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"The reality is that Introversion won't be here this time next year, because sales of Darwinia are terribly low."

Introversion already has their own store, which sends a physical copy by post and lets you download a copy whilst you wait for it - what benefit would steam give? (Other than annoyance for the end-user.)

You can still buy Darwinia directly online from Introversion themselves, via the Intvoresion Store (and even download it whilst you wait for it in the post now), plus they have Pinnacle to do UK distribution. It's getting it into US shops that seems to be the problem.

Points 1 and 2 are already being addressed in a patch currently in beta testing, which gives you the option between two control methods.

Point #3 - I like it, if you want to inform the developers that you don't like it, post on the forums instead of on slashdot. You can also rebind the keys, IIRC, but I can't remember if the mouse is configurable.

Graphics - Introversion are a 4 man team. They tried realistic graphics, decided that they couldn't do them well enough, so instead decided to go for the retro feel. It was probably more complex to write extra code for the Darwinian sprites than it would've been to make crude models and use the existing model handling.

Story - I liked it, but a storyline isn't integral to having fun in my opinion. Sure, they can add to a game (and in Darwinia's case, I feel that it strings the game together nicely).

As for not recommending it, well, you seem to be against the majority.

Hm, at seems already perfectly purchasable at a quite sharewarely pricing.

http://store.introversion.co.uk/product_info.php?p roducts_id=52

MfG Lobosch

I could accept that, but then I see things like this, in which a reviewer (Parallax) defends a low score (5.9/10) by saying "That means it's above average!"

I think it'd be interesting to add up all the review scores ever given by a particular outlet and find their true average. I'm guessing it's higher than 50%.

How can your write an article on this without mentioning Darwinia?

http://www.introversion.co.uk/darwinia/

Interesting. That must be why more games get ported to Linux than the Mac, because Linux has a bigger desktop share... Oh, wait...

This is a pititful excuse by game developers who don't want to change their attitudes or outlooks. All that make your game easily portable requires is dumping all the DirectBlah BS and using an API that doesn't make you Microsoft's whipping boy.

Heck, if the API is inadequate, you could even add a bit to it for whatever it is you needed and release the changes back. It might make it easier to make games, which would make a bigger market, which would probably make things better for everybody.

As it is, I tend to buy games from small independents (Garage Games, Guild Software, Introversion Software, the list goes on) instead of the big publishers because the game developers who work for them have minds of their own and tend to make Linux versions of stuff. As opposed to people like you who stick their fingers in their ears and chant 'Marketshare' over and over again.

Uplink a fantastic small game by introversion and ported to the mac by ambriosia (whom I adore) - yes, it's not a PRETTY graphics based game, and it can be a bit cheesy at times, but VERY immersive, and puts you in a fundamentally different role than a shot-em-up or make-my-army-win kind of game. Darwinia isn't half bad either.

And this is precisely the reason why people should (myself included) support groups like 2600 (http://www.2600.com/ with their excellent Off The Hook show. Yes, you can download it, but shows like this (by hackers for hackers) deserve financial support more than the latest over-marketed, over-hyped, *wood "blockbuster".

The same applies to video games too. Why buy the latest generic release from EA, when you can buy some innovative, lovingly crafted, software from guys like Introversion (http://www.introversion.co.uk./

Support the niches and eventually, it will change the mainstream.

I'm not so certain. I think, with today's technology and mass-marketing of games, $50 is more than reasonable...

Think about it... the SNES or Genesis game was a piece of hardware in itself. The game today is about $.10 of pressed plastic and some (terse and uninformative) manuals. Also, call me a fogie, but quality of many games (Half-Life 2 and others excluded) are ... eh...

Asking for more that $50 is like saying "find me on bittorrent, Buccaneer-Americans"... seriously.

Saying the "typical" (yet ever-shifting) demographic of games ranges from 12 year olds to 27 year olds. Say they on average make $10-$20 an hour. So after taxes, etc. they have to put down about 3-6 hours of blood sweat and tears for a game... Reasonable for something they will enjoy, but not really a compulsive buy at the $50 price point. Raising it to $60 or $70 puts a little bit of a twist and a flick in turning that particular blade.

The economics is clearly linked to how broad of a market base you have. Jacking the price up 20% may push people away.

I am still impressed with cheap, but wonderful games that are still available, some from indie firms, others not. Either way... I can't see myself (as a respectible, employed person in his mid-twenties) forking down more than $50 for a game unless I knew it was brilliant. I often wait a few months (egad) or pick up older titles I know are good that I never got a chance to play.

Just my 2 cents.

In other news, the fun is back oh yesiree, its the 2600 from A-atari.

Introversion, the folks that made Uplink, have just started shipping Darwinia. It seems really good so far. It's really hard to describe... it's one of the strangest games I've ever seen, but is really interesting.

You're in a 3-d world that has been overrun by viruses, and your goal seems to be to defeat the viruses and make the virtual world safe for Darwinians, which are little 2-d sprite thingies that move around in the 3-d world. The Darwinians are actually somewhat useful, in that they can operate machinery for you. They may be able to do more but I haven't gotten that far with it yet. (only got the game yesterday).

The whole metaphor of the game is that you are logged in and running programs and interacting with the world, and at first you can't run very many programs, and the programs you CAN run aren't terribly interesting.... so far I have Squad, which makes a troop of little soldiers you can blast the bad guys with, Engineer, which makes little guys that can activate buildings and collect the souls of dead things to spawn new Darwinians, and Officer, which converts a normal Darwinian into one you can control and use to give orders to the mobs of Darwinians that stand around the spawn machine. I don't know how many program types there will eventually be.

The graphic look reminds me a bit of that 3D Sentinel game from a few years ago. Monsters are fairly varied... so far I've seen (and fought) little crawly virus things, spiders, centipedes, floating egg laying thingies, and monster-spawning flowers.

It's very different, and very weird, and very fun, at least so far. These are the guys who made Uplink, which was fantastic, so it's likely to be good. You can get a demo at www.introversion.co.uk.

There's a Linux version in the works, but at the moment it's Windows-only. And if you haven't played Uplink, check out the demo for that too. It's really good, and has a Linux version.

To break the routine, you need to find a game developer that motivated to produce fun games instead of make the most money. Personally, I like the games that Introversion has been putting out. Uplink was great, and their new game Darwinia looks pretty cool too from the demo.

Introversion Software http://www.introversion.co.uk/ are performing small miracles. Uplink was great, and Darwinia looks to be fantastic.

Best of all, they're available (at least Darwinia very soon after Win/Mac release) for Linux. If you've not seen em, go on over and take a look. If anything, it's people like Chris Delay and the rest of Introversion that might just be Linux gaming's "future".

You want screenshots? OK. Yeah, I know, the bottom-right corner version info isn't to the same quality of evidence as a GPG signature is, but I can't really get any better. Ignore the "STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL"; that only applies to the phase 2 beta.

Also see the phase 2 beta tester list for my nick, and note that I registered my account here before Darwinia was announced, and that e-mail and home page matches up.

(Yes, I know, IHBT, IHL, IWTTHAND.)

I couldn't let a debate on the UK gaming scene go by without mentioning a real British gem... UPLINK, by a tiny outfit called Introversion Software. Small outfits may be dying out but this is a reminder that, if you have a good idea and keep it simple, the size of the team doesn't matter. Check it out here

Hmmm, I thought Unreal Tournament 2003 & 2004 came with a native Linux version on CD? And so did Uplink ( great game! ) if I remember correctly. Coupled with NWN, this gives you some quality FPS, quality RPG and quality uhm... something... ...whatever kind of game Uplink really is...

Uplink has (slightly buggy) multimonitor support. Now you can pretend your in Swordfish or The Matrix or any other film where the hackers use multiple displays :)

Well worth a look, IMO.

Well worth a look, IMO.

with my Log Delete v4, I can leave absolutely no trace at all! And that's because I know the admin password for the Internic server! Artaxerxes

with my Log Delete v4, I can leave absolutely no trace at all! And that's because I know the admin password for the Internic server! Artaxerxes

By far the most addictive game I've picked up since Rogue, Uplink on OS X (Linux and Windows versions available here)has brought a few things to light for me.

First, the graphics aren't that great, but they are exactly what you require for visual feedback. Everything is where it (so it seems) should be for quick and easy access. The audio feedback on things like the trace tracker is a nice bonus as well.

Ambrosia Software's port to the Mac is very well done, although it would be nice (as I mentioned on the Ambrosia boards) to be able to switch the game to windowed mode for the ability to check what's going on with the rest of your system during the game.

The thing is, most of my regular (read: non-geek) friends wouldn't get much of a thrill out of it. The lack of eye-candy and blood/boobs/bombs would probably turn them off, regardless of the fact that the game is very exciting to me, very immersive, and a lot of fun. They just wouldn't be able to see the "fun" in learning more and better ways to hack and crack..

The point is that it doesn't have to appeal to the mass-market, the ones that love all the Clear Channel crap that's on the radio, buying Windows boxes because "they're cheap" and watching reality shows until their own perception of reality erodes completely.

It's made for you and I. The ones who find this (all this geek stuff) fun. I think games should be more tailor-made to fit a certain group.. even though I hate the idea of market groups and stereotypes. Please don't let the developers dumb down everything to appease the masses.

This game has me really hooked. It's all done in a very immersive style, and presents itself like no other game on the market. Two green thumbs up.

Versions are out for Mac OS 9 and OS X, Linux (not sure what distros) and Windows.

Required Mac specs listed here:

OS 9, or OS X 10.1 or later
300 MHz G3 or higher

OpenGL compliant 3D video card required, OpenGL 1.2 or newer
CarbonLib 1.6 or newer
DrawSprocket 1.7.5 or newer

Going back to play some more.

Some games still have that old friend, check out Uplink, the great hacker game (and yes it's got the native Linux binaries on the disc) from Introversion Kleedrac

It's me, I've been playing Uplink too much, scanning for vulnerable LANs out there.
I've been deleting the logs as I go, but the LAN probes seem to be getting noticed.
- k
=)

Jeez, Uplink isn't by Ambrosia, that's just the Mac version's publisher. It's by Introversion!

How about Uplink?

Now available in North American stores, in a box, labeled 'Uplink: Hacker Elite.' The problem, as always, is that the mass market probably couldn't handle it; 'aim boomstick at bad guy and mash button repeatedly' is about the level of the average NA gamer, these days, unfortunately.

it really isn't 'realistic hacking'. you buy software to allow you to bypass level one firewalls, and do a few missions. the you have more money, but the computers you are now supposed to hack have level 3 firewalls, so you buy a software upgrade, and so on

also, most of the things that make the game difficult are the poor interface (for example, to slow down traces, you route your connection. to add more hops, you have to click on the computers. this is really annoying when you want to add many, especially since you have to do it everytime you reload the game)

other than the interface, the game is pretty easy, and can get repetetive quickly. then again, its also cheap, and great fun at the beggining. and since were on /., it even has a linux version

try the demo

You just have to look a little harder. Games like Uplink, Pontifex and Combat Mission are available, successful on their own scale, and pretty durned innovative! I would love to see more games like Pontifex that educate while they entertain.

There are plenty of original games out there. Most of them simply don't do well, and those which do are copied and cliched into oblivion. Take for example:

Uplink: Every Slashdotter's dream game. Very innovative idea, properly executed, as well.
Escape Velocity Series: While the series is not exactly new, it is still an excellent idea. Completely open-ended, and quite fun. Windows port coming soon.
Wulfram II: Multiplayer only. Free. Interesting combination of strategy and FPS. The graphics are a bit dated, although community-funded development work has begun on a new graphics engine. Addicting as hell.
Black and White: Never played, but very innovative from what I've heard.
The Longest Journey: While it's very similar to the LucasArts adventure games, this game plays like a novel. That being said, if all novels copied each other, we would have stopped writing them thousands of years ago. Recycled concept, AMAZING plot.
Planescape: Torment: At first glance, this appears to be nothing more than a hackneyed D&D game/Diablo clone. Upon playing it, you begin to unravel a superb plot. Very little hack and slash.
Dance Dance Revolution: Never played it, but it's popular as hell (you don't get much more original than THIS)
Morrowind and GTA were both somewhat revolutionary in that they were completely open-ended, and created two of the most original games in two of the most hackneyed generes.
Frozen Bubble/Snood/etc. More proof that such simplistic games can still become wildly popular. Revitalized a dying genere.

If you're looking for a good simulation type game that's very immersive, try Uplink. You can order it from their website for USD$25 or pick it up at a local GameSpot for about USD$30. You play a freelance computer hacker on the internet of 2010 and hack into companies and steel/delete/decrypt data, sabotage computer systems, alter/create/delete identities for people, all sorts of stuff.

It's a lot of fun and runs on Windows and Linux and should run on older hardware that doesn't have the latest and greatest video cards, mainly because it values 'fun' more than 'flashy graphics'.

If you're looking for a fun game that's a break from the standard mainstream genres (FPS, RTS, MMORPG, etc), this is definitely the game for you.

I love it when games attempt something like this. The excellent Uplink is an excellent example of an immensely capturing, yet simple game that has the "Is this real?" magic. It just makes you think "what if?" when you start it up and it says it's connecting, see the almost real IP, etc. Great stuff.

I'd argue that some of the attraction in the original Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn was also because of the movies between missions, where you'd be briefed directly by a game character and proceeded to make a tactical decision. They lost the magic already partially in Red Alert as there were more characters interacting together and it just didn't feel as involved for the player and lost it completely in later games such as Tiberian Sun where the movies mostly consisted of bad acting where the player wasn't involved in any way.

Are there more of these? I've played my share of games and I'm sure there are ones that I just can't remember right now.

First person shooters such as Unreal have been able to awe me by their detailed visuals and some games present an awesome storyline but very few manage to get the player so involved in the game world. Ironically, role-playing games that would seem the most obvious ways to attempt this are often just settle for presenting a story and getting the player interested in some stats-crunching.

If you love independent gaming and want to help keep it alive, do the right thing and PAY for those shareware games. And yes, I've paid for mine. =D

There's a LOT of great games made by a few people working together on something they love. But like any other business, if they don't get money they don't stay in business. ;)

Remember that Doom started out as shareware, I don't think you could call Id "unsuccessful".

If you want a list of things to try, Soldat, Space Station Manager, Space Empires IV, and Uplink are all fun.

One word: Uplink

If Chris at Introversion can write a cool game like Uplink in his apartment after working a full time job then there is still hope. The difference is that Introversion saw that while the graphics in games have become more and more impressive the actual gameplay has suffered.

I saw the same thing when I worked at Software Sorcery (producers of Sea Rogue, Jutland, Aegis, Guardian of the fleet, Conqueror 1086). As the graphics got better the games were less and less fun (i.e. boring) Do we really need another MMP 1st person shooter? Or another MMP strategy game?

Disclaimer: I'm one of those freaks who, when given the choice of playing computer games or going outside for a hike, usually chooses to go outside. YMMV.

You forgot:

6 (Warning: Unreachable code): Profit!

Also, they'll use decimal IPv4 addresses -- which would explain a lot about the Uplink game...

my beautiful friend...

wow, now that the internet is at an end, does it means we'll have to scale back to AOL and Compuserve and MSN?

That'd be fine for me if their servers have the security of Uplink mainframes..

You should play the game Uplink. It's a whole "hacking" game in a world of movie-like computers. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fall in love again.

According to Gamespot Introversion has found a publisher!! Go guys.

Now make a sequel. and make it multiplayer.

Please !! :)

Buy uplink.

Introversion ended up quite successful with their simple hacking sim "Uplink".

It's a fun little game that started out as the guy's pet project, but ended up taking off and has sold many many copies since.

Heck I ended up buying a few copies for Xmas presents this year, and most of my friends agreed it was quite enjoyable. Runs on both Windows and Linux.

-----

I think someone was just playing too much uplink :)

The guys who made that must not have thought we'd have IPv6 by then (2010)

What good timing; only last week, I bought my first game in ages, and it was programmed by just a couple of guys. Uplink, the "hacking simulator", while bearing only superficial resemblance to the real thing, is a lot of fun.

Gerv

Well this is exactly the plot of the Uplink game.

And man, that is a very good game.

from Chronic Logic, you have the superb 1 man (i think) effort, Pontifex. (Sounds like crap but play it... it's so much more fun than it sounds!)
And another one that made ./ a while back (which probably whacked their sales up 400%) - Introversion's Uplink... Not so good, but minimal dev team and zero marketing (except for the viral kind...).
It can still be done. It just takes a bit of luck, some real dedication and a decent game before you actually get noticed.

Support people that porth the games!! I mean Wine is nice for trying to get people to use linux, but in the long run we need ported games! - - Happy Peguin - Hyperion - - Tux Games - Introversion . .. plus hunt for more!

> Anything that provides the opportunity for
> escape or is mood-altering can become addictive

There is a difference, though. EQ-like games have different addiction properties.

Example. Last week I found a copy of Uplink in a local store and was playing it madly all weekend. (This is a RPG, dammit. It is not a simulation.) However, although it was addicting and compulsive, I lost nothing by deciding I had played enough for the moment. I racked up some phat gateway kit but I knew that if I screwed up I'd lose it instantly (and in that game you really do - in Diablo terms it's permanently on Hardcore mode)

But that is not the case with EQ. EQ is all about levelling up. If you stop playing, you don't just lose the fun of playing - you lose all the time you've spent playing so far. (And, until you've levelled up a fair bit, there usually ISN'T that much fun in playing.) The game tends to come to you with an implicit deal that you can never lose the stuff you've gained ingame - unlimited resurrections etc - unlike most other games where you know it will be lost at some point (by either losing the game and losing the stuff because your character is out, or winning the game and effectively losing the stuff because there is nothing more to do with it). This means it is seen more as property rather than a means to an end of finishing the game. So with every game the addict plays, the percieved loss from giving up increases.

There are other causes as well, but the point is that there ARE genuine design decisions involved in the games which either a) are intended to create addiction or b) whose continued existance in games given that the game producers are aware of their effects demonstrates that addiction is considered a worthwhile tradeoff. It is not just the fault of the addicts.

Hehe, I liked wall street kid! It was kind of predictable and cheesy, but a very original concept, a lot like Uplink

I'd like to see more of this type of simulator game, it's an unexplored genre for the most part.

Yeah, in Uplink the software that you buy to crack elliptic curve, is much more expensive. Thus, it is safer, since the script kiddies cannot afford it.

I'm not sure if international sales count in this, but the only game I've bought this year was Uplink that was featured on Slashdot. Other than that, nothing else has really caught my attention in the gaming market. Maybe if they came out with something new and interesting I might buy it.

What the game companies need to do is figure out innovative ways to break out of standard genres like FPS or RTS, which is probably why I liked Uplink and probably why The Sims did so well, because they aren't standard genres that have been rehashed over and over again and are just getting old now.

What other people have been saying still holds true. Unfortunately for software publishers, it makes a certain amount of sense to measure piracy in terms of lost profits (how else would you measure it as a monetary figure?), but the fact is that the vast majority of pirates are opportunitists who simply wouldn't use the software if they were forced to pay. A few would, of course, but a very small proportion of the total.

The classic example of this behavior is Microsoft, who now has such a vast majority of the market that they have to look into other avenues to expand -- and have aimed their guns at the pirates with the registration in Windows XP. But they're missing the key point: People who are pirating XP aren't going to pay for it if you magically force them to stop pirating. (Any antipiracy system is exploitable, anyway.) So the net effect after all is said and done is very little change in revenue, and a bunch of inconvenienced customers. Wasn't there a time when a company was supposed to provide a service to its customers for a profit, not put shackles on preexisting customers who have coughed up the dough?

For the record, I've purchased two shareware titles in the last month: Ricochet and Uplink.