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I think Japan is moving to OSS (if not FOSS) as well.
I seem to remember something else from Japan that Microsoft might find.... interesting.

Sounds like you're referring to this: http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/fullstory.php?id=144715

I should probably use the preview button when posting at 3am.

At the end of the day you don't have to buy all of the hardware and certainly not all at once. Last gen of consoles I bought the Cube 1st on day of release, then the Xbox 9 months after that when there was a good package offer on it and finally got a used PS2 around a year later when I wanted to catch up on the titles I'd missed (By which point prety much all the games for it were dirt cheap as well). The PC is a constant and just gets a hardware upgrade every 2-3 years for about £300-£400. This time around I got the Wii 1st (last Xmas), did the PC upgrade 2 weeks ago, Will grab a 360 for myself some point in the next 6 months and will get a PS3 when the price comes down a lot or when I can find a compelling reason to do so (RFoM is just not enough to buy a console for).

Last thing I heared from MS about private servers on Live was that they were not going to release dedicated server software. Unless they've changed their stance then renting a clanserver is not an option.

Pro Gamers don't get consideration because they're a tiny minority. There are more people that play games on mobile phones than there are pro gamers. Why do mods get consideration? Once there was a game called Half-Life, for this game there was a mod called Counter Strike. HL and HL2 servers are at the top of the list way ahead of any other game on the server listings and 90% of the servers are running CS 1.6 or CS:S http://archive.gamespy.com/stats/. User created mods are more important to the fps market than pro gamers. All of the current big engines on PC let me create my own content for them using a well documented and community supported suite of tools. Where as players who were caught by MS playing custom Halo 2 maps against their friends over live were banned.

There's line of "football" Quake mods called Quake Pong by the way.

The goal of the game is to push around a huge steel ball into the opponents goal, hitting it with ballistic weapons to give it kinetic energy.

URLs :
Original QPong mod for Quake II. (Had wquite a few laughs with that one)
Newer QPong Arena mod for Quake 3. (Didn't test it).

There's line of "football" Quake mods called Quake Pong by the way.

The goal of the game is to push around a huge steel ball into the opponents goal, hitting it with ballistic weapons to give it kinetic energy.

URLs :
Original QPong mod for Quake II. (Had wquite a few laughs with that one)
Newer QPong Arena mod for Quake 3. (Didn't test it).

Star Control II Definitely deserves a remake, as long as it doesn't go through any of the hands that worked on Star Control III.
If you agree, check out the petition

Do yourself a favour - grab a second-hand copy of Dungeon Siege and grab the amazing Ultima V fan-remake Ultima V Lazarus.

Incredibly professional graphics and music, an amazing recreation of Britannia, stays true to the original plot & conversations with some additional content lovingly added in - one of the added miniquests in New Magincia is a true test of the Avatar. It's incredible what the devs have managed to squeeze out of the Dungeon Siege engine.

> Consciousness will abruptly cease, like a paused DVD player or a saved Diablo game, waiting forever for time to resume.
Ah but you can backup your Diablo savegames and dupe items. Remember carrying around 20 SoJ?
Perhaps we can all keep savepoints in our lives incase we need to undo something stupid (like getting married).

*ding ding ding*

We have a winner! That's exactly what it means. It's about creation of Destination Games out of the ashes of Origin (Origin -> Destination) and the reinvention of the MMORPG genre.

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/tabula-rasa/512497p1.html

Someone has obviously never tried to run Oblivion with Qarl's Texture Pack (note the two gigabyte download size).

Paul Steed, their modeler, got fired in retaliation though for going along with John's mutiny.

All you need to know about the Panzer Dragoon series is right here: http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/panzerdragoon/panzerdragoon.htm

Scorched Earth The Mother of All Games http://scorch.classicgaming.gamespy.com/

Yippee! So I'm not the only person who's played that!

Of course, I, uh, only got around to playing it maybe a year ago... I'm behind the times, I know.

On the topic of HL zombie mods, have you tried Heart of Evil?

Also, for the original Unreal Tournament, Spatial Fear was a pretty good horror SP mod. Some of the enemies (especially the early ones) are kind of cheesy, but considering that it's just a mod for an old-ass multiplayer FPS, it occupies quite a few of the "most memorable gaming experiences" slots in my brain.

Yippee! So I'm not the only person who's played that!

Of course, I, uh, only got around to playing it maybe a year ago... I'm behind the times, I know.

On the topic of HL zombie mods, have you tried Heart of Evil?

Also, for the original Unreal Tournament, Spatial Fear was a pretty good horror SP mod. Some of the enemies (especially the early ones) are kind of cheesy, but considering that it's just a mod for an old-ass multiplayer FPS, it occupies quite a few of the "most memorable gaming experiences" slots in my brain.

I'll buy that the tactile sensation of real buttons is unnecessary for dialing a phone or browsing a web, but it seems like it would be essential for playing most fast-paced games like most NES titles.

Do you actually have to tap on the screen, or can you just slide your fingers over the designated areas? Back in the 90s, Triax released a touch-sensitive controller for all the big systems of the time. With those you just slid your finger over the pad area, no tapping.

Suncom (halfway down, or search for "Joy Sensor") also produced a similar controller back in the 80s for the 2600 (and pretty much anything else that used the same plug.)

This seems to feasible as all the press demos I've heard about have been on the 360.

Here's one I could find on short notice.

I'm not aware of Rockstar ever showing the press the game engine running on a PS3.

Anybody have examples of that?

You are wrong about 3):

The process of building the new engine went much more smoothly than anything we have done before, because I was able to do all the groundwork while the rest of the company worked on TeamArena. By the time they were ready to work on it, things were basically functional. I did most of the early development work with a gutted version of Quake 3, which let me write a brand new renderer without having to rewrite file access code, console code, and all the other subsystems that make up a game. After the renderer was functional and the other programmers came off of TA and Wolf, the rest of the codebase got rewritten. Especially after our move to C++, there is very little code remaining from the Q3 codebase at this point.

Source: http://archive.gamespy.com/e32002/pc/carmack/

And 4) as well:

Historically, compilers for many languages, including C++ and Fortran, have been implemented as "preprocessors" which emit another high level language such as C. None of the compilers included in GCC are implemented this way; they all generate machine code directly. This sort of preprocessor should not be confused with the C preprocessor, which is an integral feature of the C, C++, Objective-C and Objective-C++ languages.

Source: http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc-4.2.1/gcc/G_002b _002b-and-GCC.html

Mine is near impossible to fire up...the best solution I found so far is to insert the cart, press down all the way, and then wedge a Game Boy Pocket (?!?!) in between, holding it all the way down. Press Power, then Reset.

Here's a DIY more permanent solution.

Actually, they did develop 2D games. This one was quite good, as well.

I'm sure it's not the same programmers, but it is Bethesda. And as a side-note, Julian Lefay, who was a programmer on Wayne Gretzky Hockey, also did the Elder Scrolls games up to, and including, Morrowind.

Thanks to Shenmue, a generation of dreamcast gamers now know how to navigate a small town in japan.

Don't believe me? Check out http://shenmue.planets.gamespy.com/forum/viewtopic .php?p=741301#741301
It's pretty crazy.

I'm looking forward to Carnival Games, which looks like it will be of the "lots of fun mini-games" variety. It was due at the end of August last I heard.

Defined long ago by Chenjesu stargazers, the constellations are now accepted by all Alliance races as the standard. Due to the great difficulty in pronouncing the Chenjesu language, each race has translated the names into their own tongue. When it came time for Earth to adopt this system, the United Nations decided to use traditional astrological designations, assigned at random. This has caused some confusion, but it is considered preferable to the suggested alternative: using the names of past politicians.

- The Star Control II Map

Map can be viewed here

You aren't kidding. What they don't realize is that what works for Madden and The Sims (releasing an expansion or 'booster' pack every 3 months) doesn't work for PC Multiplayer games like the Battlefield Series.

Battlefield 2 sold well, but they tried to capitalize on that by releasing BF2:Special Forces, and Armored Fury and Euro Forces in quick succession, and were rebuffed by the community.

They then didn't learn from their mistake by releasing Battlefield 2142 a scant year after BF2 came out, and it only surpassed BF2 in hours played the first week. Now, it barely registers on the top ten for Xfire, and doesn't hold a good spot on Gamespy's Server list either.

Welcome to Elrond, Mr Anderson. The elves have been expecting you.

Done better, in my opinion, in Dork Tower:

Welcome to Rivendell...
...Mister Anderson.
You know the thing I hate about elves? It's the smell.
"Okay, so Hugo Weaving as Elrond sticks out a bit."
  I feel saturated by it...

I'd much rather get updated versions of Chrono Trigger and the Soul Blazer trilogy.

Unfortunately, getting an update on the Soul Blazer series isn't likely to ever happen, given that it wasn't quite a best seller, and the people responsible for it have long since moved on from Square-Enix. However, you might be interested to know that it's not quite a trilogy.

Yes, I'm sure that a blockbuster series like Final Fantasy, wouldn't get a boost from a console who's players have literally been begging for a Final Fantasy game for years. There are no loads of fanboys dreaming about a High Definition Final Fantasy on a console thats pretty much in the lead for next gen consoles. Square Enix, yeah, they really fucked up, topping the Japanese sales charts. It doesn't have to set any records to be a good game. Winning all those awards probably doesn't help either. I couldn't find any North American sales figures but I'm sure they are just as shitty.

Just because you aren't a fan of the series, doesn't make it a dead series. Personally, I haven't played through 12 yet, but I've heard from close friends its a huge improvement over X and X-2. IMHO, X wasn't that bad, although I prefer the older FFs. Remember, these games are mostly slated to the Japanese culture, do you live in Japan? So stick to playing your WoW and whatever other american RPG's, clearly japanese RPGs aren't your style.

I'll see you and raise you. My posts are encrypted with 23 levels of ROT-T, after which you have to deal with the NME. If you can somehow get past the NME and to my final level, I'll use your own routines to decyrpt your text.

And I run on Linux too!

Gamespy's interview seemed to be more detailed:
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/hellgate-london/786714p1. html

Whether the variety of snacks has changed in the last 3 years is not my concern, but rather if the snacks themselves have changed in the last 3 years. You've never had old chewing gum until you've cut your gums on a stick shard.

Of course, we certainly know the working evironment can be too opulent as well. I'm looking at you, Ion Storm

Even better with PlugY mod - Infinite sized shared stash.
http://phrozenkeep.planetdiablo.gamespy.com/forum/ dload.php?action=file&file_id=1335

I would have stopped playing a long time ago without this mod.

He's going to be appearing in http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ps238/index.htm PS238 as well, as a Hollywood superhero. Issue 23. Which amuses me horribly, in a Discordian way.

How's it feel to be a superhero, Wil?

http://www.gamespy.com/articles/780/780989p1.html

Just because it's true doesn't mean it's not funny. :-)

Mouse/keyboard FTW!

What about Hunter??? it was the GTA of its day, but you where a solider http://amigareviews.classicgaming.gamespy.com/hunt er.htm

So many games have made major steps forward or backward in the genre of CRPGs. The Ultima series stands out on both of those counts (F U EA!). What I find truly interesting is that some games are so good or at least make such an impression on someone that it gets resurrected in some form or fashion.

At some point Ultima IV was re-written for Windows and released on a PC Gamer (?) CD.

Dedicated fans of Ultima V have released an excellent Dungeon Siege mod where you can replay Ultima V (for the most part) in a 3D world. http://lazarus.planetdungeonsiege.gamespy.com/

My point is that if these games were so great there is hope we may see them again. Unless of course the corporate idiots and lawyers make it impossible. Oh Master of Magic 2, where art thou?

There does exist a keyboard/controller device originally intended to be used with the GC version of Phantasy Star Online... You could probably just get one used and use that for text entry and non-motion sensing navigation.

http://archive.gamespy.com/e32002/special/e3pics01 /DSC00019.jpg

I know several friends who purchased these devices...

Fortunately, my 360 allows me to use any USB keyboard I want.

On every other system but the Wii.

Makes Perfect Sense to me Lucasarts!

On every other system but the Wii.

Makes Perfect Sense to me Lucasarts!

On every other system but the Wii.

Makes Perfect Sense to me Lucasarts!

On every other system but the Wii.

Makes Perfect Sense to me Lucasarts!

On every other system but the Wii.

Makes Perfect Sense to me Lucasarts!

While the Mapcore post that first made the alert was made on April 1st, I have remained skeptical mostly because of the very generic nature of the naming systems. How easily could two different companies come up with nearly identical images called "grate7" or "fanblade." I dabble in texture making a little and, for me atleast, all water normal maps turn out nearly the same, so I don't think I see the HL2 connection. We do know the developers are fans of HL2, though, as they refer to it directly in the game. I am significantly less skeptical about the Doom3 connection, however, once I noticed a certain file entitled "hellgate1"

With respects to the Wii, most information regarding any DVD-playback within the U.S. date back to November of 2006, where it was stated that "...Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it apparently 'requires more than a firmware upgrade' and cannot therefore be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network."

As vague as that sounds, it seems as if the Wii will require an official hardware change to support any DVD playback. Still, another source shows that a tool was released sometime in January that will allow you to read and write to the Wii's DVD drive via serial port on a linux computer. This should move us a step closer to getting DVD playback without the need of a mod chip or buying a brand new Wii 2.0.

Wii DVD Tool - Firmware read/write

Here is another article regarding DVD playback for the Wii:

DVD Playback for U.S. Wii Coming

I ran across this looking for something completely unrelated, apparently DDay still has a community and lots of updates: http://ddc.planetquake.gamespy.com/site/ http://mods.moddb.com/8832/dday-normandy-/ So the last link I gave was the wrong one, sorry!

I used to play it in class a while back becuase it ran really nice. They have a standalone pack and used to have a community, I don't know how popular it is these days, it looks like they stopped working on it a few years ago.. Linky: http://dday.planetquake.gamespy.com/site/

It beats the TFC version hands down

Agreed! I also spent an enormous amount of time playing Weapons Factory Arena for Q3. I sometimes miss those days; it was great fun.

Here's a short article on the A.I. in the game F.E.A.R., "F.E.A.R.'s AI Demystified", (in more detail here). Having played through F.E.A.R., what impressed me so much was that a lot of what is called A.I. is actually audio and animation. You can make enemies seem way more intelligent than they really are by doing stuff like have detailed animations for stuff like hopping over barriers or diving through windows that's triggered when they are in certain spots. They would also have the enemies shout stuff, if you had your flashlight on they would scream "Flashlight" and dive for cover.

in Science and Industry, a mod for Half Life, there was a bug where you could type something in the console, then kill yourself, then you could move your corpse around the map as if you were still alive.

i'm sure it's fixed by now, but god was it fun. i would often use it to permanently block others inside rooms (the physics still acted like you were 6 feet tall, so you could block a doorway).

Ironically, I feel the same way about the PS3. The Playstation controller is based on the SNES design , and in the PS1 era they had the analogs bolted on mid-life. It's a 10 year old design that is suited best for 2D games, not 3D. This is why I wasn't upset for the Wii Classic controller. It is a superior design for the retro titles that are pretty much 2D prior to the N64. For the N64 games, I use a wavebird.

There is a reason why Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sega put the analog in the primary position. For 3D games it offers superior control in a position that's comfortable. (IE: That's where it belongs.)

"The DS may just be the perfect gaming machine... but it's adult friendly too in the fact that you can pick it up and play it when you've only got a few minutes to spare. Just flip it closed and it goes into standby until you open it back up."

give me +5 Flamebait but i'm sooo tired of all the DS fanboy crap I read online. Your big argument that it's "adult friendly" is that you can put it in standby easily? So if the only game it played was tic-tac-toe it'd still be "adult friendly", right?

I'm an adult and I've played the DS and just hate the games for it. It's a great system, and stupid DS fanboys keep me going back to the DS and playing it thinking something's change but it hasn't, the games still look crappy, even Metroid looked jagged compared to PSP games like Metal Gear Solid (video), Prince of Persia Revelations (video, more video) or Call of Duty (video).

Here's a great video comparison: True Swing golf for DS vs Tiger Woods PGA 07 for PSP

Those are adult games with adult graphics, I'm tired of playing Mario with cutesy graphics and a having to use a klunky stylus, especially when the DS is suppose to be a portable system.