Hey guys!

Any tech wizards out there who can help me with a little issue I'm having? My CD/DVD drive has recently been KO'd since I updated to Win7 Service Pack 1. It recognises that the device is there but says that the digital signature is not recognised and therefore will not work. It's a Samsung TS-H653R SCSI CDDVDW device working in an HP Slimline s5615uk computer running Win7 64-bit now on SP1. I've tried the regulars:

Updating drivers, renewing firmware, disabling and re-enabling, uninstalling and reinstalling the device but the problem still persists.

Any ideas what I can do besides tearing it out and using it as a makeshift frisbee?

Hey Gang!

Here is the register of all the eligible candidates for the 2011 GOF Membership Awards. Credit goes to Malte279 for constructing this year's list (and there are quite a few!). All the members listed below have fulfilled the following criteria between the start of the year and when the voting process is due to begin; making them eligible to receive any of the announced awards:

1. Have a post count of at least 100 posts
2. Have actively posted on the GOF within the past 3 months
3. Have been a member of the GOF for at least 3 months

Please make sure you have read over ALL the rules for posting in the GOF 2011 Awards!

Colour coding system has now been put into effect. This will give an indication of your current voting status.
RED means that you have not begun to vote or have yet to cast any votes.
YELLOW means that either you have not cast enough votes to qualify for an award or there is an outstanding condition you have not met. These will be written as sidenotes next to your name explaining what you still have yet to do.
GREEN means you have completed your votes and are eligible for any awards you may have been nominated for.
GREY indicates miscellaneous conditions that will be explained in sidenotes next to your name.

Status will be updated regularly so don't panic if your status reads wrong immediately. I probably just haven't gotten around to checking over new votes but I promise you I'll update when I can and make sure status is kept accurate.

PLEASE NOTE: - If you wish to skip a vote for a specific category, PLEASE STATE THAT YOU ARE SKIPPING. I will not openly assume that just because you do not vote in a category that you are skipping it. Your status will remain YELLOW unless you specifically say "I am skipping this category". Make sure you let me know what categories you are skipping people! Post them in NEW POSTS in the VOTING PAGE! Remember, you need to cast at least 6 out of 7 votes to gain GREEN status with no more than 1 skip. Thanks in advance guys!

Here is the roster for this year's eligible candidates and current status:

Last Update: Monday 4th July 2011; 3.42am (Forum Standard Time)

2007excalibur2007
812558
action9000
Adder
Alex
Allicloud
Almaron
Animeboye
AnimeLover
AvestheForumFox
babidikrakenguard
Belmont2500
Blitz
brekclub85 - one vote skipped
buffypii
bushwacked
Campion1 - one vote skipped
Cancerian Tiger - one vote skipped
Caustizer - one vote skipped
ChaoticMistress
Chiletrek
Chomper
Chomper4
Clawandfang
Compy-Rex
Coyote_A
Cyberlizard
Daddytops2009
Dark Pterano
DarkHououmon
DarkWolf91
Dash The Longneck
Dima02
Dinonut
Drake
Explorer
F-14 Ace
f-22 "raptor" ace
Flathead770
FlipperBoidSkua
General Grievous
jansenov - one vote skipped
Jasper
JBJB1029
jedi472
JitteryDragon
Jrd89
Jychara
kanganix
Karmarsi
Keni
KingdomKey23
Kit12
Kor
Lain_EX
landbeforetimelover
lbt/cty_lover
LBTDiclonius
LBTFan
LBTFan13 - one vote skipped
LettuceBacon&Tomato
Lillefot
Littlefoot
Littlefoot Fan
Littlefoot1616 - one vote skipped
Littlefoot3897
Littlefoot90
Loofah
Malte279
Manny Cav
metadude1234
Mirumoto_Kenjiro
Mornai
MrDrake
Mumbling - one vote skipped
Myrkin - 4/7 votes cast
NeptuneNavigator2001
NewOrder
Nick22
Nimrod
Nintendoofah64
oogaboo
Over and Under
Pangaea
Paradise Bird
Petrie
Pikkutassu
pokeplayer984 - 3/7 votes cast + 1 vote skipped
Ptyra
raga
Raptor
Rat_lady7 - request to be withdrawn from voting
Redtooth101
Rocky
Saft
Salvatore Blackheart
Serris
Sky - one vote skipped
SouthPawRacer
Spartanguy88
Spyro
StarfallRaptor - 1/7 votes cast
Stitch - one vote skipped
Tails_155
The Chronicler
The Dark Patriot
The Friendly Sharptooth
The Great Valley Guardian - 3/7 votes cast
thebigdeal
TheNumberOneShmuck
TITANOSAUR
Tyrannosaur
Vek
Vilstrup
vonboy
Waluigifan
WeirdRaptor
Zenoah

Hey guys!
As we've all heard, the PSN being hacked and the offering of the free 30day PSN+ subscription, for those of you who this affected, just curious to see what people got and if they managed to swaggle anything else going on the PSN+?

I grabbed Dead Nation and Wipeout Fury as my 2 free games (I've already got LBP and Infamous)
I also grabbed the golden Sega classic beat em up Streets of Rage 2 for free as well as their welcome packaged game Burnout Paradise

What did you guys get?

Hey gamers!

Yeah I know you've probably heard this question a million times before but hey, we're all for nostalgia right?

So truthfully, how often do you play video games. By "play video games" I'm talking about a good few hours say 2-3hrs+ in a sitting. Just a matter of curiosity is all. Also, if you so wish, add why you play as frequently (or not) as you do. What do games do for you? Destress? Escapism? Bored? Like the challenge? No other hobbies? Just plain lazy?

It'll be interesting to hear the different avenues we all use games for so let's hear it.

Fire away (and no teabagging   )

Hey guys!

I appreciate that this has been out for a couple of weeks already but just thought I'd ask anyway. Did anyone land a copy of the reinstallment of Goldeneye? I did last week and I've gotta say it plays pretty well. It's a lot more focused and structurely sound than the likes of The Conduit. I like the fact that it's not a clone of what Goldeneye was like for the N64 (not that Microsoft would let anyone outside of their own company go anywhere near the grand piece that Rare created way back then). Thankfully, it is literally the old gameplay system but with some new tweaks (well, by new they are pretty bog standard by today's standings). Thinks like melee, QTEs and ADS (aiming down the sights).

It's nice to see the game jazzed up for the 21st century. Some of the changes are glaring alterations from the actual movie but they do little to break up the flow of the game. And I've gotta say, with the major hype of multiplayer experiences like CoD, Goldeneye is a welcoming detox from the boasting disembodied voices that yell and scream over voice chat. Multiplayer is slick and just fun to play. I'd love to find anyone on here who's got Goldeneye so we could link up and play together!! Haven't done something like this since Brawl or Mario Kart!  

That all aside, Goldeneye is definitely a keeper in my eyes. It is how a re-installation should be. Built upon the good notes of its predecessor. Maybe Sonic Team should have taken a leaf out of EuroCom's book; maybe Sonic 4 would have been more warmly received

Hey gamers!

Got lost in your favourite RPG? Can't find that last treasure for 100% completion? Fed up of that impossible boss whupping your virtual keester?! (I know I am...rawr! ) Then you're in luck. We gamers have gotta band together to ensure all gaming worlds are made safe by our trials and heroic efforts. Welcome to the Cheat Page!

(OK...getting to the point now... )

Gamers, place your best kept secrets, cheats and general playing tips for all games across all formats up here to help your fellow virtual heroes out. Alternatively, if you're stuck or need a helping hand, put up a "HELP WANTED" post stating your game and the situation you're having trouble with and a GOF gamer will leap gracefully to your rescue.

I'll kick start it off with a little Resi Evil 5 Professional Mode helpful tips (inspired by Mr Drake's post in the "Whatcha playin'" page.)

1. Max out your weapons and use infinite ammo: Spend some time getting those game points for unlimited ammo for weapons by going back over the story mode or mercenaries mode a good few times. Recommended weapons: Magnum to sub out your standard pistol (Lightning Hawk is a good choice due to quicker rate of fire than the others), Shotgun for crowd control (M3 is the strongest once full done up but any will do), Sniper Rifle for ranged combat (PSG-1 I find is best due to its scope can zoom the furthest). The rocket launcher is a good idea for bosses but don't get too trigger happy coz the explosion can cause you and your partner damage even if friendly fire is off!

2. Hold your partner's hand! - Professional Mode is a royal sod when it comes to enemies. They are already pumped up and bloodthirsty from the get-go and will attack even more relentlessly than in Veteran mode. Pack at least 2 full healing items each (Green+Red herb or First Aid Sprays) because 9.5 out of 10 enemy hits, even wearing the Melee Vest and Bulletproof Vest, will put you in the DYING phase. What's worse, you literally have 3 seconds to get to revive your partner (I am NOT joking!). Stay close and don't stray far from each other unless you have to because even the standard enemies can be the end of you before you've realised it's happened.

One last tip...not just for Prof Mode...

EASY BOSS KILL: THE U8 - In stage 5-1, when you fight the giant crab-spider crawlie thingy, make sure you have at least 3 Hand Grenades (green ones) between you and your partner. When the fight starts, whip out your shotgun and blast either one of its legs (the fleshy exposed bit) to bring it down to your level. Run up to its face and hit Square (or X for 360) to lob a grenade in its gob (don't aim and throw manually coz it won't work). A screen-cut will show it's now exposed brain which most will spend countless shots trying to shoot at. Don't bother! Instead, repeat blasting the U8's leg and throwing a grenade in its mouth. Do this 3 times and the fights over saving you a lot of headache and a lot of ammo too...

There you go guys...hope that helps! Got any gaming pearls of wisdoms, please share them with us here. You could help a fellow gamer out of a nasty virtual sitch!


Happy gaming!  

Hey gang!

Thanks to all those who have participated in the 2010 Awards so far...but we have a slight problem. If you checked out the final results in the Voter's Tally page, you'll notice we have a tie in 1 of the categories!    :! Here are the current standings:

Friendly Member Award: Cancerian Tiger & Kor (4 votes each)

We need a clear cut winner. This page is open for eligible members (that's people listed in the voter's register) to submit a vote for either of these 2 candidates in order to determine a winner of the category. We don't want to spend too much time on this so this page will only be open for 2 days! Therefore, this page will be closed on Sunday 20th June 2010 @ 12 Midnight (forum standard time). Don't forget to include a few lines as to why the person you nominate deserves the award otherwise your vote will be registered as INVALID and won't count towards the nominee's score. This does NOT count towards your current voting status as these have now been locked. Good luck guys! Let the tiebreaker commence!

Hey gang!

Good to see people are already stuck in with voting in this year's awards! Below is a current running total of nominated members and their vote count. Please keep you votes coming in as every vote counts and your vote can make the difference between obtaining a well deserved award and a missed chance!

**NOTICE TO ALL** - Voting ends Friday 18th June 2010 @ 12 Midnight (forum standard time) Make sure your votes are all in BEFORE this deadline. All unregistered votes made outside of this deadline will be registered as a SKIPPED VOTE and may jeopardise your chance of winning an award! Please don't let that happen! Make sure your votes are registered in good time as we really don't want to deny anyone an award they're in line for simply because they didn't cast enough votes.

Voting is now CLOSED! Here are the final standings:

Last updated: Friday 18th June 2010; 3.36am Forum Standard Time)

Fanart Award

Ptyra - 8
Sky - 6
Mumbling - 3
LBTFan - 2
The Great Valley Guardian - 1
Malte279 - 1

Feedback Award

Pangaea - 14
Caustizer - 2
DarkHououmon - 1
Kor - 1

Friendly Member Award

Cancerian Tiger - 4
Kor - 4
Rat_lady7 - 3
Pangaea - 2
MrDrake - 2
The Friendly Sharptooth - 1
LettuceBacon&Tomato - 1
DarkHououmon - 1
metadude1234 - 1
Littlefoot1616 - 1
Chiletrek - 1
Mumbling - 1
Saft - 1
Malte279 - 1

Helpful Member Award

Pangaea - 5
DarkHououmon - 4
Malte279 - 1
Cancerian Tiger - 1
MrDrake - 1
Littlefoot1616 - 1
Kor - 1
Caustizer - 1
LBTFan13 - 1
Pokeplayer984 - 1
Mumbling - 1

Philosopher Award

Malte279 - 14
Pokeplayer984 - 1
F-14 Ace - 1
f-22 "raptor" ace - 1
DarkHououmon - 1

Proactive Award

Rat_lady7 - 8
Petrie - 6 {1 self vote}
pokeplayer984 - 3
Nick 22 - 2
Cancerian Tiger - 1

Project Award

Mumbling - 8
action9000 - 6
DarkHououmon - 4


Role Play Gamer Award

The Great Valley Guardian - 3
Serris - 3
Kor - 2
MrDrake - 1
Nick22 - 1
Cancerian Tiger - 1

Appreciated Member Award - Last updated: Sunday 27th June 2010; 12.36am (forum standard time). Voting is now closed for this award!

Caustizer - 5
LettuceBacon&Tomato - 4
Littlefoot1616 - 3
LBTFan13 - 2
MrDrake - 1

PLEASE NOTE: Members that have dropped out of this year's award have had their votes tallied and added to their nominated members' scores. However, those candidates who have forfeited their place in this year's awards have NOT been included in the running tally. Those members that have voted for candidates that have dropped out are welcome to repost their vote for another viable candidate or may leave opt to leave their choices as they are. This WILL NOT be counted as a skipped vote and WILL NOT jeopardise any chances of you potentially receiving an award. We do recommend that you recast your vote but the ending decision lies with you as a member.

Congrats to all those who won awards. Admins will make awards available once the Appreciated Member Award has been finished. Runner-up awards will also be available after we've calculated that 2nd place has at least 1/3 of the winner's number of votes for a category. Well done everyone and thanks for getting involved!

Hey Gang!

Below are the official rules for engagement for the 2010 Gang of Five Membership Awards. Please read the following statements below carefully as these outline the DO's and DO NOT's of the voting process of this year's awards. These are here to help guide you as you cast your votes particularly for those new nominees eligible to vote and gain awards this year.

The voting process will officially open on FRIDAY 4th JUNE 2010 and will be kicked started by an opening speech from one of the members of staff of the GOF.
***DO NOT START VOTING BEFORE THEN!!!***
Voting for the initial 8 categories (listed below) will last for 2 weeks and will close at 12midnight on FRIDAY 18th JUNE 2010 (forum standard time)

Please take time out to read these statements carefully so not to accidentally (or otherwise) breach any of the rules

***OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR 2010 GANG OF FIVE MEMBERSHIP AWARDS***

- All selected GOF members listed are invited to participate in the GOF Awards. These candidates have been granted participation on clearing of the following conditions:
         1. Have a post count of at least 100 posts
         2. Have actively posted on the GOF within the past 3 months
         3. Have been a member of the GOF since 1st January 2010
The list of eligible candidates for this year's awards can be found by clicking HERE. If you're name is NOT on the register, you are NOT eligible to receive an award in this year's nominations

- The main categories for this year's Awards are as follows:
~Fanart Award
~Feedback Award
~Friendly Member Award
~Helpful Member Award
~Philosopher Award
~Proactive Award
~Project Award
~Role Play Gamer Award

- The Appreciated Member Award will also be included but nominations for this award will be conducted AFTER the main 8 categories have been finalised and the awards distributed. DO NOT reveal your nomination for the Appreciated Member Award alongside your votes for the initial 8 categories because it won't be counted.

- You are to offer ONE (1) nomination per category highlighting the nominee's GOF username in underline and/or bold to aid with the tallying process. We strongly advise all participants to vote in ALL categories if they can. Understandably there may be some areas you are not too sure on if you haven't been involved directly (e.g. the RPG section) or are genuinely unable to select one candidate but we urge you try to offer a nomination if you can.

- No member participating in the GOF Awards 2010 is entitled to an award if they DID NOT vote in at least six (6) of the initial 8 categories. By NOT voting in at least 6 categories, you WILL NOT receive any awards you may be entitled to once the results are recorded and finalised. The award will instead go to which ever member gained the second highest amount of votes in that category provided that no other rulings have been breached.

- You are permitted to skip a maximum of two (2) of the 8 initial awards. By skipping no more than two votes, you will still be eligible for any awards you may have coming your way. Skipping more than two votes will see you being stripped of any award you may obtain once the results are recorded and finalised with the award going to which ever member gained the second highest amount of votes provided that no other rulings have been breached.

- All nominations MUST be accompanied with a few lines or a brief statement as to why you feel your choice deserves the stated award. It doesn't have to be an essay nor does it have to hail them as royalty but it will help enforce your choice and can be counted as vaild reasoning. Please feel free to express credit to those members you felt were close contenders for an award if you so wish. Nominations that DO NOT include these explanatory lines for your choice will be considered INVALID and WILL NOT COUNT towards that member's score tally. Furthermore, nominations without explanatory comments will COUNT AGAINST YOU AS A SKIPPED VOTE and may jeopardise your own chances of obtaining an award you may be entitled to.

- When casting your votes, if you DO NOT complete all of your nominations in one post, please submit the remainder of your nominations IN A SEPERATE POST. Please DO NOT UPDATE OR EDIT OLD/PREVIOUS POSTS as this can confuse record keeping of who has cast what votes in which category. The Admin team will keep a record of your voting progress which will be viewable once voting has started.

- We VERY STRONGLY DISCOURAGE voting for yourself in any given category for the GOF awards. If you genuinely feel that there are no other eligible candidates who deserve a specific award then you are permitted to vote for yourself in one (1) category ONLY. Voting for yourself in more than one category will INVALIDATE your nomination and will be counted as a SKIPPED VOTE. In the event of a tie in number of votes for a category, the candidate who DID NOT nominate themselves within the category will be granted the award as the overall winner.

- The eligible candidate who got MOST VOTES for a given award will be permitted to add one of the drafts of the said award to his or her signature. If the eligible candidate with the SECOND MOST VOTES for an award achieved at least A THIRD OF THE NUMBER OF VOTES OF THE WINNER he or she qualifies for a RUNNER UP AWARD. He or she may then add one of the drafts for the award in question THAT HAS NOT BEEN PICKED BY THE WINNER ALREADY to his or her signature.

- We VERY STRONGLY DISAPPROVE AND DISCOURAGE any kind of activity that deems as cheating, vote fixing, conspiring, bribing or any general misconduct of ensuring that any one GOF member will be guaranteed an award. If any admin or moderator suspects members conspiring to ensure that a pre-determined candidate receives an award by solely voting for them without a certifible reason for the nomination, those members involved will be: 1. Disqualified from the nominations. 2. Not be permitted to participate in the remainder of the event including being stripped of any awards they would potentially receive. 3. Face disciplinary measures outside of the awards which may lead to membership suspension or possibly permenant exclusion and banning from the Gang of Five forum. By any judgement, the word of the Administration Staff of the GOF is FINAL.

-The award vote is a public and democratic decision in which the voters have to state the reasons for their decisions. Individual members therefore DO NOT HAVE ANY "CLAIM" TO AN AWARD UNLESS ELECTED. Because whining and complaints of members who cannot accept the decisions of their fellow members KILL THE FUN for the other members and COMPROMISE THE CONTINUATION OF THE AWARD VOTING complaints and whining about not winning an award can result in A MEMBER'S EXCLUSION FROM THE AWARD VOTING AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES OUTSIDE THE VOTING PROCESS

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Remember! Voting starts on FRIDAY 4th JUNE 2010 and ends at 12midnight on FRIDAY 18th JUNE 2010 (forum standard time). A GOF member of staff will begin the voting process with an opening speech. That's your cue to start! If you have any questions regarding the rules or anything about the GOF Membership Awards, please don't hesitate to ask us using this topic page.

Best of luck to everyone!

Hey gang!

Interesting event unfolded at my place of work earlier this week. I work in a village pub (as much as I despise the place ) so you can imagine, not an awful lot of excitement happens in a sleepy village. Lo and behold, on Monday afternoon around 2pm, I got a call from one of my work colleague uttering the words, "A bus has driven into the pub!" I thought he was joking at first but then he told me that's he's been forced to work BECAUSE a bus had driven into the pub; it was his day off but he had to cover for the landlady who was upset by the incident. Curiousity getting the better of me, I past by the pub and, to my surprise, there was a bus half hanging over the beer garden wall of the pub!
Apparently, the driver either fell asleep at the wheel or blacked out and swerved into the outside wall surrounding the beer garden. Thankfully, the bus didn't hit the actual building, nor did it hit anyone sitting in the beer garden. What makes the whole thing scarier is that there is usually a table right by where the bus wiped out the wall! But, the landlady moved the outside furniture about the night before and forgot to move this one particular table back to its regular place. Thank God she didn't! The bus driver was carted off to hospital and apparently there was one other passenger on the bus who had minor injuries but thankfully, there were no major harmings. The wall is completely levelled and now we're suddenly the most famous pub in the area. Sadly, there is no online article about this but we've saved the newspaper clipping of the incident and a photo was taken of the bus just after it hit the wall. I'll take a snappy of them and posted them up here after work. Just thought I'd share that little anecdote with you all! Peace out people!