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Blog and Recent Posts

  • OpenTTD “Birth of Industry” Tournament
    That’s right, it’s time for another OpenTTD Tournament! After the voting has concluded, the community on the Megacycle Entertainment Discord server have selected a scenario I came up with called the “Birth of Industry”. This one is pretty interesting, so let me tell you about it. “Birth of Industry” is … Read more
  • OpenTTD “Candy Land” Tournament
    OpenTTD Tournaments have been really popular lately and this is another one hosted by myself and Megacycle Entertainment! We did a vote for this one and the winning theme was ‘Candy Land’. That means we will be playing the ‘Candy’ themed map with no changes or additions. The interesting part … Read more
  • OpenTTD “Truck Lord” Tournament
    Yeah, you guessed it! It’s another OpenTTD Tournament hosted by myself and Megacycle Entertainment! When I started these a few months ago, I didn’t realize they would be in such a high demand. I’ve been getting asked ‘when is the next tournament’ a few times a week which is WAY … Read more
  • OpenTTD “Humble Beginnings” Tournament
    Welcome all to another OpenTTD Tournament! We’ve used the same format as last time and are running with a new theme that I like to call ‘Humble Beginnings’. Every player was given 2 IRL weeks to complete a 20 year run with only having $80k in available capital (or to … Read more
  • OpenTTD 20 Year Tournament
    Welcome all to the Megacycle Entertainment OpenTTD 20 Year Tournament! I wanted to see how an OpenTTD format would go and it went amazingly! What I did was setup separate servers, one for each player, and with a little password protection, we were on our way. But let’s take a … Read more
  • Community Made Mindustry Maps
    I finally had a few minutes to sit down and work on a few things that have been bugging me for a long time. Earlier this week I sat down and did a proper rework of the MegacycleBot that I have helping me maintain sense in the Megacycle Entertainment Discord … Read more
  • The ‘Best of JohnMegacycle’ Video
    Good day, all! I hope that your new year is treating you well and that you are staying healthy. I have something special that I’d like to share with you today. My good friend LicensedBiker sat down with me, a long time ago, and proposed a ‘Best of JohnMegacycle’ video. … Read more
  • 7 Days to Die Base Ideas – Micro Base
    With the release of A20, for 7 Days to Die, I wanted to explore a different base idea. I was looking for something unique but none of the new POIs excited me. I’m not sure how to explain it, but there has to be ‘a certain something special’ about a … Read more
  • Megacycle Entertainment Celebrates 9 Years!
    Good day everyone! Today marks the 9th birthday of the Megacycle Entertainment gaming group. Can you believe that? Honestly, I can’t. xD There has been a lot that has transpired over the years. New friends have been made, the server has gone through dozens of transformations and we’ve really created … Read more
  • Minecraft Creative Build-Off Challenge – December 2021 – Holiday Theme – Completed!
    This round of the Minecraft Build-Off Competition will be ‘Holiday’ themed and will run from today till Dec 30th. This is an ‘all encompassing’ theme. Meaning it can be anything from a Christmas to Diwali to a Kwanzaa to Hanukkah and anything else. But it doesn’t even need to be … Read more
  • Minecraft Creative Build-Off Challenge – October 2021 – Kettlehouse Theme – Completed!
    This round of the Minecraft Build-Off Competition will be ‘Kettlehouse’ themed and will run from October 13th, 2021 till November 19th. There have been a few instances of ‘houses shaped like kettles’ that I found online and the theme really interested me. I’m curious to see how our builders will … Read more
  • Minecraft Creative Build-Off Challenge – September 2021 – Bunker Theme – Completed!
    Good day all,Today kicks off a new Creative Build-Off Challenge on the Creative Minecraft server. This theme is going to be a ‘Bunker’ theme. This build is open to interpretation, as always. Is this a post-apocalyptic bunker where the last remains of humanity survive? Is this a storehouse with life … Read more
  • Minecraft Creative Build-Off Challenge – July 2021 – Forge Theme – Completed!
    Good Afternoon!I’m delighted to announce the winner of the July 2021 Forge Minecraft Build-Off competition. It’s honestly been a while since we had a proper competition, so this was long overdue. We had quite a few different styles that were built, on the Forge/Blacksmith theme, and this was an absolute … Read more
  • Welcome to Megacycle Entertainment
    Hi there guys, gals, fans and pals! I’m John Megacycle, and I created Megacycle Entertainment back in 2012 to host a common place for me and my gamer friends. Today, it has well evolved from my close circle of friends to a full-fledged community that invites everyone to the table. … Read more
  • Making the ME Mark in Creeper World 4
    I had some spare time in between work meetings and work related activities and I wanted to create a few new maps in Creeper World 4. I’m honestly a huge fan of the Creeper World series and I feel that the games play well, are have a solid learning curve … Read more
  • 7 Days to Die Base Ideas – The Octopus
    Whenever I start up a new game of 7 Days to Die, I always try to seek out a new base format. Sometimes I go big, sometimes small or even sometimes I just repurpose something that’s already out there in the world. With our current server on Megacycle Entertainment, I … Read more
  • Minecraft Creative Build-Off Challenge – July 2021 – Forge Theme
    Good morning all, Today kicks off a new Creative Build-Off Challenge on the Creative Minecraft server. This theme is going to be a ‘Forge’ or ‘Blacksmith Shop’ theme. Let your imagination go wild on this one. Aiming for a fantasy-vibe, try to do your best to build a blacksmith shop, … Read more
  • A Continuous Work In Progress
    Good day everyone! It’s been a long time since I put out a new post, but I thought it was high-time for a bit of an update on the goings on, here at Megacycle Entertainment. Things have certainly been busy, both for myself and for the community, and I finally … Read more
  • November 2020 Rocket League Tournament Completed!
    The November 2020 Megacycle Entertainment Rocket League tournament has concluded and you can see the commentary and videos here: November 2020 Rocket League Tournament Play List Aside from a few audio issues, these matches were amazing to commentate and participate in. Thanks go out to all of the players and … Read more
  • Megacycle Entertainment Celebrates 8 Years!
    Today marks the 8th birthday of Megacycle Entertainment, the YouTube channel and the community. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this amazing journey and hopefully there will be many more wonderful years to come! Personally, I feel that this journey was very worth it. I’ve met … Read more
  • October 2020 Tetris Tournament Completed!
    The October 2020 Megacycle Entertainment Tetris tournament has concluded and you can see the commentary and videos here: October 2020 Tetris Tournament These Tetris games have been a real blast and I’ve received a lot of positive feedback. I’ve seen a lot of improvements and shifts in tactics from our … Read more
  • Next Steps – Decision to be 100% Community Supported
    Good day all! This is something that I’ve wanted to discuss for a while now, but I really wasn’t sure how I wanted to share it with everyone. I don’t honestly know if I was just shy about the subject but it is something that I’m pretty happy about. As … Read more
  • Discord Server Update – Community Server
    Good day all! I know that this year has been a rough one for all of us, but I hope that things are going well for each of you and that your families are healthy and safe. I have just a quick update for today’s post, concerning the Megacycle Entertainment … Read more
  • September 2020 Tetris Tournament Completed!
    The September 2020 Megacycle Entertainment Tetris tournament has concluded and you can see the commentary and videos here: September 2020 Tetris Tournament I’ve seen a lot of improvements and shifts in tactics from our players, compared to the last tournament. There are some really great matches here and I’m delighted … Read more
  • August 2020 Tetris Tournament Completed!
    The Megacycle Entertainment Tetris tournament has concluded and you can see the commentary and videos here: Aug 2020 Tetris Trounament This tournament had a lot going on and I’m really happy how it turned out. There isn’t anything quite like a bunch of friends battling it out in some friendly … Read more
  • April 2020 ‘Ship’ Build-off Competition – Completed
    The April 2020 ‘Ship’ Build-off Competition has just concluded and these builds are amazing. Feel free to sign into the vanilla server, if you’d like to take a closer look or if you are feeling lazy, here is the Imgur link with all of the builds.April 2020 ‘Ship’ Build-off Competition … Read more
  • Android Mobile Gaming Showcase – Yiotro
    Good day Gamers! This post is going to be short, but I wanted to take a moment to share an Android Gaming Studio that I’ve really enjoyed over the years. Yiotro has been releasing games that run simply, have depth and are ad-free. The lack of micro-transactions, and clear instructions … Read more
  • Tapping into the Past with DOSBox
    We, as a species, are on a truly exciting step of our evolutionary path. Technology, medicine, communications, military and other sciences have never progressed faster. This includes recreational activities, such as, video games and the multitude of other ways to pass the time. Though things have been getting ‘harder, better, … Read more
  • November 2019 ‘Tree House’ Build-off Competition – Completed
    The November 2019 ‘Place of Worship’ Build-off Competition has just concluded and these builds are amazing. Feel free to sign into the vanilla server, if you’d like to take a closer look or if you are feeling lazy, here is the Imgur link with all of the builds.November 2019 ‘Tree … Read more
  • Megacycle Entertainment Turns 7 Years Old!
    Gooooooooood Day, Gamers! I’m delighted to share with you that Megacycle Entertainment turns 7 years old today! It was this day, in 2012, that I began work on a YouTube channel known as Megacycle Entertainment. I started off making (kinda crap) videos of RTS games and games that were more … Read more
  • Announcing An AOD Generals Zero Hour Tournament!
    Good Day to you all!I’m pleased to announce that we are opening sign-ups for a new kind of Generals tournament. Normally, these sorts of things are 1v1 battles that only resolve when a player’s base is destroyed. Not with this tournament. Welcome to the first Art of Defense tournament! Megacycle … Read more
  • October 2019 ‘Place of Worship’ Build-off Competition – Completed
    The October 2019 ‘Place of Worship’ Build-off Competition has just concluded and these builds are amazing. Feel free to sign into the vanilla server, if you’d like to take a closer look or if you are feeling lazy, here is the Imgur link with all of the builds.October 2019 ‘Place … Read more
  • Game Terminology: Tactical vs Strategic
    Gameplay terminology, just as it is in any language, can be interchangeable. A military base/outpost/fortress/stronghold/head quarters/fortification/citadel can be interpreted as close to the same thing, ‘the place where my resources are processed, troops are trained and weapons are made’. A games economy and financial structure goes though the same process … Read more
  • Game Terminology: Real-Time Strategy Games, A Beginning
    Real-Time and Turn-Based Strategy games (RTS and TBS, respectively) have been a common element in today’s gaming environment. Though they aren’t as popular as they were in their hay-day of the late 90s, strategy games are still heavily played by those who enjoy more planning and technique, rather than just … Read more
  • Game Terminology: Hard vs Difficult
    Whenever I’ve wanted to explain mechanics, play-style or challenge level about a video game, I usually start with the genre. “It’s a FPS (First Person Shooter) with many RPG (Role Playing Game) elements”, might be a really broad way to describe a game like Borderlands. “Post Apocalyptic Survival meets Crafting”, … Read more
  • Aug/Sept 2019 ‘Medieval’ Minecraft Build-off Competition
    The Aug/Sept Minecraft Creative ‘Medieval’ Build off is completed. Check out the builds here (in the below Imgur link) and join the ME Discord server to vote on your favorite build and join the next competition. The competitions are open to everyone and the winning build is saved in the … Read more
  • An Ever Evolving Platform
    It can be difficult and daunting to running a gaming group. No doubt about it. Even a social circle of a dozen close friends can seem like a lot to manage, especially if people aren’t on the same page. Enter, the challenge. Personally, I was always hoping that I’d get … Read more
  • Constant Expansion Underway
    Good Day to all you fabulous folks out there. Your ol’ pal John Megacycle, signing in to give you some updates on the goings-on for the Megacycle Entertainment Discord Server, Gaming Systems and Community at large. Firstly, a bit of permissions cleanup from the Discord side and even more from … Read more
  • I’m John Megacycle, Ask Me Anything
    I always wanted to do one of these AMAs. Ask Me Anything is a format where anyone can ask…. well… someone anything that you’d like to ask them. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Feel free to hit me up with any questions in the comments below. 😀 Maybe … Read more
  • Happy Holidays from Megacycle Entertainment!
    Good Day, Gamers!  November and December are moving quickly for us here at Megacycle Entertainment and I wanted to give a quick recap from the year.   First, some good news. On December 10th, Megacycle Entertainment turned 6 years old. It was 6 years ago that I first started my … Read more
  • What Does Megacycle Entertainment Do?
    Good Day Gamers!   This is a question that I’ve heard more than once recently; What does Megacycle Entertainment even do? It’s a simple question, but the answer can get long-winded. I’ll do my best to answer in today’s post. Gaming in a Neutral Environment – – This means that … Read more
  • New Home for Megacycle Entertainment
    Good Day Gamers!   I know that this year has been lite on updates from me and the gaming community, but I assure you, things have been very busy. From channel troubles with YouTube and a but of job tribulation from my personal life, I’ve had plenty to keep me … Read more
  • Back in the Saddle Again!
    Hey there guys, gals, fans and pals! Due to a bit of a technical mess on the, YouTube side, I was away for a few months. I was still recording and editing during that time, so I have a small backlog of videos that I’ll be releasing over the next … Read more
  • New ‘Getting Started with Streaming’ Guide
    Good Day Gamers! After putting in some serious effort into my own personal Twitch streaming efforts, I realized that some quick documentation would have really saved me a lot of time when trying to figure out how it all works. I’ve written up a bit a quick list of how-to’s … Read more
  • Operation Prometheus
    Good day gamers! I know it’s been a month or so since my last update, but work gets kinda hectic around the holidays and with family wanting to visit, it meant less time for updates. As always, I’ve been doing a solid job in Discord, but since this site is … Read more
  • Site Work and Fresh Forums
    Good Day Gamers! This will be short and sweet as I wanted to give a small update on what I’ve been working on, aside from the normal tournaments and gaming sessions. Over the last two weeks (and having a little time to myself) I’ve been brushing up on my web … Read more
  • MMO RPG for ME In the Making
    Good Day Gamers! Whew… So the title says it all, I’m working on setting up an MMO RPG for Megacycle Entertainment and it’s… going. I started working on RuneScape 2, but holy cow, the compiling and such was just unreal. That having been said, I’m willing to consider that a … Read more
  • The Support Bot has Arrived
    Good Day Gamers, As more members join the website and Discord server and as we add more game servers, there is always more work to be done. More work to do means less gaming and recording time for me. That being said, I needed to figure out some options to … Read more
  • New Adventures Await!
    Good Day Gamers!   I’ve been very busy since my last post with new members and new game servers. I’ve very recently setup a 7 Days to Die, Killing Floor 2 and OpenTTD server. I am happy with 7 Days to Die and Killing Floor 2, but I never thought … Read more
  • Thankful Everyday
    Good day to you all. I hope your health and well being is good and that you are excited as I am for the changes that have been made and the changes moving forward for both myself and the entire Megacycle Entertainment team. I’ve been updating everything on YouTube, with … Read more
  • 100 Rockets Later…
    Good Day Gamers! We have had an awesome journey with Factorio and the Megacycle Entertainment vanilla server. We have just launched our 100th rocket and it’s time to kick up the game a bit. I’ve built up a mod pack, which includes Bob’s Mods and FARL, and it’s ready to … Read more
  • They Had a Name Before They Had a Number
    Good day all, I usually fill this space with tips and tricks for my favorite war games and tournament updates but I wanted to take a second to call something out about our increasing desire for this kind of entertainment. TL;DR, I’m personally thanking those in military uniform, on and … Read more
  • New Members to the Megacycle Entertainment Crew
    Good Day All! JMegs here with a quick update to the Megacycle Entertainment Crew and I’ll tell you right now, I’m pretty darn excited about it. NinjaSquirrel has been very busy over the last several weeks getting new members aware of our Discord server and with that he has recommended … Read more
  • Red Alert 3 Tournament – 11/5/16
    Red Alert 3 Tournament hosted by John Megacycle. Details: Date/Time – 11/5/2016 – 12:00pm CDT (GMT-5) Mods required to Play – No Mods Applications Required – TeamSpeak for Voice and Evolve for Network Connections Be sure to sign-in and register to play! Register here: Red Alert 3 Tournament – 11/5/16 … Read more
  • RTS Tips #5 – Everyone’s Inner Turtle
    Welcome back commanders for another RTS tip! After gaming with a lot of different commanders from different walks of life, I find that we all have an inner turtle. As a refresher, the ‘turtle’ is the name for a player that builds a huge base with massive base defenses, making … Read more
  • ME’s Factorio Server Online
    Good Day Gamers, I stayed up late the last few days to setup a Factorio server and I’m happy with the results. I’ve written a few scripts to handle startup, recovery and autosaving and it looks like it’s working quite well. I’m happy to play on here with my fans … Read more
  • Download Page, New Server and Mod Pack Are Here!
    Good Day Gamers, Over the last few weeks I was able to transfer the server to a new host and with it, the DNS and all that non-sense. IT was actually a good learning experience and I couldn’t have done it without one of my key crew members, Blacky. He … Read more
  • Getting Connected to Play With The Crew
    Hey there fellow gamer, So, you want to game with me and my crew? Sounds great, but there are a few applications I would ask that you have setup first. Here are the details: We use Tunngle for the networking game client (for Non-Steam games) with Discord for VoIP This … Read more
  • Mission Objectives Update – 4/17/2016
    Good Day Gamers, I’ve been giving a lot of thought on the current state of the gaming community that I’m trying to foster and what the overall plan is for the future. I shared this information with my weekly gaming crew, people who I consider to be core members, and … Read more
  • OpenRA – Open Source Classics
    Greetings Gamers, One of my fans alerted me (of the Red variety) to an open source rebuild of some of the classic titles that we all know and love. Here, I’d like to introduce you to some of that games that really pulled me into the RTS (Real Time Strategy) … Read more
  • FortressCraft Evolved vs Factorio – A Series To Be
    Good Afternoon All, I came across both of these games not too long ago, and wanted to give a quick explanation as to why I chose one and not the other to record and play a series on. First off, I believe that both of these games have had a … Read more
  • Updates, Rework and More
    Good Evening Gamers, In between work, recording episodes and all other busy bits of life, I’ve been working quite a bit on cleaning up the site, here, and have a few updates to share with you. First, my Patreon page has been tweaked quite a bit and now is up … Read more
  • Gaming Session Poll
    [democracy id=”4″]
  • C&C Generals Tournament Poll
    [democracy id=”3″]
  • C&C3 Kane’s Wrath Tournament – 1/16/16
    Good Day Gamers! On 1/16/2016, at 12:15 pm (GMT -6) I will be hosting a C&C3 Kane’s Wrath Tournament. Feel free to book a slot to participate or spectate in the event link below. Rules, guidelines and connection parameters for the tournament can be found here: RTS Tournament Rules and … Read more
  • C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament – 1/9/2016
    Good Day Gamers! On 1/9/2016, at 12:15 pm (GMT -6) I will be hosting a C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament. Please reply if you would like to join in, and let me know if you would like to be a participant, spectator or both. Rules, guidelines and connection parameters for … Read more
  • Command and Conquer Multiplayer Fix – Revora
    Good Day Commanders, It’s been a while since this has been news, but since I’ve answered this question so often in my YouTube comments, I thought I’d mention it here in better detail. As you all know, or don’t, the multiplayer capability of all of the Command and Conquer games … Read more
  • Red Alert 3 Tournament – 12/19/2015
    Good Day Gamers! On 12/19/2015, at 12:15 pm (GMT -6) I will be hosting a C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament. Please reply if you would like to join in, and let me know if you would like to be a participant, spectator or both. Rules, guidelines and connection parameters for … Read more
  • Patreon – Supporting MegacycleEntertainment
    Evening Gamers, Other the last week, I created a Patreon site to aid in the support and upgrades for not only this site, but for tournaments as well. I’m hoping to give back to those who support me and with that, still create an awesome gaming experience for all. This … Read more
  • C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament – 11/14/2015
    Good Day Gamers! On 11/14/2015, at 12:15 pm (GMT -6 I will be hosting a C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament. Please reply if you would like to join in, and let me know if you would like to be a participant, spectator or both. Rules, guidelines and connection parameters for … Read more
  • Making a Career of It
    Good Day Gamers, I wrote this quick blurb as I’m seeking your advice on something that may change my channel, for better or worse. Your feedback is appreciated and thanks for reading this over. Recently, I’ve crossed a threshold and I’ve been asked to partner with several companies to monetize … Read more
  • C&C3 Kane’s Wrath Tournament – 10/24/2015
    Good Day Gamers! On 10/24/2015, at 12:15 pm (GMT -5) I will be hosting a C&C3 Kane’s Wrath Tournament. Please reply if you would like to join in, and let me know if you would like to be a participant, spectator or both. Rules, guidelines and connection parameters for the … Read more
  • RTS Tips #4 – Supply and Demand
    Welcome back, gamers for another RTS tip! Today’s lesson is about economy and is simply stated as ‘supply and demand’. This simply means the comparison between how much of a product is to be produced and how many of those products you can sell. If you can’t sell them all, … Read more
  • C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament – 10/10/2015
    Good Day Gamers! On 10/10/2015, at 12:15 pm (GMT -5) I will be hosting a C&C Generals Zero Hour Tournament. Please reply if you would like to join in, and let me know if you would like to be a participant, spectator or both. Rules, guidelines and connection parameters for … Read more
  • Tournament Plans for AoA on 9/27/2015
    Good day Gamers, Our second tournament will be an Act of Aggression tournament on 9/26 at 12:15 pm (GMT -5) with the following rules: – Best 2 out of 3 matches is the winner – Starting resources set to standard – Super Weapons are allowed – You are able to … Read more
  • RTS Tips #3 – Stay in Formation!
    Hey-o Gamers! As your career as a battlefield commander continues, one of things you will notice is the strengths and weaknesses of your units. Today, I want to address speed. That’s right, you gave the massive attack order, only to have your lighter and faster units arrive too soon, only … Read more
  • RTS Tips #2 – Misdirection is the Key
    Good Day Gamers, One of the biggest hints that I can give you is the idea of misdirection. Harry Houdini is probably the very best example of this feat by leading his audience to think a certain way, leading them down a path, and then surprising them with a completely … Read more
  • Next Tournament Poll – 9/27/2015
    I’m planning for a tournament on 9/27/2015. What game should we play? [democracy id=”2″]
  • Red Alert 3 Tournament – 9/13/2015
    Good Day Gamers! On 9/13/2015, at 12:15 pm (GMT -5) I will be hosting a Red Alert 3 Tournament. Please reply if you would like to join in, and let me know if you would like to be a participant, spectator or both. Since this is my first tournament, there … Read more
  • RTS Tips #1 – Control Groups
    Good Day Gamers, Today I wanted to highlight another question that I receive fairly often: “How do you create groups of units with the numbers next to them?” Ever since the first Command and Conquer (even KKnD had this), most RTS games have the ability to create what are referred … Read more
  • Recording/Rendering Tools
    Good day Gamers, So, one of the most common questions that I’m asked is “how do you record/edit/render videos for YouTube”. First off, the tools: H390 Logitech Headset – https://secure.logitech.com/en-us/product/10258?crid=1254 Bandicam (video capture) – http://www.bandicam.com/ Sony Vegas 7 (edit/render) – http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/vegassoftware There are lots of open source video editing tools … Read more
  • Tournament Plans for RA3 on 9/13/15
    Good day Gamers, I wanted to kick the site off with a tournament. Our first tournament will be a Red Alert 3 tournament (hoping for 9/13/2015) at 12:15 pm (GMT -5) with the following rules: – Best 2 out of 3 matches is the winner – Starting resources set to … Read more