User:Pendragon

Another nameless denizen of the Internet...

Key points

Can fix your computer easily...

Probably won't...

Is far better than the decaffeinated brand...

DRM-Free

Has a blood caffeine level of 6.51...

Causes mosquitoes to become hyper and thirsty.

General information

Infinite Loop

Inane Babble

About Pendragon

Why Create a User Page?

Primarily because I'm bored, also because I want to explain how and why I try to fix games.

Gaming History

As a kid in the 80's I grew up around Pac-Man arcade games and things of that sort. There was a mystical fascination toward video gaming back then, even though my family was dubious of it. My first home game system was an Atari 7800 and one of the first games I owned was ET (yes, that one, and it isn't as bad as people say. I had a lot of fun with it). Eventually I got an NES, and it was like a whole other world (or 8, when you finally find the princess). I flirted with PC gaming in the early 90's, although my computer was not able to run games (except Letter Invaders which came with Typing Tutor, which I wasted too much time on). In the mid 90's, I finally got a decent computer, and plunged carefully into the world of computer games. I went through different gaming phases, always trying out different things, spending a lot of time catching up on old classics I had missed in the 90's. For awhile I was an avid online gamer, involved in gaming clans and groups (you don't hear the term clan much anymore). Today I am pretty much a solo gamer, addicted to Civilization IV...

Fixing Games

When it comes to software, I have a tenacity to me that refuses to let the software get away with malfunctioning. I've always been like that, I remember playing NES games and looking for glitches and exploits. With PC gaming, it's a whole other situation...the games rarely work properly due to all the different types of computers out there. There's always something weird going on. So it's become almost a hobby to try to fix all these glitches I run across. Usually when I find a fix for something, it's because I ran into a problem with a game that frustrated me, and in fixing that problem, I discovered a number of other issues either by witnessing them or reading about them. And that lead me here...

Fixing Methods

Sources

In some cases I use my own ideas and experience to come up with fixes. Most of the time I scour the Internet and see what I can find out about problems. In many cases I try to replicate the error. At the end of the day, I can't tell you where all the information came from because there's so many sources, but I like to give credit where I can. The nice thing about this site is it's just a database of known fixes.

Versions and Patches

I have started adding Version and Patch information on some of the pages. This is not going to be a massive effort on my part, but if I see a place where this is necessary, I will add it. The reason is that there are many versions of computer games out there, and when trying to fix a game, it becomes an issue. A fix might work on one version that doesn't on another, or a new version might add bugs to a game. Sometimes just change versions resolves the bugs. And the frustrating thing is that most casual users (the people I end up fixing things for) don't keep track of what version of the game they have. So a simple list of different releases/expansions and patches helps with that. I also like to keep information on the most recent patch, because a lot of the time installing that will fix the problems.

The Universal Fixing Method

One of the first things I had to figure out with PC gaming is how to do the basic fixing. There is a series of steps everyone should take if they encounter serious game errors, regardless of the game. Sometimes many game errors in multiple games can be fixed or avoided with these steps.

Instructions

Things I will not post

Sometimes I will know about a bug and won't mention it. There's a few reasons. For instance, if the problem is corrected by a game patch, there is no reason to mention it, because it is already fixed. Sometimes people claim a game is bugged but it's actually a simple problem caused by something the user did. Generally, if the "Universal Fixing Method" fixes the problem, I won't bother mentioning it, unless it is a significant bug. If I can verify that the bug exists, I can't guarantee that it isn't a problem with the person's hardware causing the issue, so I try to verify anything I post.

Edit: It's been a little while since I wrote this, and while I still consider the principle true, I have found reason to post things that do not fit this criteria. Some fixes/bugs are hard to verify or replicate. I still try to research as much as I can. I still recommend that "Universal Fixing Method", especially in Civ V...it would save so many headaches, because it by itself fixes most of the problems. There is such a demand for game fixes, though, that it is necessary to list even easily resolved ones. Working on the Civ V page has changed my perspective a bit. I do think I need to come back and see this statement again, to stay grounded though.

Major Contributions

I contribute to several pages here on PCGW, but predominantly I maintain the Civilization V page. So a quick overview...

Pages I Have Created

Majesty

Civilization III

Europa Universalis III (even though I don't remember doing so)

The X-Files

Pages I Have Expanded

Civilization V

The Sims (I need to redo these with the new formatting)

The Sims 2

Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Plants vs. Zombies

Warcraft III

Build A PC

Gaming

Favorite Games

I am a fan of simulation games and strategy games. There also is a period of time in the late 90's where a bunch of classic games came out that have become my all time favorites. A few of my favorites:

1. Civilization II
2. Alpha Centauri
3. Civilization IV
4. StarCraft
5. Final Fantasy VII
6. Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
7. Portal 2
8. Lords of The Realm II
9. Star Wars: Battlefront II

I am sure I am forgetting some good ones. Those are off the top of my head.

Since writing this part, I've been playing several other games. These are some more recent games I've enjoyed:

1. Civilization V: Gods and Kings
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolutions
3. Borderlands
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum
5. Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
6. Psychonauts

I don't know if these will end up as all-time favorites later on (Civ V certainly will).

Groups

I have been affiliated with a number of groups in different games over the years. The longest affiliation was with TFF, a Jedi Knight clan, and I am still in touch with those people. Another memorable involvement was in Lord of The Rings Online as a member of Bad Company. I've had others, but they were transient. At one time I was one of the leaders of a multi-gaming group known as Riders of The Night.

Cheating and Piracy

Cheating

I sometimes use cheats and editors in games, there is nothing wrong with this in some cases. I personally feel that misuse of utilities or cheats detracts from the game, especially in multiplayer. There is a strong difference between cheating and modding...modding allows all players access to the new content, typically requiring all players to use the modified files. Cheating uses modification of the game for a single person, allowing them to do things other people cannot. I am strongly against this practice, because I've watched it ruin games as predators go in, destroy a game, and leave.

Reasonable cheating includes:

• Single player cheat codes
• Mods
• Some exploits may be acceptable, depending on the exploit and the effect on the game.
• Save editors and trainers.

Unreasonable cheating is:

• Hacking games.
• Lag/FPS tampering.
• Quitting online games before losing.
• Item or gold duping.
• Gold selling
• Game breaking exploits.

Gray areas include:

• Hex Editing

Piracy Stance

While piracy is and has been popular within the gaming community, it is my personal stance that I will not contribute to the sharing or discussion of illegally obtained software. This includes abandonware (even if it is a good concept). There are just too many legal issues with this, and I have moral issues with this. So I will not discuss the following here:

• Cracks
• Keygens
• Unauthorized torrents
• Private servers
• Fan remakes (I will consider these on a case-by-case basis...)
• DRM circumvention
• DLC unlocking or distribution (outside of legal channels)
• Custom game distributions made without developers consent.
• Unlocking or sharing of games outside of intended regions.

There are certain circumstances where a legal alternative to these may exist (Civ IV: Beyond The Sword patch 3.19, The Sims 2 Store Edition, etc). I have no problem discussing these. I may or may not remove piracy links from a page (I consider that up to the moderators, not me), but I will not add contributions to a page containing piracy information until the piracy instructions are removed.