Ubi Sale - All TrackMania Titles 70% off!!! (Uplay and Steam!)

Check out the Ubisoft Chinese New Year sale featuring all TrackMania titles at 70% off!
EDIT: The sale is also on Steam! (To filter non-maniaplanet games try this link - but it won't include TrackMania 2 Canyon, so you'll need to go to the other link for that.)

ShootMania Storm is also on sale... $6.79 on Steam

• TrackMania 2 (ManiaPlanet) - DOES NOT require UPlay!
• Canyon: $6.00 ($5.99 on Steam)
• Stadium: $3.00 ($2.99 on Steam)
• Valley: $6.00 ($5.99 on Steam)
• Lagoon: $6.00 ($5.99 on Steam)!!!
• TrackMania Turbo (REQUIRES UPlay): $12.00

There is a catch... you will have to purchase on UPlay and install/launch it the first time from there (unless they have a way of providing your game key through the UPlay UI now...)  Once launched, login with your normal ManiaPlanet account so the title can be tied to your ManiaPlanet account.  After that you can log in to the standalone ManiaPlanet application and enjoy the title there.

Calling all Friday Night Gamers to complete your collection!  We're still trying to put together at 20th WANniversary TrackMania tournament that will cover all TrackMania titles through history (TrackMania United Forever and TrackMania 2 [ManiaPlanet]).  We will be able to pull this off using only two servers, but we'll need all who wish to participate to complete their collection!!!

Enjoy!

A Note to Steam ManiaPlanet Players

Download the Standalone ManiaPlanet installer

I'm so glad we have seen a huge influx of player in the world of ManiaPlanet in the last 72 hours, thanks to an incredible Steam sale titled, "From Paris, With Games."

The sale found TrackMania 2: Stadium marked down to $2.49 USD.  Within 3 days, our Team FNG servers have seen over 2000 new players, many of which I had the pleasure of meeting and helping them learn about the epic awesome that is TrackMania.  Our ShootMania Royal server also found some new friends as its price dropped to $4.99 USD.

With the excitement building around TrackMania 2 Stadium, new Steam players have also been investigating and adding Canyon and Valley to their collections.  By now many have come to find a slight frustration with the Steam version of ManiaPlanet where they have to dump out to Steam to switch game titles.

Good news!  You can download a standalone ManiaPlanet installer and use your ManiaPlanet account in it to play all titles without leaving the application!  You also get access to the "Universal Demo" which allows you to play any ManiaPlanet game title, whether you own it or not.  If you don't own it, it will be unrestricted for 48 hours, then 1 hour/day (more if less than 100 players are in the title playing.)

I have confirmed with Nadeo that, due to limitations in the Steam version, the Universal Demo is only available in the standalone ManiaPlanet.

Please see the official Friday Night Gamers website for full details on why and how to get the standalone ManiaPlanet installer.

See you at the races!

Merry Christmas; Steam TrackMania Sale; and Return of MCM2 to FNG

I would like to wish all the Friday Night Gamers, and gamers around the globe a VERY Merry Christmas!

I hope the holidays fill us all with the spirit of giving and joy and peace throughout the season and all of next year.

And I can't help but mention this, because I thought the TrackMania deals going on during its 10th Anniversary celebration were amazing, but today's Steam Flash Sale is AMAZING!  Too bad most of you won't see it until it's gone, but the entire franchise, "Celebra10n TrackMania Complete Pack" is marked down to $14.99!!! 

This deal is ONLY on Steam and only until 3:00AM Mountain Time on Christmas Day... so if you happen to be reading this during that time, go now and pick it up!  You won't regret it.

In other good news, dGamefather and I got Motocross Madness 2 working in Windows XP virtual machines this week, using VMware Player 6 and our copies of XP we used to run before upgrading to Windows 7.  It still has the overlay glitches, but they're more than doable so far.  We have it working with both Logitech and Xbox controllers, and now just need to test the networking side of it.

It means some really great news for Friday Night Gamers to return to some nostalgic MCM action!!!

Enjoy your Christmas, and we will see you at the races on Friday night!

MX vs ATV Reflex on Steam for $4.00 This Week

MX vs ATV Reflex, the closest thing we have to the FNG favorite "Motocross Madness" series, is on sale this week on Steam for $4.00!  While not quite as fun, it is a working alternate to MCM.

Things to note:

• You must have an Xbox Controller if you want to play with a gamepad
• Getting into games by joining via Steam friends list is klunky sometimes.
• It's an awful lot of fun to go into practice mode and just go tear up the environment with your bike.  The graphics are pretty and the dirt physics are kinda fun.

It's definitely worth the $4.00 if you have it to spare... and will add one more game in your arsenal for potential FNG games.  Check it out if you don't already own it!

TrackMania 2: Stadium Goes Open Beta!

See the official announcement

Moments ago, Nadeo announced that TrackMania 2: Stadium has entered Open Beta.  I'm downloading as I write this.

You can get it in a couple of ways.  If you already own ManiaPlanet, launch the game and choose an empty station to pick a Title for.  You can choose the Stadium title and it will download in-game.  Otherwise, head to the ManiaPlanet site to download the install from there!

GOGOGO!

EDIT: Also... revealed in the Open Beta Trailer, ManiaPlanet is coming to Steam, and Stadium is only $9.99 ($8.99 today!) -- the cost is the same whether you purchase through Steam or through the ManiaPlanet website as a standalone.

Check out the trailer.

Is ManiaPlanet Coming to Steam?!

"Steam" engine with a
big ManiaPlanet logo

This pictures sure seems to suggest it.  An announcement video will be coming tomorrow.
Stay tuned.

This will be awesome news for the whiners who don't know how to add a non-steam game shortcut to Steam and will only buy it if sold through Steam.  I guess some still love DRM even when they can get a game without.  LOL

Seriously though, there have been big complaints that the ManiaPlanet games aren't available on Steam, so I hope (if it's true) that this will mean more sales for Nadeo, so we can continue to reap the rewards of future environments for TrackMania and ShootMania!

GG Nadeo; especially for the Steam pun. +1

Steam: Mirror's Edge for $4.99 today!

For those that haven't played it yet... Mirror's Edge is on sale for $4.99 on Steam today.

The fantastic thing about buying it through Steam is that you don't have the EA DRM with it.  As far as I know it's the ONLY version that doesn't have it (I haven't heard of EA pulling it out of their own digital distribution yet; but I will happily stand corrected if someone will let us know.)

Anyway, run get it today if you haven't.  It's a fantastic concept and I hope they'll release a sequel with multiplayer tag.

There is a lot of mild language in it, so be warned there, other than that, it's a riot to play.
Enjoy!

Good news for Steam lovers and DRM haters

The Big List of 3rd Party DRM on Steam

I found this today while looking up some information about the Steam versions of Thief Gold and Thief II: The Metal Age.  I want to send a shout out and a huge thank you to those that maintain and contribute to this list.  It will greatly assist those of us who despise and oppose DRM in making well-educated purchases (or in many cases, deciding against purchasing.)

For the record, which I expected, there was no DRM for these two games on the Steam version either.  Someone had posted a forum thread requesting Steam remove it, but was corrected by other players.

I hope you find this useful.  I know I will.  Especially in the rare cases when Steam omits the DRM information from the game's page.

And, as always, you can always purchase Thief Gold on GOG.com as well as Thief II on GOG.com and be guaranteed DRM-free.

Dungeon Defenders: Aquanos Update Not Working (SOLVED)

Many gamers that love Dungeon Defenders were disappointed the other day after Steam downloaded the Aquanos update.  Many would try to launch the Aquanos map from their Tavern, see the game trying to load the map, then get kicked back out to the Multiplayer list screen that would allow them to select a game to join.

I found a fix on Steam's forums that worked for me, and have blogged detailed instructions at That One Tech Support Site.

The fix involves closing Steam, renaming the ClientRegistry.blob file in the Steam installation directory, relaunching Steam (forcing a recreation of the ClientRegistry.blob file and a download of the latest Steam Client Update.  You then verify the integrity of the game's cache files ... close and relaunch Steam again, then test your issue to see if it is fixed.

I hope it works for you like it did me.

This fix may work for other games you have issues with after updates as well.

Steam Autumn Sale Kicks Off: Killer Deals on Portal 2, Dungeon Defenders and More

It's time for Steam's answer to Black Friday.

Portal 2
Bouncing turrets

They have slashed prices on a bunch of cool games, including Portal 2 at 66% off ($10.19 for one, $18.69 for the two-pack) and Dungeon Defenders at 50% off ($7.49 for one, $22.49 for a 4-pack.)

Dungeon Defenders
Is it me, or is that knight wielding a lightsaber?!

Both killer games at killer prices... pick them up if you haven't.

There are a ton of other games with slashed prices, so you'll have to check it out on your own.  Be ready to spend money...

Be aware, the sale goes from 23 November through 27 November, but the deals change every day, so the prices I listed above may not be there tomorrow.

I mention Portal 2 and Dungeon Defenders specifically because they're fun games to play during FNG when there are smaller numbers present.  My kids and I have enjoyed both (thanks in big part to DirtyD on Dungeon Defenders... many thanks my friend.)

Enjoy.

Thief: Deadly Shadows - Steam Midweek Madness $5.00

Steam is selling Thief: Deadly Shadows for 75% off this week.
It is only $5.00.

It is one of my favorite first-person games ever... I highly recommend it if you haven't played it.
Get it quick; the offer ends on Thursday at 4:00pm Pacific.

TrackMania United Forever: Star Edition for $10 on Steam Today Only!

Ubisoft week on Steam

Today only, Steam is offering TrackMania United Forever: Star Edition for $10.00 (75% off) ... TODAY ONLY!
If you don't already own it, or have friends that still need to get it, send them to Steam now.

Pass it on...

Valve, the Portal 2 ARG and Useless Criticisms

Ars Technica put out a great article that totally nails it
(Thanks Bomajoe for the link)

Many people have complained about Valve's mechanism for bringing about some serious hype (as if there wasn't an abundant supply already) for their highly-anticipated (understatement) game Portal 2.

It was win-win for everyone, even if the game wasn't released as early as everyone originally hoped.  We still got it early; and those that earned all the potatoes got an extra bonus (Valve complete pack.)  Granted, most of those hard-core gamers probably already owned the Valve complete pack, but at least they can gift to their other gamer friends that don't already have.

Valve's ARGs are expansive, creative, original and bizarre.  This one was done in 2 parts (one for the announcement of the game and one to build up to the release) and both were fantastic, and now that we're playing through the real game... the tie-ins are incredible and make the game itself all the more enjoyable.

So stop the hatin' and admire the beauty of such an elaborate thing pulled off well by a reputable company that really does seem to care about not only its customers, but its partners and independent game developers.  It was a win for everyone and really fun to see how much the Portal community worked together.  I, for one, hope to see more of this kind of thing in the future.

Thanks Ars, for hitting the nail on the head with your article about this.

Valve for the win.

Portal 2 - Early Release Project - IMPORTANT NOTE!

Hey all,
If you're playing in the Portal 2 Early Release Project (playing the Potato Sack games), and you're trying to earn potatoes to boost CPU performance... you MUST have the "Steam Community In-Game" setting enabled.

I'd been trying for an hour to get the 100% on AAAAaaaaAAAAaaaaaaAA!!!! and I'd reached 120-130% on a few attempts, but never saw the password screen appear.  Turns out it was because I had the In-Game Community setting disabled...

Here's how to enable it if you don't already have it that way:
Steam >> Settings >> IN-GAME tab
Check the "Enable Steam Community In-Game" checkbox.

Enable this or no potatoes for you!!!

Keep up the good work!  AAAAaaaaaAAAAAAaaAAA!!!  looks like it's up next for recalculating the launch date.

Portal 2 - Early Release If We Play the Potato Sack

You heard correctly.

If enough games play the video games in Valve's Potato Sack pack, we'll get Portal 2 unlocked early.

You can purchase the Potato Sack (or the individual games) from the Steam store.

Get on it, so we can get our Portal game on!

Company of Heroes Soundtracks - Free on Steam Today!

Go to the Company of Heroes - Complete Pack page on Steam to download the following Soundtracks free:

• Company of Heroes: All Heroes Rise
• Company of Heroes: Songs from the Front

Thanks Steam and THQ for making these available!

While you're at it (and only today) -- get the complete pack for $24.99 (normally $49.99)

Download Portal FREE! (Until 24 May 2010)

(Thanks Bomajoe for this fantastic find...)

You heard right, gamers... Portal is FREE until 24 May 2010.  If you haven't played it yet, you have no excuse anymore.  Quit reading and download immediately. Time is running out.

Kudos to Valve for this incredible game; and more kudos for offering it free for a limited time.

Can't wait for Portal 2!

How to Find Your TrackMania United Player Key on the Steam Version

Look for the InstallKey=****-****-****-****-*** value in the Nadeo.ini file located in your Steam install folder for TrackMania United.

The stars will be alpha-numeric characters (letters are capitalized/upper-case)


The default installation paths are:
32-bit Windows
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\trackmania united\

64-bit Windows
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\trackmania united\

Portal 2 Announced!!!

It's official!!!
This morning, Valve officially announced Portal 2 will be coming this holiday season.

See the official Steam annoucement.  (There's not much there yet, but I'm excited to see more over the coming months.)

Another Portal Update Today?

Valve has been messing with our minds, and making us return to thinking with Portals!  And it's been a fun ride to start March out... here's what's going on:

01 March 2010 - Portal Update Released;
"Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations"

... which spawned this viral thread on the Steam Forums that, as of this morning has 656 pages of replies, and is constantly growing ...

It also brought a new achievement called "Transmission Received" that has us all replaying the game, frantically looking for radios with red lights on them, playing "Still Alive".  When radios are found, the player must run around the level with it until they find a point where the radio goes to static.  As they find the right spot where it can "tune-in", the radio light turns green and different sounds are heard (morse code, etc.)

Most levels have one radio, two to three of them have multiple radios.  Some of them are very cleverly placed and the hunt is an enjoyable way to replay the game.

Even more interesting... the audio files that were added with this update contained embedded images that people have been extracting and attempting to decipher.

Needless to say, the community is buzzing around the clock trying to solve the mysteries.  And we're all anticipating an announcement soon of either a sequel, a new episode (or new version) of Half-Life, or both!

Valve has an Aperture Science BBS up that people have been dialing in and finding more vague and bizarre clues.

Two days later...
03 March 2010 - Portal Update Released:
"Added valuable asset retrieval"

This update added an extra 5-10 seconds to the ending of the game... which sparked more conversation and theories about what is going on.

Today is another two days later... will get get another update through Steam which will bring us any closer to knowing what's going on and/or give us more reason to continue replaying the fantastic game that is Portal?

Here's to hopin'...

One thing I have to say, is a HUGE kudos to Valve for doing something so fun in the PC gaming community (again - since they had similar action before Portal was originally released.)  As of late, it seems the hype around new killer game announcements is always quickly stifled by rantings and ravings (including my own) about crappy DRM and DLC schemes that other big publishers seem to be so into lately.  Thanks, Valve for giving us something fun to chase instead.  It's an incredibly nice diversion, and breathing new life into the PC gaming community.

I can't wait to find out what's going on.

If you haven't checked out the updates yet, and you're a Portal fan, you owe it to yourself to snag the updates and go replay Portal.

"There was even going to be a party for you. A big party, that all your friends were invited to. I invited your best friend, the Companion Cube. Of course, he couldn't come because you murdered him. All your other friends couldn't come either, because you don't have any other friends, because of how unlikable you are. It says so right here in your personnel file: "Unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikable loner, whose passing shall not be mourned." Shall NOT be mourned. That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you were adopted, so that's funny, too."
    -GLaDOS