And then, on the other hand, Microsoft bundling a free browser with the desktop is anti-competitive. KDE bunding a free browser with the desktop is 'cool'.
His main point is, I think, that in a modern 3D game you have to do more overall design of your objects. In a movie, if you have a spaceship (say, given the subject) that is barely onscreen or is way off in the distance in all shots you can get away with a low detail model that doesn't have all the parts..maybe it doesn't even include the sides of the ship that will be away from the camera. In games, on the other hand, you have to assume the player may go out and take a better look at that ship in full 3D, so you need to design and model accordingly.
Of course, in general, movie models are designed in more detail for the parts that ARE shown, because of the higher resolution of film, and the fact that they don't have to worry about realtime rendering.
Volition doesn't own the rights to the game content, Interplay (their former publiser) does. So Volition couldn't release it even if they wanted to. And in any case, any sales they got from a source code release would be completely insignificant next to sales from the initial release (which were, admittedly, not that great, maybe 40,000 copies) especially since Interplay gets the vast majority of each sale.
As for OOP, you're going to be waiting a bit longer to see source code of any professional engine that uses really good OOP practices, as the game industry has pretty much shunned OOP until just the past year or two (and FS2, etc were in development long before that).
Even if you download this source release, you can't play Freespace 2 without a copy of the full retail game. Only the source code was released, not the content (art, music, etc).
Freespace2 was an excellent game. Certainly the best space sim ever, and a personal top 5 favorite. The only thing that sucked was that after completing it, there were tons of loose ends hanging about. Setups for Freespace 3, of course -- but the problem is, Volition themselves have said that there never be will be a Freespace 3. Even though they'd love to make it, Interplay owns the rights (Volition got bought by THQ) and FS2 didn't sell too well. Interplay will just let the franchise gather dust, and THQ won't buy it from them. Argh!
But this is great news. Perhaps we can finally see a Freespace 3, released as a free mod for the original game! If someone will pester Volition enough, they might share some of the script for FS3. If not, the least they can do is tell us what happened to Admiral Aken Bosch...
Eh? If a free Freespace 3 were released, it would be in violation of copyright laws -- the same ones that stop Volition from releasing a Freespace 3 apply to you and everyone else, no matter if you try to charge for the game and release it for free.
As you said yourself, Interplay owns all the rights to all game content, characters, etc.
There's too many folks out there who would like to be competition for these sites that are willing to do it at no charge.
There may be now, but there's far less of this than in the past and its just going to decrease. How can people afford to give this stuff away at no charge if they have to pay bandwidth costs? For now, maybe they can run their site at a 'free' hosting service like geocities, but as these disappear as well (because advertisment funding doesn't work) what then? How many people are going to lease a fat Internet connection for their fan site of (whatever) and then not charge for content?
You're living in 1999...Step into the 21st century.
This makes me wonder... did they use SDL by any chance? (Not being a programmer, I realize that might be a horribly silly question, but I thought it was worth asking)
For the graphics they are using OpenGL, which is already multiplatform. They may be using SDL for the non-graphics aspects (Input, Sound, Etc), but I've not seen any verification of that fact.. They may just be using custom code for each platform (As the quake games do).
The problem with the 3DO and the NeoGeo (for home use) were price, both costed upwards of 600+ dollars, and that was back in early 90s money.
Microsoft's going to make plenty of bank on the XBox overall. This whole thing is pretty much a non-issue, and is a bunch of media hype about Microsoft being a failure for not being the #1 console. Nobody in Microsoft expected to be anywhere near the #1 console, Sony built way too good of a brand name with the Playstation. Microsoft is in this for the long haul, at least two more hardware releases.
Also, the PS2 sold mostly on the brand name, it would have sold well even if not PS1 compatible. Further, the PS3 looks like its going to be even harder to program for, using tons of processors (IBM style grid computing), and Sony has shown no interest in providing better libraries and documentation for even the PS2..They are getting away with this now because the sold a mass of consoles based on their brand name, but treating 3rd party developers the way Sony does is a dangeorous business, ONE slip-up on the business side, and developers are going to flock away from Sony in a mass exodus.. That's not a good position to be in for the long term, and Microsoft realizes that (Nintendo also realizes this after the N64 debacle).
He was also one of the primary developers on System Shock, widely recognized as one of the greatest FPS games of all time and a precursor to Half Life and Deus Ex, though it didn't sell as because the marketing wasn't as good.
In the game industry, sometimes you make winners & sometimes you make losers, and usually due to the influences of so many other people, you're not totally in control of which one emerges in your current project. In any case, though Trespasser was a horrible, horrible game, it probably advanced the idea that good in-game physics were important more than any other game before or since. A flawed, flawed game, but a grand experiment, and something that wasn't just a me-too product.. Very much unlike Daikatana which also was very flawed, but didn't really try to break new ground (no the stupid 'AI' computer controlled co-op buddies were not new ground)
"A better user experience" doesn't pay Kazaa's operational costs, does it?
In any case, I'd have to say I'm pretty much against people modifying Kazaa's program and redistributing it, legally this is no better than a GPL violation, even if it might be a bit cleaner ethically.
The solution to the spyware problem isn't to strip out the spyware, its to avoid these programs in the first place. Use a free alternative...If there isn't a free alternative, use a paid alternative, if there isn't a paid alternative, go without or live with the spyware.
Yeah but are your eyes looking at the window to such a fine degree that they could be used as a mouse pointer?.. Most of these inventions are stupid, for mass consumers (they do have some usage for the disabled, though). People are happy with mice, they don't want to dart their head or eyes around to move a cursor.. Just imagine the neck-based RSI lawsuits 3 years from now, when people can't move their heads around effectively..
Lucas never once in that article claims that TPM hurt the franchise. "Jim Silver, publisher of trade magazine The Toy Book", did. Do the people who submit or the editors even read the articles or just skim them?
You guys want me to pay for this type of wonderful reporting?
It is $100 per person that will be seeing the source code. The Torque engine also has a very powerful scripting language, so not everyone on a team would need the source code access.
Please note: just saying its $100 per programmer is not the whole story. The $100 doesn't give you full source code rights, if your game is based on Torque you HAVE to publish through Garage Games, period.. Even if your game is great and winds up with a retail publishing deal, it will be with Sierra, through Garage Games. So there are some limitations... Also note: I'm not knocking GG/Torque, even despite the publishing limitations, $100 to access a fairly modern 3D engine is pretty decent...Just wanted to clarify for those thinking they could pay $100, get the code and do whatever they wanted with it.
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And then, on the other hand, Microsoft bundling a free browser with the desktop is anti-competitive. KDE bunding a free browser with the desktop is 'cool'.
Of course, in general, movie models are designed in more detail for the parts that ARE shown, because of the higher resolution of film, and the fact that they don't have to worry about realtime rendering.
As for OOP, you're going to be waiting a bit longer to see source code of any professional engine that uses really good OOP practices, as the game industry has pretty much shunned OOP until just the past year or two (and FS2, etc were in development long before that).
My favorite OS is Windows XP, Mister Presumption. And it runs DirectX5 games just fine...
Even if you download this source release, you can't play Freespace 2 without a copy of the full retail game. Only the source code was released, not the content (art, music, etc).
It would take quite a lot of effort to port it to Linux -- its all written in DirectX 5 and the rendering code isn't particularly well abstracted.
Eh? If a free Freespace 3 were released, it would be in violation of copyright laws -- the same ones that stop Volition from releasing a Freespace 3 apply to you and everyone else, no matter if you try to charge for the game and release it for free.
As you said yourself, Interplay owns all the rights to all game content, characters, etc.
There may be now, but there's far less of this than in the past and its just going to decrease. How can people afford to give this stuff away at no charge if they have to pay bandwidth costs? For now, maybe they can run their site at a 'free' hosting service like geocities, but as these disappear as well (because advertisment funding doesn't work) what then? How many people are going to lease a fat Internet connection for their fan site of (whatever) and then not charge for content?
You're living in 1999...Step into the 21st century.
You sure are ugly, ugly bob.
I am against AIDS. That is my feeling on this situation.
For the graphics they are using OpenGL, which is already multiplatform. They may be using SDL for the non-graphics aspects (Input, Sound, Etc), but I've not seen any verification of that fact.. They may just be using custom code for each platform (As the quake games do).
I don't like to share. So steal your own MP3s...You won't be getting any from me.
You are lying, I can tell by the way you type.
Microsoft's going to make plenty of bank on the XBox overall. This whole thing is pretty much a non-issue, and is a bunch of media hype about Microsoft being a failure for not being the #1 console. Nobody in Microsoft expected to be anywhere near the #1 console, Sony built way too good of a brand name with the Playstation. Microsoft is in this for the long haul, at least two more hardware releases.
Also, the PS2 sold mostly on the brand name, it would have sold well even if not PS1 compatible. Further, the PS3 looks like its going to be even harder to program for, using tons of processors (IBM style grid computing), and Sony has shown no interest in providing better libraries and documentation for even the PS2..They are getting away with this now because the sold a mass of consoles based on their brand name, but treating 3rd party developers the way Sony does is a dangeorous business, ONE slip-up on the business side, and developers are going to flock away from Sony in a mass exodus.. That's not a good position to be in for the long term, and Microsoft realizes that (Nintendo also realizes this after the N64 debacle).
In the game industry, sometimes you make winners & sometimes you make losers, and usually due to the influences of so many other people, you're not totally in control of which one emerges in your current project. In any case, though Trespasser was a horrible, horrible game, it probably advanced the idea that good in-game physics were important more than any other game before or since. A flawed, flawed game, but a grand experiment, and something that wasn't just a me-too product.. Very much unlike Daikatana which also was very flawed, but didn't really try to break new ground (no the stupid 'AI' computer controlled co-op buddies were not new ground)
MY DICK IS ON YO' MAMAS LIPS
Mesa no havin da booma!
Sony may be bigger in head count and product lines but MS has more phat cash in the bank...
In any case, I'd have to say I'm pretty much against people modifying Kazaa's program and redistributing it, legally this is no better than a GPL violation, even if it might be a bit cleaner ethically.
The solution to the spyware problem isn't to strip out the spyware, its to avoid these programs in the first place. Use a free alternative...If there isn't a free alternative, use a paid alternative, if there isn't a paid alternative, go without or live with the spyware.
This is so cool.
Yeah but are your eyes looking at the window to such a fine degree that they could be used as a mouse pointer? .. Most of these inventions are stupid, for mass consumers (they do have some usage for the disabled, though). People are happy with mice, they don't want to dart their head or eyes around to move a cursor.. Just imagine the neck-based RSI lawsuits 3 years from now, when people can't move their heads around effectively..
If they're smokin the funky stuff, they might just sit there and watch the full week. As long as their stash & Doritos hold out.
What a faggot.
Lucas never once in that article claims that TPM hurt the franchise. "Jim Silver, publisher of trade magazine The Toy Book", did. Do the people who submit or the editors even read the articles or just skim them?
You guys want me to pay for this type of wonderful reporting?
Please note: just saying its $100 per programmer is not the whole story. The $100 doesn't give you full source code rights, if your game is based on Torque you HAVE to publish through Garage Games, period.. Even if your game is great and winds up with a retail publishing deal, it will be with Sierra, through Garage Games. So there are some limitations... Also note: I'm not knocking GG/Torque, even despite the publishing limitations, $100 to access a fairly modern 3D engine is pretty decent...Just wanted to clarify for those thinking they could pay $100, get the code and do whatever they wanted with it.