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TheRaven64 said "No game is so much fun that the average person will play them to the exclusion of all else,"

The Freshmayka points Raven to this link - Yes some people game themselves TO DEATH! http://www.armchairempire.com/videogame-news/multi -platform/August-2005/man-dies-50-game-marathon.ht m

Sims Designer Chris Trottier on Tuned Emergence and Design by Accretion

The Armchair Empire interviewed Chris Trottier, one of the designers of The Sims and The Sims Online. She touches on some important ideas, including "Tuned Emergence" and "Design by Accretion".

Chris' honest analysis of how and why "the gameplay didn't come together until the months before the ship" is right on the mark, and that's the secret to the success of games like The Sims and SimCity.

The essential element that was missing until the last minute was tuning: The approach to game design that Maxis brought to the table is called "Tuned Emergence" and "Design by Accretion". Before it was tuned, The Sims wasn't missing any structure or content, but it just wasn't balanced yet. But it's OK, because that's how it's supposed to work!

In justifying their approach to The Sims, Maxis had to explain to EA that SimCity 2000 was not fun until 6 weeks before it shipped. But EA was not comfortable with that approach, which went against every rule in their play book. It required Will Wright's tremendous stamina to convince EA not to cancel The Sims, because according to EA's formula, it would never work.

If a game isn't tuned, it's a drag, and you can't stand to play it for an hour. The Sims and SimCity were "designed by accretion": incrementally assembled together out of "a mass of separate components", like a planet forming out of a cloud of dust orbiting around star. They had to reach critical mass first, before they could even start down the road towards "Tuned Emergence", like life finally taking hold on the planet surface. Even then, they weren't fun until they were carefully tuned just before they shipped, like the renaissance of civilization suddenly developing science and technology. Before it was properly tuned, The Sims was called "the toilet game", for the obvious reason that there wasn't much else to do!

Here are some questions and answers from the interview with The Sims designer Chris Trottier:

[...]

Q: On paper, a game where you simulate daily life doesn't sound that interesting. Yet The Sims is really fun to play, so much so that it is now the biggest-selling PC game ever. Although any development team working with Will Wright has to feel confident in the product they are creating, has the unbelievable popularity of the franchise shocked even the development team?

A: Absolutely. When I was first assigned to The Sims, it was not-very-affectionately-known within the company as "the toilet game." Will Wright had tremendous stamina for the risk involved with trying something very new, but there were certainly a lot of head-scratchers both on the team and outside of it. In all honesty, the gameplay didn't start to really come together until a couple of months before ship. Being involved in that tuning process, and seeing the game take shape from what had previously been a mass of separate components, was one of the most powerful experiences of my career.

[...]

Q: What makes The Sims massively popular with female gamers, who traditionally don't make up a big number of gameplayers?

A: It's so hard to answer that question without making broad, sweeping statements that anyone of my gender would probably resent. But... I can say that there are several untraditional forms of gameplay in The Sims. For instance, there are many people who spend most of their time decorating and redecorating their homes. Since there's so much user-created content being posted on websites, they spend a lot of time collecting more looks to add to the game. There are also a lot of people who enjoy having a fantasy life where they get to call the shots... for good or for bad. I've heard a lot of stories

The Nao is decidely reminiscent of MegaMan, while the Choromet looks like a cross between something from any of the Gundams and Bubblegum Crisis. Is it possible to build a humanoid robot that doesn't rip off a Japanese TV show or videogame, people?

Not sure Viking video games encourage violence to be honest mate

The Dreamcast computer game Shenmue cost $20 million to develop

"Enter the Matrix": estimated $30 million
http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/PC%20Games/e nter-matrix.htm

"Daikatana": estimated $25 million (from an article on my former employer, LGS)
http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2000/06/20 /dark_glass/index.xml

Heh, well been following Project Offset for sometime now. That article from the post is crap, this is a much better first-look:

http://www.armchairempire.com/Previews/multi-platf orm/project-offset.htm

Enjoy! :)

Snarky remarks aside, even J Allard said way back at E3 that the 360's backward compatibility would be software-based, and Microsoft would be focusing on getting the most popular Xbox games running on the 360 first and foremost. Allard talked all about that stuff in this article here.

It seems difficult to fathom that the 360 won't be highly backward compatible, since that sort of feature is bound to be a fairly strong selling point for the system, especially given that Nintendo and Sony are going the BC route as well.

Let's just hope the company that builds these types of things doesn't use surplus military computers as the controllers.

No, it really is "Shut Do".

When you hit the button, Mr. Do runs across the screen, kills a few penguins with his bouncy ball, and shuts down the machine.

No, you need the gameboys, unfortunately. If you are looking for an action RPG for Gamecube that you can play cooperatively, I'd suggest "Hunter: The Reckoning."

I immediately thought Diceland also, though Diceland is not collectable. All the sets can be bought for less than $50.00 total and it is a blast. I wrote a review of it when it first came out. Check it out here. http://www.armchairempire.com/Miscellaneous/dicela nd.htm

Compare a first rate developer game (like MGS2) to Halo (another first rate developer game). The difference isn't that big. Compare anygame made on both (like the EA sports line) and again the difference isn't that big. PS2 is technological inferior, but it's passable. And we're beyond the point were improvement in graphics have huge returns.

Hmmm... let's see:

MGS2 compared to Halo:
2nd or 3rd wave game to a 1st wave game that wasn't even initially designed for the system.

How about we compare MGS2 to something like Unreal Championship instead. Or Halo 2?

"Compare any game made on both"... that's because when they do a crappy port, they use the same art for both. But let's compare a few, shall we?

Burnout 2:


XBOX screenshot

Notice how much clearer the XBOX graphics are.

Or if you want more proof:

PS2 version of Max Payne

Do you actually own both systems, or are you just posturing?

Why is it appropriate to exclude the GC? Aside from the fact that hardly anyone would buy a title for their PC and then buy the same title for their Xbox or PS2 (or maybe even favour buying the "next in series" for their console rather than their PC) the original article says, "If everybody turns to an Xbox or a PlayStation for entertainment, who's going to need new PC equipment?"

Well, I used to upgrade my PC all the time to keep up with games (I remember paying 150ukp for my Righteous 3D 3dfx card), and I'm as big a fan as any of Half-Life, Quake 3 etc. But I'm really fed up with the cost of upgrading and the pain of trying to get my older games to work with new hardware and new operating systems. So I decided to buy a console for my entertainment because it's a lot of hardware for the money, and guaranteed compatibility of old and new games. I chose the GameCube over the Xbox and PS2. Metroid Prime, Zelda: Wind Waker and Pikmin absolutely rock, to mention a few. Now I don't bother upgrading my PC and just buy GC games (of which there is a reasonable enough selection to keep me happy). This is entirely relevant to the original article and therefore not an "appropriate exclusion".

This time last year at least 3-4 A list games had been announched. There was Zelda on the horizon, FFX2 was starting to rear its ugly head, Knights of the Old republic, I mean hell, its was a unavoidable release orgy. By March I was budgetting 3-400$ just for games as presents there were 5 months away. I don't want to know what I spent on myself.

Now we have (supposedly) FF12 and (probably) GTA5. Thats about it. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot Crystal Chronicles.

GTA5 hasn't officially been announced yet, and given some of the troubles take two is facing, GTA5 could face delays in the making. Or at least in release, so its not going to pull a night trap or something.

Myself, I want to see Nintendo get off its ass and start making more BroadBand enabled games. Crystal Chronicles is cool and all, but finding 4 friends to play a RPG for X # of hours is going to be a hurdle I might not clear.

Have you ever heard about a game called Eon of Tears? It's not really a sim, but more of an Action-RPG based on the Bible in which you play the role of Jesus, Moses and other biblical characters.

Here's a quick interview with the co-president of the little start-up.

I wouldn't know about this company in fact if their office wasn't like 3 streets from my house! :p

this articles a good read so take the time to go through it as it summarises innovation from the early internet years to date.

innovation. The trick is finding that one crazy idea. The problem with crazy ideas, though, is that for every one good crazy idea, there's a thousand bad crazy ideas

the eternal quest for an idea. you better start with a good idea. if you don't, no matter how hard you try it wont pan out.

the Internet community back then, the key technical people, didn't want the Internet to become easy to use or graphical, ... Only smart people could use the Internet ...so we needed to keep it hard to use

what other examples can you think of right now?... only smart people can use [insert you own example]

Mosaic started with 12 users in February 1993. It had 1,000 users within three or four weeks. About 10,000 users by spring. It was up to 1 million by early 1994

Posters who question why Andreessen has such prominence should reflect on this. No Mosaic (mozilla), no Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE Based on NCSA Mosaic code base licensed from Spyglass), no World Wide Web in the early to mid 90's. No doubt someone else may have invented the browser but how much longer would it have taken?

At first that makes you like a little bunny rabbit ... Everybody wants to play with you ....within a year ... fearsome competitors shooting at your head with high-powered ammunition

Larry, Sergi do you feel the hot breath of the MS juggernaut as you approach your IPO. Will google will be a repeat of Netscape/MS tussle?

Oracle database was a huge success ... Larry's spent the last 25 years trying to come up with the next product

it sure helps when the government (CIA) is your preferred backer. Why does oracle feel the need to keep trying to re-innovate or create the next best idea?

innovation comes from companies that are 2 years old, populated by 19-year-olds ... preposterous that Marc should think that innovation is .. the province of little entrepreneurial companies.

In fact it's both. The technical revolution was spurred on the back of the transistor. This was the combined effort of Bardeen, Brattain and shockley at Bell Labs - no small comany there ... but look at Intel, though a big company now, it was started with the (not so young) Noyce, Moore and Grove. What about the Linux kernel, third person shooters and that other search engine, Yahoo?

My point was that if the lowly xbox is beating it

No, Xbox is not beating the Cube everywhere. Outside the United States, the GameCube has a substantial edge over the EggsBox. Heck, in Japan, even the PSone has outsold Microsoft's console.

MS has a never, better Lara.

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

Score: 8/10

Ahh... the Fallout series, surely a haven for those who dream of a better, post-apocalyptic world. And this time around as commandant within the ranks of the Schwarzkopf-esque Brotherhood of Steel, tactical warfare is the soup of the day.

Fallout Tactics takes a strategic perspective on the world laid out in the previous fallout chapters which opted for the RPG format. Because of this we are given not an all to original environment in which to do battle, though it is instantly fresh with the high-res and all. A feeling instantly generated when first seeing the graphic design is how all together thorough it is. It seems to contain all the elements of a fallout world (unfortunately I couldn't verify this, my contact in Chernobyl has contracted some horrid cough), from the burnt-out everything to the measly civilians making up the lower end of Darwin's theory. Levels are varied from urban to wilderness settings, but with the similar lighting throughout and the unchanging camera it gets rather stale along the way. This however is easily forgotten due to the surplus of variety in all other areas.

There are a plethora of both foes and weapons for you to encounter providing a nice bit of option when deciding how to go about taking life (my favorite is assaulting an unwary Beastlord with the brass knuckles). Weapons range from Uzi's to rail guns and though they provide a rush when obtained their effectiveness tend to not equal their potential. For instance a shotgun may miss point blank, and a bazooka tends to send its projectiles at a slingshot pace.

In combat you are given the option to duke in out in a turn-based system or a continuous one. A true gem is that you can alternate between the two throughout the missions that can make some battles feasibly winnable as opposed to utterly hopeless. The missions are insanely long but provide many different tasks, which make them more than tolerable. Controlling your characters is less personal more AI, thankfully the AI is often more capable than one would suppose, a nice touch. Depending on the player this lack of control could be an issue. One inane shortcoming FT suffers from however is the mission layout. At points you are given an objective. As you go about achieving this objective civilian lives are unavoidably lost. When you return for your next briefing you realize that that once insignificant and now dead NPC is now the key to progression. Infuriating! Also, your actions are permanent, golf clap for realism, low blow for impatient compulsive gamer. Thus, save often.

The story department is nicely filled and more than adequate for a strategy title.

You take on the role of a merc, recruited by the sovereign Brotherhood of Steel, who's mission is to restore the earth to its former glory and harmony by irradiating all who oppose, and by re-harnessing long dormant technologies. Technologies, blah, mega-murderous weapons more like it. Nevertheless, characters contain many side stories that are revealed in increments and develop a nice feel to the whole process. The gradual growth of your characters in skill and ability also adds to the overall appeal of completion, which takes a long, long time. Much of this time will be spent moving around your campsite hiring team members acquiring useful info for missions and buying weapons. This is a nicely involved aspect of the game that utilizes the brilliant interface, at once understandable and useful.

Outside of the one player epic, FT boasts a nice online multiplayer hackfest, which allows you to play as the baddies you encounter along the way in one player mode. Also featured is a capture the flag mode. Its fun, but no diversion from the meat of the matter.

The sound and voice acting of Fallout Tactics are in the upper echelon of strategy games and as always produce a much more real environment in which to fight, kill and conquer (all for the Brotherhood of course).

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel contains all the elements of a classic but foolishly falls short in vital areas. The overall quality does remain however and can keep a gamer involved for weeks, though not without side effects. Expect an overly militant spirit to manifest itself in your daily life, just try not to yell out "All hail the Brotherhood", in your poli-sci class or while on an airplane.

Reviewed by Tolkiemingway

(link)

Why would you assume it can be used ONLY for Steel Batallions? Of course it's going to support other games.

While this may be techically true, would you actually like to use this monster for anything other than what it is intended for?

Even using it as a second/third/fourth controller, it will be a totally different feel to play other games with this controller, if you are used to using the "normal" controller. Even leaving out the "feel" aspect (as in, this controller looks/feels like it is supposed to drive a huge mech warrior, not throw passes or ride a snowboard), this would be a big handicap in 1v1(v1,v1,etc) games over a friend's house, which I imagine is what these extra controllers are normally used for.

Not to mention the size factor... I bet the "oh cool, I get to use it as an extra controller" is outweighed by "Oh great, where am I going to keep this gigantic piece of crap"...

Mark

Spreadin' the load around:

Armchair Empire preview

The Controller In Question

It looks to me like this game, an XBox, and the controller would be the best $300 mech simulator ever. That, plus Rallycross, might just push me into getting one.

Spreadin' the load around:

Armchair Empire preview

The Controller In Question

It looks to me like this game, an XBox, and the controller would be the best $300 mech simulator ever. That, plus Rallycross, might just push me into getting one.

Found this elsewhere:

The 40-button behemoth

-Andrew

Here
is another review if the /. effect is preventing you from seeing the other one.