I've been using it to MUD for about 2 years now- The urge to MUD comes and goes with me, but this is a long stretch- and it's free as in speech, Windows, has support for at least SOME of the Neat Tricks of scripting and things, and makes a cool monkey noise when it starts up.
Check it.
I would look at Metropolis for a not quite apocalyptyic but interesting look at the "Man vs. Machine" story- Its a plotline anime is quite fond of, and the viuals in Metropolis are astounding.
Specifically looking for an apocalyptic feel... Many anime deal with either a tragic disaster somewhere along the lines, planet/galaxy ruining(Macross) or not(Cowboy Bebop). Another theme is humanity colonizing another planet, or trying to, and creating an equally devastated frontier state from that(Trigun, Saber Marionette J). Trigun is what I cosider an excellent gateway anime- While it starts rather lighthearted, and lags at points in the middle when you're tired of one-shots, the drama by the end is excellent, so I'd look into that.
This seems to be very similar to the "Microwave" Power Plants from SimCity 2000 et al. Of course it doesn't surprise me that the idea's been bouncing around for a while. Of course, now it begs the question from that game, that of targeting. While seeing a giant beam of orbital energy tear through a virtual city made for some humorous memories and a good hour of urban redesign on my end, I doubt being on the receiving end would be very enjoyable.
Jet Li will jump in the air, flip three times, dodge an oncoming car, push off a wall, and kick you in the face 5 times before you hit the ground.
Jackie Chan will jump in the air, flip three times, dodge an oncoming car, push off a wall, and slap you in the face 5 times WITH A LARGE TROUT before you hit the ground.
While whether or not Strategic/Tactical decisions apply in a multiplayer game, I.E. Aiding an Ally vs. building defenses of your own, where to advance on the Tech Tree, and so forth, There's definitely much greater depth than in the single player campaign. Admittedly, the RTS campaigns have provided some great times in the past, but with precious few exceptions, they've begun to simply pale to the multiplayer. There's two dominant kinds of Missions:
The Base: You've got a base and a patch of crystal/energy/gold/Plot Device, so build up and rush a superior foe.
The Puzzle: You've got a limited number of units, so figure out the correct path through a maze like environment to solve the mission.
After the first couple of missions, the whole thing starts to lag. You've rarely got to make tech tree decisions, its either "use that shiny new thing" or not. And your enemy, because of their superior forces, almost always remains totally passive until you cross the scripted line. This kind of "seeing the seams" of the mission, turn them all into trial and error exercises in figuring out what lines you can and cannot cross. (At least when I get horribly stomped in multiplayer, I know I had a fighting chance at the beginning.)
I'm interested to know if there's still a campaign out there that's as appealing as testing your wits against a person.
Slashdot Mirror
I've been using it to MUD for about 2 years now- The urge to MUD comes and goes with me, but this is a long stretch- and it's free as in speech, Windows, has support for at least SOME of the Neat Tricks of scripting and things, and makes a cool monkey noise when it starts up. Check it.
I would look at Metropolis for a not quite apocalyptyic but interesting look at the "Man vs. Machine" story- Its a plotline anime is quite fond of, and the viuals in Metropolis are astounding.
Specifically looking for an apocalyptic feel... Many anime deal with either a tragic disaster somewhere along the lines, planet/galaxy ruining(Macross) or not(Cowboy Bebop). Another theme is humanity colonizing another planet, or trying to, and creating an equally devastated frontier state from that(Trigun, Saber Marionette J). Trigun is what I cosider an excellent gateway anime- While it starts rather lighthearted, and lags at points in the middle when you're tired of one-shots, the drama by the end is excellent, so I'd look into that.
"PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS, FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, CATS AND DOGS, LIVING TOGETHER!!!"
I mean, wow. That's my response. Just consider that the last time member from both companies really collaborated, it resulted in Chrono Trigger.
"Navi, connect to the Wired."
It's like they say, there's five possible difficulty levels in Video Game History. Easy, Medium, Hard, Arcade Hard, and Nintendo Hard.
Nintendo: Having a Love-Hate relationship with it's closest fans since 1983.
This seems to be very similar to the "Microwave" Power Plants from SimCity 2000 et al. Of course it doesn't surprise me that the idea's been bouncing around for a while. Of course, now it begs the question from that game, that of targeting. While seeing a giant beam of orbital energy tear through a virtual city made for some humorous memories and a good hour of urban redesign on my end, I doubt being on the receiving end would be very enjoyable.
Jet Li will jump in the air, flip three times, dodge an oncoming car, push off a wall, and kick you in the face 5 times before you hit the ground.
Jackie Chan will jump in the air, flip three times, dodge an oncoming car, push off a wall, and slap you in the face 5 times WITH A LARGE TROUT before you hit the ground.
I rest my case.
While whether or not Strategic/Tactical decisions apply in a multiplayer game, I.E. Aiding an Ally vs. building defenses of your own, where to advance on the Tech Tree, and so forth, There's definitely much greater depth than in the single player campaign. Admittedly, the RTS campaigns have provided some great times in the past, but with precious few exceptions, they've begun to simply pale to the multiplayer. There's two dominant kinds of Missions: The Base: You've got a base and a patch of crystal/energy/gold/Plot Device, so build up and rush a superior foe. The Puzzle: You've got a limited number of units, so figure out the correct path through a maze like environment to solve the mission. After the first couple of missions, the whole thing starts to lag. You've rarely got to make tech tree decisions, its either "use that shiny new thing" or not. And your enemy, because of their superior forces, almost always remains totally passive until you cross the scripted line. This kind of "seeing the seams" of the mission, turn them all into trial and error exercises in figuring out what lines you can and cannot cross. (At least when I get horribly stomped in multiplayer, I know I had a fighting chance at the beginning.) I'm interested to know if there's still a campaign out there that's as appealing as testing your wits against a person.