General Chat

well i was looking forward to finding out what would happen to the suspicious old woman, but now thats all ruined isnt it?![;)]

the game is pretty cool, but the first was a bit better i think...

at first i thought the storyline was a bit hard to follow, but now that i am getting into it is is coming together...

havent completed it yet, but only had it for a couple of days...

The load times, oh my unholy god ,whats with those load times.

Pantmonger

Yes. It crashed regularly on area transitions on
my machine, though my graphics card is a bit temperamental.

The suspicious old woman is a VIC (very important character
- steve jackson term). That's all I'll say. [;)]

Saw a funny spoof review of it: http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/kotor.html

'Also, remember be sure to kill everything you see and rob
their lifeless bodies in plain view of all the townsfolk,
for that is the Jedi way.'

The DS is much more exciting than the PSP, not only does it have the extensive library of the old GB games but more is to come into their new DS range. The two screens sounds to be really awesome and the touchsreen + wireless netowrking just makes it sound better in gameplay than the PSP in my oppinion.
Though the PSP may look better, I probably wouldn't really use it as a portable device because of its estimated short battery life. I hope the loading screens don't takes ages! :)

I've seen some really innovative games on the Nintendo DS with the stylus pen, but damn, the screen on the PSP looks awesome. I probably won't be buying either handheld (broke), but I wouldn't mind having a PSP [:D]. If I had one, I'd put some of my favourite movies on it so I could watch it in bed and go to sleep. [:D] As far as games go, I'm sure there'll be much more fun games on the DS, and just the same old games on the PSP.

Tough call. The DS looks great and very innovative with the stylus. However personally I?m not a fan of the style of games the big N tends to make.

The PSP, while not particularly innovative, seems very well designed. I got to hold an import recently (not play it though) and it really does look awesome. The screen is massive, and shape of the unit fits perfectly into my man sized hands, and it has a general feeling of being very well designed. I?ve read that they are very tough, and that the battery life and loading times aren?t real problems. I also love the multimedia functions ? it could easily become the new ipod as the must have mobile multimedia thingy ? as well as games, you can play music and movies and view image files (so you can show people your photo?s or paintings and renders). Plus I think Sony has a pretty good list of developers making games for their hardware, so I think there is a good chance they will kill the competition in terms of game range. The games on release don?t look anything special (but that?s the same with the DS I think), but there are plenty of cool titles to come, including Grand Turismo portable and a Metal Gear solid game.

Of course, I am a bit of a Sony fan boy I suppose?

i want a DS, the touch screen does it for me. as far as i'm concerned the PSP is just the standard tech upgrade, the DS actually7 does something new with the medium, and will result in new games. in fact it will force them. the PSP will suffer from a lot of PS1 and 2 ports as it will be cheep and profitable for developers to port old games over (though it will surely get a lot of original titles as well). the DS however, with two screens and a touch-sensative interface will force developers to make new games, or any games that are ported over will have to be redesigned to differening extents to accomodate.

i like the two screens, though this isnt too much of an advantage as the PSP screen is just short of twice the size of one DS screen, so it's pretty much the same realestate.

a lot of people will find playing movies on the PSP is pretty cool i guess. not me though, even if the DS could do it it wouldn't interest me all that much. small screen and all, reduces the effect. so movie playing isnt a deciding factor in my choice. also you cant watch any movies on the PSP - you have to buy them on the special PSP disks. so if you want one for home and one for the road you'll need to shell out for two copies, which is going to put some people of that feature i think. prehaps not all that much, but i think it will effect some people. i certainly wouldnt want to re-purchase all my favorite movies just so i can watch them on a different system.

guess a bit of my nintendo fan boyism from when i was a kid is comming though in my choice as well, but if the DS was no more than an tech upgrade to the GBA, then i would probably consider the PSP more due to it's extra features (even though i may not use them all that often).

Livewire - true about the Sony ports. [^]

quote:you have to buy movies on the special PSP disks. so if you want one for home and one for the road you'll need to shell out for two copies

No need to buy a second copy of all your DVD?s, you can simply download them from your PC via the PSP?s USB port (or WiFi?) onto the memory stick and watch 16:9 movies in stereo on the go. I imagine the mpeg feature wouldn?t get used to often, but it would be cool for the odd occasion when your mobile and don?t feel like playing games or listening to music or browsing your image library?

-Or instead of movies, you could store your latest animations to show your friends!

I think I?ve just talked myself into getting a PSP [:P]

Do people know the release and pricing details for both of these gadgets, for those of us who havent been keeping themselves up to date?

I think the DS is out on the 24th at about $199 with games being about the same price range as GBA titles, but Ive had mine for a few weeks already wheeee. As for the PSP I know nothing (late March-esk? I think)

Pantmonger

I havn't played the DS yet, but I've played the PSP and it's awesome. The PSP is Definitely more exciting for me.

PSP's fundamental flaw is that it uses an optical drive; hence moving parts. I don't have any solid data at hand but I'll assume it's going to be a huge drain on that little battery. I have a feeling a PSP will spend more time at home than a DS. Which is a bit of a shame, since the point of having handhelds is so you can bring them along when you go out of the house.

Furthermore, the PSP looks like it's just going to be another GameBoy clone. DS has two screens, a touch screen, a stylus, a microphone, AHHHHH! It'll be nice to have something new to play.

I really think they aren't so comparable... I'll be getting both systems. But I guess the DS excited me enough to import one :)

Games like "Feel the Magic" and "Wario Ware Touched!" are totaly unique to the DS, and will only be on the DS. I couldn't imagine not having them. In that regard the DS is very exciting; the PSP is going to end up with alot of ports and/or sequals that are going to be very similar to their ps2(/xbox) counterparts (If I have an xbox and ps2, why would I want to play these games on a small screen?). That doesn't mean they're going to bad games, but they aren't going to be anywhere near as special and unique as some of the DS games.

The PSP, however, has the ability to play music and videos on a nicely sized screen...

I bet Redwyre bought an NGage. [:D]

A master was explaining the nature of Tao of to one of his novices. "The Tao is embodied in all handhelds - regardless of how insignificant," said the master. "It is especially strong in the Gameboy".
"Is the Tao in a DS?" asked the novice.
"It is," came the reply.
"Is the Tao in a PSP?" continued the novice.
"It is even in a PSP," said the master.
"And is the Tao in the NGage?"
The master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The lesson is over for today," he said.

The ability to just close the DS and have it sleep is a killer feature IMO. I catch two busses to work, so while waiting for a bus I can open it up and play, and when I see the bus just shut it and put it in my bag. And my DS has already taken a bit of a beating, I don't think the PSP's screen would have survived without a case...

I'd love to get a DS, purely for Wario Touched. I'm still yet to play WarioWare on GBA, but I was insanely addicted to the Flash version Nintendo had up for a promo competition (ended up getting a t-shirt @:-)

So if I get a DS, I'll be buying both games with it.

I'm for the DS.. friend of mine has had one for a couple of months now (import) and I have played Mario 64.. which is way cool... you can control Mario either with the D- pad or using your thumb on the touch screen.. The Mini games that come with Mario are even cooler.. one has you drawing mini trampolines with the stylus between two buildings as Marios throw themselves off the top.. you have to angle your strokes and bounce the little dudes into doors on either side.. Another involves rolling a snowball down a hill using the stylus.. These games are seriously addictive.. Another cool feature of the DS is that multiplayer can occur with only one game.. the DS will transmit the game to the other connected DS's and bam.. youre all playin.. The DS I think is going to open up a whole new door of gaming.. Yay for Nintendo!

Yes, and i played wario, and that second bought myself the DS, Good damn. The Game Play Potential, os just going to be astounding. I think this stylus interface, will make or break games. On the DS. You wait and see.

Wario Ware touched rocks. And Mario64ds is cool too.. :D

0xBaaDf00d

Warioware == awesomely insane.
I'm wondering if I should get Mario64DS....

I got SM64DS with the machine, the minigames on it are probably cooler than the game itself (even though the game is pretty cool). Yoshi Touch & Go looks really interesting as well.

The second I find a homebrew devkit for the thing, I've got a few ideas I want to try out.

A mate just bought his DS to work, played Mario64DS and Metroid Prime, man that touch screen is fun to use! Playing with the stylus is fun, but playing with my thumb on the touch screen was even better. Can't wait to see some great games come out for this baby!

Ah the age old question Sony or Nintendo?
I can see that there are allot of DS fans here, all in favor because of the 'potent ional' for the DS.
A few points have come out of the current posts, a big one being that because of a touch screen "new and better games will emerge".
Not many publishers like taking the risk of investing money into a game that has never been done before, this is why (for the western market at least) why the same games keep coming out with new graphics and a new button the makes character X blink.
This is why games like Quake, unreal and doom haven't had major groundbreaking changes between each release.
You don't have to look far to see that people can't wait to see the next unreal, all because it features newer graphics.

I was excited about the DS with its touch screen, that was until it came out. Where are the games?
In previous replies there are comments that all PSP will offer is the same games with better visuals, well I?d hate to break it to you but all games out for DS are the same games with less visuals (e.g., check out the screens of ridge racer on the DS and PSP).
I hear some people saying "wait that?s not true, what about the mini games?" true the mini games are exclusive to DS, but I get no more enjoyment playing Wario ware on the DS than I did on the GBA.

On the other hand looking at the launch list for the PSP, the games are just as appealing (if not more) and equally as innovative as the titles on launch for the DS. When asked about the lack of graphics on the DS Nintendo commented "The DS isn't about creating better graphics, it's about giving developers the tools to be creative"
A problem with this is that graphics inspires innovation, Nintendo are taking two steps forward and one step back. Do you think that great games like Grand theft auto, and Battlefield would exist if companies added an extra button to each upgrade instead of better graphics?

The question of which is better one or the other cannot be answered as its all personal preference. I think the attitude of Nintendo has caused it demise over the years, the lack of publicity, the strict guidelines upon developing a game for them, and this is how it?s done - this is how it will always be done frame of mind.
Then again I'm not a kid anymore and maybe THATS why the DS doesn't appeal to me?

I'll still be getting both, Hey I can afford it why deny myself a few hours of fun, and I?m just worried that after the release of the PSP my DS will become a paper weight.

quote:Originally posted by Tall_Nick

Ah the age old question Sony or Nintendo?

One of the interesting things that has happened around our office (where there are more than one of each of the DS and PSP)

The general reaction of people seems to be:

PSP: "Wow - come and look at this, looks incredible"
DS: "Wow - come and play this, can I have a turn ?"

Which makes me think (at this stage) that the DS has the advantage!

and yes, I'll probably end up with both :-)

I'm sorry Nintendo, but Sony has converted me. I mean, how can I possibly pass up on the PSP when it's a fasion icon?

[url]http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php[/url]

"- To kick off next week's North American launch of PSP, what Sony describes as "an extraordinary collection of fashion's biggest talents and rising stars" gathered for a special fashion show called 'Pret a PSP'. Designers included Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Jennifer Lopez, and Baby Phat By Kimora Lee Simmons, as "top designers created custom-designed accessories inspired by PSP and its innovative design including a pure gold case encrusted with seven carats of yellow and black diamonds by Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons." In addition, the LA fashion show apparently saw Jason Bateman, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Nicky Hilton picking up their PSPs before they hit shelves on March 24, in another example of game creators courting Hollywood to gain cachet for a product launch."

[img]http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/attached/LiveWire/2005316018_psp.jpg[/img]

What?? Celebs are playing PSP.....then it MUST be good, I better go get one!!!112

sonys reach into the entertainment industry knows no bounds, also no point...
score for the celebs though, theyre getting paid to buy a product they can (im assuming) keep, now if only i could get paid to do my shopping :P

PSP is evil... EVIL!!! Support games and boycott PSP.
The following is a long and boring animation that only the most hardcore will enjoy, but it sums it up nicely.
http://www.hcn.zaq.ne.jp/cabic508/rsf/frame1.html

Knowing what kind of games will be on the psp, i'd be better off just using my pc.
A DS on the other hand will have some interesting new kinds of games i think...
my choice in this matter should be obvious

I picked it up today. It?s only $50 and it looks well worth the money. The DVD looks awesome, (and the game? whoa ? what took me so long?!) but I'm worried about all the VTM's being done in Maya (I'm a max user). Is it worth learning and using Maya PLE for this mod, or will I be okay sticking with Max?

I think I can easily translate what the VTM?s talk about into Max, but I?m just wondering if Maya PLE would be a better tool for the job? Or does it really not matter? Exporting from Max looks pretty straightforward.

Though if Maya PLE can do the job, it might be a good excuse to learn Maya...

there is the Actor X max exporter for unreal as well, it's easy to use once you know how. it really wont matter if you use maya or max in the end.

Hey Souri,

I picked up the UT2004 Dvd with All the tuts agers ago. Checked out the tut on exporting for maya to UT2004 and glade I did. In the tut they bring in a Biped which has the Bones names which important for if your using a characters animations from ths games.. anyways! Its not on my DVD [:X]

I was woundering if it was on yours or if you have seen a picture anywhere showing the bone names etc.

Thanks

if you're talking about the tute i think your talking about, they say the rig can be downloaded from 3dbuzz.com, otherwise, the bone names they use are the same as the max biped ones used in the game 'Bip01' for example. problem is Maya dosnt support spaces so they had to do some messing around with 'bone_weapon' in UE. for our models though, we can set whatever naming conventions we want if we intend to make a complete set of custom animations and change how weapons are referenced. also bone names only need ot be identicle to other skeletons if you intend to share animations. if each character in our game had unique animations then we can name their skeletons whatever the hell we want.

Thanks LiveWire, but I was asking so that I could use animations already in the game so I could test out my charater. This way I don't have to do animations if its not needed and I think people who will post there characters in UT2004 for the comp will not want to do 20 < animations just to see there character in game. With that said I had a look at the 3DBuzz site and its huge, any idea where that biped file is?

no idea, i use max. try searching the forums, chances are someone else has also asked. but if you cant find it just create your own rig with the same bone names. if you include extras it wont matter - they simply wont be effect by the animations (at least i'm pretty sure it wion't matter)

i'm not sure what will happen if you bring in a character you've created only say two animations for (just to pose it and take a screen shot for the comp) might work, might not. otherwise you could pose it and bring it in as a static mesh rather than a playable character.

Agreed, that was a really good read. Nice to hear from a developer who's actually able to maintain timeframes and whatnot. One would expect a good overall morale at Blue Fang. Actually thanking employees goes a long long way (nice idea on the flowers @:-)

When the whole "EA Spouse" thing came up the IGDA addressed the situation in an email. They listed a few companies that had great turn over rates etc and Blue Fang was on the list along with Bioware and a few other places.

I bet none of you would touch it but I love my Zoo Tycoon that Blue Fang did :)

That was a good read, and hopefully the kind of thing studios will aspire to in the future. However, do you think it could be possible for a studio to go too far with the quality of life issue, and end up creating an undesirable, clock-on mentality?

I?m all for fair working hours and I worry about overtime in my future employment, but at the same time I?m attracted to the easy lifestyle of the games industry. With strict work times I?m sure that easy lifestyle would be sacrificed somewhat; no late starts or long breaks, no playing games through the day ? basically a clock-on mentality.

Would working by the clock (and being forced to be productive at all times while working) have a stifling effect on the creative process?

I just think that there should be a happy medium. You don?t want burnt out employees, but at the same time you want a flexible, enjoyable and creative work environment. I think the medium to aim for might be general 40ish hour weeks with occasional crunch-time weeks before major milestones. The important thing is not to exploit the willingness of employees to work crunch-time and burn out the productivity of those employees.

That said, achieving more regular working hours must be a positive thing to aim for.

Im a firm believer in work hard, play hard - at least thats how I run Kalescent Studios.

Being forced into the hard yards by another person (moreso if the situation isnt clearly explained and not your fault), will create more harm than good - no matter what the industry - its human nature to not want to take the heat for a pompous manager or superior personells screw up. And quite rightly so.

That happy medium is a really interesting point Palantir because each persons "happy medium" can be quite different depending on the nature of the person.

Regardless of the situation your quite right, exploitation of employees is so far from the correct thing to do.

To add to this topic, I like to encourage growth and forward thinking in my employees.
Being locked down, restricted or stuck in a rut pumping through the same processes when its clear there is a better way or new tools available to make the same job easier JUST for the sake of a middle man saying "Just do it like that" - to me ( having been in that position ) was demoralising and UBER counterproductive regardless of whether I worked 1 hour or 12.

The target for me personally is to create an atmosphere and work ethic that people actually look forward to arriving at each day, and encourage the expression of any ideas or thoughts that anyone may have with regards to the daily work processes / formats.

quote:Originally posted by palantir
...do you think it could be possible for a studio to go too far with the quality of life issue, and end up creating an undesirable, clock-on mentality?

As they keep saying on those US court dramas, "Anything is possible counsellor." That said, I would very much doubt that in the sort of creative workplaces our industry* requires that it would be very likely.

If you were at your desk at 6am, and you're still there at 8pm though, your manager/team lead would be quite remiss if they didn't at least try to find out why - even if you just chose to 'cos you were in the zone. On the other hand, if you started at noon they probably wouldn't bother to ask about an 8pm night [:P]

*I love being able to say "our" industry now...

quote:Originally posted by HazarD

Im a firm believer in work hard, play hard

Apart from that quote, I agree with everything you wrote-
as soon as I hear corporate americanisms like that I get
a primordial urge to climb a tree. [:p]

Wiffle : LOL - Fortunately I was more reffering to an eastern work ethic. To be honest as a whole the Asian country folk are a hard working bunch, and damn when they let their hair down - it all hangs out - They rock. Hard.

LOL ?Work hard, play harder. Just do it. Give it your all. A game a day helps you work rest and play. Obey you thirst. Stay hungry. Be all you can be.? [:D]
Sorry, but commercialistic clich?s are hard to take seriously. And while it?s very true that the Eastern work ethic is about working hard, I think the clich?s are most definitely American. [;)]

I agree entirely with you Hazard, the eastern work ethic is something we should aspire towards.

Actually, the main motivator behind the eastern work force dominance isn?t to focus on working/playing/living hard, but to focus almost fanatically on self-improvement and a never-ending increase in quality. By concentrating on how to improve ones self just a little bit each and every day, Eastern corporation went from shoddy workman ship and poor financial standing after the second world war, to being considered one of the worlds dominant economic powers. In fact, since 1950 the greatest honour a Japanese company can receive is the National Deming Prize, used to acknowledge the company that represents the highest level of increases in quality, service, management and worker support throughout Japan.

The basic principle that needs to change is the general attitude of ?how can we increase our volume and cut our costs?? to ?how can we increase the quality of what we do, and do it in such a way that the quality will not cost more in the long term??

It?s the eastern business core belief that has created their economic dominance, and it?s this same belief that all industries should adopt, including the games industry, in order to achieve greatness. This belief is simple, but powerful: a commitment to never-ending improvement and a constant increase in the quality of life.

It goes against western belief, but the fact is that improving quality costs less in the long run. Researching eastern business case studies will reveal that this is the way to a businesses financial growth: to gradually increase quality, not to cut it (quality in all area?s, not just product).

The 'Quality, Cost and Time' triad was firmly drummed into our heads
as undergraduates at Monash. Being a bit of a self-taught 'hacker'
I was initially resistant, but it became apparent that these ideas
were useful, necessary and applicable.

The latest version of Direct X is 9.0c.. you can download it from Microsoft [url="www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/downloads/default.asp"]at this link[/url].

Dude, your not just trying to pimp your game are you?
[url]http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=1869[/url]
[url]http://www.gidforums.com/t-4717.html[/url]

Lol :) Good catch!

It could be worse than that, after all, the registrant of "seawar-battleship.com" is from the Ukraine, and young "Nata Li" doesn't seem to be able to spell "Liverpool". I wonder if it's a clever way to send out more trojans?

Or am I just too paranoid?

:)

*looks at the first post*

It's good to be a moderator. [:D]

Phenomenal cosmic power!

I hope you cover lots of local content! There are quite a few local developers working on mobile (and hopefully DS, PSP) platforms [:D]

oh dear.... i think i just soiled myself....
did i mention that nightmare if my FAVEOURITE MOVIE EVER!!! i should have shouldnt i
so yeah... looking forward to it ;)

btw thats still stop motion isnt it? because wow that looks smooth

Wow, that looks fantastic! [:)]. I love the art style.

It's usually my shoulders and wrists that give me problems but here are the usual tips for preventing OOS/RSI etc:

Make sure you have good posture, wrists roughly horizontal, mouse and keyboard in front of you not out to one side. Sit upright with feet on the floor and eyes in line with the top third of the monitor. I think buying a chair that you are actually comfortable in is important, you probably spend a large portion of your life in it. Make sure you are eating and sleeping properly, lack of either can often make your body feel terrible no matter what you do.

Take a break every half an hour, go to the toilet, refill your coffee or something. Have a quick break every 5 minutes and stretch your wrist, fingers, make sure they move around occasionally, those squishy stress balls are excellent for this.

The human body is not designed to sit motionless for days on end, like machinery it seizes up!

Barry's right there! But I honestly can't deal with the sitting upright for too long. My back starts to break. I know with Troy that he gets sore thumb and wrist pains which i often have to massage those areas as well and the elbow, shoulders and under the shoulder blade to fix his hand up again.

Although I do try to get up and get a drink now and then, it's just not good on workflow if your in crunch time and your in the zone. You need to get out of the zone then try to get back in. Kina hard and frustrating after a while.

I find the shape of the mouse to have an impact on confort - My work mouse (a clear optical mac mouse with the entire upper surface as the button) to be quite bad on the index finger but my home mouse (standard Microsoft mouse) to be excellent... I guess some people might suggest trying a tablet as an alternative.

I don't really seem to get any muscular problems, maybe after about 6 or 7 hours my wrist gets stiff. My main problem is my brain and eyes feels like they're melting. x_x Though I think I need to take more breaks since I usually only take one break of about 15-20 mins in the middle of the day to get lunch.

quote:Originally posted by Anuxinamoon

I know with Troy that he gets sore thumb and wrist pains which i often have to massage...

Cunning Troy, I'll have to remember that one...

;)

Its true - I'ts the norm for me to spend 14 - 16 hours a day in 3DSMax - and by the end of it, my wrists are begging for mercy.

Im pretty certain its not the best thing in the world - but the odd 5 minute break with massages seem to do it wonders [:)]

Give it a shot Barry [;)]

After too much time with the mouse, my hand gets a mind of it's own and the index finger kind of gets nervous jitters or something (finger twitches). I get the same problem from my game console controllers. It's only if I go too long without a break though. I find the biggest problem for me is sore eyes, which turns into a headache. Regular breaks are essential, if somewhat difficult to force yourself to do.

Has anyone tried specialist equipment like trackballs and things? For example: [url]http://www.3dconnexion.com[/url]
I'd love to get a "SpaceBall" or equivalent, but have no idea if it would be any good. I don't want to spend the cash if I'm not going to use it.

Shit guys do something about this stuff NOW or you could regret it for years!!!

I was unable to use my hands much at all for about a year and a half from carpal tunnel syndrome (too much typing mixed with tons of stress). Think about having to ask someone to open a door for you... Not just once either, but every single bloody day :(

Loosen up your wrists and shake them around. Swim at lunch time. Acupuncture, massage, physiotherapy, t'ai chi, yoga, long walks, etc, etc, etc.

In my experience GPs did more harm than good- one in particular first told me to "type with the other hand"- I got carpal tunnel in the other wrist, then "immobalise them"- bound up both my arms in pressure bandages 24/7, which reduced blood flow and made the muscles atrophy, which made things much worse :(

Avoid anti-inflammatory drugs like sodium naproxen- they will probably stop the pain, but if you keep working when taking them you can do some real damage. A lot of them cause stomach ulcers too.

Classical musicians and ballet dancers are some of the most afflicted by OOS type complaints- they work even harder than game developers- perhaps try to find someone who treats these people all the time.

This stuff happened to me in late 1997 btw, when I was doing a music honours degree. I've been completely OK since early '99.

Alternative input devices are a great idea. I could only use my computer with a touch pad and voice recognition.

With the back problems the best and most lasting thing I've ever had done is Spinal Mobilisation. It's not manipulation, just restoring normal movement to each vertebra. Musculoskeletal physiotherapists can do it.

IMHO no game or contract is worth crippling yourself for.

I agree with Lorien.

And I would like to say that if you aren't playing a sport or something, you should be. Make time to excercise..

Also, if you have a wacom, use it where possible, and use your whole arm to move it, rather than the smaller muscles in your hand/wrist.

This is shit you don't want to shrug off, or say 'fixed' after a few seconds of rubbing down. Don't sacrifice your health for the sake of a model or few pages of code. In my experience, it's more important what you're capable of, not what you have done.

"IMHO no game or contract is worth crippling yourself for."

Of course, but what is your house/car worth in work & labour? I used to work part time on a factory floor... THAT is one thing that is not worth the damage & I quit due to it. Your body is grinded down in those situations unless you're naturally built...
Ways injury was prevented was by placing 3" rubber mats where we stood for hours on end... somewhat similar to that soft 'attachment' that goes on keyboards :)

Anyway, rsi certainly translates from the workbench to the computer desk. I prefer to have monitors high so that I have to sit upright to view them evenly. If they are the 'suggested' heights I have to bend my back too much and it often aches. Also my fingers, as Me109 said... it's usually after excessive 3D work where you have to hold a mouse button with the index finger for pan/orbit. :)

Cheers for all the feedback guys.. I've start my adventure into user friendly motion controller devices! I love the look of the spaceball 5000 and functionality... [img]http://www.3dconnexion.com/img/spaceball1.jpg[/img]
however at a retail price of AU$800.. i'm not so sure .. but could be worth it if it extends the lifetime of my index finger... I found a interesting project here [url]http://web.media.mit.edu/~jackylee/isphere.htm[/url]
[img]http://web.media.mit.edu/~jackylee/img/isphere_foam.jpg[/img]
this kinda device would be cool!

cheers guys!

Wow, that?s cool!

I think I saw something like that being used on Star Trek once?

What we really need is technology that allows the mind to directly interface with a computer without physical contact with devices. It might take a while to develop, but one way to do this mental interface involves scanning eye movements and interpreting that into computer commands. The technology is in very early stages of development/experimentation, but it is theoretically possible. If the technology is ever successfully developed, you would be able to work ultra efficiently just by looking at the screen.

quote:Originally posted by palantir
involves scanning eye movements and interpreting that into computer commands.

What happens when you sneeze? [:D]

Seriously though there is tons of research going on in alternative interfaces, a lot of it for musical instruments (that row of switches that is the piano keyboard is a pretty stupid way of controlling a synthesiser). Here are just a few:

http://www.thereminworld.com/learn.asp
http://www.media.mit.edu/hyperins/projects.html
http://infusionsystems.com/catalog/all_categories.php?osCsid=5b1b0eeaee…
http://www.steim.org/steim/products.html
http://www.reverberant.com/TC/index.htm

You should be able to guess what my music honours thesis was on and why I was coding in a music degree now [:)]

quote:Originally posted by urgrund
"but what is your house/car worth in work & labour?"

For me a lot less than the use of my hands... Most things are less important than that (again for me).

That ISphere seems to be a multi-dimensional theremin i.e. uses the same proximity detection technique. That would make it very accurate but very expensive.

MIT is truly a computer geeks paradise [:)]

quote:Originally posted by lorien:
quote:Originally posted by palantir:
involves scanning eye movements and interpreting that into computer commands.

What happens when you sneeze?
Sneeze and the computer might reformat the hard drive [:P]

Maybe one day tiny little cybernetic implants will solve all these interface problems?

quote:Originally posted by palantir

If the technology is ever successfully developed, you would be able to work ultra efficiently just by looking at the screen.

Lol, if that were the case, while our index fingers would be saved, our poor eyes would become the new endangered species [:X][xx(]

Looking into it a bit more i've broken out my Wacom as a replacement for the mouse... Hopefully I'll get to try out a Spaceball soonish so I can try the combo.. I've a good feeling that this will rock.. The Wacom has done away with the need to 'click' as every time you place the pen it 'selects' automatically.. actually this has reduced what is a two movement process.. ( point then click ) to just a point..

I was put onto this link for those students out there... student prices on Spaceballs.. like a reduction from US$500 ---> US$199.98 a great reduction...

[url]http://www.journeyed.com/department.asp?DID=3dconnexion&SKW=3dconnexion…]

Anyhow!
Cheers!

quote: 7. not to eat weatbix with ballies (was out of milk)
[:D] Haha!! Now that?s funny! Actually, that reminds me of back when I was on schoolies (going back a bit now) and for some reason had a bowl of corn flakes and beer for breakfast. I later regurgitated the meal, and then went back to drinking. That?s what youth is for, I suppose.

My new years resolutions:
1.Draw something, anything, each day
2.Not to waste hours watching DVD?s when I should be working
3.Never to eat another pizza as long as I live, so help me God (years as pizza dude will do that)
4.Not to stay up modelling/texturing/animating past midnight on a work night
5.Get back into weight training before my hard earned muscle turns into a jelly-like substance
6.Never to stay up playing World of Warcraft all night ever again (I don?t think I can do this one though)
7.Not to skip a single art class, no matter how hard a day I have at work

My New Years Resolution: Do more than one art piece per year [:X]

lol yamauchi was famous for being the crazy bastard at the top, ive heard a few stories about him and how he basically says what he likes. regardless of what that does for nintendo

Yamauchi is a champion - and IMO hes got the western mentality and ethics right on the button.

I've always been a fan of ninti and what it stands for. He sure does have alot of pride. I think the PSP is ganna be a success, my mate got one from Japan and says it rocks.

Same here, Nintendos have always rocked and you always got a good reliable product from them :) I can't wait to get a DS!!!

Yamauchi rocks. Hes made a great enterprise!

When I originally read Souri's topic for this post I thought they were interviewing Bowser. Guess not :P

That was a great article, that guys sort of nuts, hes awesome, I printed out a copy of it. I'm glad he put microsoft in their place.

Is anyone else here itching to see the Nintendo Revolution? [:D]

I mean sure, he shows passion and dedication, but gees, these days you don't go off and bag everyone on the planet do you?

At least not in a mainstream magazine like Wired. I can see the average American joe sitting there nodding his head - "yeah.. yeah we are fat and arrogant. That Nintendo guy is right you know. How about that."

Boy, national patriotism is one thing, but business is surely another, especially in the position Nintendo is in the market.

I must admit though, it's VERY refreshing to hear those statements from him. Not the buttered up crap that we hear from the average media savvy company representative.

Ah, the corporate world. You just gotta love it.

Sorry guys, the whole interview is a big, fat fake.

A complete fabrication.

Made up.

Not true.

Incorrect.

Etc.

oh [:(].. I got the link off a gaming website (not a fansite or anything like that). They made a comment that page scans from print magazines which were then displayed on the net wasn't proper, so I thought the article was legit. [:)]

gazunta = spoil sport

fack or not it's still pretty funny!

how do you know it's made up though Gazunta?

Does anyone else feel compelled to hug that thing?

hahaha!

that is classic! [:D]

Cute dog [:D]

I miss my dog [:(][V]

I'd go for a M/b that has PCI express.. which are currently offering bus data bandwidths that are in excess of 4x that of current AGP m/b's... unfortunately would mean getting a new video card...[V]

dunno about 64 bit processors.. cept to say there isnt any software that supports 64 bit.. so if you do your software will still operate in 32bit protected mode... which could be slower...

don't get cheap on memory.. good memory means more system stability...[:0]

Mmmmm 64 bit

I'd say wait for the AMD64 939pin PCI-Express boards, but then you'd probably need a new video card.

Exactly. PCIe is about to take off and be adopted as the new standard, making all those expensive AGP cards obsolete.

It?s the general expectation that PCIe is the next big thing. Just look at the specs and you?ll see that it blows PCI and AGP away. I?d bet that in a year?s time it will be a standard format and we?ll all be throwing out the old AGP cards that cost so much ATM?

So what I?m getting at, since you already have a currently good AGP graphics card, is that it would probably be smartest to spend as little as possible now, because within 12 months you?ll want to throw it all away and upgrade to the next generation of hardware.

It?s sad but true - those uber fast AGP based graphics cards that some people are spending close to a grand on, will be pretty much worthless in less then a year. [:(] Goddamn computers suck.

PCI express isn't going to make AGP obsolete for a little while. I saw a benchmark a while ago (can't remember the site sorry), and the difference between AGPx8 and PCIe x16 was too small to really care about. Hell PCIe x4 wasn't much slower than x16 (this was to test out the preformance on dual PCIe Intel boards). The major pro about PCIe is that the cards are slightly cheaper than the AGP equivalents.

As for CPUs. There is as much difference between Intel and AMD as there is difference between ATI and nVidia video cards. One does slightly better here and the other does slightly better there. Look at some hardware sites, see what does better in what you want to do, and then look at price ranges. Either way you will get a good processor. It isn't like one is 10,000 times better than the other :)

A warning: If you decide to get an athlon 64, they can be very picky about what memory sticks they'll work with. So, you may (or may not) need new memory if you went with a 64.
CYer, Blitz

PCIe is more of a case of future-proofing.

And packaging.

At the moment there is very little between the old and new standard in terms of performance, but you have to remember though, that most benchmarks (and definitely most games) don't really push the boundaries of the PCI bandwidth because most programmers recognise it as a bottleneck, and try to minimise utilisation as much as possible otherwise all games would run like crap. If benchmarks did rely heavily on PCI bandwidth then most computers would rank the same regardless of which processor etc you had.

In terms of economics I wouldn't go for a Athlon64, simply because with BTX on the way, 939 PCIe m/boards etc still to come there's no real reason to waste money on what is only going to be 'cutting edge' for a short time.

Its practically impossible to keep your computer in a state ready to be upgraded. Ram will change, CPU FSB will change, Video Cards will change. These days I will basically buy a Chip, Mobo and Ram to suit, then in a year or two time sell that one off and upgrade again.

The board in my Athlon XP 1900 could only support 266Mhz FSB. To support an Athlon higher than an XP2400 I needed to buy a newer board. This meant I needed to scrap my ram and get PC3200 to suit. People who grabbed 533Mhz FSB P4 Chips just before the 800Mhz came out can't buy new chips anymore without a motherboard upgrade.

I now have an Athlon 64 3200 with an ATI X800 Pro. I won't even bother trying to upgrade in a year I will just sell the board and card and buy some new components.

If you are looking at keeping your 9600XT Souri then obviously you'll need to stick to an AGP board. Don't bother with the Socket 478 P4's since they stop at about 3.4Ghz. 775 is out of the question since its PCI Express. An Athlon 64 939 Socket will at least give you a little more room to upgrade your chip in the future. They are up to around 4000+ at the moment.

In terms of performance the Athlon 64 is nice. The stories I hear from customers about them being incompatible with this and that shit me to tears. I've never, ever had a problem with my machine, friends machines, and the many we build at work. Being a 64 bit chip doesn't make it any faster as it is still running a 32bit OS, but at least some companies are looking at getting things moving in terms of processor architecture rather than just bumping up the clock speed. The chip does have an onboard memory controller so there isn't too much mainboard manufacturers can do to make their board perform better than rivals.

If you are interested in overclocking the K8T800 Pro chipset will let you lock the PCI/AGP bus speed when bumping up the front side bus. The normal K8T800 chipset won't, and you won't get far without that feature. The NForce 3 also supports it but I have read about some problems with the PCI/AGP lock on that chipset.

Yep it's from a pirated copy of the game, looks like tight-arse daddy bought a illegal version and the paper didn't check all the facts.
Looks like another libel case coming on

[img]http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/attached/UniqueSnowFlake/20051420170_FnD…]

Hey, is that a sinus scroller? [:D]

People have been making these kind of intro's since the Commodore 64 days. Actually, I've seen much better ones on the C64 [:D]

Ahh scrolling demos.. *misty eyes*.

On Proudmore myself. Brain, my lvl 28 Dwarven Warrior miner smithy is going rather well. Definitely taking up a fair portion of my time, though I'd not played it for a week and a bit whilst my girlfriend visited my family and myself in Canberra. She's a bit adverse to the whole thing. I'll sway her one day... or just get her hooked to Sims 2 @;-)

Also, it's been far too long between visits. *hugs all round* @:-D

can anyone tell me how well WoW runs on dialup?

dismally i am guessing... [:(]

pretty shit I'd imagine..

I'm on 512 adsl, and it lags it up sometimes.

Generally I have a ping of about 300 - 400.. Which is nothing special, but the way the game is designed, it's not a huge issue.

I'm not sure about 56k but remember the ping is due to playing on American servers, I still have the same ping and occasional lag with a fast connection.

The game is awesome BTW.

The game rocks. Probably a little bit too much though, like most mog?s, it?s seriously addictive.

I like characters from the Horde mostly. Most people want to play as Alliance characters for some reason, but the Horde is just so much cooler.

Also, I like the naming restrictions. It?s so annoying in these games coming across characters like ?Aragorn934? or ?ImAnUrakHai? etc. Some people have no ability to be creative or original..

I?m playing on dial-up, and like most mog?s the lag is bearable. It?s certainly annoying, but it usually doesn?t cause major gameplay problems, unlike lag in a real time shooter. I can play for hours without any real problem. Of course that's coming from someone who rarely experiances a fast connection. People on dsl would no doubt go nuts trying to play @ 56K. Like Sorceror Bob said, because of the gameplay design, ping rate isn't really a big deal.

I?ve applied for DSL, but the infrastructure here doesn?t support it [:(] Apparently Telstra will finish upgrading here by June/July, so until then I must continue to suffer lag in my games.

Tis a bit shitty that the servers were more stable in the beta than they are here.

Damn 16 hour down-time

quote:Originally posted by Sorceror Bob

Anyone playing this gem?

It can be argued that the gameplay is too simple.. But fuck it, blizzard to simple so well. They hide so much depth behind that simplicity..

Totally addicted here :-)

server: DragonBlight
Alliance Characters: Arianwen, Bloodknock
Horde char: Griselda

Blizzard are advertising a new [url="http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/netops-manager.shtml"]Network operations manager[/url] for World of Warcraft.. quote:Are you experienced in managing IT personnel and projects? Is keeping gamers happily playing games a top priority for you? If so, then please see the Network Operations Manager posting for more information on how you can join Blizzard and help us support our players.

Did someone get fired? o_O

I've read a few messages everywhere on the ping/queuing/waiting period to play from many irate players. It's sounding pretty bad. Surprising though to hear that Blizzard have just launched Wow in Korea [:)]

Bah, stop complaining... I used to play Ultima Online on 56k dialup :-P Then I didn't even get the full 56k either...

Penny Arcade have revoked their GOTY award for it due to the instability problems. Personally I play on a low population server and I just haven't seen the issues everyone complains about.

You will find most Aussies play on the BlackRock server.

Unsure about the computer stats - your over the minimum spec so you should be okay with low detail.

But the steam download ( configuration / sign up etc etc ) took about 20 minutes on 512 ADSL. And friends of mine have waited for over an hour ( then again it was on day 1 of launch so the server may have been labouring )

Took about an hour on my 56k for the whole steam process. If you can entertain yourself for an hour it's no big deal.

I've actually been playing counter strike more than hl2. I can actually play online with my modem aslong as there aren't too many people in the game.

Hopefully getting broadband soon, the prices are pretty much the same these days anyway.

Yeah, you have to keep logging on to steam to get updates. In fact, despite the play offline option, it doesn?t seem to like playing offline ? though maybe that?s just my computer? Personally I really hate the whole steam thing, and that?s put a negative outlook on the game for me.

Though in general it?s a very fun game, and the physics really create a new experience.

As far as your specs go, you should be fine in low res ? and it still looks pretty good. I ran it on a p4 2.4, 512DDR and a crappy 64meg G4 nvidia, and it ran fine mostly, though performance suffered when the system started to heat, and the system did crash a couple of times?

Though I?d like to say that looking back, I wish I bought something else (heaps of great games ATM), and waited until I got a better system to experience HL2 on for the first time. It?s just soooo much better on a fast system, and that first low res time through certainly detracted from the experience when compared to playing on a faster system.
My 2 cents, anyway.

hhmmmm..... I think I might get Metal Gear 3 or hold out for Resident Evil 4 instead.

Maybe wait until its come down in price, for all the hassle to get it running it doesnt last that long.

You could buy the retail version of HL2, there used to be a CD/DVD check but it has since been removed. Though with those stats I would wait for an upgrade, why waste all those pretty graphics? :)

(You could also get a copy of a friends files, have a look in the steam forum)

EGM: [Laughing] So those are the two things that make you think that's not Mike Tyson?

Garret: Yeah, plus this guy's wearing pants.

Very funny read, Bobby is my favourite, he seems to come out with the weirdest things. Thanks Souri.

I was in tears from this. Whilst playing Street Fighter 2

Anthony: Why did he get thrown up when he got jumped on.

EGM: I don't think physics is supposed to be realistic.

Bobby: It's probably because the Nazis felt bad having a cement fighting place, so they put little trampolines under-

Parker: Wait. What do Nazi's have to do with it?

Bobby: Because Zangief is a Nazi.

EGM: He's Russian. Not German.

Garret: He's a communist.

Bobby: Then why is Zangief's place a Nazi place?

EGM: It's not.

Bobby: Yes it is-it had a Nazi sign on the cement.

Parker: It couldn't have been. They wouldn't have let that in videogames.

Bobby: Whatever.

EGM: So girls don't think Link's a hunk?

Rachel: No.

Dillon: Gosh no.

Rachel: I like actual humans better than videogame characters.

- You go girl - :)

EGM: What does this game need to make it as good as Space Invaders?

Parker: Worse graphics.

GOLD! :P i love these articles

a new computer that i put together myself that doesnt POST (doesnt work) :D

Yay, Merry Christmas!

For Christmas, I got to sleep in! [:P] Hehe, no, apart from that unique event, I actually got my main gift last Monday: a Wacom Graphire 3 6x8. Mmmm, my first tablet. What an awesome gift!

Going to see the rest of the family for lunch. I?ve got a large bundle of new DVD?s, CD's, and books to give to everyone.

back ->
And I got some paints and art books and stuff, a DVD I've already got, and a couple of other really cool bit's and pieces.
And a tummy ache from too much good food [:)]

Have a good one! [:D]

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas All.

God bless us, every-one! [:D]

I gots me a new case for my PC! Fricken awesome!

And alcohol, alcohol is always good!

I gots me a new job at Auran (well, that was a week or two ago, but it's all the chrissy present I need!)

WooBloodyHoo!

Wooohoo! Merry Chirstmas! (althought it is almost over!)

I got Tails of Symphonia!!! WoooooT! I've been wanting that for ages but Troy refused to get it untill I had finnished Star Ocean, but he changed his mind! (thank goodness!) [:D]
I also got a new fangdangled keyboard and mouse! Now I don't have to beat my buttons into submission everytime I wanna type. [:D] And hopefully this mouse won't go into gimbol lock when I play HL2!

mcdrewski: Congrats on the Auran job! Thats awesome man!!

Jacana: You will be so addicted to the Harvest Moon game! Its so stupidly simple and addictive! But you just have to keep playing! hehe!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas everyone! [8D]

I got a GBA SP with Golden Sun 2, some scratch and win tickets thats bore no winnings [:(] a big towel and face cloth combination ( go mum! ) a selection of the finest UK CD's, a PS2 game called Disgaea ( bizzare charcater growth game ).

My mum made a crazy cheescake out of violet crumbles... MMMMMMMmmmm I'll be eating some for breakfast.

And to top it all off - sat back on the deck of our top floor apartment and watched an insane lightning storm and sheeting pouring rain...

Life is good.

Merry Xmas [:D]

yeah merry xmas everyone :) hope everyone has a good holidays.

Me, I got bday/xmas combo. 'modelling the figure in clay' book which rocks my socks. and will be getting zack petrocs zbrush dvd, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, cant wait!

Drewski, thats awsome, job would be the best pressy :)

oh and boxing day test, few cold beers. best part of chrissy! :D

Merry Christmas :D

I got a Wacom graphire 3 6x8 and its bloody huge!! Came bundled with Painter 8 wohooo!!
Also got Art of halo, HL and soul caibur books, though they are yet too arrive from Amazon.
All in all, it was a good day yesterday :)

Very nice indeed [:)]

It sure is quiet around here - usually is around Christmas and New Years..

merrry christmas from new york. its bloody cold here, snowing. i wish i was back in queensland weather....

happy new years

Wow, a white Christmas ? that would be so cool! Here (Brisbane) Christmas day was very hot and muggy, I think it was around 33 degrees. Damn hot, and not the slightest hint of a breeze all day.

Makk ? cool, another wacom g3 6x8 giftee! I?m so impressed with this tablet. The only thing is I was told they come with a wireless mouse, but it didn?t.. Still, the tablet plus Painter 8 and that photo editing software sure makes for a very nice chrissy gift!

I scored bigtime this xmas.

- all the extended version Lord of the Rings DVD's.
- a whole bunch of Stargate DVD's.
- a clive barker figurine, the Golem Elijah (a crazy circus freak).
- a shadowrun dwarven rigger figurine.
- a book.
- sculpting clay and tools.
- clothes galore.
- a glass stein for my drinking.
- a real Cuban cigar my sister picked up while in Cuba (she said it was hand rolled between the thighs of Cuban virgins [:P]).
- lots of alcohol.
- lots of chocolate.
- oh and a frikken esspresso machine!!! the JOY!!
- a whole bunch of other cool little things from the inlaws etc.
- and I also bought myself HL2 and the art of Oddworld book. [:P]

I loooove xmas!!

Inglis: Lucky man, I'm hoping to have xmas in France next year with a few friends, so I get to possibly have another white xmas!! Had one when I travelled around Europe in 2000 and they sure beat these sweaty, humid QLD ones. [:P]

Merry xmas and a happy new year everyone!

It's nearly 2005, and I haven't finalised what I'm doing for NYE yet [:X]

Drinking!! [:D]

heh, for christmas i locked myself in my appartment for 4 days to try and finish making a computer game, (the same old '2 week' spare time project that has been around my neck for almost the last year) kind of getting finished, but everyting is taking twice as long as i planned as i'm continiously rewriting the engine code as i add more to the game code (and need the engine code to be good, as want to reuse it for a few more small projects)

good learning experence, managing a medium project (it is up to 300 files of code) though the actual game might not interest people that much (just wanted something i could finish)

kind of fun cutting caves into the terrain with particle flamethrower though, (heh, try that with a heightmap terain) though end up loosing quite a bit of time to artist tweaking (it's just a particle, let it go...)

merry christmass everyone (o__o);

late merry christmas! i was away on hols @ phillip island with family, but im back to go spend NYE on a beach with friends (friends that both come in fleshy format and the kind of friend you find in a bottle :P )

oh and the prezzies, well most notably a digital camera (4.1 megapixels i think.. sony) and some other things. Im trying to keep some space free on my memory stick for NYE but in true artist fashion ive allready started filling it with pictures of textiles and other textures...

Further down the page:

Offer valid only on new accounts created between 15 December 2004 and 15 January 2005. Other restrictions and conditions may apply. See registration information for details. The free version does not include access to any of the three expansion packs. Should you wish to upgrade to any of the expansion packs monthly subscription and client fees will be added.

Sinple answer: they charge what the market will bear.

This is why I buy a lot of my games from www.dvdboxoffice.com It has US prices, free worldwide shipping, and I own a NTSC gamecube so I can get games for it at a reasonable price (100 over here, would be 64AUD from dvdboxoffice)

Another reason is, in any region where piracy is particularly rampant (including many asian regions), the publishers/distributors are actually dropping their prices to compete with the prices of the pirated copies. Although they generally still cost more, they are trying to hit an amount where people are willing to pay the extra $5 to have a legitimate versions (eg. so they can play the online portion of the game...).
As for australia, from my limited knowledge, the prices of games sold here was generally set years ago against the equivalent american prices, and a US$50 was quite comparable to $89 or $99 game here. However, since then the aussie dollar has improved significantly, and we really shouldn't be paying more than $70 or less for a US$50 game. I'm not sure wether it's retailers or distributors taking the extra large piece of the pie now.
Probably mcdrewski's answer is the most accurate.
CYer, Blitz

pirated games costs less than 2 dollars. yes 2 dollars from the last time I visited South east asia. A very, very sickening sight for developers. Compared to a legit copy you can have a large game library of 25 games in the black market. I dont think a printed manual can compete for customer preferences in those regions. Online gaming is a incentive to obtain the legit copy but the competetion is from the local Lan cafes running cracked copies of the popular games such as counterstrike,WC3 etc bypassing the need for online play. But consoles have a more difficult problem as there is very little to convince potential customers to buy the legit version.

I agree that australian customers probably agree to the market as mcdrewski's theory but why hasn't someone import from outside and charging less because of the lower cost. This would undercut most costs towards the retail price. Unless the retailers here are too greedy is my opinion. Having us gamers paying to their dictate. I believe this distribution point has too much control on game prices here.

well $99 is often the recomended retail price set by the publishers (or i assume the publishers)

I chance upon this local hardware/software retailer in the Age newspaper www.csw.com.au
It's selections are a bit limited but the prices can be as much as $30 of retail prices.
Even World of warcraft is at $67 inc GST.
Who says Christmas has to be expensive.

Here's a long, but very interesting and entertaining read about how to price software.

[url]http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CamelsandRubberDuckies.html[/url]

It'll answer all sorts of questions for you.

Is looking better and good luck with the work your doing.

On the "Plan" page down the bottom you have a link "Centuria Demo" with the link "http://www.kalescentstudios.com/project.htm" where it should be "http://www.kalescentstudios.com/projects.htm"

other way around. the correct page is 'project', but the link links to 'projects'

Thanks guys, I knew one would slip in there somewhere - it was sooooo late when we finished.

To add to my first message : "The galleries wont be up for a few days" This means the service galleries [:)]
Not the Stargate Gallery!

nice work on the site mate:) looking forward to the galleries. and stargate!

Looks good very stylin

I like the look of that 2d rpg. Very cool.

cheers!

Website is nice, and I agree with Smeg, that 2d rpg game looks awesome [:)]. Very nice work indeed.

horay for 2D games! i was afraid 2D's death knell had sounded now that the new handelds are 3D systems. at least there will still be a few.

Wow JT. That new design is a hell of a lot nicer than the old one. Much better on my eyes :)

Hey Thanks guys [:D]

Yeah the design of the website is alot easier to follow now.

The 2D RPG is pretty much a stepping stone on to bigger better things, but figured it possibly the best way to learn the inns and outs of the basic RPG systems before getting carried away with 3D worlds!

Its coming along nicely - we have in house alpha testing at the moment on the first 'segment' - with the temporary art and no introduction LOL just thrust straight into gameplay! It wont be too much longer before the final gets put up on the site and will be accessible to the masses, ill post a link when its up there - shouldnt be too much longer - maybe another 2 months or so.

Thanks again for the support people [:)]

Good Work HazarD..

I guess you win the bet ?

HAHA! I had completely forgotten about that dude, .. but acutally no, I wont win for another month or so, you still have time!!!

ha ha ha ha who says GTA is all bad

Holy... I got a 9600xt as well, and my computer has been reseting when playing games [:X]

quote:Originally posted by Souri

Holy... I got a 9600xt as well, and my computer has been reseting when playing games [:X]

Mine did that before (Mainly in CS:S and C&C: Generals) it decided to die but thank the manufacturers for warrantys! [:p].

Hopefully it wont happen to you.

errr i have a 9600XT aswell and i havent had a single problem... :|

I tried running Half Life 2 on my old system, which had a crappy 440mx, and it frequently reset ? the classic symptom of an overheating computer.

Fortunately I don?t have to use that system for playing games anymore!

quote: the fan on the motherboard died a few days before That would be the problem. Heat is a computers worst enemy.

Careful Souri, you don?t want to kill your computer because of playing games! Do you have temperature monitoring?

the 1st time I played in a CS Source Lan, my cpu went to 60C!. Suprisingly it played okay until I hit escape and the whole system hang. Ah, thank god for the reset button and even better grace, no damage done.
How much CS did you play to destroy the card?
The warranty is a life saver. But be careful of the replacement card they give you. I had a very bad experience with replacement cards having gone through at least 4 cards until I made them switch over to a different brand. Be cautious as your warranty is expiring, make sure you get a proper card and test it to the limit, if it breaks down again, make sure you raise hell with from your supplier.
Too bad the EULA always 'clears' the game makers from hardware damage.

Why would a hardware fault be the game developers fault? At least these days when they are so shielded from the hardware on PC's, they can't really do anything to damage your hardware. If your hardware gets damaged it is the fault of the manifacturer or the person who built the PC.

As well as heat being a problem, lack of power can also be a problem that will cause resets when using your pc intensively (ie. playing graphic intensive games). I'm not sure if this is much of an issue with 9600's though...do they require their own power plug?
CYer, Blitz

9600s dont require a power plug, if so then what the hell is my 9600 and my brothers doing without one? [:p]

Anyway, its been a week or something and still no replacement damnit! I dont mind though, im a social whore so i've just been out 24/7 [:)].

I am tempted to say that it's a new feature that Vulve introduced for piracy reasons. Not only do you have to be hooked up to the internet to start playing but the game fries your graphics card every few games to make sure you don't have a stable enough system to burn copies for your friends. [:p]

Sometimes graphics cards overheat. It's been my experience that this tends to happen when the card is faulty (sometimes a bad batch of cards is released) and you are running software that does a lot of fancy stuff. If you have a faulty card it's best to stick to simpler applications and games that don't make it whirr until you can get it replaced.

Arggggggggg Valve accusing me of being a pirate? [;)]

Ah well, atleast it didnt fry my precious 17" LCD and Seinheiser headphones [:)].

Well, not yet......

UPDATE: Turns out my motherboard fried instead [:(].

sounds like overheating problems to me, both for tbag and souri (dove us insane at work trying to figure out why my machine would quit a few minutes into running a game, then increaced airflow (took a wall off the case) and no more crashes.

(though this was after reinstall, trying different video cards and checking harddrive/ memory....)

have to be a bit careful of temperatures and modern machines, they save money on fans/ heat sinks and get away with it as most people don't continuiosly run everything under 100% load...

Make sure you keep everything inside your free from dust. It clogs fans and makes things fry (or even catch fire!). Be careful using a vacuum cleaner though because they can throw out lots of static electricity, one of those compressed air spraypacks can sometimes do the job.

It's a good idea to open up the PSU every 6 months or so and clean all the dust out too. PSUs get really hot and full of dust and have fans that clog. Just make SURE the power is unplugged!!!

If a machine is overheating and it isn't overclocked you have a crap case with insufficient airflow. Get a new case and/or add extra fans. Desktop cases are a BAD THING (tm) for games machines because the hot air just circulates inside getting hotter.

Those AMD and Intel stock heatsinks and fans are pretty crappy too, byte the bullet and get a Thermaltake or Coolermaster or something. If you aren't overclocking you can have the fanspeed set to minimum the whole time which makes for a lovely quiet PC.

tbag, were you by any chance running a gigabyte kt400 mobo..

cause the exact same thing happened to me, melted the connection to the power supply pretty good

I got a Gigabyte KT400 (GA7VAX1394) too. But has no problem whatsoever since I got 1&1/2 years ago. I assume it's a localised issue in your system and not the mobo. I do not overclock my system though.

How well do those liquid cooling systems work? 'Cause I got one of those Coolermaster cases and it's loud! Too many Fans. [:x]

I dunno about gigabyte motherboards anymore. I had one just die on me a few months ago. They are pretty suspect in my eyes.

Argh, damnit... My computer has died. It won't turn on. I press the power button on, and the little orange light on the motherboard (Gigabyte K7 Triton series, GA-7VA-C) lights up inside the case, but no beeps or sounds of the computer booting up.
I've taken out all non vital cards and plugs, but it ain't working [:(] .. Any ideas what to do now? [:X]

I'd take everything off that comes off, and give it all a good clean. Check all the power sockets for burn marks (bad, but fixable). Check that all the capacitors on the motherboard are not buldging (really bad, but fixable). You could also try your CPU in a different machine to rule that out.

That's all that I can think of for now....

IMHO Gigabyte mobos stink. NEVER buying another. And Souri went Via chipset too (IMHO asking for trouble). Asus or ABit with nVidia chipsets for me!

Your machine is failing the Power On Self Test (POST). What were you doing before it died? Any nasty burning smells or smoke? How hot is it in Sydney atm? Are you using quality surge protection?

Unplug everything except the video card, and if you have on-board video unplug the video card too. If after a good clean it still doesn't POST that gets it down to the mobo or CPU.

No beeps is bad, most bios's have beep codes for different problems. Not getting them makes me think the mobo is really stuffed or the cpu is fried.

It could be the power supply though, if some of the rails on the PSU are blown it might do this. Is it a no-name? How many watts is it rated at? Are you using a super power hungry video card? Does the PSU fan move? Does the CPU fan move?

Not much more I can think of from almost 1000 kms away :)

Anuxinamoon: Whilst I've never used one water conducts heat far more readily than air- air is an insulator. If I was to install one I'd be inclined to use distilled water rather than tap water because pure water doesn't conduct electricity.

Noise levels are low, just a bit of a hum from the pump.

quote:Originally posted by lorien

Your machine is failing the Power On Self Test (POST). What were you doing before it died? Any nasty burning smells or smoke? How hot is it in Sydney atm? Are you using quality surge protection?

Unplug everything except the video card, and if you have on-board video unplug the video card too. If after a good clean it still doesn't POST that gets it down to the mobo or CPU.

No beeps is bad, most bios's have beep codes for different problems. Not getting them makes me think the mobo is really stuffed or the cpu is fried.

It could be the power supply though, if some of the rails on the PSU are blown it might do this. Is it a no-name? How many watts is it rated at? Are you using a super power hungry video card? Does the PSU fan move? Does the CPU fan move?

It happened this morning while I was away from the computer. Came back to the computer and it was frozen (well, the monitor was on standby, and the computer was unresponsive), so I turned it off and it never turned back on [:(]. The weather wasn't too hot in the morning.

300W power supply, using a Radeon Ati 9600XT graphics card, PSU and CPU fan do not move [:(].

If the PSU fan doesn't move I'm suspecting a fuse or faulty PSU. Unfortunateyl if it fried in the wrong way it might have taken your mb with it. Hopefully not.

Try and find a second PSU to try it with, then if that doesn't work go for lorien's stripped-down test.

(oh, and if you haven't yet, take the HD out and plug it in somewhere where you can back up your documents etc BEFORE it goes much further. Damage Control Now!)
-d

300 watts is too small. It would be OK if if was a high quality 300, but a no-name 300 will probably really only be a 220 or so.

And yes, your PSU is stuffed. I suggest Thermaltake or Antec, and around 400 watts, that way you will have plenty of power for any extra goodies you add.

If that "dont add/remove ram" light is on then it is not the fuse, the PSU is just blown.

Welcome to my world Souri. You might think its bad at first but its actually made me go outside and have a better social life, i love it [:)].

My computer is still dead and quite frankly i dont care that much anymore [:)], its made me get outside more and spend time with everyone i care about [:)].

I got myself a 420 watt Thermaltake today, and that solved the problem! PHEW!! Thanks for the helpful advice, guys.

Bet it's a lot quieter than the old PSU too.

Yeh it is, plus I've got a tonne more plugs to add extra HD's and other devices [:)]

CRISIS OVER

quote:Originally posted by redwyre

CRISIS OVER

Not for me sadly [:p].

Just my luck, my 19' monitor burned out yesterday. Ah what agony. The huge plume of smoke was the most frightening thing I ever saw. Man, was I shocked, I thought everthing was a goner.
Am using an old 14' until the monitor is repaired.

ye gods!, does anything actually require that many screens...

Well I know that one legitimate application that they are currently used for is air traffic control. And I suppose that anything requiring constant monitoring of many variables (like air traffic control) would find a multiple monitor set-up very efficient.

However it?s hard to imagine needing it for games development. Though if you?ve got that cash to waste, then I?m sure it would prove useful.

It would be so cool though?
You?d feel like your desk is the bridge of a star ship or something!

I could fill 3 of those and work comfortably... but 5 [:O]

Thats the same size screen as my Dad has in the public service, no joke, lucky bastard and he says that his work is confidential, not very confidential on a 200" screen with others working around you! [:p].

Makes me wonder what size screen Bill Gates has...

holy crap

i'd love to take that to a lan and have everyone one call me a cheating bastard.

Pity half the programs we use to make CG can't expand well over 2+ monitors lol.

I've got a duel screen set up and only Max can allow you to drop windows on the second monitor effectively, the rest either have graphical glitches (MAya) or you need to minimze the window and drag it widescreen (Photoshop, ZBrush2)...eep.

But hey it would be great for HL2.

Maya works perfectly if you span the displays... and not dualview.. ;)

Screen 1: Sumea irc chat
Screen 2: Sumea website
Screen 3: Zbrush/Fireworks/Game Maker
Screen 4: Photoshop
Screen 5: Dreamweaver
Screen 6: Max
Screen 7: DVD movie

[:D]

damn i miss using a unix flavoured OS which has good support for virtual work areas, since you have a narrow field of detailed vision, one monitor works find, but having 9 screen worth of windows (header files editor window, source code editor window, compiler/ command line window, help text/ references wwindow....) and being able to swap between them (have seen a few virtual screen space apps running (one on win200, another redhat..), and yet to see one as slick as how i saw one on 'iris' setup

Phht. Amatures. THIS is what you want :p

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20040216/dual_displya-04.html

:EDIT: I just also found this

http://www.theregister.com/2004/12/16/samsung_monster_telly/

candlepower?

I wonder how many times you have to pick up and drag your mouse to get from one side to the other on those beauties? [:D]

Talking to some real developers last weekend (or so), I remember them saying that once they got hooked on two monitor development they couldn't go back, and I could see how addictive it could be.

When developing normal code you'd have the documentation open on the secondary monitor and the code / IDE open on the first, or when developing scripts you could have it running in one window while editing it in another.

Though I have to say that might be going a little overboard with that amount of resolution...

Though another profession where you need multiple monitors is being a stock broker. A friend of mine did a setup for one such person, with like 3 LCD monitors connected to 2 PC's IIRC. Man, they have to view a massive amount of variables.

quote:
candlepower?

Check out Dan's Data [url]http://www.dansdata.com/raven.htm[/url] (scroll to the bottom to "Decoding Light Statistics") to explain what candlepower really means... I never understood it 'till then :)

Still - bright huge screen = cool!

Malus - Just a wild guess. Are you running an ATI card for the dual monitor setup?

I was using a 9700 and suffered from all the problems you mentioned. Late last week I upgraded to a 6600GT (nVidia), and it all works perfectly now. I always read that nVidia had better dual screen handling than ATI. Now I believe it.

In somewhat related news...

The Chinese Ministry of Culture has declared Football Manager 2005 a threat to the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", with fines promised for anyone distributing the game in the region - it includes the Taipei region of Taiwan, the Hong Kong Macau region and Tibet as separate countries.

The strange thing is that, from the Gamebiz article, it seems the English version (which hasn't been edited for those changes) is being wildly pirated there, since a localised version would have been likely changed. [xx(]

From what i've read, the localised version is planned but hasn't been released yet (and the localised version will conform to the gov's wishes). So, basically the chinese gov. has banned a pirated game :P Just goes to show what a big problem pirated software is in china.

That's gotta be up there in the list of "Government wackiness in the games industry", along side of Australia's lack of R rating...

Nice find

yeh i'll have one too but Colonel Sanders has to go...[:D]

Not meaning to be the guy with the propellor hat on who explains the joke to everyone - but it's a nice photoshop... :)

[url]http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp[/url]

I knew he looked familiar!

[img]http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/attached/souri/200412305949_computerguy.j…]

ROFL!!!! Nice job Souri!

HAHAHAHA
This thread has make my week.