Deals and Sales: Giveaway and Sale at GOG: Toonstruck for FREE - One Day Only! [Sales]

Did you know that Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) was in a videogame?

It was called Toonstruck (1996) and it is an animated Adventure Game, in the vein of Day Of The Tentacle (2016 Remake, 1993) and it is being given away Totally Free at GOG.com right now, during their Summer Sale Festival - all you have to do is go there and Sign In - that's it!

Other games seen On Sale at GOG are:

• The Witcher 3 : $20
• Fallout 3, Game Of The Year Edition: $10
• Grim Dawn: $10
• No Man's Sky : $30
• Vampyr : $25
• Baldur's Gate II, Enhanced Edition: $6
• Heroes Of Might And Magic III, Complete :$4
• Diablo 1, with Hellfire Expansion: $10
• Warcraft 1 and 2, Bundle : $16

If you live in the USA, these are Canadian Prices, so they will all be even a bit less!

Remember, GOG Games are DRM-Free, meaning you can play them anytime and install as many copies as you have systems in your household. The Blog here has over 100 Games and I plan on writing Reviews of them over time in the future...

Although this is not really a "deals blog", I do like to mention Sales when I see them sometimes; so I should quickly mention that HumbleBundle is also having a Sale, it's their City Builder Weekend Sale, with games like Planet Coaster, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Tropico and other Sim-Building Games on Sale.

So go and check out the Sales and get Toonstruck for FREE, now! GOGOGO


[Note: I am not affiliated or partnered with Good Old Games (gog.com) in any form, and have not, and will not, receive any compensation for writing about them here (it can be seen that there are no Affiliate Links being used in any of the Hyperlinks above). I am merely an enthusiastic gamer, who likes to help out others with tips and information, when I can.]

And More: How To 'Browse' Steam Screenshot Folders with PaintShop Pro [Fix / Tutorial with Steps]

After playing around with both Steam and PaintShop Pro recently, I have found a 'Fix' for an issue where PaintShop Pro was not able to see any Screenshots in the Steam-created Screenshot Folders, when trying to "Browse" within PaintShop Pro... Here is what it looks like in PaintShop Pro when trying to "Browse" to a Steam Screenshot Folder within the graphic editing application itself:

As seen above, the Browsing utility in PaintShop Pro says "No Files Found" [circled in Red] - but obviously there are files/images in the folder, as opening the same folder with Windows Explorer just below it (Windows 10) shows there are tons [I take way too many Screenshots, heh]. 

I examined the Properties of the Screenshots generated by Steam, but they are nothing out-of-the-ordinary, they are typical .JPG (JPEG format) image files. 

PaintShop Pro is able to "Browse" other folders I have with Screenshots, so perhaps it had something to do with Permissions [was my thinking]...

I ran PaintShop Pro as Administrator, but it seemed to make no difference. 

I then examined the Preferences of PaintShop Pro. I have been in there before, to change some of the behaviour of the editing program, namely Caching and Colour Correction/Import and Precise Cursors [I really prefer the Precise Cursors, I Recommend using them!]

In PaintShop Pro's Preferences, I found there are some Exclusions that were already in the program [built-in, on install] that, while helpful, interfered with where Steam keeps game Screenshots by Default.

These Exclusions, in PaintShop Pro, are located in:

File > Preferences > General Program Preferences 

In the Manage category, Excluded Items section, there is a button for Uncataloged Folders.

[These folders are not utilized by PaintShop Pro, and while I'm not sure why, I assume it is because they are large System Folders and may result in duplicates or 'garbage' images being read, which would take up time and excessive space for Thumbnails]

In these "Uncataloged Folders", I found a listing of
C:\Program Files
and Steam itself is installed (by Default, in Windows) to
C:\Program Files (x86)

It appears that PaintShop Pro thinks that "Program Files (x86)" is part of, or is, "Program Files" [due to the space in the former] - so it excludes that folder from use; thus, it is not possible to Browse those folders with PaintShop Pro [was my thinking].

Removing the "C:\Program Files" from the Uncataloged Folders, I tried to open a game's Screenshots Folder (unchanged, where Steam normally keeps them by Default) with BROWSE in Paintshop Pro...

It worked! 😁

That was it then - it appears removing that Folder (C:\Program Files) from the Uncataloged Folders category, is all that needs to be done and Paintshop Pro can then Browse and Catalogue [create Thumbnails for] those Folders.

In the image I created just below, there is an open Steam Screenshots Folder in the background, showing that Steam's Screenshot Folders indeed now work with PaintShop Pro.

Here is a large collage/screenshot showing what I found and how to change it [It looks a little busy/crazy - so I will explain it just underneath, heh]:

In the 'Tutorial' image above, I have indicated the following areas below on how to 'fix' this issue with PaintShop Pro:

» The Large 'Green Arrow' shows that I have a Steam Screenshot Folder open in the Browse/Manage are of PaintShop Pro [It now works! There are Screenshots seen in the background middle workspace] 

» The Smaller 'Yellow Arrows' are indicating the 'trouble folders' of "Program Files" and "Program Files (x86)" that PaintShop Pro seems to have issue with [These folders, generated automatically by Windows, hold most Programs and installed Applications. The 'x86' Folder is generally used for backwards-compatibility with older (32-bit) Programs] 

» The Red 'Roman Numerals' (I., II., etc.) indicate the Steps To Take to navigate to the "C:\Program Files" listing in the "Uncategorized Folders" section of the Excluded Items in PaintShop Pro 

» The Red 'Information Icon' is simply the Panel that must be opened, using these Steps, to see/edit the Folders to be discluded from the "Browse" capability of PaintShop Pro

Here are the Tutorial Steps, in order, to remove this Exclusion and allow PaintShop Pro to Browse/Manage Steam Screenshot Folders and Images:

1. Click on "File"
2. Select "Preferences"
3. Go into "General Program Preferences "
4. Click on the "Manage" section on the left of the Preferences panel that comes up
5. In the "Excluded Items" section on the right, click on the button for "Uncataloged Folders"
6. In the "Uncataloged Folders" panel, select the "C:\Program Files" listing and click on the Delete button
7. Click Ok, above the Cancel button
8. Click Ok, to close the Preferences Panel
9. You are now back at the main PaintShop Pro interface

That's it!

Hopefully this finding can help others that want to use Paintshop Pro with Steam Screenshots, now easily Browsing them all (with Thumbnails being Cached for faster access/listing) with PaintShop Pro.


Hope That Helps!

~ Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog



[Note: I am not affiliated with Corel or Steam/Valve, and have not, and will not, receive any compensation in any form, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic gamer who utilizes their products, and likes to share helpful information for others when I can]

Merry Christmas - And Happy New Year, from The Game Tips And More Blog [Wallpaper Greetings]

I just wanted to take a moment to say, no matter what you are celebrating at this time of year (or not), no matter what games you are playing (or not), no matter what you believe or who you are (or aren't), I want to wish you, my dear reader, a heartfelt Merry Christmas and All The Best in the New Year.

To celebrate at this time, I am going to share a Desktop Wallpaper I threw together last year [due to ongoing illness, not having much energy at the moment to create a new one, sorry]. It was captured in Planet Coaster, after taking some time to festively decorate King Coaster's 'Festive Funlands' Park (Gingerbread Night Scene with added Lights, Decorations and Greetings). Take care all - and See You In The New Year!

Sincerely,

Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog


~ P.S.
Don't forget to check out some Game Sales going on all over (Steam, Origin, Good Old Games (GOG), HumbleBundle, and more - even local stores/retailers - gaming is a great little break from any stresses at this time of year)! Have fun out there!

The 2018 Extra Life 24-Hour Gaming Marathon, In Support of The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals [Post Updated All Weekend, Extended Due To Illness]

It's that time again - time to try to play some games for a cause! In my case, due to being disabled by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (an infection of the brain and spine causing Chronic Fatigue and body pain), I cannot play for 24 Hours 'straight' - therefore I play as much as I can through the weekend, totally up my Hours overall, playing through Saturday and Sunday - but playing as much as I really can - after all, it's a Marathon! As always, I will be playing for the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation (part of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals), not only because I was born and raised in the province of Alberta, Canada; but also because I was treated at these hospitals when I was an infant... so this Foundation, and the children they help, are close to my heart.

Every year seems to 'spring up' on me, heh. I've had to go to the Doctor a few times lately, eventually getting assigned my own Cardiologist, after they found an arrhythmia ('non-regular heartbeat') and some damaged heart muscle that "doesn't seem to be moving right" (it's being investigated)... I've been more tired [than 'my normal'] - but am still fighting and trying to help others, all along the way - perhaps it's because I have my own personal illnesses, that playing for this charity every year is special to me, and it's something I have tried to do every year since I heard of Extra Life and joined it, back in 2015.

If you would like to Donate to the Marathon - all proceeds going towards The Children's Hospital Foundation - you can Pledge/Donate directly to the Extra Life charity via Link just below:

https://www.extra-life.org/participant/340932

And whether you pledge anything or not, feel free to just return to this posting for gameplay time Updates, Screenshots, some Video Clips from the weekend - and more!


As has occurred in past years - and stated above - I do not have the ability/energy to set up and maintain a constant Stream of some sort (through Twitch, YouTube and other streaming services); but what I do, is I share some details and Screenshots (and Videos if I can) of what I am able to play over the Weekend, in this post, right here at The Blog - an ongoing and updated post - one that I will be adding to as the weekend progresses (including Sunday Night, with a Grand Gameplay Total Of Hours Played), right here! Follow Along, checking back once in a while - and maybe See You In The Game!

This clickable image will take you to https://www.extra-life.org/ - the main Extra Life
Marathon Homepage of the Charity that I am playing for All Weekend

Update, Saturday 10:30 AM MST: Beginning The Marathon, with the initial post above and gathering snacks and drinks to start Playing For The Kids™!


Update, Saturday 1:00 PM MST: Started out with some Minecraft - oh, and as always, all Weekend I will play all games as "Just One Life" - that is, I will not be able to continue if I 'die' in any of the games I play [Lobby/Arena games exempt; for example League Of Legends, Heroes Of The Storm, Team Fortress 2, and similar games where it is based on 'maps/areas' instead of 'lives'].

I was happy to see that I started in a Forest Biome - which usually has lots of Trees and easier-to-collect Seeds (via the little tufts of Grass around). I even saw a few Animals, but they were in 'singles' so I didn't try to Eat any (yet); I usually wait until I bump into 2+ of any Animal, so I can Breed them later on.

I quickly got to work on a Garden [pictured above] so I can have some incoming Food. It didn't take long, but I had to stop playing for the moment. I also realize that I didn't start it in Hardcore Mode, haha - well, I will still only play my 'Just One Life' mode - and I'll start a Hardcore Mode later on this Marathon Weekend!

Total Gameplay Time: ~ 1.0 hrs

Update, Saturday 4:30 PM MST: Played some Rollercoaster Tycoon World - a game that was lamented and lashed when it was released, heh. Personally, I find it enjoyable, even though it seems more simplified, compared to earlier renditions of the series (my personal favourite being Rollercoaster Tycoon 3). That doesn't mean it is 'easier' mind you, as I have already run out of Money in the Story Mode level "Crash Course"...

Above, after doing the Tutorials for the Level, I laid out a nice, large Wooden Coaster; giving riders a bit of a 'tour' of the Park - but it tells me I do not have enough money to Open the Coaster! lol
I wish it would have told me as I went along, although I suppose this lets people 'build' what they want as they go and not be 'constantly interrupted' by the game. At least I managed to start up a little 'eatery' area (known as a "Food Court" in the area I live in, in Canada, eh) where my Peeps are seen gettin' Hungry and gettin' fed... [below]

I haven't played the game long enough to decide whether I 'love' it yet - I plan on writing a Review of it after putting many more Hours in... So far, I put in a couple more!

Total Gameplay Time: ~ 3.0 hrs

Update, Saturday 8:00 PM MST: Played some Friday The 13th, recently acquired during a Halloween Sale [although I felt a little odd, playing a scary/gore-y game for a Children's Marathon lol, so I might not play that type of game again during this].

The game isn't too complicated and kind of neat, seeing things from the actual movies (Licensed, currently in some kind of dispute, even). I was never 'into' Horror movies, I prefer just 'suspenseful' ones, or 'thrillers' maybe.

Anyway, I played a while, learning the ropes and either being the Big Scary Guy himself, or trying to help the Camp Counsellors escape from the Big Scary Bad Guy as he was...chasing them. It is pretty fun actually, running around trying to find items that will help you, as the Thunder and Lightning booms and the rain pours down around you. It's constantly Nighttime and the scary music that plays just makes everything together, well, pretty scary.

It is not a bad looking game too, if you can turn things up a bit. I mean, take a look at this 'scary looking house' below - isn't that scary just to look at..? I'm totally going to have nightmares, aren't I..?

Total Gameplay Time: ~ 5.0 hrs

Update, Saturday 10:30 PM MST: Played some more Rollercoaster Tycoon World, choosing to switch to Sandbox Mode, after running out of money repeatedly (yet not being able to take out a loan??) on a Story Mode Level - I'm not a quitter, I'll return to it later! heh

I created a long, flourishing Flying Coaster, with multiple hills, banks and even overturns - apparently though, this causes the Nausea Rating to go too high - so I tamed it down a bit and took out some banks and the multiple rolls. I still had one, long, slowly-spinning roll-over in it after re-working it some though; and that apparently kept the Nausea too high (it was 'workable' and Passed, but it was 9+ and I feared that noone would ride it, so I plan to keep whittling it down more, then Open it later on).

Below, is a small collage of some Screenshots of the roll-overs, some of the Ratings I went through so far; and interestingly, I have never 'zoomed in' on a Store before (Information Booth), so here's what I saw, as well, just in case you may not have ever done the same. Time for a break, but I might play more yet tonight - after all, it's a Marathon! Woot!

Total Gameplay Time: ~ 7.0 hrs

Update, Sunday 10:00 PM MST: Unfortunately, I woke up today with a Fever and am very sore all over... I have been sleeping off an on all day and have not had a chance to play any games yet today (Sunday). I plan on trying to consider tomorrow to be 'Sunday' and play games tomorrow, to try build up to 24 Hours, for the Gaming Marathon. I sincerely apologize to readers/followers of this Posting and I will continue tomorrow. Take care. ~Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog


Update, Friday, November 9th, 2:00 PM MST: Sadly, this entire Week was a Loss, as I was battling some sort of bug/sickness the entire time... Therefore, I would like to try Continue the Marathon THIS WEEKEND (Sat. Nov. 10th and Sun. Nov. 11th) - trying to 'gather up together' the entire 24 Hours of the Gaming Marathon! Please forgive me, my dear readers, as I continue what I started; playing as much as I can this weekend for the Extra  Life Gaming Marathon - hopefully seen in the spirit of the event and what it represents - pushing onward through personal illnesses, trying to not lose spirit or hope, through gaming; never giving up and staying filled with the positivity of looking towards the future... [wow that sounded good! lol]. Yes, I will try again, starting Saturday Morning; seeing if I can get up to the promised 24 Hours total - join me here again, if you wish, for little Updates and Screenshots and maybe even some Gameplay Clips, all Weekend!

Update, Saturday, November 10th, 11:59 PM MST: Sigh, again today I did not feel well enough to play very long at all. I tried to pop into Fortnite and played some Poker Night At The Inventory, but that's about it... Will try tomorrow

Update, Monday, November 19th, 5:00 PM MST: I played more, through the entire past Weekend! Slowly feeling better, even though I had a Dentist appointment, heh. Grand Total, Screenshots And More, to come...

Update, Friday, November 23rd, 6:00 PM MST: I apologize, I have not posted the Total Hours yet... I will try to get to this, this Weekend... However, as seen with the fact there is a Fallout 76 post; I did manage to play more and make it finally, to 24 Hours Total! Woot

[THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED CONSTANTLY, AS I CONTINUE TO PLAY 'IN MARATHON MODE', ALL WEEKEND]

Steam: Newest Update = How To Be In "Offline" Mode In The Friends List (Like It Used To Be) Is it Gone? [Notification, Tutorial]

Update 2018.08.01: Steam has recently been Updated to include "Do Not Disturb" and "Offline" settings, which coincides with many of the below concepts [as users have asked for them - wtg Valve!]. More details at the Official Steam News Posting, here.

For those using Steam (the gaming/client/launcher interface by Valve - creators of games like the Half-Life, Team Fortress 2 and DOTA 2), you may have had an update recently that made your Friends List appear without you asking it to - and where you seemed to be immediately ONLINE - a virtual version of waking up in a classroom with no clothes on [not ready for it, as in a bad dream..].

Within minutes, I saw a Discussion Thread in the Steam Forums asking how to "be in offline mode" - which is how it used to be; you could set in the Options/Settings, "Appear In Offline Mode" when starting the Friends portion of the Steam client [I was going to the forum to ask myself, as I have an illness that makes me tired easily, preventing me from chatting with friends as much as I would like - and I don't want to appear cold or ignoring of them, so I usually utilize any 'Offline Mode' options in Friends clients].

I looked around in the Settings and configuration of the new Friends List and quickly figured out how to make the Friends portion of the interface 'act' like it used to - that is, how to 'appear offline' to friends in the list, when running Steam [and not get gameplay interrupted with any notifications, that is found further below]. Here is all you have to do:

» Set to INVISIBLE (pull-down menu "v" next to name)

[Stays through Steam restart, when restarting your PC/Steam, it will start up in Invisible Mode]

[Tutorial GIF] Showing where and how to use the pull-down menu option in the new Friends List
in Steam to appear 'offline' (termed "Invisible" in the new Friends List version)

That's it!

Now you can still enjoy your games and 'not be forced to interact' with your Friends on your List [no matter what your personal reason(s) may be..]. HTH



Addendum I:
I wanted to add that although the terminology has changed, the functionality remains the same; that is, you can still 'hide' yourself from everyone and not see any messages or notifications, until you specifically want to, opening the Friends portion of the Steam Client, and looking at your Messages. Here, for example, is the Notification Settings to apply, if you do NOT want to be notified when Friends come Online or send you Messages - combined with the above "Invisible" setting, it will function exactly as before - you will be 'greyed out' on their end(s) and it will just show when you were "Last Online", and if they send you Messages, they will be kept on your end but nothing will pop-up/sound to let you know that the Message arrived:

Example of the settings for the Notifications, where with the settings above, you will not have anything interrupting you as you play (no sounds, no pop-ups, nothing). Together with setting yourself as "Invisible", it is functionally the same as "Offline Mode" before, in the older Steam Client. Access the Friends List Settings by clicking on the Gear icon in the main Friends List window (Click to see Full Size)

Addendum II:
Doing some further testing, I wanted to add that the Website/Browser functionality operates in the same manner as the stand-alone Steam client. That is, you can set yourself to "Invisible" and it will act as "Offline" did in the past (you will be 'greyed out' on your Friends' Lists). You have the same Notification options as the above example image as well (minus the Steam-Client-specific 'window flashing' buttons) - the interface even looks the same (colour and button/link locations), which is always good for user-friendliness...

Note: You will be set to "Online" the very first time that you open the Web/Browser version of the Friends List (eg. clicking on the Envelope>XunreadChatMessage at a Steam webpage) - but once you set yourself to "Invisible" in the Browser portion/window, it remains that way if you close the Friends window and open it up again. I even tested closing the browser (Chrome) entirely, waiting a while, then opening up a Steam website, then the browser-based Friends List - although I remained 'logged in', I was still 'Invisible' in the Friends List window/page when I restarted Chrome.





I want to say a quick Thank You to Steam/Valve for allowing those that don't wish to be Visible all the time [and/or those that have illnesses that prevent them from using this portion of the client well/properly/astheydesireto], to still remain "offline" to Friends - not all companies would maintain this level of user option/satisfaction.
I realize it is more difficult these days, as studies have shown that if customers/players can have multiple facets of interaction (text, chat, voice, etc) it 'solidifies' them as players/customers, maintaining them longer [than if there were not these channels of interaction]. This correlation is so pervasive, that Live Voice Chat seems to be 'making a comeback' from the abandoned, garbage-filled-alleyways of the 1990's, with Stand-Alone clients and chat-only options popping up recently [as of the time of this post].
Anyway, Thank You, Valve. Thank you for continuing to allow these options to your users/players.
~T

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Trippple! Edition [Updated 2018-06-30 with Answer Images]

Well, it's about the middle of the month - and that means it's time once again for something I got into again this year - The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-only-kinda' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' IXth - and 'Super Special Trippple! Screenshot Edition' - today, June 15th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this identification contest, is to contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article below, Twitter profile tweet, Email or make a Comment, here or at The Blog's Facebook Page, or Private Message TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess(es) for the game(s) the image(s) are from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer(s) submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from a selection at the Steam online store! And, in this Super Special Trippple! Edition, there are Three Chances for Three different Winners! One of them could be you!

One Correct Guess = One Gifted Game Win.

Winners are only allowed one 'win' this month, to allow for the possibility of Three different Winners.

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games in my Gift Inventory on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently; you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this very posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #5

...

This time around however, due to there being no winners for the past while: I will give out not only One but THREE Screenshots to guess! It's a TRIPPPLE! Super Special Screenshot Edition!
Even if you can guess only One of the games - you will win!

Are you ready? Here then, is not only One, but THREE 'Mystery' Screenshot images for this month, just below:

Trippple!

Trippple!

Trippple!

[As you can see, the images are portions of the original full screen captures - and while it isn't 'super easy', as it is just a small part of the screen - the image used for the contests will never be super hard, by being 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). The Images utilized are also always presented 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps. Click to see Full Size]

As usual for this Contest, after a week has gone by, if there is no correct guesses as to what games the Screenshots are from, I will still return here and put up 'Hint' images - that is, larger portions of the Screenshots - to assist in Game Recognition-ing-ness-ism... Remember, you only have to guess ONE of the THREE Screenshots above - it's a Super Special Trippple! Edition! [lol]

Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses yet... So, here are the HINT images (enlarged area portions of the CONTEST images for this month's Contest)!

Ready?

Here are the HINT images (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

Trippple!

Trippple!

[As you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small. Also, the Screenshot utilized is always presented as 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all. Click to see Full Size]

[Bonus Hint: Image 3 is not the game "World Of Warcraft"]

Can you guess what games the Screenshots are from yet? Pop into some games and look around and see if anything 'rings a bell' (that is not a hidden 'hint' heh)... At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshots and the Games they were from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It is the end of the Month and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here are the answers for all three Trippple! screenshots
in this special IXth Edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-06):

 Trippple!

Trippple!

The Answers for this month's Contest were: Hitman Absolution, Fallout 4 and Paladins!

[These Screenshots, other than the Fallout 4 image, were captured within the past year or so. For those playing Paladins, it is now out of Beta. The level/map in the Paladins screenshot is "Timber Mill". The Hitman Absolution screenshot was taken in the first/tutorial level "A Personal Contract". Click images to see Full Size]

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when there will be another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the "Xth" Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - where I will display/share two Screenshots - offering two different chances to Guess The Game and Win The Prize that is carried over to next time: a gifted game from a selection of the Steam Online Store!

See You In The Games!

[Note:After finalizing this Posting, I have been notified by my lawyer that there is a mobile application concerning dating that has the name/title "Trippple". For legal purposes, this Contest is sub-titled "Trippple!" (with exclamation mark) and is a separate legal entity than the aforementioned mobile application. It is also a "temporary construct", "for entertainment purposes", in light of the three (3) available screenshot/images available for this local contest. This blog, its authors, blogspot and any connected businesses or persons thereof, are not affiliated with the "Trippple" (no exclamation mark) company or application. The above is a Contest for entertainment purposes only, the identification of images shown, acting as the Skill Test for Official Contest Purposes and Laws. For further Legal Inquiries regarding this matter, contact "Editor-In-Chief" at gametipsandmore@gmail.com]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-06)

Battlefield 5 - Re-Cut and Audio Remastered Reveal Trailer, synced to "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash

Looking forward to BF5, I saw the ‘Reveal Trailer’ that was released and noticed no music in it. So - inspired by “The Dawn Of The Dead”’s Title Sequence (‘opening credits’), I thought Mr. Cash’s song would go great with this gameplay trailer as a Backing Track...

Because the original Reveal Trailer wasn’t a Montage but a Sequence Shot (‘one-shot long take’) [nicely done btw, imo] – I had to re-cut it and re-master the audio levels to blend with the added music track (and Effects I added). I also had to cut/edit down Mr. Cash’s classic song a bit, because there wasn’t enough footage to cover the entire length (for one section, I added a bit of some Early Alpha Screenshots and Concept Art released by EA). I also added a few extras to the audio, such as Environmental Audio Enhancements to some Explosions, and Tinnitus (‘ear ringing after an explosion’) at the close-up section.

In the end, I think both matched up not too bad; the emotion of the song and the chaos of the gameplay… so I thought I would share it here for you all – I hope you enjoy it. Looking forward to what Battlefield 5 might be – See You In The Game! 

~T 

.

.

. 

Source Video by EA/DICE, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb1MR... 

Source Music by Johnny Cash, one version here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfH... 

Edited and Remastered by Tesityr (Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog), in a combination of: 

CyberLink’s PowerDirector 

Sony’s Vegas Pro Edit (now by MAGIX) 

Corel’s PaintShop Pro 

Original Gameplay Material Copyright EA/Activision 

No Copyright Infringement Intended (Fan Creation Advertisement)



[Note1: If it looks kind of low-quality, it was a couple things: one, I used the very first Trailer footage that came out, which was 30fps and lower quality (now they have 60fps HQ Trailer available). Two, I accidentally re-compressed it twice while processing/editing. It was too much to start over, so here it is, sorry, heh.]


[Note2: I did not add advertisements to the video, but I got a warning that they will be added due to use of the song...]

Quick Tip: NVIDIA "Device Not Found" Issues Possibly Fixed In Latest Driver Update [Notification]

Recently, I have been running into an issue I hadn't seen since I last owned an NVIDIA videocard** - a "Device Not Found" error. Thankfully, this problem may be seen even less now, as a recent NVIDIA Video Driver Update, released just now, may fix this issue. If you have been running into a "Device Not Found" error, or the possibly-related "No DirectX 10 or 11 adapter or runtime found" error - with an NVIDIA GPU - grab the Driver Update and see if it makes a difference for you!



I've had a few of these occur the past while, although moreso the last time I owned an NVIDIA videocard**, this 'old issue' popping up again only recently, with GTAV (Grand Theft Auto 5: "No DirectX 10 or 11 adapter or runtime found") and off/on with Playclaw [doing some testing with it for a future 'comparison/shootout' of various game recording programs, I was running into "cannot start encoder for empty frame" and "device not found" errors]. To be fair, AMD GPU's also have similar issues [such as, one which states "The Device Has Restarted", usually after a game/screen 'freezing up' on your for a few seconds]. With NVIDIA releasing an Update today, that stated in the ChangeLog/PatchNotes that an issue of this type has now been 'fixed', hopefully we'll be seeing these errors even less:

The NVIDIA Driver Patch Notes, stating an issue has been fixed that may directly solve these problems.
Click to see Full Size

The actual 'fix' states that the "Driver may get removed after the PC has been left idle for an extended period of time". I say that this may be related to the issue(s) stated above, because I found that after leaving the system on all night, going to play a game the next day, I would often run into these issues/errors (moreso than if I had been continually using the system). These errors would pop up even if I had the GPU Power Saving settings on "High Performance" or "Always On" [I live in an apartment where electricity is included in the price of the rent, so I don't mind leaving the system on 'all night' to perform tasks (backups, video compression, etc)]. A simple Restart usually 'fixes' everything, no errors come up after that, no "Device Has Been Removed" or anything - that is, until I leave the system on 'all night' again... Then these types of errors show up, once I try to utilize the system in the morning. So, hopefully this latest Driver Update from NVIDIA solves, or at least reduces, these types of errors.

Example of one of the errors this Driver Update may possibly fix: "No DirectX 10 or 11 adapter or runtime found"
(Experienced with an NVIDIA GPU while trying to play/startup GTAV after not touching the PC for a long time, shown Full Size)

If you are running Windows 10 and an NVIDIA GPU, be sure to grab this latest Driver and see if it helps reduce their occurrence for you - I'll try to return to this post and let you know if it does/doesn't for me, too. GL!



[Note: I apologize, but I have misplaced/lost a few Example Screenshots of the errors stated herein. Ones showing the "Device Not Found/Ready" or "No DX3D Device Found" or "d3d11: failed to create device" and similar errors, all of which I have run into when trying to use the system after not interacting with it for a while, and took Screenshots of. I will continue to look for these as I can, and once I find them, I will add them into this posting.]




** Disclaimer and Personal Veracity Statement: Although I currently own an NVIDIA GPU, I have owned both AMD GPUs and NVIDIA GPUs in the past, and will do so in the future. I have no personal preference between the two, purchasing one or the other as Upgrades depending on my needs at the time and my financial limitations at the time I need to Upgrade. I have not, and will not, receive any compensation for mentioning either companies' products herein. I am merely an enthusiastic user (of both) and try to share helpful information about them, as I can.

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Is Late Arriving, But Here Now! [Updated 2018-04-30 with Answer Image]

Well, it's kinda-sorta-somewhere-around the middle of the month - and that means it's time once again for something I re-started doing this year - The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-only-kinda' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' Seventh Edition - 'coming in to work a little late today' - on April 18th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently; you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account (to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course)]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this very posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #5

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the first Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture - and while it isn't super easy, as it is just a small part of the screen - the image used for the contest will never be super hard, by being 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). The Image utilized is also always presented here 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all. Click to see Full Size]

Since there hasn't been a winner for some time - actually at all yet(!) - I'm choosing something 'easier' (that is, a game that is more popular than in recent contests..). Don't worry, it will still be mysterious (to stay fun), and after a week has gone by, if there is no correct guess as to what game the Screenshot is from, I will still return here and put up a 'Hint' image - that is, a larger portion of the Screenshot - to assist in Game Recognition-ism...

Good Luck, Gamers!

[Editor's Note: Sorry I am a couple days late, friends, I haven't been feeling well lately. Hopefully though, with this increased-popularity pick, someone will guess this well-known game correctly and we'll have a winner this Month! GL to you all - and take care. ~Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog]

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the CONTEST image for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small. Also, the Screenshot utilized is always presented as 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all]

At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It is the end of the Month and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for this Seventh Edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-04):

The Answer for this month's Contest was: Grand Theft Auto Five! (GTAV)
[Captured in January of 2017 ((after receiving the game as a Gift, Thanks DeSanta!)), this Screenshot was taken with an AMD FX-8350 and an AMD R9 280 GPU at the time, IIRC**. I usually try to play games at their Highest Settings (even if it means slightly choppy gameplay), just to enjoy how it looks; but many times I decrease Shadows, Lighting and Draw Distances (but not Graphic/Texture Details) to decrease the load on the CPU and increase gameplay smoothness. Here, I believe I was testing with only "High" settings throughout, at the time.]

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when you can have another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the Eighth Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - with a chance to win the Prize that is carried over to next time: a gifted game from a selection of the Steam Online Store!

See You In The Games!

[**Note (this is the same message for all Contest footnotes): I am not affiliated in any way or degree with Steam/Valve, NVIDIA or AMD, and I have not and will not receive any compensation of any kind, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic user of these companies' products/services. As for Hardware, I have utilized both AMD/NVIDIA's GPU products and will continue to use both in the future ((on a personal note, I find I usually am 'stairstepping' with their GPUs, purchasing from one manufacturer, then the next 'upgrade' purchasing from the other. I always Suggest to people who Ask; to get whichever has Features you like - and only what you can afford at the time (but check Reviews and Benchmarks as much as you can and get the 'fastest' you can afford at the time) - it will be outdated in 3 years or so anyway - so; Enjoy what you have and be Thankful because there are always people who have less!))]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-04)

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Solidifies Again Today! [Updated 2018-03-31 with Answer Image]

Well, it's Mid-Month, friends - and that means it's time once again for something I reconstituted-from-scratch just this year - The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-only-kinda' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' Sixth Edition this very day - March 15th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently; you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account (to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course)]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this very posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #5

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture - and while it isn't super easy, as it is just a small part of the screen - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). The Image utilized is also always presented here Unedited (other than Cropping and Logos added), if that helps at all]



After a week has gone by, if there is no correct guess as to what game the Screenshot is from, I will return here and put up a 'Hint' image - a larger portion of the Screenshot - to assist in Game Recognition-ness-ism...


Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the CONTEST image for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). Also, the Screenshot utilized is always presented as Unedited (other than Cropping and Logos added), if that helps at all]

At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It is the end of the Month and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for this Sixth Edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-03):

The Answer for this month's Contest was - Batman: Arkham City!
[Captured in June of 2016, this Screenshot was taken when I was playing either with an AMD 280 Series GPU, or an NVIDIA GTX 560, at the time**. The 280 was the 'upgrade' Xmas Gift from the GTX560, which served me faithfully for many years. IIRC, the GPU was paired with an AMD FX-4100, which overall gave me solid mid-range performance, able to run all games at Higher Than Medium But Not Highest Settings]
Click to see Full Size

[Editor's Message: Sorry I was a couple of days late with the Answer Image, friends. I was thinking 'the end of the month', instead of 'two weeks from the 15th' and it did not match up this month. I apologize for the discrepancy/wait/suspense.]

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when you can have another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the Seventh Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - with a chance to win the Prize that is carried over to next time: a gifted game from the Steam Online Store!

See You In The Games!

[**Note (this is the same message for all Contest footnotes): I am not affiliated in any way or degree with NVIDIA or AMD, and I have not and will not receive any compensation of any kind, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic user of both companies' products. I have utilized both and will continue to use both in the future ((on a personal note, I find I usually am 'stairstepping' with their GPUs, purchasing from one manufacturer, then the next 'upgrade' purchasing from the other. I always Suggest to people who Ask; to get whichever has Features you like - and only what you can afford at the time (but check Reviews and Benchmarks as much as you can and get the 'fastest' you can afford at the time) - it will be outdated in 3 years or so anyway - so; Enjoy what you have and be Thankful because there are always people who have less!))]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-03)