Hello All

[ScopE]

G'day everyone. Thought I'd drop a note and introduce myself.

I've passed by the Console Talk forums at odd times over a while, since I bought a PS3 in Oct 07.

I don't think I've posted at all on any TOG forums for quite some time ... (just checked; it was mid-Feb 2007 ). I joined TOG in late 2002 to play Battlefield 1942 fo PC. Played the Telstra ladder in BF1942, BFVietnam, BF2. Mucked around in BF2142 for a while with fellow TOGsters, but only on the pub servers.

A combo of fairly intense work commitments and time away from home (Perth, W.Aust) led me away from regular online PC multiplay, ultimately dwindling around early 2007. I also shied away when anticipating the next inevitable PC hardware upgrade (~$2500 every ~2 years). A loan of a PS3 in mid 2007 from a cousin gave me a lot of enjoyment... I think being a parent and needing a gradually more casual requirement to balancing family, work & leisure time commitments, suited the console platform. (And the relative cost/lifespan of the console itself compared with that of a PC was quit a sweetener.)

I've sort of used the console to diversify my game enjoyment a bit beyond just shooters (Burnout Paradise, GTA4). Still, have enjoyed playing general single player like Rainbow6, Warhawk on LAN, and particularly Battlefield: Bad Company online . Love gaming on a 50" plasma with a home-theatre 5.1 sound (inexpensive Logitech Z5500). Maybe I haven't fiddled enough with PS3/PSN voip, but I'm hoping the game devs make more of a concerted effort to learn from years of PC multiplayer refinement ... (Ventrilo and TeamSpeak). Push-to-talk, anyone? (to chop out the d!ck-with-the-heavy-breathing?)

My main multiplayer contact has been via LANs at home, with my 'mature' mates and my son & friends (13 or 14 year olds). A real laugh. But I'm hoping on a bit more casual contact in online multiplayer shooter action... Sometimes even with the ease of console LANning set-up (compared to PC), attendance can be a bit lacklustre.

So, greets All.
Thanks for reading.

ScopE
("MarkyMark-66" on PSN)

[303]

Hey stranger, glad to see your still around mate.

Cheers 3oh

[Ancient_One]

Hi Scope glad you could join us mate.

[Pure Mongrel]

G'day and welcome.

The console side of TOG is a little haphazard at the moment but there are still many TOG members that organize their own events and matches. (I am sure Click for one is always happy to hear about another Burnout player )

Watch this space though, as a few of us are trying to get more TOG organized events and competitions , with hope of kicking it off early next year (Give people time to decide what titles they will be mainly playing out of the new releases and get over Christmas etc.)

The PS3 has four FPS titles coming out soon that I am sure will be big hits with TOG consolers (Resistance 2, CoD W@W, SOCOM and Killzone 2). If you are looking for something a little more family friendly, Little Big Planet is shaping up to have a large online community with many budding level designers hoping to create the ultimate level!

I will send you a friends request next time I fire up the PS3 and I hope we get a chance to share some games online.

[ScopE]

3oh, thanks muchly mate. (I was sorta blown away when I saw your reply so quickly after I posted. You are indeed 'everywhere'. )

Ancient_One & Pure Mongrel; Thanks for the replies, guys.
I noticed how people were writing and pondering how quiet the console subforums seemed to be at times. (Which is partly why I posted.) I didn't really expect it, because I feel my own reasons for moving to console as a platform have to be fairly typical of many out there. As 'older gamers' we'd tend to have the higher budgets (a point for PC rigs, yeah?), but less time (job+family+21st century lifestyle... a point for consoles, with less stuffing about to make it 'just work'). Of course, there are still some fundamental design differences between games' multiplayer features between PC and console (particularly around flexibility for setting up and manipulating servers). But in a nutshell if devs fix the console voice comms, and give the console crowd more PC-like powers to manage servers, I reckon the PC-vs-console community followings will be even more on par with each other.
ANYWAY. Thanks again for the notes. Having a few TOGgers on my Friends list online will give a bit of what I miss from casual PC multiplay. I'm on at very random times, but it's great to be in touch with the TOG console community.

[exploit]

Welcome Scope,

When i fire up my PS3 later today i will send you a friends request also. I normally play 360 online the most but i want to start playing Burnout on PS3 more so maybe we might have to make a Burnout night soon. Any night suites me, what about the rest of you?

[click]

Welcome mate
Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy
We are small but this is easily the most friendly/helpful section in TOG
Cya online soon

[Pure Mongrel]

OH CRAP! I think this is a sign of Armageddon! Click made a post without mentioning Burnout!

Oh wait, false alarm ... he made a new post about the game that keeps on giving elsewhere! All good, back to your places people!