Sunday, January 25, 2009

Deluge Review : Unthrottled Download

After being bored of using the slow downloads(5KB and below) using utorrent, I decided to check out another torrent client. After surfing the web for a while, I discovered Deluge, a torrent client originally developed for Linux, Mac OS and now ported to Windows.

1st thing 1st, throttle download is quite popular among Malaysia as our main ISP, TM Net, likes to control our bandwidth to make way for other users. They emphasize quantity over quality and now I can't wait till I change to another ISP in near future. What special in Deluge is that their download is unthrottled (or so I've heard), unlike utorrent. So you can download very fast using Deluge compared to utorrent.

The Deluge file size is 27MB and installation size is 100MB, which is a very LARGE difference between utorrent (less than 1MB for both). And the RAM it takes to run is around 60MB, compared to utorrent of only 8MB. AND it also LAGS when using the interface, such as changing the settings, opening the folder from the torrent list. But in the end, the download speed is FAST compared to utorrent, 30KB to 5KB of utorrent.

The Deluge have a Daemon port which I have no idea how to use it, and also you can specify when to seed using the seed ratio requirement. The GUI of Deluge looks very Gnome-ish (Linux users will know what this is), which looks very refreshing to me who always facing the Windows XP look.

To add a torrent file, you can't just double-click it. You have to click the "+" then find out where the torrent is to add it. At least it's faster when you have to add many torrent at once.

In the end, Deluge appeal to me because of the looks and most importantly, the speed! For those who have many space to spare, you should try out this torrent client.

How's your experience using this client? Does it offer better speed compared to other client? Kindly leave your comments here.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Savage 2 Review : DotA in FPS


First and foremost, I hate DotA (Defense of the Ancients). You can't jump, you can't run and you can only use mouse to direct your movement, and that is not COOL. I like FPS (First Person Shooter) games, it gives you the feeling of being inside the game, which is more Exciting! And here I present Savage 2 : A Tortured Soul, a free FPS and RTS (Real-Time Strategy)combined MMO game.

Story
2 factions fighting against each other. Legion of Man vs Beast Horde. Humans don't like Beasts, Beasts don't like Humans. That's it. If you really want to read about the story, click here.

Gameplay
You play as Legion of Man (LoM) or Beast Horde (BH) with a maximum of 64 players on a map, though finding a 32 players' map is a hard task. LoM's units mainly use melee weapons such as hammer, axes and swords, ranged weapons such as guns, crossbow and other projectile weapons that consumes ammo. BH use their own claw to deal melee damage and employ magic as their ranged attack that consumes mana.

Most normal units are free, but more powerful unit such as Legionaire(LoM) or Predator(BH) costs golds to use it. You can play as building destroyer units too (needs golds), such as Steambuchet and Battering Ram for LoM, Tempest and Behemoth (LotR Troll rip-off) for the BH faction.

Gold is the only resource in the game. You can earn it by killing NPC creeps, enemy units or build Steam Mine (LoM) or Mine Grove (BH) on a gold mine.

You can play as commander or on-the-ground units. As a commander, your job is to build and help your units whenever possible. You get the top-down view, just like a RTS game. You can't swith off to play as ground units. You get special powers such as armor enhancement or heal to help your units and armor reduction or drain life to deteriorate enemy units. Use those ability whenever you can as they can really turn the tides.

As the on-the-ground units, you can be a healer, a melee attacker, stealth unit or siege unit. Your objective is to destroy other factions Stronghold(LoM) or Lair(BH). That's all. Easy? In your dreams. You have to get past the enemy factions Defence Tower and their units too. You can split into different squads with an officer. The officer have a special ability to create a spawn point. Most important thing as ground unit, STICK TOGETHER! Going ramboo and you are sure to be killed. If your commander suddenly disconnected or maybe flee, you can assume the mantle of commander when you respawn.
You will level up each time you gain enough experience, up to maximum of level 15. Each level you get 4 points to split into 4 attribute : endurance (increase hp, hp regeneration), intelligence (increase mana, mana regenaration), agility (increase stamina, stamina regeneration) and strength (increase melee attack).

Constructing specific building gives you access to other units, abilities or items. As a ground unit, you can buy armor or potions to aid you in battle.

You also get the chance to become Hellbourne unit, which is far more powerful that any unit in both factions. To become 1, you have to kill a certain amount of enemy unit and build a Hellshrine on a Scar. Once you become Hellbourne, your faction will almost certainly win the battle. Be warned though, healer units from both factions can deal a lot of damage to Hellbourne.

You can upgrade you account to Prime account for USD 9.99 (1-time charge). Having a Prime account allows you to have extra 2 inventory slots, play as Hellbourne for unlimited times (regular accounts can only play once per map), view your stats online and download every game replays.

Graphics and Sound
The graphic quality is simply beautiful. You can clearly see the details of the building, and the building will catch fire when it's health is getting low. And explosion from buildings shakes the screen, giving you some realism.

The music sounds to me like orchestra from medieval time. Every gun have their own shooting sound and melee weapon swinging sound. You can make the voice chat produce sound from Arnold Schwarzenegger (though I don't know how) such as "Get Your Mother Here."

Conclusion
This game is really addictive. You can get lost in it for hours and still don't want to quit! By the way, this game is playable on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platform. Yes, you read it right, LINUX! A good quality game for the free OS. It didn't lag even though there's like 32 on a map. The problem is that there aren't many players on the server, around 160++ player every time I login to play, maximum being 240++.
Overall, this game deserves a 9 out of 10 for being fun, addictive, free, combining many elements and being Linux platform compatible.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Increase Your Blog's Backlink


Does Anyone want to increase their number of backlinks on Technorati? If so, then join the movement on MoneyBush™ and watch your blog grow with us.
Here are the Rules:
  1. Copy the official list below into a blog post of yours.
  2. Add your link to the bottom of the list.
  3. Comment HERE so that we can update the list with your link.
  4. Watch the backlinks to your blog increase dramatically via Technorati.
  5. The sooner you join, the more backlinks you will recieve.
*–Copy Here - Technorati Authority–*
  1. Make Money Online | Money Blogging Tips
  2. Find Torrent Search Engine
  3. Indo Contest
  4. Mga Kwentong Ma Alamat
  5. Contest Love
  6. It Blood
  7. I Heart Contest
  8. Nurse Jen Doll
  9. Your Web and Graphics Design
  10. My Blog Contest
  11. Prize King Contest Blog
  12. Computer Collections
  13. Medan Blogger
  14. Eiffel Tower
  15. Programming the Life
  16. John Doro Dot Com
  17. Paco Contest
  18. Couch Surfing Host
  19. Erick's Blog
  20. My Life 4 Hire
  21. The Spirit of Blogging
  22. EmTNester
  23. Amori, poesi, arte, chat
  24. Great Wall of China
  25. The Painted Veil
  26. FeeFiFoto Blog
  27. I am Harriet
  28. Phoenix2Life
  29. Anurag Bhateja
  30. Online Treasure
  31. Gorilla Sushi
  32. London Eater
  33. News n' Tech Palace
  34. Sherry Rambling
  35. Blogging Tips and Tools
  36. Selbst Management
  37. Skip Ratt
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See the original post where you can sign up at MoneyBush.blogspot.com

Don’t forget to promote this article via social networking and word of mouth.. It only means better results for yourself and everyone on the list.

*–End Copy - Get Pasting! –*

Sunday, January 11, 2009

AMD Phenom II Released

AMD Phenom II has been released and it's performance is more or less equivalent to the same price range of other Intel Core 2 Quads. However, it still can't beat the Core i7 cpu. AMD Phenom II employs 45nm manufacturing process (lower power consumption) and contains 6MB of L3 cache. 

AMD Phenom II currently available as Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition and Phenom II X4 920 (trying to copy the Core i7 940 & 920?) with price of 275 USD and 235 USD respectively.

More reviews here:

What do you guys and girls think about this processor? Will it be able to take a small chunk of Intel controlled market or more than that? Will it prove more worth than Intel Core 2 Quads systems? Leave your comments then~

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

January 2009 PC Configuration Guide

This year started off with a not so good economy in hand, and every 1 trying to cut costs in every way, including their PC configuration. The recent shut down of Western Digital hard drive factory in Sarawak (or Sabah?) cost many people their jobs, and I feel sorry for them. But feelings aside, here's this month's pc guide.
  • 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 or 1680*1050 resolution with medium to high settings.
  • 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 or 1920*1080 with medium to high settings
And here's the pc guide for 2k pc (Most items are based on C-zone pricelist as of 3/1/09):
  • CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 215
  • RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 120
  • Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 220
  • Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB SATA2 16MB Cache - RM 155
  • GPU: Palit 9800GT 512MB - RM 430
  • Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 75
  • Monitor: Benq 18.5" G900HD - RM 389
  • Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
  • PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 160
  • Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
  • Speaker: Logitech R5 2.0 - RM 49
Total : RM 2027
Note 1 : Since the Forsa 9800gt disappear from the price list, therefore I choose the Palit 9800gt. There are not much changes compared to last month's 2k pc guide.

And here's 3k pc guide:
  • CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9650 2.3GHz - RM 500
  • RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM120
  • HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 220
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H - RM 315
  • Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM530
  • Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM75
  • Monitor: Benq 22" LCD (T221W) - RM 545
  • Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
  • PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
  • Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
  • Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
Total : RM 2889
Note 2 : Not much changes compared to last month's pc guide. Except being cheaper.

It's quite a boring thing as there are no changes. I guess we will just have to wait till the Phenom II's release to shake things up a bit.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Does Laptop Brand Really Matters?


Recently a friend of mine ask me which laptop should he buy for budget of RM 3.5K with priority on gaming. I browse through a number of laptops and found out that Benq Joybook S42 offers the best specifications for it's price. But my friend tells me that he doesn't like the brand and prefer other more known brands such as Asus, Dell or HP Compaq.

Consider this, Benq Joybook S42 (RM 3499):
  • Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz)
  • 2GB RAM
  • 320 GB HDD
  • Nvidia Geforce 9600 GT 256MB
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • 2.35kg
And Dell Studio 14 (RM 3599):
  • Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz)
  • 2GB RAM
  • 250GB HDD
  • Intel GMA X3100
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • 2.4kg
Both have the same screen size (14.1 inches), Wifi, Bluetooth, DvD-Drive and 1 Year international warranty. I think most will buy the Dell because it's more well-known!

What do you guys think then? Having almost the same price but with better specs, will brand name affect the choice of your laptop?