How about releasing a game that's worth playing, then making a demo? What good is it to release a great demo for a bad game? Or a bad demo for a good game (perhaps because the demo is based on an early, busted version)?
When you're that good and playing against someone who isn't of nearly the same skill as you, maybe you should try to be a good sport (just a thought). Set fewer traps. Use less powerful weapons. Don't go get armor. Try a different play style or oddball strategies. Whatever.
It's not like completely slaughtering everyone else is fun for long, unless you get a kick out of making people angry. If the latter is the case, you probably shouldn't be allowed out in public.
One of the big issues with TA:K is that it tends to stalemate. Defenses are very strong, armies build very fast. Even if you completely decimate your opponent's army when he attacks you, and you go in for a counter-attack, chances are not very good that the game will end. They'll have another gigantic army readied before you destroy their stationary defenses, they'll slaughter you back, and then they'll unsuccessfully counter-attack as well.
I think what prevented this in TA was good artillery. Plain arty units, missile arty units, and the infamous Big Bertha cannon all made stationary defenses only a delay, and offense was where it's at.
Cavedog simply wasn't big enough to absorb the loss from the (horribly) failed TA:Kingdoms. It's sad, really, because TA given a decent multiplayer server browser, more modern UI, and a couple touchups would be grand. Cavedog really never got the chance to make it happen.
That's what I was going to say, but instead I'll provide some more details.
All shoot does is take an already parsed string of what you said, compare it to an xml file, and execute a number of keystrokes. So, as long as you have some kind of voice rec software (there's stuff somewhat built into WinXP, but I can't promise for other OSes), and a game that isn't too reliant on a mouse for commands, and you've got a great solution to binding (but mostly remembering) lots of keys.
I currently use SHOOT for Raven Shield multiplayer chat commands, but sadly the game doesn't have keyboard shortcuts for many single player commands (like open and frag on zulu), so it can't quite replicate the x-box version, which actually has this design in mind. The lesson: game developers, make more flexible command structures!
If you want something a bit faster paced, try Rise of Nations.
Usually I kill things, she builds things (though I can't say she represents all females), and then after about 45 minutes I convince her to attack something. Mop up the ai (might not be good to play competitively, places strain that you won't want), and play another round.
We've always been in the same room, but with teamspeak or ventrillo or the like, it would probably work out about the same.
Gravity. Momentum. Lighting. I can go on. Certain basic elements are just about impossible to violate while still having a game make any kind of sense, and even then it's usually by making a game so simple that they don't apply (checkers).
This is the empty head problem, just about. By removing all bias (in this case the attachment to real world causality), you lose your frame of reference, and can't do anything!
And no, GTA3 does not come anywhere cloes to violating real-world logic: it merely relaxes some aspects of it (sometimes heavily), such as the response from law enforcement.
Violating one aspect of logic doesn't make a game fail this test. You still can have plenty to go on to jump right into the game world and have it make sense, even sans manual.
Graphically, of course the next gen consoles aren't going to be that impressive. For now at least, they're limited by the low quality of most tv sets compared to monitors.
A bit more power is needed over the current generation to get decent framrates at HDTV quality, and the PS2 is pretty dated in terms of poly-pushing. I won't be impressed with the graphical aspect of consoles until they can still look good on a 21" monitor at 1400x1050 or so.
Most notable improvements will probably be in the online play areas, but considering what current hardward should be capable of doing now(it's mostly game support and infrastructure issues now), that's still not worth another couple hundred bucks.
So, yeah, I suspect I'll have my current consoles for a while.
This is called "rubber-band AI" because it prevents you from getting so far ahead of the competition that you get lonely out there. That's the theory, at least. What it amounts to is that the enemy cheats to make up for poor performance, and that's a frustrating approach to AI development.
Older versions of Mario Kart had the same problem. Nothing like having a tiny shroom pass your heavyweight (high topspeed) kart like it was nothing. In Double Dash, either they fixed it or replaced it with real AI, because it hasn't happened to me yet. Definately a change for the better.
For a game that really just requires 2 buttons (yes and no) and a control pad/stick (like most RPGs), a system like Earthbound's works well. You could either operate it two handed like normal, or use only your left hand, which has access to the control pad, the left shoulder button, and a button in the middle of the controller (select). You can map all the functions you need to those, but to date Earthbound is the only game that I've seen work well or at all with that configuration.
Right. When it comes to anything that can be done by ways other than the control panel, I'd still recommend doing it via the powertools. That way I know it will work; there are some very surprising differences between home and pro. Plus, in this case you'd have to dive into admin tools under control panel, and some of them are pretty intimidating if you only 90% know what you're doing. There's some potential for real damage if you play around in there.
Let me give you some more details on WinXP that will let you work around having your kids login as admin.
1) Download (TweakUI) Powertools for WinXP from the Microsoft website. 2) Create an admin login with the rights required to play the game, and use TweakUI to disable that account. No one will be able to actually login as that account. 3) Set up the game to "run with different credentials," as outlinded above.
This is not true (all you have to do is close it): "Irregardless of what the virtual drives or virtual clone programs on your system are for, you will not be able to play Raven Shield with patch 1.5 unless you remove them completely off your system."
While it might be the case that there have been plenty of poor RTS games released in the recent past, there have also been a few gems: Rise of Nations, by BigHuge Games, is one that I haven't seen mentioned, and it is quite amazing. Don't be thrown off if you didn't like the AOE games; it's quite different, and completely enjoyable. The whole city-based development adds alot to the genre.
Encounters were always in the same location, and walking through certain boxes triggers the encounter. If you leave an area and come back, the battles will all be reset, forcing you to wake through them again.
Other than minor issues like that, CT is well worth playing.
This is the first game that came to mind for me too. However, the system has a few flaws:
You only get the instant victory if you can win without taking damage. Therefore, a monster that can give you a paper cut but is fast enough to strike first will still force you into battle. The system also tends to fail once you have many party members: the chances of you getting everybody to get their hits in before the enemy gets a turn gets very low, so you're still stuck running through the battle.
One thing you forgot to mention: the enemies actually run from you (on the map), which not only cuts down on annoying battles, but also allows you to beat them silly for free (you get first strike) too!
Another interesting approach was used in FF8; the monsters never really got much wimpier than they started with, since they leveled up with you (albeit somewhat awkwardly).
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How about releasing a game that's worth playing, then making a demo? What good is it to release a great demo for a bad game? Or a bad demo for a good game (perhaps because the demo is based on an early, busted version)?
When you're that good and playing against someone who isn't of nearly the same skill as you, maybe you should try to be a good sport (just a thought). Set fewer traps. Use less powerful weapons. Don't go get armor. Try a different play style or oddball strategies. Whatever.
It's not like completely slaughtering everyone else is fun for long, unless you get a kick out of making people angry. If the latter is the case, you probably shouldn't be allowed out in public.
One of the big issues with TA:K is that it tends to stalemate. Defenses are very strong, armies build very fast. Even if you completely decimate your opponent's army when he attacks you, and you go in for a counter-attack, chances are not very good that the game will end. They'll have another gigantic army readied before you destroy their stationary defenses, they'll slaughter you back, and then they'll unsuccessfully counter-attack as well.
I think what prevented this in TA was good artillery. Plain arty units, missile arty units, and the infamous Big Bertha cannon all made stationary defenses only a delay, and offense was where it's at.
Cavedog simply wasn't big enough to absorb the loss from the (horribly) failed TA:Kingdoms. It's sad, really, because TA given a decent multiplayer server browser, more modern UI, and a couple touchups would be grand. Cavedog really never got the chance to make it happen.
That's what I was going to say, but instead I'll provide some more details.
All shoot does is take an already parsed string of what you said, compare it to an xml file, and execute a number of keystrokes. So, as long as you have some kind of voice rec software (there's stuff somewhat built into WinXP, but I can't promise for other OSes), and a game that isn't too reliant on a mouse for commands, and you've got a great solution to binding (but mostly remembering) lots of keys.
I currently use SHOOT for Raven Shield multiplayer chat commands, but sadly the game doesn't have keyboard shortcuts for many single player commands (like open and frag on zulu), so it can't quite replicate the x-box version, which actually has this design in mind. The lesson: game developers, make more flexible command structures!
If you want something a bit faster paced, try Rise of Nations.
Usually I kill things, she builds things (though I can't say she represents all females), and then after about 45 minutes I convince her to attack something. Mop up the ai (might not be good to play competitively, places strain that you won't want), and play another round.
We've always been in the same room, but with teamspeak or ventrillo or the like, it would probably work out about the same.
Gravity. Momentum. Lighting. I can go on. Certain basic elements are just about impossible to violate while still having a game make any kind of sense, and even then it's usually by making a game so simple that they don't apply (checkers).
This is the empty head problem, just about. By removing all bias (in this case the attachment to real world causality), you lose your frame of reference, and can't do anything!
And no, GTA3 does not come anywhere cloes to violating real-world logic: it merely relaxes some aspects of it (sometimes heavily), such as the response from law enforcement.
Violating one aspect of logic doesn't make a game fail this test. You still can have plenty to go on to jump right into the game world and have it make sense, even sans manual.
Graphically, of course the next gen consoles aren't going to be that impressive. For now at least, they're limited by the low quality of most tv sets compared to monitors.
A bit more power is needed over the current generation to get decent framrates at HDTV quality, and the PS2 is pretty dated in terms of poly-pushing. I won't be impressed with the graphical aspect of consoles until they can still look good on a 21" monitor at 1400x1050 or so.
Most notable improvements will probably be in the online play areas, but considering what current hardward should be capable of doing now(it's mostly game support and infrastructure issues now), that's still not worth another couple hundred bucks.
So, yeah, I suspect I'll have my current consoles for a while.
This is called "rubber-band AI" because it prevents you from getting so far ahead of the competition that you get lonely out there. That's the theory, at least. What it amounts to is that the enemy cheats to make up for poor performance, and that's a frustrating approach to AI development.
Older versions of Mario Kart had the same problem. Nothing like having a tiny shroom pass your heavyweight (high topspeed) kart like it was nothing. In Double Dash, either they fixed it or replaced it with real AI, because it hasn't happened to me yet. Definately a change for the better.
For a game that really just requires 2 buttons (yes and no) and a control pad/stick (like most RPGs), a system like Earthbound's works well. You could either operate it two handed like normal, or use only your left hand, which has access to the control pad, the left shoulder button, and a button in the middle of the controller (select). You can map all the functions you need to those, but to date Earthbound is the only game that I've seen work well or at all with that configuration.
Right. When it comes to anything that can be done by ways other than the control panel, I'd still recommend doing it via the powertools. That way I know it will work; there are some very surprising differences between home and pro. Plus, in this case you'd have to dive into admin tools under control panel, and some of them are pretty intimidating if you only 90% know what you're doing. There's some potential for real damage if you play around in there.
Let me give you some more details on WinXP that will let you work around having your kids login as admin.
1) Download (TweakUI) Powertools for WinXP from the Microsoft website.
2) Create an admin login with the rights required to play the game, and use TweakUI to disable that account. No one will be able to actually login as that account.
3) Set up the game to "run with different credentials," as outlinded above.
This is not true (all you have to do is close it): "Irregardless of what the virtual drives or virtual clone programs on your system are for, you will not be able to play Raven Shield with patch 1.5 unless you remove them completely off your system."
Aren't the developers themselves a vocal minority?
While it might be the case that there have been plenty of poor RTS games released in the recent past, there have also been a few gems: Rise of Nations, by BigHuge Games, is one that I haven't seen mentioned, and it is quite amazing. Don't be thrown off if you didn't like the AOE games; it's quite different, and completely enjoyable. The whole city-based development adds alot to the genre.
Encounters were always in the same location, and walking through certain boxes triggers the encounter. If you leave an area and come back, the battles will all be reset, forcing you to wake through them again. Other than minor issues like that, CT is well worth playing.
This is the first game that came to mind for me too. However, the system has a few flaws: You only get the instant victory if you can win without taking damage. Therefore, a monster that can give you a paper cut but is fast enough to strike first will still force you into battle. The system also tends to fail once you have many party members: the chances of you getting everybody to get their hits in before the enemy gets a turn gets very low, so you're still stuck running through the battle. One thing you forgot to mention: the enemies actually run from you (on the map), which not only cuts down on annoying battles, but also allows you to beat them silly for free (you get first strike) too! Another interesting approach was used in FF8; the monsters never really got much wimpier than they started with, since they leveled up with you (albeit somewhat awkwardly).