I wonder if perhaps this is to reduce the number of real-life auctions?
With all the developers/publishers putting things in EULAs and requesting auctions to be closed, perhaps they decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I think players would warm to it a lot more than forking out real cash as well.
Implementation could also be an interesting point. I wonder if you have to be in the game to collect on your auction, or whether you'll be able to do it via web/email. Couldn't you see merchants popping up who don't move away from the auction houses?
It's amazing just how much life can be added to a game by making it mod-friendly. A game like Quake 3, after a few years like this can still have enough wind to carry a following in add-ons.
I guess it doesn't always work though. Consider games like Freedom Force. FF had a nice Python interface, and yet I didn't see a single mod out there for it (not that I looked especially hard).
It's good to see independent developers getting started too. I haven't played this latest release, but I remember downloading and playing a bit of this a while ago. It was really quite polished, even back then. If these guys want to get into the industry, it's a good way to go about it.
Many of your ideas have been implemented well. The idea of formation, terrain and maneuver have been the very foundation of the Myth series. It becomes very much a tactical game rather than a strategy game.
Combining the RTS elements within other genres has also been covered. The half-life mod Natural Selection puts one player in a commanding RTS style view, while other players act as their peons.
Would you buy a car because you liked how it handled in a game?
I play GTA3. I steal a car because I liked how it handled in a game.
A few useful tidbits
on
Buying a New TV?
·
· Score: 5, Informative
First of all, Audio Review can be a useful site for all kinds of home theatre gear. They don't have a lot of the latest models, but it can give you a good idea of the best brands etc.
Second of all, there's a whole bunch of terminology you may want to become familiar with. First off, connections. You want component video inputs. For that price, you shouldn't have a problem getting a set with component video. It's seperates the signal into more discrete parts reducing interference greatly.
100Hz is really nice. It gives you a rock solid picture, that you can stare at for hours. It's not essential but for the price you're looking at, you can probably get a nice one.
Progressive scan means it draws the entire frame, every frame. Normal television is interlaced - it draws the odd lines one frame, and even frames the next. These translate into the "p" and "i" you see at the end of picture modes. What are picture modes I hear you cry?
Standard American broadcasts use NTSC (as does Japan). That has 480 lines of displayed resolution. So 480i is what you're used to seeing. Progessive scan output (from some DVD players and digital set-top boxes, and interpolated on some TVs from regular transmission), is called 480p. Remember, 'p' is better than 'i'.
Next up is PAL (used in Australia and UK). PAL is 576 lines. So if you're in PAL territory, try and get a TV that does 576p.
If you're in NTSC territory, 576p probably isn't that important. Similarly 480p isn't much used to the PAL folk.
Next up are the High-definition modes. There are two different HDTV modes: 720p and 1080i. It's arguable which one is better, though I'd favour 720p. Ideally, if you're going for HDTV, get a set that supports both. Different places around the world don't necessarily support both resolutions either - check for your area.
The other thing worth knowing is that the XBox is the only console with HDTV output. Not that many support 720p though and a even less supporting 1080i.
At around the $1000 mark, I think you're probably looking at a standard (CRT) television. You probably won't get HDTV for that price, but you probably will get a nice 100Hz, progressive-scan capable display. And go the widescreen. I'm regretting making my last TV a 4:3 (tech-talk for standard ratio), now that I have digital television.
Lastly, if you're a bit of a junky when it comes to these things, get as many inputs as you can. Unless you're going to get an AV receiver (which typically only swap 2 sets of component video), you'll want to be able to plug in lots of stuff.
I think your conclusions are incorrect. While on face value it may seem like Linux is outselling Windows, we all know that isn't true. A large portion of the Windows sales may be bundled versions with computers.
Upgrade CDs do count. Some of the people buying Redhat 8, probably bought Redhat 7 as well. In fact, I would suggest that a large portion of those Linux buyers are repeat customers. Let's face it - if you can't afford the download for one major release, you're probably in the same boat the next time around. So you do have to take into account that these full purchases may be upgrades. In which case, XP upgrades also matter.
This is sad news indeed. But I think it shows what many people have been saying for some time - the point'n'click adventure game is a dead genre.
I thought that the announcement of such a game from the people who made the best of the genre could signal a ressurection. I was wrong - and we're all the worse off for it.
Surely the fact that most PCs come bundled with a Windows OS would influence those numbers greatly. Not many 'real people' upgrade their version of windows unless they're buying a new computer or a geek friend upgrades it for them to run the latest whiz-bang software. And that geek isn't going to fork out for it.
It's telling that the XP upgrade CD outsells the Big 3. It shows that Windows is still the OS that these 'real people' want on their machines.
It is good to see people willing to fork out the cash to support the cause though.
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I wonder if perhaps this is to reduce the number of real-life auctions?
With all the developers/publishers putting things in EULAs and requesting auctions to be closed, perhaps they decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I think players would warm to it a lot more than forking out real cash as well.
Implementation could also be an interesting point. I wonder if you have to be in the game to collect on your auction, or whether you'll be able to do it via web/email. Couldn't you see merchants popping up who don't move away from the auction houses?
It's amazing just how much life can be added to a game by making it mod-friendly. A game like Quake 3, after a few years like this can still have enough wind to carry a following in add-ons.
I guess it doesn't always work though. Consider games like Freedom Force. FF had a nice Python interface, and yet I didn't see a single mod out there for it (not that I looked especially hard).
It's good to see independent developers getting started too. I haven't played this latest release, but I remember downloading and playing a bit of this a while ago. It was really quite polished, even back then. If these guys want to get into the industry, it's a good way to go about it.
Many of your ideas have been implemented well. The idea of formation, terrain and maneuver have been the very foundation of the Myth series. It becomes very much a tactical game rather than a strategy game.
Combining the RTS elements within other genres has also been covered. The half-life mod Natural Selection puts one player in a commanding RTS style view, while other players act as their peons.
Would you buy a car because you liked how it handled in a game?
I play GTA3. I steal a car because I liked how it handled in a game.
First of all, Audio Review can be a useful site for all kinds of home theatre gear. They don't have a lot of the latest models, but it can give you a good idea of the best brands etc.
Second of all, there's a whole bunch of terminology you may want to become familiar with. First off, connections. You want component video inputs. For that price, you shouldn't have a problem getting a set with component video. It's seperates the signal into more discrete parts reducing interference greatly.
100Hz is really nice. It gives you a rock solid picture, that you can stare at for hours. It's not essential but for the price you're looking at, you can probably get a nice one.
Progressive scan means it draws the entire frame, every frame. Normal television is interlaced - it draws the odd lines one frame, and even frames the next. These translate into the "p" and "i" you see at the end of picture modes. What are picture modes I hear you cry?
Standard American broadcasts use NTSC (as does Japan). That has 480 lines of displayed resolution. So 480i is what you're used to seeing. Progessive scan output (from some DVD players and digital set-top boxes, and interpolated on some TVs from regular transmission), is called 480p. Remember, 'p' is better than 'i'.
Next up is PAL (used in Australia and UK). PAL is 576 lines. So if you're in PAL territory, try and get a TV that does 576p.
If you're in NTSC territory, 576p probably isn't that important. Similarly 480p isn't much used to the PAL folk.
Next up are the High-definition modes. There are two different HDTV modes: 720p and 1080i. It's arguable which one is better, though I'd favour 720p. Ideally, if you're going for HDTV, get a set that supports both. Different places around the world don't necessarily support both resolutions either - check for your area. The other thing worth knowing is that the XBox is the only console with HDTV output. Not that many support 720p though and a even less supporting 1080i. At around the $1000 mark, I think you're probably looking at a standard (CRT) television. You probably won't get HDTV for that price, but you probably will get a nice 100Hz, progressive-scan capable display. And go the widescreen. I'm regretting making my last TV a 4:3 (tech-talk for standard ratio), now that I have digital television. Lastly, if you're a bit of a junky when it comes to these things, get as many inputs as you can. Unless you're going to get an AV receiver (which typically only swap 2 sets of component video), you'll want to be able to plug in lots of stuff.
I think your conclusions are incorrect. While on face value it may seem like Linux is outselling Windows, we all know that isn't true. A large portion of the Windows sales may be bundled versions with computers.
Upgrade CDs do count. Some of the people buying Redhat 8, probably bought Redhat 7 as well. In fact, I would suggest that a large portion of those Linux buyers are repeat customers. Let's face it - if you can't afford the download for one major release, you're probably in the same boat the next time around. So you do have to take into account that these full purchases may be upgrades. In which case, XP upgrades also matter.
This is sad news indeed. But I think it shows what many people have been saying for some time - the point'n'click adventure game is a dead genre.
I thought that the announcement of such a game from the people who made the best of the genre could signal a ressurection. I was wrong - and we're all the worse off for it.
Surely the fact that most PCs come bundled with a Windows OS would influence those numbers greatly. Not many 'real people' upgrade their version of windows unless they're buying a new computer or a geek friend upgrades it for them to run the latest whiz-bang software. And that geek isn't going to fork out for it.
It's telling that the XP upgrade CD outsells the Big 3. It shows that Windows is still the OS that these 'real people' want on their machines.
It is good to see people willing to fork out the cash to support the cause though.
Why did Scotty wear a red uniform?
To keep his trousers up.
Thank you, thank you. I can hear the groans already.