There really is a massive amount of little strategic and technical gems hidden in that game. Me and my friends at my dorm here play it a lot, and the more we play the more we discover. Certain characters have better match-ups against other characters, on different levels. Also, there's a huge amount of technical skill that you can pick up, doing things like "wavedashing", or "short hopping an aerial attack then fast-falling into an L-cancel."
A good list of techniques is here: http://ssbm.detstar.com/advancedmoves2/ , or of course the de facto standard advanced smasher's place: http://www.smashboards.com/
So basically, I'm buying a Revolution half because of the controller, and half because of the new Smash Bros.! I'm excited to hear they're going all out on it, what with a new office and all.
The balloon-popping battles can not be played online, but have to be done locally.
That said, I think it's an amazing game, too, and highly recommend it. I was just disappointed to find that you can't do the versus battles online, so I thought I'd point it out here so others don't get that impression.
True, I'm sort of assuming they'll include component output since the early GameCubes had it before they cut it out to cut costs. But yeah, you're right. If they don't have it then that'd suck.
This is exactly why I think Nintendo made a good choice (or at least, a defendable one) about not having HD support in the Revolution.
There number one goal is value: for the players *and* the developers. By keeping costs down, smaller companies can afford to develop for them, and maybe even *gasp* take some risks. I'm looking forward to their library. Having smaller companies willing to take a risk and make a genre bending game can only help you, but if the chance of success is so small and development costs are so high, many companies may not be willing to give it a go.
A big misconception about HD, though, is that by supporting it games will look good. This is patently false. The revolution will be able to output at DVD level qualities. I've yet to see a game that convinces me I'm watchign a DVD and not playing a game. All HD does, is output more pixels so you can see your crap visuals more sharply. A theoretical game for some system in the future that outputs at 480p and convinces me I'm just watching a movie on my home DVD player will blow away your average viewing public more than Call of Duty 2 for the 360 does. I'm sure the Revolution would have an easy time outputting a big red square at HD resolution, but that's not the point. With the hardware we've got, we haven't even maxed out the visuals on standard definition!
So, keep it cheap, and focus on making convincing textures, lighting, and physics (the things that really matter), and not just spewing out more pixels. The Revolution is where it's at!
Actually there is one that I know of. It's called the GP2X and runs on some form of Linux. It launched earlier this month, I believe, with no commercial games, but apparently has a pretty strong homebrew scene.
Ouch, you got trolled for that? Really, I think either is appropriate (Google "a fps" and "an fps" and the results aren't radically different), but I think the guy above you was just joking -- heh, not being "insightful". Anyway, perhaps he shouldn't have abbreviated it anyway.
Wow, you're right. I looked at the 1UP article again and you do have to register. I'm sorry. Anyway, to answer your other questions:
When the DS was released (and still), all it had was NiFi built in, which only allows it to network with other nearby DS's. Enterprising hackers created tunnels with their computers so two DS's far apart could play each other, but I digress. Finally, Nintendo's WiFi service was opened today to work in tandem with online games such as Mario Kart DS which will be released next Monday (I believe it's the first Mario Kart for the DS, Double Dash was for the GameCube).
These games are revolutionary for the DS because the game carts themselves implement the TCP/IP protocol. No longer is long distance playing relegated to 1337 haxors who have set up a tunnel on their PCs and whatnot. Any game that implements this will be able to hook up to any already existing wireless 802.11b (maybe g, not sure) network, without any changes or setup. The game will have an "online" option where it scans for networks, allows you to put in your WEP key or whatever, and then store it. The Wi-Fi Adaptor essentially serves as a WAP for those DS owners who don't already have a wireless network. It does require some setup like registering the DS with it as you pointed out, but it's not necessary to use the dongle if you already have wireless.
As for playing Mario Kart DS online there are two ways. One way is to play only with your friends. Each DS + game combination has a unique identifier code, which you can somehow use to store your friends. From the hands-on that I read about, you can see whether any of your friends are online, but not which ones in particular. And by online, I think it means playing Mario Kart, so I think it will usually be something you'd arrange beforehand. There's also a matchmaking system which lets you play random people, and works with Nintendo's new wifi site, nintendowifi.com. This sounds like Bungie's setup for Halo 2 to me, since it keeps track of how well you do and stuff.
I hope this cleared some things up for you. Sorry about jumping on you before, I was the one who was mistaken.
Seriously, all the major consoles have been talking about trying to expand gaming into a broader demographic, but I see at least Nintendo trying (not sure how successful it will be, but trying nonetheless) with their Brain Training and Nintendogs DS games, promise of a cheaper system in the Revolution, and a controller modeled after a TV remote for the express purpose of making non-gamers feel comfortable picking it up.
The article is less than clear and you're right to complain about that, but you haven't done anything but muddy the waters with your speculation. Next time just ask your questions.
You don't register the DS with the computer. The WiFi adaptor is nothing more than a small wireless access point for use with the DS. You register *the computer* with the DS, not the other way around, and can have three different settings or locations (with Mario Kart DS), so it's as easy as picking "home" or "work" or "airport" or something and it will have your settings all ready for you.
The DS's firmware doesn't get updated necessarily (at least the article doesn't imply it in any way), since the whole TCP/IP implementation is taken care of by the game itself, and not the DS. This means that the DS was not able to connect to WAPs before *the games* came out (just Mario Kart and Tony Hawk at this point, but Animal Crossing and others later), not the adapter. But no, contrary to how it "probably" is, you don't need to connect the DS to a Windows box first. In fact, if you have wireless already, you don't even need the adaptor at all.
"Taking games online" means being able to connect to other DS's not immediately near you. You could already wirelessly hook your DS to another one for some games. But starting with Mario Kart and other online enabled games you'll be able to race (for example) against a friend (or stranger, using their matchmaking service) anywhere in the world.
I'll give you that the article and even summary were bad. However, even though you complain about the confusion you just add to it by making educated guesses and saying "probably" this or you do that. Next time, please, just ask your questions.
It'll work on an HDTV of course, and can for sure do 480p (they haven't finalized the decision for higher or not), but they just aren't doing 720p/1080i, in the hopes of keeping the system small, quiet, and cheap, and easy to develop for.
I really don't know what all the fuss is about, though. I don't have an HDTV and am not going to get one for a while -- I have a couple nicely working standard TVs. Besides, I played some Xbox 360 game at Best Buy yesterday at HD resolution, I think, and it wasn't all that spectacular. It was noticeably sharper, but still looked incredibly fake and so kind of weird.
As an avid gamer I eagerly await each new console's release. I remember how frustrating it was back when the PS2 launched, and darn near impossible to get one on opening day, but it sure looks like that's what's happening here. With Walmart and Target getting between 20-60, I believe, and shortages all over the place, it looks like only a few lucky gamers will get one. Maybe if they cooled it on all the "Win an Xbox 360" things they have going on, more people who really want one can get one on launch day.
Oh well, I feel for people who want one on launch day, but for the first time ever I think I won't be one. I'm probably gonna hold off until Halo 3 to pick up my 360.
And of course, I'm getting a Revolution the day it comes out, if I'm here in the States.:-D
You use Vonage now? I'm seriously considering it at the moment. How's it been working for you? Any recommendations or anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
What a guy. Anyway, I'm still waiting for his Part 2 to the OS X Tiger vs. Windows Vista Beta comparison that was on here a while ago. At the bottom of his comparison it reads:
In part 2 of my comparison of Windows Vista Beta 1 and Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," I will examine the security, networking and power management features of the two operating systems.
Well, I'm curious about that! I hope he didn't just forget about it...
Anyway, on topic, I don't see any mention of this story on his site anymore, so he must have taken it down.
Re:Nintendo Revolution and its possibilities
on
Ask Sid Meier
·
· Score: 1
I was aware that the genre had been done before on consoles (not that specific one, thanks for the heads up!), but IMO they have never been as good as on the PC since they seem particularly well suited for the mouse. For instance there's an N64 version of Starcraft, I think, but it doesn't have nearly the following that the PC version does, and certainly pales in comparison to the following other console games get: Halo, Super Smash Bros., Tekken, etc.
Nintendo Revolution and its possibilities
on
Ask Sid Meier
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
With the unveiling of the Nintendo Revolution and its point-and-click interface, do you think Civilization-esque strategy games will finally come to home consoles? And with this new, entertainment-center, living room environment will there be new ways for you to expand on the genre? Perhaps, for example, with regard to teamplay and multiplayer, as these are big in the home console setting?
I have Ubuntu on my powerbook. Maybe six weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and partition my laptop to have a dual-boot setup. For maybe... a week... after that I excitedly used Ubuntu all the time. But gradually I've started to use it less and less, and use OS X more and more. I hardly ever use Linux now, actually.
So, yeah, it was fun to do, ya know, but not all that useful. Wireless just works tons better in OS X. It just feels more solid and productive in Apple-land. I am tempted to install Ubuntu on my mom's PC for her, because Windows has gone kaput, more or less. And I may go back to using Ubuntu if I ever decide to get Enlightenment DR17 going for it. I have it on my FC4 machine and it's amazing!
Hm, even though Microsoft is keeping the vulnerability under wraps, maybe it's possible to examine what eEye does and glean some idea of how bad it is? Like if it protects the system by doing this certain thing, maybe that will show what thing is causing the problem.. Active X, Javascript, user stupidity, or whatnot?
Slashdot Mirror
There really is a massive amount of little strategic and technical gems hidden in that game. Me and my friends at my dorm here play it a lot, and the more we play the more we discover. Certain characters have better match-ups against other characters, on different levels. Also, there's a huge amount of technical skill that you can pick up, doing things like "wavedashing", or "short hopping an aerial attack then fast-falling into an L-cancel." A good list of techniques is here: http://ssbm.detstar.com/advancedmoves2/ , or of course the de facto standard advanced smasher's place: http://www.smashboards.com/ So basically, I'm buying a Revolution half because of the controller, and half because of the new Smash Bros.! I'm excited to hear they're going all out on it, what with a new office and all.
That said, I think it's an amazing game, too, and highly recommend it. I was just disappointed to find that you can't do the versus battles online, so I thought I'd point it out here so others don't get that impression.
True, I'm sort of assuming they'll include component output since the early GameCubes had it before they cut it out to cut costs. But yeah, you're right. If they don't have it then that'd suck.
Heh, yeah, just maybe not quite dripping with so much sarcasm...
There number one goal is value: for the players *and* the developers. By keeping costs down, smaller companies can afford to develop for them, and maybe even *gasp* take some risks. I'm looking forward to their library. Having smaller companies willing to take a risk and make a genre bending game can only help you, but if the chance of success is so small and development costs are so high, many companies may not be willing to give it a go.
A big misconception about HD, though, is that by supporting it games will look good. This is patently false. The revolution will be able to output at DVD level qualities. I've yet to see a game that convinces me I'm watchign a DVD and not playing a game. All HD does, is output more pixels so you can see your crap visuals more sharply. A theoretical game for some system in the future that outputs at 480p and convinces me I'm just watching a movie on my home DVD player will blow away your average viewing public more than Call of Duty 2 for the 360 does. I'm sure the Revolution would have an easy time outputting a big red square at HD resolution, but that's not the point. With the hardware we've got, we haven't even maxed out the visuals on standard definition!
So, keep it cheap, and focus on making convincing textures, lighting, and physics (the things that really matter), and not just spewing out more pixels. The Revolution is where it's at!
http://www.gbax.com/indexgp2x.html
On a Standard Definition TV was the stipulation, I believe.
Ouch, you got trolled for that? Really, I think either is appropriate (Google "a fps" and "an fps" and the results aren't radically different), but I think the guy above you was just joking -- heh, not being "insightful". Anyway, perhaps he shouldn't have abbreviated it anyway.
When the DS was released (and still), all it had was NiFi built in, which only allows it to network with other nearby DS's. Enterprising hackers created tunnels with their computers so two DS's far apart could play each other, but I digress. Finally, Nintendo's WiFi service was opened today to work in tandem with online games such as Mario Kart DS which will be released next Monday (I believe it's the first Mario Kart for the DS, Double Dash was for the GameCube).
These games are revolutionary for the DS because the game carts themselves implement the TCP/IP protocol. No longer is long distance playing relegated to 1337 haxors who have set up a tunnel on their PCs and whatnot. Any game that implements this will be able to hook up to any already existing wireless 802.11b (maybe g, not sure) network, without any changes or setup. The game will have an "online" option where it scans for networks, allows you to put in your WEP key or whatever, and then store it. The Wi-Fi Adaptor essentially serves as a WAP for those DS owners who don't already have a wireless network. It does require some setup like registering the DS with it as you pointed out, but it's not necessary to use the dongle if you already have wireless.
As for playing Mario Kart DS online there are two ways. One way is to play only with your friends. Each DS + game combination has a unique identifier code, which you can somehow use to store your friends. From the hands-on that I read about, you can see whether any of your friends are online, but not which ones in particular. And by online, I think it means playing Mario Kart, so I think it will usually be something you'd arrange beforehand. There's also a matchmaking system which lets you play random people, and works with Nintendo's new wifi site, nintendowifi.com. This sounds like Bungie's setup for Halo 2 to me, since it keeps track of how well you do and stuff.
I hope this cleared some things up for you. Sorry about jumping on you before, I was the one who was mistaken.
Seriously, all the major consoles have been talking about trying to expand gaming into a broader demographic, but I see at least Nintendo trying (not sure how successful it will be, but trying nonetheless) with their Brain Training and Nintendogs DS games, promise of a cheaper system in the Revolution, and a controller modeled after a TV remote for the express purpose of making non-gamers feel comfortable picking it up.
You don't register the DS with the computer. The WiFi adaptor is nothing more than a small wireless access point for use with the DS. You register *the computer* with the DS, not the other way around, and can have three different settings or locations (with Mario Kart DS), so it's as easy as picking "home" or "work" or "airport" or something and it will have your settings all ready for you.
The DS's firmware doesn't get updated necessarily (at least the article doesn't imply it in any way), since the whole TCP/IP implementation is taken care of by the game itself, and not the DS. This means that the DS was not able to connect to WAPs before *the games* came out (just Mario Kart and Tony Hawk at this point, but Animal Crossing and others later), not the adapter. But no, contrary to how it "probably" is, you don't need to connect the DS to a Windows box first. In fact, if you have wireless already, you don't even need the adaptor at all.
"Taking games online" means being able to connect to other DS's not immediately near you. You could already wirelessly hook your DS to another one for some games. But starting with Mario Kart and other online enabled games you'll be able to race (for example) against a friend (or stranger, using their matchmaking service) anywhere in the world.
I'll give you that the article and even summary were bad. However, even though you complain about the confusion you just add to it by making educated guesses and saying "probably" this or you do that. Next time, please, just ask your questions.
lol, wouldn't that be an amazing turn of events!
I really don't know what all the fuss is about, though. I don't have an HDTV and am not going to get one for a while -- I have a couple nicely working standard TVs. Besides, I played some Xbox 360 game at Best Buy yesterday at HD resolution, I think, and it wasn't all that spectacular. It was noticeably sharper, but still looked incredibly fake and so kind of weird.
Oh well, I feel for people who want one on launch day, but for the first time ever I think I won't be one. I'm probably gonna hold off until Halo 3 to pick up my 360.
And of course, I'm getting a Revolution the day it comes out, if I'm here in the States. :-D
Just a big marketing ploy it seems.
You use Vonage now? I'm seriously considering it at the moment. How's it been working for you? Any recommendations or anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Oops... wrong site. Reading the thing again I see now that it's talking about a different site of his. Man, that guy's prolific.
In part 2 of my comparison of Windows Vista Beta 1 and Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," I will examine the security, networking and power management features of the two operating systems.
Well, I'm curious about that! I hope he didn't just forget about it...
Anyway, on topic, I don't see any mention of this story on his site anymore, so he must have taken it down.
lol, an intelligent joke! :-D
I was aware that the genre had been done before on consoles (not that specific one, thanks for the heads up!), but IMO they have never been as good as on the PC since they seem particularly well suited for the mouse. For instance there's an N64 version of Starcraft, I think, but it doesn't have nearly the following that the PC version does, and certainly pales in comparison to the following other console games get: Halo, Super Smash Bros., Tekken, etc.
With the unveiling of the Nintendo Revolution and its point-and-click interface, do you think Civilization-esque strategy games will finally come to home consoles? And with this new, entertainment-center, living room environment will there be new ways for you to expand on the genre? Perhaps, for example, with regard to teamplay and multiplayer, as these are big in the home console setting?
I'm pretty sure, actually, that MythTV claims to be able to do that. I have a MythTV box setup for just standard cable and it works pretty well.
So, yeah, it was fun to do, ya know, but not all that useful. Wireless just works tons better in OS X. It just feels more solid and productive in Apple-land. I am tempted to install Ubuntu on my mom's PC for her, because Windows has gone kaput, more or less. And I may go back to using Ubuntu if I ever decide to get Enlightenment DR17 going for it. I have it on my FC4 machine and it's amazing!
Redundant? lol, well I thought it was funny...
Hm, even though Microsoft is keeping the vulnerability under wraps, maybe it's possible to examine what eEye does and glean some idea of how bad it is? Like if it protects the system by doing this certain thing, maybe that will show what thing is causing the problem.. Active X, Javascript, user stupidity, or whatnot?