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Warp Pipe Project - GameCube Online
chadlnx writes "The Warp Pipe Project, an open source project to bring LAN-based GameCube games online, recently released a specification detailing how GameCubes communicate over a network. The Warp Pipe Project is aggressively seeking out developers who would be interested in this project through its SourceForge project page."
What should be really interesting will be if our dorm hookup (which already recognizes everybody in the building as being on the same LAN) works with the Gamecube LAN setup. It didn't work with X-Box as we had hoped, but with a little bit of X-Box piping help, we had some great inter-room/floor fights in Halo. The thought of doing the same with Mario Kart fills me with oh so much glee.
It's not stupid. It's advanced.
I found this Gamer's Internet Tunnel program a while back when attempting to play Starcraft without going through battle.net:
http://www.morpheussoftware.net/git/
It listens for almost any kind of traffic on a network, and relays it over TCP or UDP to another network, allowing LAN-only games to be played across the Internet. It might even work with GameCubes if you put a PC on the same LAN as one or more of them.
I think the point here is to allow two gamecubes that are remote from each other to play existing networked games together. So instead of only being able to play WarBlaster III with your friend if you go over to his house, you could set it up so that you could play from your own homes.
Reality is defined by the maddest person in the room
Right now Kirby's Air Ride (JPN release only, US release in October) is the only LAN game to date. The big push is to get this software project at least to beta (if not stable) status by the time Super Mario Kart: Double Dash hits stores at the end of the year.
It all depends on what you want. For example, XBox Live provides you with services for your dollar, not just online games. They provide an official channel for downloadable content and game updates, a cheat-free environment (free from exploiting the network environment, not from exploiting bugs in games), voice chat in all games, friends lists, cross-game invites, etc. And of course most games don't charge anything more on top of the XBox Live subscription fee (which is really reasonably priced, after all). Yes, some games do charge more, but those are generally games that require some sort of infrastructure, like MMORPGs.
As well, unlike Verant and Sony, XBox Live doesn't seem to be a vehicle to pay developers to finish a game that was shipped in a beta state. Yes, you can patch, but there have been relatively few patches pushed out through the service. Perhaps we'll see more of that when more MMOGs show up on XBox Live (right now there's only PSO, but there are others coming like True Fantasy Online, and supposedly Star Wars: Galaxies), but having a controlling authority that has some say in quality control is a good thing in my opinion.
Sure, it's not the rough and tumble free-for-all of games like the Quake series, but it's also a far cry from the various mismanagements of MMORPGs like Evercrack or Ultima Online. I for one think XBox Live has struck a pretty good balance, and will be renewing my subscription come November.
Evidence of being a fraud.
This guy's a troll.
Sony and Microsoft *killed them*? Are you nuts? XBox's only major seller has been Halo. The DOA games likely come in second place along with sports titles. Live! kits are selling, but little else is.
If you don't believe me, read this article at GAF. I could list numerous others as well with *real* numbers and not some hearsay from trolls.
I'm not trying to diss Microsoft or anything, but these rumors of Nintendo getting slaughtered are getting rediculous. Nintendo is still up on worldwide console sales by 2 million units over the XBox. And while Microsoft may *barely* be pushing second place in system sales in the USA, they're hurting elsewhere, especially Japan. Game to system ratios are terrible, even at that. What good does it do to sell consoles if the games aren't selling?
Nintendo already has its fanbase and it's consistently pulling profits year after year. What's the problem here? Do you really think that they need to be number one in console sales to be successful? The GBA is still outselling the PS2, and though it's not a fair comparision, it's still profiatable. Gamecube has a pretty good library of excellent games, and though the quantity isn't as large as the older PS2's library, the games sell well and the fans seem to like them.
Nintendo *IS* listening to their fans. They're giving us the games we want. They want new games based on the old franchises. Metroid was on hiatus for years, but Prime is a fabulous game. People want Zelda. Many of us were wowed by Eternal Darkness. Metal Gear: Twin Snakes looks like it's going to be a groundbreaking remake. F-Zero is already pulling in great scores by Famitsu and other mags. Your comments are like saying that gamers don't want "Final Fantasy 52" or some other popular franchise. Speaking of which, there's no doubt that a lot of Square fans will pick up a Gamecube for Crystal Chronicles. The titles that you think have been "milked" are Nintendo's exclusives. They are what makes a Nintendo system.
So what's the problem here? Are they "failing" because they haven't released more network-based titles for you? Can you give any really good reasons why they aren't listening to you?