I'm getting more than a few errormessages (from "/") - if others have problems, here's the whole preview as taken from my cache.
A not-so-long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, gamers throughout the planet longed for the ultimate Star Wars experience; it would have to be one that immersed them directly in the world they longed to be part of, and in such a way that it would provide hours upon hours of gaming bliss. That experience, sadly, has remained elusive. However, just when all of the would-be Jedi were about to give up to the dark side, a magical triumvirate consisting of three of the most powerful light side icons was formed. First to appear was LucasArts; the organization ran by the master of all Jedi (whose force power was beginning to wane in the world of gaming). Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created. Thirdly, there was BioWare, a rogue group of scoundrels that have repeatedly proven themselves experts in the field of RPG creation. It would seem, on the surface, to be a union of medichlorians foretold by the prophets. However, the answer to whether the fruit of this union becomes the most powerful Jedi in the universe or just another fallen hero turned Sith Lord is an answer too cloudy to be foretold.
May 2002 has come and gone, and taken another E3 with it. It was at this yearly convention that gamers got their first real glimpse of BioWare's highly anticipated RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. From the reports received back from the Bothan spies sent to the trade show, it looks like this one has got all the right ingredients to make not only one of the best RPGs ever, but the definitive Star Wars title.
It will take players to a time about 4000 years prior to the tales told in the films, during a period in which the Jedi and the Sith numbered in the thousands, and were locked in an epic struggle. Players assume the role of a human (players' parties consist of three characters, which can include humans, droids, Twi'leks, Wookies, etc) Jedi, whose decisions and actions not only affect his future (players can become Sith if they act too evil), but the outcome of this conflict on a much grander scale. The specific details of the storyline are still being kept quiet, but the developers assure that it involves stopping the Sith at all costs.
Players start out by building their character to spec, and then set out on the adventure which will mold and shape said character based on deeds and actions. The player sets the beginning skill points and combat feats, but different skills and abilities are added as the game progresses. BioWare has mentioned that quite a lot of painstaking detail has been presented in the game, and players will even be able to construct their character's lightsaber (which is a fundemental skill of any padawan), instead of just picking one up "weapon-up" style. The clothing and armaments of said characters will appear on their model no matter how you choose to dress them, and their appearance will affect how you are perceived by others. Even the most philanthropic Jedi will not be trusted if he walks through an environment wearing a black cloak, etc.
Speaking of environments, KOTOR will offer a universe spanning ten different worlds, which includes familiar favorites as well as completely new ones. Expect to travel to such places as Tatooine, the Sith world of Korriban, the Jedi Academy on Dantooine and the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. The player's home will be the Ebon Hawk, a familiar-looking predeccessor to a certain famous Corellian smuggler's "fastest hunk-o'- junk" in the galaxy. Players will be able to "live" inside the ship, interact with others, and even fly her about during certain challenges. Think of the Ebon Hawk as the "100 gil" per night Inn that you take with you everywhere you go (for purposes of explaining its role within this massive RPG). It can also act as a storage depot for the extra items you or your Wookie are finding a little too cumbersome to lug around.
Their will be a wide array of weapons (most of which are still under wraps with the developer), but lightsabers, blasters, bowcasters, and vibro blades have been assured. The story is one of epic proportions, the stuff one would expect from a BioWare RPG, the combat is going to consist of real time, rule based combat, and the character's development is directly related to the outcome of choices and actions. An interesting aspect of the game is that to add replayability, certain areas are only open to certain types of characters... in short, a fully angelic Jedi is not going to be able to get into highly Sith populated areas and vice versa. The next play through would warrant a more evil upbringing of the character to become welcome there.
What would a good RPG be without tons of mini-game side quests? Well, not a really good one after all. KOTOR won't disappoint in this regard, either, as the developers have included many mini games throughout the world, some required to progress through the main story, and some purely optional. They've been quoted as saying that they like to use mini games in places where one would normally just be watching a cutscene, so its execution sounds a bit innovative and welcome from the start. Also, all the in- game dialogue text will be spoken by character voice as well, an excellent feature that has only become possible of late (with this generation's hardware) because of the sheer amount of dialogue a typical forty hour RPG would require. Expect to be completely enveloped in the Star Wats universe.
Any character within your party can be controlled, and the AI will take over for the other two in the meantime. Players may switch from character to character at will. Saving progress is an anywhere, anytime system... providing the player is not in a situation of impending danger at the time. Saving in the midst of a "boss" battle will be right out.
The Xbox and PC versions will be identical in terms of gameplay, but there will be obvious control differences. BioWare has claimed that the whole title from beginning to end will be "longer than your typical console RPG, but not quite as enormous as Baldur's Gate 2", so expect a solid forty+ hours of saber swinging, force pushing, Sith Lord bashing, no Jar-Jar goodness when the Xbox version streets this fall.
You're correct - however, judge the nature of implementing such a scheme to be able to read my postal-email versus trying to get access to the normal mail I have now. I'm quite sure I know which is simpler;)
Please - defeat PGP (let's say RSA 1024 to make it simple). Reply to this when you've done it - I'm ok with waiting.
(You're also welcome to brute-force 128bit IDEA. It's ok that it would take longer than the universe has existed - I'm sure you still don't consider that impossible;)
I opened mine up this weekend to fix a broken dial - but I had had it unplugged for 2 days before doing it. Are you saying it might've still been charged then?
Thanks for acknowledging the behaviour of the cracking crews;) Too bad the demo-scene on the ST was almost 100% european only since many of the tricks we did only worked on the 50Hz machines.. (removing borders etc)
... on the other hand some Mac people seem to rely a bit too much on this. An "unhackable" Mac webserver was hacked through Lasso by a student I know a few years ago - and that caused quite a big uproar.
(Do notice I mentioned Lasso, I know it wasn't the webserver itself - my point is that you should never trust anything - not even Mac OS 7-9.. )
Playable Format In order to compete a game must have been shown in playable form. Playable form is defined as the ability for the judge or a developer to manipulate the game in real-time running on its native platform. Games which were only demonstrated via videotapes, screenshots, rendered movies, concept art, sell sheets, press kits, EPKs, or any derivative thereof were automatically disqualified from consideration in the major award categories. However, non-playable games were still eligible for Special Commendations in Graphics and Sound Design.
(from www.e3awards.com)
I got this reply when I mailed them regarding if Doom III was playable:
Actually, Doom III was playable at the show. It was shown in playable format to the judges and others behind closed doors at the Activision booth. We do have a rule stating that games must be playable. The video shown in the theater was not eligible for this reason, but Activision did show playable code and it passed eligibility.
True - in the US or Japan. In Europe there's no HDTV-standard, and although you can find some rare sets with VGA (same as progressive scan, 480p) connectors - the european versions of the consoles don't support it! (Boot up a PAL-Gamecube game and you'll see that the PS-option is gone.. )
Usually you run something like 640 pixels horisontally, and if you want console-smoothness you don't interlace, but update each field. That gives us 640*240 in NTSC, or 640*288 in PAL, at 60/50 fps.
DPLII is 5-channel.. Dunno where you and the parent post got 4-channel from. Dolby's website will rectify that though:) It's also a LOT better than the old DPL, don't put it down until you've heard it..
... and as another poster mentioned, it's a lot better for games also since you don't get a nasty delay.
Ah. Myself I'm 28 and own a Gamecube. My feeling is that the ones calling the GC "kiddie" and touting their Xbox being "more mature" are the ones below 20..:) That's what I see at the different forums anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
A not-so-long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, gamers throughout the planet longed for the ultimate Star Wars experience; it would have to be one that immersed them directly in the world they longed to be part of, and in such a way that it would provide hours upon hours of gaming bliss. That experience, sadly, has remained elusive. However, just when all of the would-be Jedi were about to give up to the dark side, a magical triumvirate consisting of three of the most powerful light side icons was formed. First to appear was LucasArts; the organization ran by the master of all Jedi (whose force power was beginning to wane in the world of gaming). Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created. Thirdly, there was BioWare, a rogue group of scoundrels that have repeatedly proven themselves experts in the field of RPG creation. It would seem, on the surface, to be a union of medichlorians foretold by the prophets. However, the answer to whether the fruit of this union becomes the most powerful Jedi in the universe or just another fallen hero turned Sith Lord is an answer too cloudy to be foretold.
May 2002 has come and gone, and taken another E3 with it. It was at this yearly convention that gamers got their first real glimpse of BioWare's highly anticipated RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. From the reports received back from the Bothan spies sent to the trade show, it looks like this one has got all the right ingredients to make not only one of the best RPGs ever, but the definitive Star Wars title.
It will take players to a time about 4000 years prior to the tales told in the films, during a period in which the Jedi and the Sith numbered in the thousands, and were locked in an epic struggle. Players assume the role of a human (players' parties consist of three characters, which can include humans, droids, Twi'leks, Wookies, etc) Jedi, whose decisions and actions not only affect his future (players can become Sith if they act too evil), but the outcome of this conflict on a much grander scale. The specific details of the storyline are still being kept quiet, but the developers assure that it involves stopping the Sith at all costs.
Players start out by building their character to spec, and then set out on the adventure which will mold and shape said character based on deeds and actions. The player sets the beginning skill points and combat feats, but different skills and abilities are added as the game progresses. BioWare has mentioned that quite a lot of painstaking detail has been presented in the game, and players will even be able to construct their character's lightsaber (which is a fundemental skill of any padawan), instead of just picking one up "weapon-up" style. The clothing and armaments of said characters will appear on their model no matter how you choose to dress them, and their appearance will affect how you are perceived by others. Even the most philanthropic Jedi will not be trusted if he walks through an environment wearing a black cloak, etc.
Speaking of environments, KOTOR will offer a universe spanning ten different worlds, which includes familiar favorites as well as completely new ones. Expect to travel to such places as Tatooine, the Sith world of Korriban, the Jedi Academy on Dantooine and the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. The player's home will be the Ebon Hawk, a familiar-looking predeccessor to a certain famous Corellian smuggler's "fastest hunk-o'- junk" in the galaxy. Players will be able to "live" inside the ship, interact with others, and even fly her about during certain challenges. Think of the Ebon Hawk as the "100 gil" per night Inn that you take with you everywhere you go (for purposes of explaining its role within this massive RPG). It can also act as a storage depot for the extra items you or your Wookie are finding a little too cumbersome to lug around.
Their will be a wide array of weapons (most of which are still under wraps with the developer), but lightsabers, blasters, bowcasters, and vibro blades have been assured. The story is one of epic proportions, the stuff one would expect from a BioWare RPG, the combat is going to consist of real time, rule based combat, and the character's development is directly related to the outcome of choices and actions. An interesting aspect of the game is that to add replayability, certain areas are only open to certain types of characters... in short, a fully angelic Jedi is not going to be able to get into highly Sith populated areas and vice versa. The next play through would warrant a more evil upbringing of the character to become welcome there.
What would a good RPG be without tons of mini-game side quests? Well, not a really good one after all. KOTOR won't disappoint in this regard, either, as the developers have included many mini games throughout the world, some required to progress through the main story, and some purely optional. They've been quoted as saying that they like to use mini games in places where one would normally just be watching a cutscene, so its execution sounds a bit innovative and welcome from the start. Also, all the in- game dialogue text will be spoken by character voice as well, an excellent feature that has only become possible of late (with this generation's hardware) because of the sheer amount of dialogue a typical forty hour RPG would require. Expect to be completely enveloped in the Star Wats universe.
Any character within your party can be controlled, and the AI will take over for the other two in the meantime. Players may switch from character to character at will. Saving progress is an anywhere, anytime system... providing the player is not in a situation of impending danger at the time. Saving in the midst of a "boss" battle will be right out.
The Xbox and PC versions will be identical in terms of gameplay, but there will be obvious control differences. BioWare has claimed that the whole title from beginning to end will be "longer than your typical console RPG, but not quite as enormous as Baldur's Gate 2", so expect a solid forty+ hours of saber swinging, force pushing, Sith Lord bashing, no Jar-Jar goodness when the Xbox version streets this fall.
You're correct - however, judge the nature of implementing such a scheme to be able to read my postal-email versus trying to get access to the normal mail I have now. I'm quite sure I know which is simpler ;)
(You're also welcome to brute-force 128bit IDEA. It's ok that it would take longer than the universe has existed - I'm sure you still don't consider that impossible ;)
Posten
Of course you don't. You probably believe everything done in the US is done the right way.
It's not.
Teach by setting examples, not rules.
I opened mine up this weekend to fix a broken dial - but I had had it unplugged for 2 days before doing it. Are you saying it might've still been charged then?
Troed of I.C.S
Red Fox of Sync
(Do notice I mentioned Lasso, I know it wasn't the webserver itself - my point is that you should never trust anything - not even Mac OS 7-9
In order to compete a game must have been shown in playable form. Playable form is defined as the ability for the judge or a developer to manipulate the game in real-time running on its native platform. Games which were only demonstrated via videotapes, screenshots, rendered movies, concept art, sell sheets, press kits, EPKs, or any derivative thereof were automatically disqualified from consideration in the major award categories. However, non-playable games were still eligible for Special Commendations in Graphics and Sound Design.
(from www.e3awards.com)
I got this reply when I mailed them regarding if Doom III was playable:
Actually, Doom III was playable at the show. It was shown in playable format to the judges and others behind closed doors at the Activision booth. We do have a rule stating that games must be playable. The video shown in the theater was not eligible for this reason, but Activision did show playable code and it passed eligibility.
Thanks
Rob
Name a game that is cross-platform Xbox-PC that can do what is described above.
True - in the US or Japan. In Europe there's no HDTV-standard, and although you can find some rare sets with VGA (same as progressive scan, 480p) connectors - the european versions of the consoles don't support it! (Boot up a PAL-Gamecube game and you'll see that the PS-option is gone .. )
NTSC = analog*480i
PAL = analog*576i
Usually you run something like 640 pixels horisontally, and if you want console-smoothness you don't interlace, but update each field. That gives us 640*240 in NTSC, or 640*288 in PAL, at 60/50 fps.
Is it june in your part of the world already?
Yeah, this wasn't a home-install - this was indeed a business-install
this is the killer E3 Expo pictorial feature - only on Envy News. Dial-up users beware - this is broadband territory!
this is the killer Slashdotting feature - only on Slashdot. Small Envy News sites beware - this is broadband++ territory!
... and as another poster mentioned, it's a lot better for games also since you don't get a nasty delay.
(For the record, I own a Gamecube, so this is not PS2-fanboy talk
Some people in the UK have had these chips fitted already (they live close to the fairs where the chips have been demoed)
Kids?
It's extremely fun, lots of mini-games (Monkey Target!) when (ever???) you grow tired of the maingame.
That game alone is a good reason to own a cube - and a sequel with updated graphics will come out in US this autumn.