August 27

COD World League 2020 Update!

Call of Duty World League

As you have already heard Call of Duty league play is receiving an overhaul. Right now, it is hard to tell what the lasting effects these changes will make. I am excited about the new year and hope this transition goes smoothly. There are always bumps in the road and things to be learned in the inception year. If anything, it will be fun to watch as the Owners, GMs, and Players all work it out!

As of right now, not much is known about the structure of the 2020 season. Below you will see what we know so far.

  • Teams will be city-based.
  • The minimum pro roster the teams can have is 7 and the maximum is 10.
  • On August 26th 2019 all teams established teams (See the list below) have the ability to sign new players who were on the 2019 CWL roster.
  • On September 3rd 2019 all teams have the ability to sign new players who were on the 2019 CWL roster.
  • All signed pro player will be paid a minimum base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits.
  • Teams are required to distribute at least 50% of their prize pool earnings to players directly
  • Matches will be 5v5 multiteam play.
  • There is talk about mid-series substitutions.
  • Know teams and cities so far:
    • Atlanta – Atlanta Reign
    • Dallas – Dallas Fuel
    • New York – NY Excelsior
    • Paris – Paris Eternal (Rumored)
    • Toronto – Toronto Defiant
    • Los Angeles – LA Valiant
    • Los Angeles – LA Gladiators
    • Minnesota – (Not Known)
    • Florida – Florida Mayhem
  • CDL has stated that they will support the amateur players with competitions, both online and via open bracket tournaments around the world and will have dedicated prize pools for those events.

So that is what we know so far and will keep you updated as new information trickles in.

As always stay nerdy everyone!

March 16

Interview – Patrick Hickey Jr. “Minds Behind the Games”

It has been a long time since I have found something that inspired me to post here. That is until now, as many of you know I have a passion for games of all types (That is what makes me Nerdy right?). In June of 2018 I decided I was going to start a YouTube channel and begin streaming my game play, not to get rich or be famous but as an outlet for my creative nature.

The last few months have been an adventure of ups and downs and I do not regret a moment of it. But after being inactive for the last few months I threw my (fox) hat into the content creating ring once again and found the spark that I so carelessly dropped. I started to post videos to my YouTube channel and re-branded all my sites to reflect my re-commitment to what I know now is my therapeutic mental outlet.

The one thing I knew I must bring back to life was this blog. It was my first venue I created to share my love and passion of everything “Nerdy”. The question was where to start… Well that is where Patrick Hickey Jr. takes center stage. While I was doing my usual support of retweeting and posting things to my twitter feed I received a message for Patrick asking if I did interviews on my YouTube channel. I thought about it and even though I was unsure if I had the chops to actually do a video interview, (I did consider it) I knew I had one venue that I could us that would be great for such a venture and it was just waiting to be revived.

I private messaged Patrick and asked if he would be willing to allow me to interview him for my blog instead. I was pleasantly surprised that he agreed.

Patrick Hickey Jr.

Below you will find my interview about his book “Minds Behind the Games”. This tomb is filled with interviews of the creators of 36 popular video games of the past and their stories of how they overcame obstacles and challenges to fulfill their passion and produce some of the most classic games titles of our time.

As with anything in life sometimes we need to look back at our past so our path to our future is clearer. And that is what the reading of this book and interview has done for me, and is what I believe his book does for the game developers of today.

Nerdy:  What was your inspiration in writing this book?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  I was 33 and had a pregnant wife. I had been writing for newspapers, websites, blogs and magazines for over a decade at that point and was super hungry to try something new. I sat in my manacle one night and realized I didn’t want to be one of those parents with regrets. So, I started emailing developers I had interviewed over the years and contacting new ones. Within a few days, the pieces started coming together and a month later, I had a book deal. That notion that it was so “easy” pisses off a lot of people I know, but truth be told, I wasn’t exactly a first-time author. I paid my journalistic dues in blood and have taught the subject for over a decade, too. This, if anything, was my coming out party. For me to show the world what I was capable of if I had more time, more space and a chance to create my own vision.

Nerdy:  What do wish to achieve with the writing of this book?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  I want there to be far more transparency in retelling and history of the art of game development. Gamers think they know so much about the history of the medium, but there are so many untold stories out there. I want there to be no reason for a gamer to ever go on Wikipedia to find out sexy stories on their favorite games. As a result, it’s my quest to get to as many developers to share their stories so readers get to see how much, time, energy, passion and fortitude is needed in order to create a game.

Nerdy:  How many Games / Developers do you feature in this undertaking?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  36 games are featured in the first book, but dozens more are mentioned and alluded too. As far as sources, over 50 on the record and almost just as many off-the-record for background and color.

Nerdy:  Being International Women’s month how many of them were women? Have you noticed a decrease/increase of women developers in the industry?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  About five-seven developers featured are women and that was mainly because most of the games featured in the book are at least 20-years-old. As far as a rise in female developers, absolutely, and I think that’s great.

Nerdy:  How has the social media culture improved/hindered the gaming industry? Is there a way to use it as a benefit and or is there a way to push through that mountain of information it has created?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  Mountains of information is absolutely correct, but you have to understand that there was once a time when games got zero publicity. You can’t have it either way. There’s no middle ground right now. But just give it time- the industry is still in its infancy compared to music, film and literature.

Nerdy:  Who are the top three developers that you feel have best kept the passion in their game creating in your opinion?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  Super tough question. I think all developers have a plethora of passion. You can’t be one without it. However, if I had to pick three, that I’ve interviewed for the first book and my next two books in the series, I’d probably tell you, Michael Brook, who did a host of sports games for EA and Sega in the ‘90s and played a huge role in the development of the genre. He also was a producer and designer on NHLPA 93 and NHL 94, my two favorite hockey games away from NHL Face-Off 99 and NHL 2008. Howard Scott Warshaw, the creator of Yar’s Revenge is super charismatic and has this deep, thought-provoking mind that understands how games are supposed to make people feel. Every time we speak is like a learning lesson for me. The last would be Tony Barnes. He’s been in video games for over 30 years and he’s the industry’s best kept secret in my opinion. So many great stories. So energetic. But in the end, that’s not really fair. Over the course of writing this book and the next two editions, I’ve learned something from every developer I’ve spoken to. Not one jerk in the lot. That says a lot about the people involved in this industry.

Nerdy:  Do you think publishers (Activision, EA, etc.) have hindered the creative inspiration/passion in gaming development?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  Now, possibly. But in the ‘80s and ‘90s? Absolutely not. EA was a magical place back then. They made dream concepts a reality. The same thing goes for Activision. They put the developer first and tried to make them the marketable entities they deserve to be. Without the contributions of these companies, there may not be an industry today.

Nerdy:  Currently most developers/publishers release unfinished games under the guise of betas/demos, how has this effected industry? Is this necessary in the current fast paced digital landscape? Does this culture lay at the feet of the developer or publishers?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  I’m not a fan of things like Steam Early Access and Betas, but they do serve a wonderful purpose in connecting players to games and developers before they are released. Some games never make it out of Beta- and for that reason. Think of it as another version of quality control. One the industry desperately needs.

Nerdy:  What are your thoughts on DLCs content? Is this a product of developers/publishers releasing a game too early due to the current culture or a way to prolong the viability of their titles?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  DLC have existed in other forms, dating as far back as the late ‘80s when companies the likes of EA would release “data disks” to update their Earl Weaver Baseball series. Big difference between patches and DLC BTW. DLC add existing content, patches fix and correct issues. Not a fan of the Patch Nation the industry is now, but DLC are cool.

Nerdy:  Have microtransactions effected the gaming culture? Are they needed in the current climate in your opinion?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  Yes they have and as you know, in the case of The Star Wars franchise, nearly ruined it. I don’t think they are needed, at all. And the issue is, you create a situation where someone has to pay to be able to advance in a game or get a character, they wouldn’t be able to access otherwise. I am all for paying for all of the game’s content upfront over playing a free game I have to invest in.

Nerdy:  What are your top 5 games you have fond memories of? Which ones would you love to see reborn to harness the power of current consoles and PCs?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  Super tough question, but here we go. Pokémon Blue, Super Contra, Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon’s Trap, NHL 94 and probably Final Fantasy VII. As far as remakes go, not a fan of games being remade. I want to remember the initial experiences I had and have new ones, with new IPs.

Nerdy:  If you had a time machine what would your words of wisdom be to game developers as a whole? Who would you seek out first?

Patrick Hickey Jr.:  I think that’s the reason why I’m writing these books. I don’t want to go back in time, I want to talk to these people now, before it’s too late. The things I’ve gleaned from all of these experiences is that passion isn’t always contagious, and these developers and their works of art are worthy of discussion from both an entertainment and more importantly a scholarly perspective. If I had to go back in time, I’d tell all of these developers not to give up- the world needs you.

About Patrick Hickey Jr.

Hickey is a full-time Lecturer of English and Assistant Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He’s also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.

He is now diving into voice acting, Hickey is now starring as the voice of the main character of the upcoming Shotgun with Glitters Survival Horror video game, “The Padre.” Dedicated and passionate, Hickey is eager to share his unique vocal talents on interesting projects. Add in his experiences as a journalist and educator and he’s a unique talent ready to make a great project, greater.

I want to thank Patrick for taking time from his busy schedule to answer my questions. This was super fun!

If you are interested in reading this awesome book you can purchase it here! http://patrickhickeyjr.com/minds-behind-games/

Stay Nerdy my friends!
Nerdy – aka Richard Keen Jr.

June 17

Game – 8-bit of fun!

As many of you know by now I am streaming live on Mixer, Twitch, and YouTube. I have noticed that many of my fellow streamers go for games that are the current craze. I do not blame them that is what everyone wants to watch…  right? The problem I have with this, beside my lack of ability to be competent in them, is the fact that the sites are saturated with the same content. I know, I know that is how it is done but I have never been one to follow the herd.

The question was what to play right? I pondered on it a bit and I always found myself thinking back to when I started playing PC games in the 90s. I have very fond memories of playing with my gaming friends and the ones that stood out the most were the WestWood/SSI Dungeon & Dragon games. I decided that this was what I wanted to play on my streams at least part of the time. They gave me so much joy and allowed me to escape from the mundane and figured that there are more people out there that remember these game as fondly as I do.

The first in the long line of games by TSR was the Eye of the Beholder. The question was are these games even around anymore and where can I find them if they were. So I did what any person would do and did a Google search for them and to my delight I found out that gog.com had rescued them. What was even more exciting was they had what seems to be all of the games that TSR had made for them. Not only including Forgotten Realms but Dark Sun, Krynn (Dragonlance) just to name a few.

Yes these games by our current standards are very rudimentary but who cares as long as you have fun right? The Eye of the Beholder is a classic dungeon crawl where you start off with four heros and explore the bowels of Waterdeep. The game play is as you would expect is very simple… well once you figure them out (see my first video on YouTube).

There are hours upon hours of game play in these games alone, not to mention all of the other games gog.com has to offer. So stop by one of my channels on Thursday nights over at Mixer, Twitch, or YouTube and check it out and if it awakens that nostalgic bug then head on over to gog.com and purchase them yourself!

Find your childhood and fond memories of why you love gaming by playing those older games and as always stay Nerdy!

 

Category: Games, PC, RPG | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 18

Game – E3 2018 – Stranded on the edge of death at E3 2018!

Death Stranding

First thank you PythonSelkanHD for posting this information on YouTube for one of the most anticipated games for PlayStation 4!

I have been following this game since it was announced and the trailers grabbed me hook, line, and sinker. And for the record I have not played any of the Metal Gear franchise. I know, I know shame on me.

One of my attractions to the title is Norman Reedus.

Norman Reedus

I mean who does not think this man is hot as hell?! I fell in love with him when he played Murphy MacManus in Boondock Saints in 1999! To make this more intriguing Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro are also featured in at least one of the three trailers that have been released for this game to date.

As many of you know we have had some awesome trailers for this Death Stranding by Kojima Productions which is being published exclusively by Sony Interactive Entertainment for Playstation 4.

OK , OK, OK on to why I posted this blog, PythonSelkanHD posted on his YouTube channel that we will see a 4th trailer for this game at 2018 E3! And as proof of he shared a image from a post by Hideo Kojima himself! As you can clearly see in the pic below Kojima is/was working on a trailer at the E3 2018 conference!

The question still remains whether or not we will see in-game footage or just more video footage showing us a more cinematic view of the game! Either way I can assure you that I will be on the edge of my seat when it is finally released at E3 2018!

Stay Nerdy my friends!

May 17

Game – Rise, Conquer, and Rule the Underworld!

 

Court of the Dead

The team at Project Raygun currently has a campaign on Kickstarter called Court of the Dead: Mourners Call. This is more than your average tabletop game and promises to deliver an immersive in-world experience of the Underworld, using detailed cards and ornate miniatures.

The starting goal for this campaign was $75,000 and at the time of this post it has raised over $351,000 with 4000 backers. What is even more impressive is it was fully funded in only 5 hours of it going live! The buy in for this game is $90 dollars and includes all the Stretch Goals and Kickstarter Exclusives. Looking at the campaign you can see the buy in is worth it by how much detail and love is being put into the artwork and miniatures!

What is in the box?

This is a description straight from their Kickstarter campaign.

Court of the Dead: Mourners Call is a 2-5 player, highly competitive board game that calls upon players to balance cooperative needs against their own ulterior motives. There are many paths to uniting the Underworld, but only one Mourner will realize his or her vision. The player who wields his or her power and faction influence the best will gain the most points to win.

You and your fellow mourners must work together to bring balance to the Underworld, but… only one of you can truly Rise, Conquer, Rule!”

So do you have the cunning to balance working with your fellow mourners and achieving your true motive of being the one true ruler of the Underworld?

Stay Nerdy my friends!

August 17

Game – A Burning Desire for Dragons

The folks at Burning Games have a new kick-starter starting in November for their RPG Dragons Conquer America, I mean how can you not be excited by that title! If that did not grab your attention then how about this straight from their kick-starter campaign?

Dragons Conquer America is a new fantasy roleplaying setting that will transport you back to the 16th Century, when European invaders reached American soil with a host of warriors… and Dragons.”

Not only are there dragons, European, and Native Americans, but it is set in the 16th century Americas!  This month they released a introductory adventure that will help shape the kick-starter campaign itself! They promise that it will be filled with action, magic, mystique, mythological beast and intrigue. The Mayan calendar like border around the title has me chomping at the bit to know how that all fits in.

If you are wondering about their quality of work you can check out the download section and peruse the Rulebook, Lore, Character Creation, and Introductory Adventure for their Sci-Fi RPG Faith.

Stay Nerdy my friends!

January 5

Blurb: The UMG Orlando Tournament Experience!

I had the pleasure to travel to Orlando this weekend with my nephew and watch all the Pro Call of Duty – Advance Warfare players competing for a share of $25K in the UMG Orlando Tournament.

We arrived in Orlando on Friday afternoon ready to watch all the Call of Duty – Advance Warfare action. Once we were in the hall we were presented with flashing lights and bumping sound of music. Not unlike a night club on a Friday night!

At first it was a bit over whelming but we quickly found our bearings and made our way to the main arena to find a seat and settled in.

UMG Orlando 2015
UMG Orlando 2015

Counting the main stage there were twenty one eight player stations and there was CoD action from the moment the hall opened up until the end of the night. Screams of joy and failure rang throughout the hall at a steady pace. The main stage area seating was always full especially when Optic Gaming took the stage where it was standing room only and at times did not seemed like there was not enough room for that.

Both Gamma Labs – GFuel  and Scuf Gaming had booths where you could purchase their highly sought after products. You could also purchase UMG t-shirts and gear for the UMG store booth.

One thing I think deserves mentioning is UMG’s charity that they sponsor… Operation Supply Drop what a awesome charity. It sends gaming goods to our men and women over seas to bring a little fun to a place where most of the time there is none.

Operation Supply Drop
Operation Supply Drop

The pro-players are super friendly and we saw this first hand with EnVyUs’s Clayster was inundated with fans and he took time to take pictures and signed autographs for everyone that approached him.

EnVyUs Clayster
EnVyUs Clayster

Optic Gaming’s Crimsix was another example on how approachable these guys are and how much they appreciate the fans. (He signed autographs outside of the restroom.)

Optic Gaming Crimsix
Optic Gaming Crimsix

Over the next three days we witnessed a lot of matches and consumed many many ounces of Gamma Labs – GFuel but in the end there could only be one winner.

Champions Optic Gaming
Champions Optic Gaming

So with that being said congratulations Optic Gaming for winning the UMG Orlando 25K tournament!

October 7

RPG – Pathfinders: Advanced Class Guide – Part 1

The awesome folks of Paizo we generous enough to send me over a copy of their Advanced Class Guide. For the last week I have been devouring it’s pages so I could write up my review. As I was doing so I decided that I needed to at the very least divided it up three post to give each section it needed attention.

The Book:
I have to say that the standard that Paizo sets on the quality of their products is so high. I mean everything they do is polished to a high sheen and Advanced Class Guide is no different. When I opened the box I was welcomed by a beautiful cover depicting, two of the books featured heroes (Bloodrager and Swashbuckler to be exact) fighting a nasty un-dead emerald dragon! The cover artwork by Wayne Reynolds is so stunning I was afraid to touch it and ruin it’s perfection (I love Wayne Reynolds I have a framed signed piece of art on my den wall to prove it)!

Pathfinder: Advanced Class Guide
Pathfinder: Advanced Class Guide

I knew I had to so I eventually picked it up and cracked the cover open to find out just what Paizo had in store for me. I thumbed quickly through to find what the cover art promised, a awesome tome of painstakingly created companion tome for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook.

The book pages falls in at 256 pages which includes 10 new classes (We will delve into these shortly), archetypes and class options, new feats, new spells, new gear and magic items, and instructions on how to create you own hybrid class.

Classes:
If you are like me I love with things get mashed together. I mean who does not like two great songs mashed together making them into one epic song? So what does this have to do with Advanced Class Guide you ask? Well it does just that it mashes two awesome character classes and give us one epic character class! We are given 10 of these in chapter one and Paizo calls them hybrid classes.

These 10 hybrid classes are:
Arcanist – a Sorcerer / Wizard mix who is a scholar of all things magical.
Bloodrager – a Barbarian / Sorcerer mix that puts fear into his enemy with bloodline and combat prowess.
Brawler – a Fighter / Monk mix who can quickly adapt to changing battle conditions.
Hunter – a Druid / Ranger mix that forms a team of a adept hero with a highly trained animal companion.
Investigator – a Alchemist / Rouge mix who is a investigator that loves to solve mysteries.
Shaman – a Oracle / Witch mix are divine spell-caster that use the power of spirits for the spell-work.
Skald – a Barbarian / Bard mix is a front-line bard that inspires his allies in all of their endeavors.
Slayer – a Ranger / Rouge mix  who knows the opportune time and location to take out their enemy.
Swashbuckler – a Fighter / Gunslinger mix that are light on their feet and quick witted with their tongue.
Warpriest – a Cleric / Fighter mix who is the perfect healing fighting machine.

I like a few more than the others… The hunter for instance really calls to me and actually reminds me of the hunter class in World of Warcraft. I can say that each of these hybrid classes are well thought out and well balanced and I am sure that everyone will be able to find a favorite or two to play. Hey and if you do not in the back of the book there is instructions on how to create your own! Come back in a couple of days to hear more about that!

So next time I will be delving into archetypes and class options, new feats, & new spells!

Until next time nerds!

September 25

RPG – 5E: The Bone Devil!

Wow the art work alone on this guy just makes your blood curdle! This fiend is what nightmares are made of! Check out the page below to see what I mean! Oh and when you are done head over to your favorite local gaming store and pick it up (it is available at Wizards Play Network stores early prior to the September 30th release date)!

5E: Bone Devil
5E: Bone Devil

This book is a hardbound, 352 page behemoth and cost $49.99 (you can pre-order it for 29.97 on amazon.com)! It is a must have if you are planning to run a 5th edition campaign!

Later Nerds!