I have to disagree, I've used a great number of these, and have experience at a hardware vendor who sold these things for years and I have to say they are a poor choice.
Outrageous failures, configuration hassles, expense, go with the 3ware...
First off, one of my friends has the m-audio and it's just amazing. Secondly, don't let the sound quality inside computers throw you off, it's got a digital output after all.
The creative is nice, but it's been my experience that creative has a hard time supporting thier products (with the exception of their cambridge soundworks stores).
Chrisd
Chris Resists Smacking with a +1 short bus helmet
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Savage to Support Linux
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· Score: 2, Informative
IF those engines work for you, then use them! I didn't mean to dis any of them with my post, I was trying to get the point across from an "industry" perspective. The question of what engine to use is not trivial though.
Suppose you decide to use Crystal Space, for instance, I can't really find out if there is any real tool support for max or maya that you'd get with a renderware or ndl licence. Those plugins are really kind of important to a number of studios.
All I'm saying with my post is that cross platfrom compatibility is always a cost issue for a commercial game studio. Whether those latforms are windows and the mac, or an xboc and a ps2 or all three and a gamecube. It's more than just assets. I know a lot of companies that have chosen renderware with all the (expensive) bells and whistles because it got them closest to the write once run anywhere goal. But that's me guessing more than a real opinion:-)
That said, I stand by my economic argument. Linux needs a larger dedicated gamer fanbase that would make the extra platform costs worth it. Until then, I think that transgaming and icculus are the saviours of gaming on linux.
Chris
Re:I don't see why this is so difficult.
on
Savage to Support Linux
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· Score: 5, Informative
For one thing, a number of companies are not rolling thier own graphic front ends anymore. For instance, for renderware and gamebryo, you need to pay your licence per platform. So if you are going to use these kinds of tools, you have to ask yourself, how much will publishing on linux actually make us? If that answer is (as it currently is right now) not much, then that is something that you need to consider. Keep in mind that licencing an engine can save you 1 or 2 years of development depending on your application.
This is not to intimate that there are renderware or gamebryo platform licences available. I'll put it another way, until a signifigant number of gamers say "I will pay 50$ for a game only when it hits linux natively (not transgaming or others)" then is when you will see linux reach parity with the Mac or windows. Currently, our research shows that hard core gamers that use linux are not loathe to reboot into windows or use an emulation technology. Until that changes, the state of linux gaming won't change either.
Also, describing the engine as minor shows you don't understand the state of AAA gaming. The engine would comprise a scenegraph, an interface to the video hardware (either via opengl, directx, console video, or a software renderer like pixomatic), the positional sound or mappings to other libraries like miles, AI connectors, physics or physics tie-ins to havoc, networking, matchmaking, and a variety of other components. Keep in mind that you can make most of this cross platform, but it's not like it just happens magically.
If I had to nominate anyone to take over administration of the jargon file (as if that job actually exists in the first place) Russ would be at the top of my list., Russ controlling some jargon/wiki thing where everyone can fold, spindle and multilate the thing to their hearts desire.
Whatever you get, spend the 25$ on a kensington lock for your laptop, then if someone wants to steal it from your dorm then they can take your bed or whatever you've bolted it to with them.
Also, whatever you get, make sure it has a burner so that you have a backup of your data up for when you dump a guiness on the keyboard.
I should also point out that when I was a kid, we crossed the country somethign like 2 tiems a year to go see family. I intend on checking things out, but I do have some work to keep up with and wireless will make it possible to do it quicker than with dialup, so I have more time to chill.
Yeah, I've got my list of dial-up numbers for my provider, I actually wouldn't mind not logging in, but I want to keep tabs on what's going on at my company and slashdot and stuff.
While this isn't how we run Damage, one thing you are not taking into accoutn is funding cycles and how they completely subvert what most professional developers would consider a proper development model
I think that a thoughtful review about Doom would be welcome;-) Remember that slashdot isn't always about beign current so much as it is about having fun. I foudn the book really interesting, so I decided to review it. We hadn't covered it before, and I looked forward to the comments from/.ers about the book. That's why I wrote it.
Well, I was going to go into that (very powerful) chapter, but in the end I decided not to, letting the cheapness paragraph stand in for it. It was meant to sort of cover that.
Hey, so as one of the people around during the time, it was not the majority view that Server51 was a ripoff of sf. I can only speak for myself of course, but I never felt that way. People have the smae good ideas all the time.
I haveto tell you that I was pretty unhappy with how that episode came out. Doing anything in the shell on tv is very difficult. I'm trying to stick mostly to pretty graphical apps, but believe me when I tell you that I try more now than ever to stay away from the command line whenever possible.
I agree, but I posted it because I saw it as a stepping off point for a good slashdot discussion, which, seeing the quality of the posts, worked out pretty well.
I should point out that the poster didn't comment on either Fallout Tactics or Farscape, that was my editorial attached to it. I gave Fallout Tactics as an example of failure for a couple of reasons...
1.....Turn based action. It detracts too much, it was okay in fallout 1 and 2 due to when they were developed.
2.....Creativity. Fallout Tactics simply wasn't as strong as Fallout in the story department, not was it as free flowing or as flatly enjoyable.
I didn't say that it was bad because it didn't find an audience on release. I thought it didn't find an audience because it was poorly executed, and since people -loved- fallout (myself included) it was doubly disappointing.
I'm with you on the movies though:-) The farscape game was total pants though, bad bad bad.
Slashdot Mirror
http://www.linuxcare.com/
Chrisd
Outrageous failures, configuration hassles, expense, go with the 3ware...
Chris
The creative is nice, but it's been my experience that creative has a hard time supporting thier products (with the exception of their cambridge soundworks stores).
Chrisd
Suppose you decide to use Crystal Space, for instance, I can't really find out if there is any real tool support for max or maya that you'd get with a renderware or ndl licence. Those plugins are really kind of important to a number of studios.
All I'm saying with my post is that cross platfrom compatibility is always a cost issue for a commercial game studio. Whether those latforms are windows and the mac, or an xboc and a ps2 or all three and a gamecube. It's more than just assets. I know a lot of companies that have chosen renderware with all the (expensive) bells and whistles because it got them closest to the write once run anywhere goal. But that's me guessing more than a real opinion :-)
That said, I stand by my economic argument. Linux needs a larger dedicated gamer fanbase that would make the extra platform costs worth it. Until then, I think that transgaming and icculus are the saviours of gaming on linux.
Chris
This is not to intimate that there are renderware or gamebryo platform licences available. I'll put it another way, until a signifigant number of gamers say "I will pay 50$ for a game only when it hits linux natively (not transgaming or others)" then is when you will see linux reach parity with the Mac or windows. Currently, our research shows that hard core gamers that use linux are not loathe to reboot into windows or use an emulation technology. Until that changes, the state of linux gaming won't change either.
Also, describing the engine as minor shows you don't understand the state of AAA gaming. The engine would comprise a scenegraph, an interface to the video hardware (either via opengl, directx, console video, or a software renderer like pixomatic), the positional sound or mappings to other libraries like miles, AI connectors, physics or physics tie-ins to havoc, networking, matchmaking, and a variety of other components. Keep in mind that you can make most of this cross platform, but it's not like it just happens magically.
Chris DiBona
Chrisd
Chris
Also, whatever you get, make sure it has a burner so that you have a backup of your data up for when you dump a guiness on the keyboard.
Chrisd (yes, I'm hard on laptops)
chrisd
chrisd
I mean, technically speaking, many consider the church to have preserved western civilization and not repressed it.
chrisd
Answer....
chrisd
PS: Also, I hope people don't get modded down for noting the date, I mean, that was my screwup after all....even if -now- it's off topic.
I screwed up with the initial date, so sorry about that.
I totally appreciate the sentiment though.
Chris
But thanks.
Chris
Chris
Chrisd
Chris
Chris DiBona
Chrisd
Only on slashdot would that not look like a typo.....my bad. Sorry.
chrisd
Chrisd
1.....Turn based action. It detracts too much, it was okay in fallout 1 and 2 due to when they were developed.
2.....Creativity. Fallout Tactics simply wasn't as strong as Fallout in the story department, not was it as free flowing or as flatly enjoyable.
I didn't say that it was bad because it didn't find an audience on release. I thought it didn't find an audience because it was poorly executed, and since people -loved- fallout (myself included) it was doubly disappointing.
I'm with you on the movies though :-) The farscape game was total pants though, bad bad bad.
Chrisd
Chrisd