After a couple months of back & forth Internode now host a Quake Live server in Adelaide.

Our options are now:

• Sydney (Hypernia)
• Sydney #2 (Premium Gamer)
• Perth (Hypernia)
• Adelaide (Internode)

This should allow competitions to introduce a "fair latency" rule to the mix & spice things up on the western front.

Latency should be much better than the servers that Hypernia use to run, as Internode has direct routes to Perth. If your ISP routes via Sydney, you should contact your ISP & have them fix their routes.

Thanks to everyone that petitioned, especially Ventz for getting the guys at Internode involved.

CSPromod has released a new version.

The objective of CSPromod is to improve the graphical quality, feature set, and spectatorship of Counter-Strike, while preserving the title's beloved gameplay, and in doing so provide community with the assurance of unlimited gameplay longevity. We view CSPromod as a resource for the community, its professional teams, event organizers, and media. For a long time, all of these entities have voiced their opinions, desires, ideas, and goals about the future of professional Counter-Strike; and for just as long of a time, they have been limited by the constraints of the very same game which brought them all together in the first place. Therefore, we strive to present the most competitive, enthralling, visually satisfying - and most importantly - customizable version of Counter-Strike ever created. We view this project as the community's own to tweak, polish, and grow. We hope that the community views it in the same vein.

Gotfrag has a full review here.

DOWNLOAD

Mirrored on PG:

• Installer
• ZIP Version

Other mirors: http://cspromod.com/download

SERVERS

We've added some CS Promod servers.

• premiumgamer.com ~ CSPromod #1 (gs3.premiumgamer.com:27028)
• premiumgamer.com ~ CSPromod #2 (gs3.premiumgamer.com:27029)

If theres any problem with the server please reply to this post.

Enjoy.

The IEM4 European Championship Finals will take place at the ESL TV Studio in Cologne between the 21st and the 24th of January 2010 featuring all the top european players. Every match for this tournament will be casted by 2GD and Joe and would probably feature some guests throughout the cast. Will this be Coollers first QuakeLive tournament win? Will cypher give strenx his gg? Will stermy choke and not make it out of the brackets? For those interested in ESR Betting, all the matches are up to make your bets! If you havnt created account on ESR dont be shy as the betting has been restarted so you wont be far behind. Join the IRC match banter in #AusQuake on GameSurge.

Friday:
00:00 Group A Round 1: av3k vs GaRpY (details)
00:40 Group A Round 1: spart1e vs calipt (details)
01:20 Group A Round 2: av3k vs calipt (details)
02:00 Group A Round 2: spart1e vs GaRpY (details)
02:40 Group A Round 3: av3k vs spart1e (details)
03:20 Group A Round 3: GaRpY vs calipt (details)

04:20 Group B Round 1: Cooller vs Z4muZ (details)
05:00 Group B Round 1: strenx vs draven (details)
05:40 Group B Round 2: Cooller vs draven (details)
06:20 Group B Round 2: strenx vs Z4muZ (details)
07:00 Group B Round 3: Cooller vs strenx (details)
07:40 Group B Round 3: Z4muZ vs draven (details)

Saturday:
00:00 Group C Round 1: cypher vs l1nkje (details)
00:40 Group C Round 1: k1llsen vs zsx (details)
01:20 Group C Round 2: cypher vs zsx (details)
02:00 Group C Round 2: k1llsen vs l1nkje (details)
02:40 Group C Round 3: cypher vs k1llsen (details)
03:20 Group C Round 3: l1nkje vs zsx (details)

04:20 Group D Round 1: fox vs dem0n (details)
05:00 Group D Round 1: stermy vs noctis (details)
05:40 Group D Round 2: stermy vs dem0n (details)
06:20 Group D Round 2: fox vs noctis (details)
07:00 Group D Round 3: stermy vs fox (details)
07:40 Group D Round 3: noctis vs dem0n (details)

Sunday:
13:00 CET - quarterfinal
14:00 CET - quarterfinal
15:00 CET - quarterfinal
16:00 CET - quarterfinal
17:00 CET - placement / World Championship qualification match
18:00 CET - placement / World Championship qualification match
19:00 CET - placement / World Championship qualification match

Monday:
12:00 CET - semi final
12:40 CET - semi final
13:50 CET - bronze medal match
14:50 CET - final

Groups:

Group A
Maciej "srs/rzr/av3k" Krzykowski
Sebastian "fnatic/spart1e" Siira
Gareth "dignitas/GaRpY" Marshall
Benjamin "mTw|calipt" Jakob

Group B
Anton "mouz.Cooller" Singov
Kévin "fnatic/strenx" Baeza
Alexander "xlo-Z4muZ" Ihrfors
Jeffrey "LLL-draven" Debipersa

Group C
Alexey "srs/rzr/cypher" Yanushevsky
Marcel "k1llsen" Paul
Pierre-E "fnatic/l1nkje" Portier
Dan "dignitas/zsx" Sanders

Group D
Alessandro "stermy" Avallone
Magnus "mouz.fox" Olsson
Richard "noctis" Gansterer
Romain "LLL*dem0n" Leclerc

ESL TV has all the streams and will have VODs later on.
The Intel Extreme Masters website has got all the news, galleries, brackets and demos.

Presenting a Premium Gamer Pro Exhibition Match!

The biggest match-up of the year so far is upon us, with the first epic exhibition match of 2010 brought to you by Premium Gamer and netGameTV! Hopefully the first in a series of top-tier exhibition matches, we're about to set the bar for what is sure to become a spectacle not to be missed!

Thanks to netGameRadio, the winner of this epic bout will be taking home a cool $50 cash and the runner up scoring $25 worth of beer money. It's certainly not enough to quit your day job fellas but nothing to scoff at either when you consider the price of beer these days.

The Vault 17 LAN Cafe at 76/A Scarborough St. Southport on the Gold Coast are also sponsoring this event providing stable internet, a good computer, a comfortable chair and a great gaming environment for ZenAku to play in!

I took a few minutes to chat with both players about the game and here's what they had to say...

• ZenAku: I know for a fact this match is going to be very tight. Both of our play styles clash but that's something I can get around easily if I focus on it. zlr is one of the best duelers in Australia so I could see this bo5 going to the fifth. This match will determine who the best dueler in Australia is right now considering zlr didn't play the recent 4SG tournament...and I lagged during the Pro/am challenge.

• zlr: I think it could go either way, but given there's money involved, I think the pressure might get to him more than myself.

DON'T MISS THIS EVENT! Tune in from 8:00pm AEDST and catch netGameRadio's Quake LIVE master caster Devastator + Nomey and others on the LIVE video stream at http://www.netgametv.com

ZenAku - "Fireup firebats"

This is the first interview of an upcoming series. This interview was conducted just before the 2v2 finals but I've only managed to get some time to put it up now.

Thanks for taking some time to do this interview Zenaku. can you give us a brief introduction about yourself?
You’re welcome. My name is David Addati and I’m currently 16 years old. I live on the Gold Coast around the theme parks ( terrible internet D: ) My heritage originates from an Italian background but have been residing in Australia since birth.

What’s your gaming history (when did you start playing online? what game? some of your achievements?) and how did you end up playing QuakeLive?
I started my gaming around the days of Quake 1. I woke up one day and walked into my brother’s room and saw zombies getting gibbed at the click of a button which was a big thing back then for a 5 year old’s mind. I went on to play Star Wars Jedi Academy where most of the time I would spend running my own server and running around on taun tauns. Next was Call of Duty 2 (around 12 years old) which began the competitive side of what I never knew existed. I started my own clan and joined a few which were all evidentially pretty much fail but did land myself some glory by placing in the Top 8 on the Game Arena Ladder. Command and Conquer 3 is where I focused on putting a lot of time in becoming the best at something. After a few months of playing I found myself on top of the commandandconquer.com 1on1 ladder joining such European teams like serious gaming but didn’t end up falling through. A few months later I heard of Call of Duty 4 coming to the scene which would be somewhat a big thing. That placed me in some invite leagues but nothing to self glorifying about. This brings me to my current game which is quake live. This is where I wanted to get to the position aspired too. As such after a year of playing and passing tournaments I’ve classed myself as being one of the best duellers in Australia.

You’re well known in the community as “THE” prospect/the kid with the most potential, what do you think it is that has helped you develop into a strong player so quickly? How did you develop so quickly?
The main thing that’s helped me so far along is dedication to the game and my ability to pick up on things quickly to move on to the next. Another is the ability to string ideas together and to make a complete game. The only time you’ll see me becoming the best player is noticing the small things which make the complete game look fancy.

Are you happy with how your game is at the moment or do you still see many holes in which you hope to fill?
I don’t think I’ll ever be happy or satisfied with my game just because of the fact it’s hard to be complete. So many options, different ways of manipulation, the other opponent’s play style of play every option and every percentage, moving the right direction and predicting every second. Although sounds unachieveable, doing your best sounds pretty good.

You recently took out the 4sg duel tournament and prior to that you’ve taken out the first Nomecup, what do you feel has been your greatest QuakeLive achievement so far?
Definitely the 4sg duel tournament was the bigger thing considering the calibre of players (ventz/pathe etc) compared to the nomecup.

How did you prepare leading up to those finals?
It’s often hard to find a practice partner that plays at the same time as I do and as persistent. Often I just find myself watching demos throughout most of the days then play people with the lag free time that I have (which never lasts more than 10 minutes if I’m extremely lucky). For the finals though when we played I didn’t have much play time recorded and I wasn’t feeling as strong but still pulled out the win vs ventz.

After defeating ventz in the 4sg duel finals later that day you got beaten by nomey (3-1) in the nomecup, what can you attribute that loss to?
I definitely under estimated nomey and the validity of his ability to play me in a tournament and come out on top. He has a general idea of the game which sometimes can be just enough to beat anyone giving the right situations. I was lagging a considerable amount for the whole tournament and lost a lot of situations where I had to hit shots or block certain parts of the map wasn’t able to giving him control of the map and evidentially the game after it happened every time when I went to contest for an item.

Do you prefer the day tournament format or the drawn out tournament format?
The day tournaments work out better for me because people are forced to play at least a certain amount of matches in a competitive environment and by the final can bring out the best in anyone by the warm-up games leading to the final. Drawn out tournaments aren’t too bad either as it gives more anticipation for the match and the people watching it.

Are there any players out there that inspire your game?
Stories like fata1lty’s and lost cauze’s mental strength to keep playing the game and be successful after so many hurdles they had to get over. In terms of inspiration of play styles etc. I find that various styles work in various situations so when I watch other professional players I see the concept behind it of how it worked/how it didn’t, how the rest of the game will be effected and was that the most efficient choice.

Do you feel your style is completely unique or are you trying to emulate a specific player?
I’m trying to enforce the style of being very dynamic by choosing situations which surprise the player and situations that don’t. Either way it leaves situations where you bait a lot or rush a lot or just keeping flow of the map and keeps the opponent always guessing e.g. The opponent understands that you usually catch him off guard at a door, baits the door just in-case but you don’t give away your position and leaving a 50/50 risk and hopefully you should get the frag.

Do you have any aspirations of heading to some of the premiere tournaments and playing with the pros?
I plan on achieving as best as I possibly can which if everything goes my way I can place first. I plan on getting to QuakeCon 2010, ESL Global Finals and ESWC/WCG if they add it into the games list.

The Intel Extreme Masters Asian Championship Finals are coming up in February which is also qualifier for the ESL World Championship, is this a tournament in which you could see yourself playing in? Is there any chance that you could be the Australian that breaks into the world stage?
I feel very confident that I have the ability to beat the other professionals that might be attending such as Prozac, jibo, rocket boy and unleashed. I speak in terms of how much they have been practising, my current state of mind to beat players such as those 4. The biggest threat is going to be Jibo because of his play style, followed by someone like Prozac who is very out of no where and pulls big results. With time in anything learning their tricks and play styles it will become easier for the win. I could be the Australian that breaks into the world stage but it all comes down to how I progress and if other commitments don’t interfere.

Are you happy with QuakeLive gameplay at the moment or do you feel there could be a lot of changes implemented?
Right now I feel the game is somewhat balanced. The only thing I would add to quake live right now is some advertising one way or another to get the audience they’re aiming at and some new maps which have been tested properly in terms of balance and the possibility of coming back etc on those maps.

You’ve recently made it into the 4SG 2v2 Finals, is TDM/2v2 a format in which you enjoy and hope to become better at?
I’ve only taught myself to play 1on1. 2v2 is somewhat similar to 1v1 just with quad and balancing sides of the map and good team work (which comes from my cod4 experiences). Ventz is somewhat a seasoned 2v2er being in good teams with chacha etc in. He gives me the general idea of what to do and I just flow with it. It’s a bit different though as every action doesn’t come as quick because it takes longer to calculate and understand the current situation because I haven’t been in that situation once or twice. Whereas in duel there’s a general idea which automatically comes (after playing for so much) and then how to manoeuvre yourself around that.

Are there any other game modes you could take seriously or is 1v1 where its at for you?
I’ve preferred 1v1 since I started playing quake because I always felt that I could set my own pace and I don’t have the reliability of someone else to do a job. It isn’t the fact that I don’t think anyone can play up to par with me but more so that I can think with myself instead of in tandem with someone else. Perhaps at a lan event where I can see the current situation of my team mate’s situation it works well together. In terms of efficiency, 1v1 is for me.

What do you think the Australian community needs the most?
The idea behind it all is to make it bigger. To make it bigger you need more players. The more players the more money there is to play for even if it is for a casual league, it’s the sort of thing which boosts them to give it a go. Ironically enough some people won’t play for fun because there is no cash benefit to give it a shot. The people who play the game for fun (the fun factor which exceeds the want to also play for money) which quake definitely has. I think this is what is needed for this community to grow for other players playing for fun but for the casual money also.

Mouse/Mousepad: Death Adder 1800 3G, Razer Mantis Control
Map: ztn3tourney1
Weapon: all of them
Demo: cooller vs czm @ cpl-winter 2006 - that’s a series that has always stood out from mind.

Once again i wanna thank you for taking the time in answering these questions, good luck for your 2v2 finals and your future endeavours.. any last words?

I’d like to thank everyone that’s given me support especially my family who’s gone to some lengths to help me with what I have to do but at other times not so much supportive. Currently looking for organisation/sponsor to help me get to lans and other expenses. Thanks!

www.premiumgamer.com
www.4seasonsgaming.com
www.cybergamer.com.au

Zenaku Related Media:


Zenaku vs Kore
Zenaku vs zpnq

NEWS

Not such a big week this week, and that's going to be a sign of things to come for a while as we all take a break over the holidays. Stay tuned! There are several competitions coming in 2010!

Be sure to sign up for the 4 Seasons Gaming 2010 Duel Competition, found on the 4SG forums here. And also vote on the next team mode competition, also on the 4SG forums here.

QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

1. Who is going to use the new hit-boxes (that will potentially be released this week) as an excuse for missing? Show of hands, please.

2. For those who have set up their own dedicated servers, did you receive a notice from id software about potential bans being handed out?

COMPETITION

4SG 2vs2 TDM

Finals time for the 2vs2 matches, new thread located at 4SG forums. Here are the latest results for this week!

2vs2 TDM Results:

Competitors	Maps	Scores (In Order)	Winner
.vn. vs ToS	T6 | DM6	73-56 | 54-51	.vn. 2-0
syz vs q2	T6 | DM6 | CA2	62-63 | 67-46 | 80-57	syz 2-1
x2 vs thugs	DM6 | T7	80-27 | 114-22	x2 2-0
iiftr vs /x/	ZTN | CA2	84-42 | 81-56	iiftr 2-0

Note: To those playing in the competitions and reading this newsletter, please make sure you post your results on the 4SG forums so we can pass on the information.

NEW CLANS

1. Clan Z - iakarom, pexa, doomy, fenix849, woundfed, capitolismsux, tru4m

WANT A WAR? Contact these clans!

All IRC channels are located on irc.gamesurge.net.

CLAN	IRC #/Forum	MOD	CONTACT
nsfw	NSFW Forum	CA | CTF	OPMD
sfn	SFN Forum	CA	500 Babies
icon	#teamicon	CA | CTF	hollywood | fuze0r
eXa	#eXa	CA | CTF	WishfulThinking
vngrd	#vngrd	CA | CTF | TDM	pathe | xujo | shags
2good	#2gQL	CTF | TDM	jaard | cakes | adrian
/x/	#Ausquake	CA | CTF | TDM	roffo | grotesk
z	-	CA | TDM	iakarom

Note: if you would like your clan listed here, please contact dice or beckydee before Sunday each week.

Snap Of The Week

Death By Rainbow

Props go to dice and ikona for this one!

Random Public Service Announcement Of The Week:

beckydee: "Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!"

dice: "Bah Humbug!"

That's all for now.

See you in 2010!

beckydee | dice

From the Wiki:

Brink is an upcoming first-person shooter video game developed by Splash Damage set to release in fall 2010. It offers team-based multiplayer missions with authored narratives, persistent player characters and an approachable nature.

Some notes I have picked up along the way (doing my own hype research):

• IDTech4 (Doom3 Engine)
• Platforms: PC, XBOX and PS3
• Modes: 8 versus 8 / 8 player co-op / Single player with AI for squad mates
• Class based: Engineer, Medic and Soldier (Maybe more)
• S.M.A.R.T: Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain (Youtube video explains this)

To begin with, I thought the IDTech4 engine was enough to make me want to forget about this title. However, after checking out the S.M.A.R.T video and some gameplay videos I am actually excited about this.

Gameplay (commentary by Paul Wedgwood)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

S.M.A.R.T (commentary by Paul Wedgwood)

Let the hype begin!