How is this different from the recommended system specs PC games have displayed on thier boxes? These are frequently well under par for reasonable performance and always have been.
I tend to disagree. Although Gary's mod was supported there was a lack of exposure for all the other mods that didn't adopt a pay business model.
Many excellent mods (FoF and Dystopia particularly) struggle to maintain a reasonable player base. I'm sure direct Steam support will result in much more exposure and increase their popularity.
This is awesome news. I know in gamedev communities Valve have actually copped some shit for the lack of perceived support they've provided to mods since the release of HL2. I think that only recently mods for the Source engine reached a level of polish comparable to professional releases so it's an ideal time to introduce this feature.
The top mods are the result of years of hard work, it's great to see them getting the attention they deserve.
It's also in Valve's interest to continue to support and nurture the mod scene. Mods add to the longevity of an engine and provide an upcoming talent pool for the industry.
Shameless plug of the Source mod I recently joined:
http://www.enterprise-tcw.com/
Are you kidding me? Mapple story alone eclipses WoW several times over (Something like 50million accounts). Asia has a thriving, though highly insulated, MMO market with insane player bases.
People actually play Second Life. I have a lot of gamer friends, both male and female, many of whome play MMOs, yet I don't know anyone who has ever played Second Life.
Is it just me or does the media machine give this shit attention disproportionate to it's actual popularity? Is there anyone actually playing this other than the businesses that invested in it thinking it was going to be the next big thing?
Also worth mentioning, there are 2 seasons of episodic Sam and Max games available on Steam.
I've played a few episodes from season one and they're pretty good if you enjoy the style of old fashioned adventure games.
And watch software piracy all but disappear. Providing a game for free and using micro transactions for revenue is damn lucrative. Korean gamdevs have been doing it for around a decade. Another approach is a solid digital distribution system. If it's easier to pirate your game than obtain it legally, you're an idiot. Steam, although it had some teething problems and is by no means perfect, is an excellent example of a great online distribution system. The big releases are cheaper to buy than in the store here in Australia and the casual/indie games are only a few bucks. I think game piracy is predominantly self induced by insane prices.
That's over half the game's development budget to create textures, models, and levels, most of which the player will see only once.
Nonsense, a games assets are typically broken down into a variety of themes and used extensively throughout an entire game. Sure you have unique features here and there but they certainly are not the majority.
I've been playing around with a game engine myself for the last 12 months. I've created over 200mb of custom textures and models (uncompressed) for a single environment and it isn't even complete.
Unique and original assets (textures, character and environment models etc) are essential and the most time consuming aspect of game development. These guys certainly deserve their cut of the profit, if not more.
Note: I can't format paragraphs for some reason.
I completely agree. I've played around with multiple game engines and level design apps over the last 12 years and I consider GTK Radiant to be one of the best.
GTK Radiant supports significantly more games and there's a ton of reference material and tutorials available.
Once Quake Live is released there could be a resurgence in mapping for IdTech3 so I could understand someone releasing a new editor for that.
The keys are blank on the DasKeyboard ultimate. Most OS, including windows since v3.0 allow for less conventional keyboard layouts including DVORAK so there's no need for a DVORAK specific version.
A conveniant online distribution system and unobtrusive copy protection are two features that'll see a dramatic decline in PC game piracy.
Steam is the best game distribution system I've used to date. The games are cheap and it's actually more conveniant than downloading a torrent or dealing with the idiots and poor selection in a traditional store.
I have no problem with online verification. Two things I do want to be able to do though is install multiple copies and run single players games in an offline mode.
I think LGP is a possitive step forward for Linux gaming and the copyprotection will ensure game publishers are more confident with the platform.
Atari in it's current form is simply a brandname, bought by Infograms who produced the original Alone In The Dark games.
According to wikipedia, Atari has been a wholly owned subsidiary of of Infograms since '07. They've been releasing games under the Atari name for years though.
First game I recall seeing released by Infograms using the Atari name was Unreal Tournament 2003.
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How is this different from the recommended system specs PC games have displayed on thier boxes? These are frequently well under par for reasonable performance and always have been.
I tend to disagree. Although Gary's mod was supported there was a lack of exposure for all the other mods that didn't adopt a pay business model. Many excellent mods (FoF and Dystopia particularly) struggle to maintain a reasonable player base. I'm sure direct Steam support will result in much more exposure and increase their popularity.
This is awesome news. I know in gamedev communities Valve have actually copped some shit for the lack of perceived support they've provided to mods since the release of HL2. I think that only recently mods for the Source engine reached a level of polish comparable to professional releases so it's an ideal time to introduce this feature. The top mods are the result of years of hard work, it's great to see them getting the attention they deserve. It's also in Valve's interest to continue to support and nurture the mod scene. Mods add to the longevity of an engine and provide an upcoming talent pool for the industry. Shameless plug of the Source mod I recently joined: http://www.enterprise-tcw.com/
Are you kidding me? Mapple story alone eclipses WoW several times over (Something like 50million accounts). Asia has a thriving, though highly insulated, MMO market with insane player bases.
People actually play Second Life. I have a lot of gamer friends, both male and female, many of whome play MMOs, yet I don't know anyone who has ever played Second Life. Is it just me or does the media machine give this shit attention disproportionate to it's actual popularity? Is there anyone actually playing this other than the businesses that invested in it thinking it was going to be the next big thing?
Also worth mentioning, there are 2 seasons of episodic Sam and Max games available on Steam. I've played a few episodes from season one and they're pretty good if you enjoy the style of old fashioned adventure games.
And watch software piracy all but disappear. Providing a game for free and using micro transactions for revenue is damn lucrative. Korean gamdevs have been doing it for around a decade. Another approach is a solid digital distribution system. If it's easier to pirate your game than obtain it legally, you're an idiot. Steam, although it had some teething problems and is by no means perfect, is an excellent example of a great online distribution system. The big releases are cheaper to buy than in the store here in Australia and the casual/indie games are only a few bucks. I think game piracy is predominantly self induced by insane prices.
MiceHead:
That's over half the game's development budget to create textures, models, and levels, most of which the player will see only once.
Nonsense, a games assets are typically broken down into a variety of themes and used extensively throughout an entire game. Sure you have unique features here and there but they certainly are not the majority. I've been playing around with a game engine myself for the last 12 months. I've created over 200mb of custom textures and models (uncompressed) for a single environment and it isn't even complete. Unique and original assets (textures, character and environment models etc) are essential and the most time consuming aspect of game development. These guys certainly deserve their cut of the profit, if not more. Note: I can't format paragraphs for some reason.
I completely agree. I've played around with multiple game engines and level design apps over the last 12 years and I consider GTK Radiant to be one of the best. GTK Radiant supports significantly more games and there's a ton of reference material and tutorials available. Once Quake Live is released there could be a resurgence in mapping for IdTech3 so I could understand someone releasing a new editor for that.
The keys are blank on the DasKeyboard ultimate. Most OS, including windows since v3.0 allow for less conventional keyboard layouts including DVORAK so there's no need for a DVORAK specific version.
A conveniant online distribution system and unobtrusive copy protection are two features that'll see a dramatic decline in PC game piracy. Steam is the best game distribution system I've used to date. The games are cheap and it's actually more conveniant than downloading a torrent or dealing with the idiots and poor selection in a traditional store. I have no problem with online verification. Two things I do want to be able to do though is install multiple copies and run single players games in an offline mode. I think LGP is a possitive step forward for Linux gaming and the copyprotection will ensure game publishers are more confident with the platform.
Atari in it's current form is simply a brandname, bought by Infograms who produced the original Alone In The Dark games. According to wikipedia, Atari has been a wholly owned subsidiary of of Infograms since '07. They've been releasing games under the Atari name for years though. First game I recall seeing released by Infograms using the Atari name was Unreal Tournament 2003.