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1. Whereas it includes Volumes 1-6 for a great price compared to buying them individually, it's pretty heavy. That said, as I have read it it hasn't been a huge deal and nothing beats how great it is to flip through the actual pages of a great story.

You can get the whole first issue of the Walking Dead free on ComiXology and I seriously recommend it. The Walking Dead is a series that allows DRM free downloads on comic sites that support that and as such if you want to get them digitally, I recommend ComiXology.

https://www.comixology.com/The-Walking-Dead-1/digital-comic/60