Private servers run either emulated or re-engineered versions of a game's server side software. This allows nearly anyone with sufficient technological skill to run their own virtual world and community. Admins can change nearly any aspect of the game, including XP rates and Loot drop frequencies. Servers usually run a specific patch version of the game, requiring clients to patch to that specific version.
You either love them or you view them as the gaming equivilent of a unibrow. It's true that many gamers hate private servers, seeing them as cheap and robbing legit servers of community members.
When working on computers there are programs that I use all the time, and having them handy on a flash drive can save a tech some serious headaches. Just for fun I decided to make a list of my favorite programs that I like to carry around with me.
AVG Antivirus - gets the job done, a little annoying when it updates
Feeling like youtube is too overcrowded with folks that are more interested in shock and fluff than in actual content? You may want to check out Vimeo. If you are feeling constrained by youtubes poor video quality or are looking for a place to show off your HD films Vimeo is a great place to get your media out there. With free signups and 500 megs per week of video storage it allows you to show off your films in a quality, high bandwidth format that most free media servers can't match.
More than being an online video server, Vimeo is a community where you can share ideas with other artists and directors. Taking a quick dip into the staff pick section will give you a great cros section of the amazing amount of content that is provided by the server. This is a must for any up and coming directors looking to present their media in a community of like minded free thinkers. One of the biggest problems with youtube is the unbearable amount of trolls commenting and disrupting any chance that a piece can get any decent critisism. While Vimeo is not immune to trolls, they are blessedly scarce.
So what are the drawbacks? Well, you get 500 megs a week that will reset once a week... a bit of maintenance is required to keep your media available. This does have the counter balance of clearing out the dead wood meadia and allows new films to gain recognition. While it would be nice to have a little more storage space, this is a free service and expecting gigs of static storage is a little unreasonable.
WTF is artifacting? It's those goofy pixel trails or blocks that appear on your screen while you are trying to frag opponents. There are multiple contributors to artifacting: over-overclocking, bad or old drivers/software or worst of all hardware malfunction. Any one of these factors can cause unwanted pixelation or the dreaded artifact.
So how do we deal with this issue? When fixing any hardware/software issue the best way to approach is to isolate the problem by eliminating all possible contributors to to the problem. Establish a list of all the things that can cause problems within your system and then attempt to fix them one by one. A possible list might look something like this:
Run a virus scan and then follow up with a spyware/adware scan
If you are overclocking, stop for a little while and shut it down
Check to make sure all you drivers and windows updates are up to snuff
Think about whether or not another piece of hardware could be contributing to you problem (drivers too)
Try some other games or software and see if you are experiencing the same problems
If you have another video card try swapping it out with another
Hit up your friends for ideas, remember you might be overlooking something really simple
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth
After all that, mebbe you need to get a new video card, don't think of it as a problem... but an opportunity to upgrade!
I admit that I fell in love with the SWG world. Growing up and watching Luke grow from a whiney voice breaking whelp of a dirt farmer to a master pilot and jedi knight lent a certain amount of romance to the star wars world. And when we all started playing it was simple, you fight when you have to, and find a way to make your living in the universe. It seemed like a great sci-fi scenario for any player to walk into. And then it all went horribly wrong, NGE came out and took an amazingly dynamic game and reduced it to a sub WOW simplistic system in order to draw in a younger gaming audience. I can admit honestly that the game was in need of some serious new content and a bit of revamping but ultimately the game that subscribers came to love died.
If you are thinking of picking up the game don't bother, most of the servers are barren wastelands without any other players to enjoy all the new content with. I suppose if you are a solo player the game will have something to offer you with the combination of land based and space play, but solo play isn't why most people pick up an MMO. The game has plenty of content to offer new players, but if you are planning on joining up PLEASE pick a server with a decent population. The biggest problem facing the game right now is a lack of subscriber base, which is leading to vast expanses of gaming world that are largely empty save for NPC's.
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