"I also doubt parents will be too keen on shelling out money for a slightly spiffier Game Boy for their kids after doing so for the Game Boy SP not that long ago (what's it been, about a year?)"
Some credit where credit is due : This is not a 'slightly spiffier Gameboy' : Allthough the idea takes us back to the LCD-handheld games Nintendo started with in the digital world ; the possibilities are endless**
** At least alot more than previous monoscreen handhelds had.
All of our prizes have gone up since they introduced the Euro here.
While you first payed around 80/90 guilders for a game, nowadays those games cost about 50 euros, the equivalent of 110 guilders ; Quite a rise:(
"Woody Guthrie is dead. He cannot be encouraged to keep creating through copyright protection. "
Can you please tell that to 2Pac : Damn, that guy is doing me head in : Even when that dude has been dead for several years, he is -still- releasing songs *Sigh*
Just because other people are too dumb to open attachments with the topic 'if you open this attachment, Bill Gates will send you a million bucks !', doesn't mean my connection should get bogged with worms trying to 'patch' my machine.
i thought developers weren't allowed to update their games, to at least garner some quality control...
Guess now Thief 3 and this game are down the road of patches : What's next ?
"Why dont they pass on some of the savings. Instead of expecting us to pay the full price. Stuff like Condition Zero can be purchased via steam for $40, but you can probably find it in the bargin bin or for less than $20."
[sarcastic comment about marketing ploy of VALVe]
but.. but... If you buy CS:CZ , you can play the beta of CS:Source!
[/sarcastic comment about marketing ploy of VALVe]
I agree with this : Most of the times, as soon as the game is going gold, they seem to be rushing manuals/boxarts etc : instead of focusing on those allready a long time before.
I dont think there is anything wrong when you download a game when you got it pre-ordered somewhere. Do you ?
As you mentioned, Steam is quite a nice improvement on that, and the pre-loading of games (if you're about to buy it) is quite a cool thing, imo.
Then again, I will buy my copy of HL2 in a store , as i rather have something i can touch when i buy it (same goes for me buying CD's instead of using Itunes).
Gunbound, yet another freely released game (www.gunbound.net) also has some form of micropayemtns.
Gunbound is a Worms incarnation, with a few differences : the main one being that one is able to earn cash in multiplayer games, and spend the gold earned on items which enhance your avatar (more attackpower/defense power etc):
So pretty much, it works like an MORPG , whereas the more you play , the more money you earn, the better your avatar gets.
Now the developers also make it possible for someone not to 'gold hunt' for several days to get his little enhancement, but you can pay them an ammount of money to buy your items, instead of working for them in-game.
While some might see this as cheating, I don't have a problem with it ; As for a newbie, you can still play on servers that have these avatars off (and thus the players possesing items do no effect) ; and making it even for all the players.
If you liked Worms, give Gunbound a go (keep in mind that there are -ALOT- of bad mouthed annoying kiddies ; but then again, there is also a mute button:O )
The last years we only seen a decline in good box-art/manuals.
With most fps's they don't even bother anymore to print a manual ; yet, with those printing costs gone, i don't see a lower price for me as consumer.
"One great way to do that is including good stuff in the box. Give me a color manual or include a poster. Maybe a CD with all the music from the game? How about liner notes with each game describing some part of development?""
Seriously, they throw the game on the Net within 15 minutes of release (ifnot -before- release) ; but they would not be able to include the music part you get as an 'extra' ?
As a buyer of games myself, i -do- appreciate getting Behind the scene footage on my gamedisc, and all the extras he's talking about : I don't think it's the way to pull over the people currently downloading games : hell, they don't even mind to play Rips of games, so do you guys seriously think that they would be bothered by missing some 'music cd' included with the game ?
I think it would cause too much confusion : When people are blurring over reviews on sites : they don't tend to read all of the article, but skim over the screenies.
Other than that, i think, as a developer, you would want the presentation of your product to be shown at its best. I do get your point, but I think demo's do quite a good , ifnot better job at determining if your rig is going to pull the game.
We first have to see what -really- makes Doom 3 run well.
Also, a quick view through the article seems that the writer does not recognise the statements made by id that their next game most likely won't take as much development time as D3 took,as they will only be using a modified D3 engine by that time : and also, they will re-use alot of assets currently in D3 (did a quick google, but can't seem to find that interview in which John Carmack said that).
All and all, this looked like an article done by some guy , with alot of time on his hands... Then again, I'm posting on this thread...
In the Netherlands, where I live, paying for music you play in your store is allready common :
I worked parttime for a supermarket, and they weren't allowed to play music which employers brought with them, nor were they allowed (afaik) to play a music-radion-channel.
They had three CD's which they payed a heavy fee for, and therefor as an employer, you had to listen to George Michael and Lisa Bonnett coming by four times in a workshift.
Just to say that the idea of paying for music which you broadcast in your store/practice is not totally new.
"The name Doom for Columbine is just as unforgivable as Bowling for Columbine."
I agree.
"I think we were trying to make a statement, and it really failed. People got the wrong idea about what we were trying to do, and they only listened to their own misled conceptions about where we were going with the project. No matter how hard we tried to explain ourselves we were flamed everywhere for it. We got the hint and dropped the project."
I can see how misled conceptions would lead to a scarcity of designers (hell, even I considered applying, but second-thought myself out, because the description was too vague, and i didn't want to get 'known' for something that might bounce off bad) but it would have been kick-ass if you guys would at least have attempted a build/testbuild as soon as D3 hits the street, so , if succeeding, you can hold your TC under the nose of all those nay-sayers, and 'proof them wrong'
Taking Michael Moore for example : and the hassle he has to deal with ; only to tell (part of) the truth.
After the various hate-sites that have been springing up after Bowling for Columbine (or maybe even after Roger and me) you didn't hear him say 'ahhell, those people are all misinformed : let's stop with this project, and move on'.
Instead, he either replied to the various lies out there, or turned his other cheek, for in the end he could show a piece that was clearly not as bad as people supposed it was going to be.
I still think you guys stopped too early : then again, wasting time on development of a mod, only to can it in the end, is something (out of personal experience) i know of, and should be avoided if possible.
"I think that video games are supposed to be fun"
shityeah , hence I made several minigames maps for a q3 mod, Quake 3 Fortress ; www.q3fminigames.tk [/shameless plug];)
" and after trying to make political statements with them, I've decided that it's not worth the effort to go there. That's what famous film-makers and news personalities are for..."
I can't agree with this, as you haven't gone to the end to prove (sp?) (or disprove) it with Bowling for Columbine : and I think that the 'new media' is as capable of influencing/informing/teaching stuff, as the old ones are.
Clear examples other than Americas Army (which i find one foul piece of propaganda : yet it's working) I can't name right now, but I don't think you should close games out from (A). making political statements (B). ever going to be taken seriously.
"and video games aren't taken seriously enough to warrant critical acclaim for anything other than: great special effects, nice story, cool characters, amazing weapons, sprawling landscapes........etc."
That's for you as a 'gamedesigner' to change that, right ?:P
"But the bloopers mod is going to be fun as hell. We're going to put our frustration with Doom for Columbine into a mod that makes fun of Doom 3. So it's light, and funny and totally non-serious.
The description of it in your journal sounds quite funny : and as you said, with most of the assets allready being in the game, you don't have to rely too much on teammembers to finish it.
I will keep an eye on this mod, but since i'm very tied up at the moment (converting the minigames to a port of Q3F, going to ET , called ETF ; mapping for an unnanounced ET-mod ; and pre-working on getting Elevator Action (80's Arcade game) ported to HL2 once released ) I won't be able to offer any help.
While I liked the goals you guys wanted to set forth in the Doom for Columbine mod, your guy's greatest mistake was the name : The name is unforgivable , imo : But then again, I was looking forward to what you guys we're able to pull off.
Now I read that the project has come to a halt, I think the second mistake (but i think that would be clear by now) is that you guys made a public statement about something you clearly did not put too much thought in (yet).
I'm in no way trying to flame you, and as I said, I appreciated people trying to take on another side of gamedesign : A shame you guys did not even get it off the ground though.
Slashdot Mirror
Since that was a great party game, I think it's very likely it will see a launch on the DS too.
It can run games that ran on the N64 (Mario64 for example) : So i assume that it would be able to run/port SNES games.. or NES :)
IIRC, only the bottom screen is a touchscreen.
I hope they dont confine that game to only using the stylus ; the Wario Ware as of now, also rocks my socks off for those 5 spare minutes a day :)
Some credit where credit is due : This is not a 'slightly spiffier Gameboy' : Allthough the idea takes us back to the LCD-handheld games Nintendo started with in the digital world ; the possibilities are endless**
** At least alot more than previous monoscreen handhelds had.
All of our prizes have gone up since they introduced the Euro here. :(
While you first payed around 80/90 guilders for a game, nowadays those games cost about 50 euros, the equivalent of 110 guilders ; Quite a rise
Can you please tell that to 2Pac : Damn, that guy is doing me head in : Even when that dude has been dead for several years, he is -still- releasing songs *Sigh*
I take care of that myself, thankyouverymuch...
i thought developers weren't allowed to update their games, to at least garner some quality control...
Guess now Thief 3 and this game are down the road of patches : What's next ?
[sarcastic comment about marketing ploy of VALVe]
but.. but... If you buy CS:CZ , you can play the beta of CS:Source!
[/sarcastic comment about marketing ploy of VALVe]
Yet I have seen a new development in this stage going : UT2k4 that has cracked exe's, so they can play on servers with those same patches applied.
When more games will be going towards online only, or focused on online play : The more of these patches, besides cd-cracks, are going to be created.
I agree with this : Most of the times, as soon as the game is going gold, they seem to be rushing manuals/boxarts etc : instead of focusing on those allready a long time before.
As you mentioned, Steam is quite a nice improvement on that, and the pre-loading of games (if you're about to buy it) is quite a cool thing, imo.
Then again, I will buy my copy of HL2 in a store , as i rather have something i can touch when i buy it (same goes for me buying CD's instead of using Itunes).
Gunbound is a Worms incarnation, with a few differences : the main one being that one is able to earn cash in multiplayer games, and spend the gold earned on items which enhance your avatar (more attackpower/defense power etc) :
So pretty much, it works like an MORPG , whereas the more you play , the more money you earn, the better your avatar gets.
Now the developers also make it possible for someone not to 'gold hunt' for several days to get his little enhancement, but you can pay them an ammount of money to buy your items, instead of working for them in-game.
While some might see this as cheating, I don't have a problem with it ; As for a newbie, you can still play on servers that have these avatars off (and thus the players possesing items do no effect) ; and making it even for all the players.
If you liked Worms, give Gunbound a go (keep in mind that there are -ALOT- of bad mouthed annoying kiddies ; but then again, there is also a mute button :O )
With most fps's they don't even bother anymore to print a manual ; yet, with those printing costs gone, i don't see a lower price for me as consumer.
"One great way to do that is including good stuff in the box. Give me a color manual or include a poster. Maybe a CD with all the music from the game? How about liner notes with each game describing some part of development?""
Seriously, they throw the game on the Net within 15 minutes of release (ifnot -before- release) ; but they would not be able to include the music part you get as an 'extra' ?
As a buyer of games myself, i -do- appreciate getting Behind the scene footage on my gamedisc, and all the extras he's talking about : I don't think it's the way to pull over the people currently downloading games : hell, they don't even mind to play Rips of games, so do you guys seriously think that they would be bothered by missing some 'music cd' included with the game ?
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=115848&cid= 9808280
Other than that, i think, as a developer, you would want the presentation of your product to be shown at its best. I do get your point, but I think demo's do quite a good , ifnot better job at determining if your rig is going to pull the game.
Also, a quick view through the article seems that the writer does not recognise the statements made by id that their next game most likely won't take as much development time as D3 took ,as they will only be using a modified D3 engine by that time : and also, they will re-use alot of assets currently in D3 (did a quick google, but can't seem to find that interview in which John Carmack said that).
All and all, this looked like an article done by some guy , with alot of time on his hands... Then again, I'm posting on this thread...
*chuckles and searches for his damn modpoints*
I worked parttime for a supermarket, and they weren't allowed to play music which employers brought with them, nor were they allowed (afaik) to play a music-radion-channel.
They had three CD's which they payed a heavy fee for, and therefor as an employer, you had to listen to George Michael and Lisa Bonnett coming by four times in a workshift.
Just to say that the idea of paying for music which you broadcast in your store/practice is not totally new.
I agree.
"I think we were trying to make a statement, and it really failed. People got the wrong idea about what we were trying to do, and they only listened to their own misled conceptions about where we were going with the project. No matter how hard we tried to explain ourselves we were flamed everywhere for it. We got the hint and dropped the project."
I can see how misled conceptions would lead to a scarcity of designers (hell, even I considered applying, but second-thought myself out, because the description was too vague, and i didn't want to get 'known' for something that might bounce off bad) but it would have been kick-ass if you guys would at least have attempted a build/testbuild as soon as D3 hits the street, so , if succeeding, you can hold your TC under the nose of all those nay-sayers, and 'proof them wrong'
Taking Michael Moore for example : and the hassle he has to deal with ; only to tell (part of) the truth.
After the various hate-sites that have been springing up after Bowling for Columbine (or maybe even after Roger and me) you didn't hear him say 'ahhell, those people are all misinformed : let's stop with this project, and move on'.
Instead, he either replied to the various lies out there, or turned his other cheek, for in the end he could show a piece that was clearly not as bad as people supposed it was going to be.
I still think you guys stopped too early : then again, wasting time on development of a mod, only to can it in the end, is something (out of personal experience) i know of, and should be avoided if possible.
"I think that video games are supposed to be fun"
shityeah , hence I made several minigames maps for a q3 mod, Quake 3 Fortress ; www.q3fminigames.tk [/shameless plug] ;)
" and after trying to make political statements with them, I've decided that it's not worth the effort to go there. That's what famous film-makers and news personalities are for..."
I can't agree with this, as you haven't gone to the end to prove (sp?) (or disprove) it with Bowling for Columbine : and I think that the 'new media' is as capable of influencing/informing/teaching stuff, as the old ones are.
Clear examples other than Americas Army (which i find one foul piece of propaganda : yet it's working) I can't name right now, but I don't think you should close games out from (A). making political statements (B). ever going to be taken seriously. "and video games aren't taken seriously enough to warrant critical acclaim for anything other than: great special effects, nice story, cool characters, amazing weapons, sprawling landscapes........etc."
That's for you as a 'gamedesigner' to change that, right ? :P
"But the bloopers mod is going to be fun as hell. We're going to put our frustration with Doom for Columbine into a mod that makes fun of Doom 3. So it's light, and funny and totally non-serious.
The description of it in your journal sounds quite funny : and as you said, with most of the assets allready being in the game, you don't have to rely too much on teammembers to finish it.
I will keep an eye on this mod, but since i'm very tied up at the moment (converting the minigames to a port of Q3F, going to ET , called ETF ; mapping for an unnanounced ET-mod ; and pre-working on getting Elevator Action (80's Arcade game) ported to HL2 once released ) I won't be able to offer any help.
Good luck.
A big 'oops' by me then :) It faintly rings a bell now you bring it up : But thanks for clearing that up ;)
So they are... er... ten times free ?
I've been enlightened a few years ago, going with the 'idea' pronounciation before.
the word 'id' has been taken from Freud, but I can't seem to remember what particular part of the brain it is referring to.
(from the site : id - Freud's primal part of the human psyche )
Now I read that the project has come to a halt, I think the second mistake (but i think that would be clear by now) is that you guys made a public statement about something you clearly did not put too much thought in (yet).
I'm in no way trying to flame you, and as I said, I appreciated people trying to take on another side of gamedesign : A shame you guys did not even get it off the ground though.
GL with your bloopers mod.