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Rare ILM Lint
This even beats Elvis Presley's Pubic Hairs
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=197&item=3819809…
Just for fun, what is the ONE game for you in 04
If you had only the means you buy one game this year what would it be, and why??
Myself:
The Sims 2; I love a game that can be as crazy/funny as this will be. Most games take themself way to seriously.
Games that are supposed to be released or games that will be released? :p
Halo 2 would defenitely be the one. That is if it is actually released in November (doubt it).
Doom 3. I'm not expecting anything more than what it is. An upgrade to Doom.
Guild Wars. I had a lot of fun playing the Alpha for it, and I can't wait for the full thing. That and I don't know what WoW is like :)
And finally, a game that helps me to count up to one.
There are so many awesome games this year; it?s a really hard choice!
For me it would have to be the full version of Grand Turismo 4, or maybe Everquest 2, or World of Warcraft. But I?m hanging for Guild Wars now too (that test was awesome!). And of course there are the fps games to consider, like Half-life 2 (if it ever comes out), Doom 3, Stalker, Halo 2, Breed, Conflict Vietnam, Painkiller, Operation Flashpoint 2, MOH: Pacific Assault, and of course Tribes Vengeance. -To name only a few.
Then there are a few PS2 games that I?m hanging for, like Metal Gear Solid 3, Onimusha 3, Destroy all Humans (fun sounding alien invasion game by Aussie Pandemic), Splinter cell: Pandora Tomorrow, and Spider-man 2 (which looks awesome with it?s gta3 style of open-city)?
Luckily I don?t have an xbox or gamecube, because then the list would continue [:P]
Sorry, I know you only wanted ONE game, but that?s such a difficult call ? 2004 is looking like the best year ever for game releases. But if you put a gun to my head and make me choose only one, I guess it would be GT4 [:)]
quote:Originally posted by Aven
Games that are supposed to be released or games that will be released? :p
If only there was an easy way to tell the difference. But lets just say supposed to.
Few free to list games you would like to play and can't wait for, but I would realy like to hear what is the number one game you can't wait for.
Guild Wars, interesting I haven't read anything on this.
Sorceror Bob: If they fix a few issues that have been bugging me with Medival: Total War then sure, romw would be on the top of my list.
Deus Ex was at the top of my list, but I kinda didn't like the demo that much, they made it too much a console game, removing some of the complexity (which I liked).
Doom 3 will be cool, it won't be the Doom we all know. For one thing the engine has improved slightly, and the gameplay will be different from the first one, more of a survival horror. However I am disappointed that there will be no mission based coop gameplay for the PC version. IMO Doom 3 would have been fun to play at a lan with some mates in the middle of the night etc.
Half life 2, well, I didn't like the first one much, just a linear shooter with some scripted elements. While it was a bit of fun, it wasn't anything brilliant, I was barely impressed. I've seen the "alpha" of HL2 being played, and while it looks kinda spiffy it doesn't look like it's evolved much from the first one.
Hrm, there is that one game, the remake of the original UFO/XCom that is being made by some guys using the Quake2 engine, that looks interesting. I guess you could say I'm waiting for them to improve it :-)
A lot of you probably know this already, FABLE would be my solitary purchase for this year, if good feels that i haven't been good and makes me choose one it would definately be Fable. I dont think i've looked forward to a game this much ever.
I like it cos it's just a crazy new idea. The evolution of your character as he gets more of a personality, just makes the game very personal and unique. You'll never play the same game twice.
palantir, ive downloaded the spiderman 2 demo, its pretty bad :( the other game was better even. The original spidey games they made (acclaim made) before there the movie were the best IMO.
im not really geared up for anything, just take it as it comes :) few execptions along the lines of Halo 2 and fable and the like but mostly just as it comes.
Stalker, Doom3, Half Life 2 for me.. yeh, it's quite sad. They're all FPS's! The Sims 2 seems interesting, I wouldn't mind checking that out. The Sims was great for a short while, but the repetitive nature of levelling up really got to me later on. I'm dying to see Gran Turismo 4, Resident Evil 4, but unfortunately I don't own any console systems. I'd love to play more different games such as Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing if it were available on my PC, so I'm not a strict FPS loser, really [:)]
quote:Originally posted by MoonUnit
thought fable was being made by lionhead period, not an "offshoot"
Fable is being developed by Big Blue Box.
[url]http://www.bigbluebox.com/[/url]
I was very much looking forward to this game and it was number one on my list for about 3 years (it used to be known as project ego when I first started reading about it.) But because of the time I have been waiting it has dropped to number 3 in my top five games I waiting for.
1. The Sims 2
2. Halo 2
3. Fable
4. Zelda (the next one)
5. Corker: live and uncut.
Went and pre-ordered Doom 3 this morning. Will pre-order the Limited Edition Halo 2 on Friday :)
The Halo 2 Limited Edition version is
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/243597.asp
I haven't seen it anywhere else, so it may be an EB exclusive. I love that customers on Amazon are already giving reviews of it...
Star Craft Ghost!!!
and definatly the new zelda one
but most of all....
Metroid Prime 2!!!!!!!!!!
metroid prine is my favorite game ever when last i chekced (before that was Mario 64, before that, dunno). it was such a great game, if the sequal was exactly the same with slightly different levels, i still wouldnt hesitate to buy it.
dunno if it's comming outthis year though....
oh and as someone mentioned DX2 - it's actually not that bad, very much a console game though, and certainly dosnt come near to doing the original justice. however if you can ignore that consider it to be a sequal in name only, and apriceate it for a stand alone game, it's not to bad. far too short to be worth paying full price for though... borrow it of someone or wait til it drops.
Opensite & IAMAPP
Recently my PC has experianced a fair bit of slowing down, everything takes a lot longer to load. When i go to the task manager under performance the CPU is almost always on 100%. Under Processes, their are to app, opensite.exe and IAMAPP which alternate between each other at a CPU usage of 100%/ Plz help
opensite.exe, could be some sort of spyware / adware, grab Lavasoft's Ad-Aware program, update it to the latest info, and scan away...
www.lavasoftusa.com I believe, don't go to any other site to get it because it might be a spyware version etc.
you could also kill that process if you wanted to, although if its a well crafted spyware then you'd have a hard time to get rid of it.
Also, when your computer is loading up, press Ctrl, Alt, Del when your desktop is loading up, you most likely see dogy programs loading, in which, msconfig in the run, unlike the programs that you don't want to start up, like quick time player, and so forth. Also, ad ware is lett, I got it, fround around 250 spyware crap.
Question about Xbox
As some of you might know, i have been palnning to get a console for quite some time, finally, i can get one. I've decided on the Xbox mainly cos IMO it's better, and cos i reall want Fable. Any way my question is, like PS2 and PS1 do you need a memory card to save games, or does it have a kind of hard drive to which you can directly cave games? I've heard it's got a hard drive you can put music on and stuff but i don't know if you can save.
Bullet: Usually the prices of consoles drops to a reasonable price - to approx 40% of realease price 9 - 12 months after the realease date.
If your waiting for PS3 / Xbox 2 you will most likely be waiting for another 2 years.
The details for the next gen consoles were hoping to be released at this years e3, but it didnt happen, probably will release the details at next years e3, if not, the year after...
First, congratulations on a fine decision. You won't regret buying an Xbox :)
Second, play Jet Set Radio Future if youg et the chance...most stylish game...ever.
Last i heard, MS plans the release of the xbox 2 (or whatever) around mid/end of 2005, PS3 is probably looking at end 2005/early 2006.
When the xbox released in australia, it was $650, that dropped to $500 about 3-4 months later, however that was probably a bit unusual and they were just competing very hard against PS2. 9-12 months sounds like a reasonable figure.
I wouldn't bother waiting, after you take into account the time for prices to drop, you'll be waiting almost 3 years for the next-gen console. Xbox has such good deals now anyway (like the console and 2 games for $250 or something??)
CYer, Blitz
guys, not a console war thread, hes just asking about the box :)
yeah ive heard the date 2005 but with the lack of information that we have so far on any sequel machines im thinking it could end up being later then that. Blitz is also right about deals, look around at different stores, some have deals that bundle the machine with a few games and such which is a nice way to get started.
I think you?ve made a good choice Bullet. Even though I love my PS2, buying a console because of a particular game that you must own is the only way to go! For me it was GT3.
The xbox seems to have a few games that look incredible. Especially Fable, which almost makes me want to buy one?
Something I?ve always wondered about is how everyone notes the hardware power of the xbox. Does that little bit extra (little bit compared to a high end pc) really make much difference? I?ve seen a few multi-platform games running on both consoles, and I can?t really notice the difference. Does the extra performance in the xbox really make it graphically superior? I?ve seen pretty hot graphics on all consoles, so I don?t understand what people are on about with this ?xbox superior graphics? thing. It all kind of sounds like a typical Microsoft advertising gimmick to me.
Then again, I suppose people can quote technical specs to prove that the xbox is indeed graphically better.
BTW, places like Harvey Norman are offering a $500 deal ? for xbox (or ps2[;)]), extra controller, dvd remote, 4 mid-priced games, and one good game from a selection. Looks like a good deal. [:)]
There's also that limited edition Xbox out, you know that transparent silver one and project gotham racing for 300 or something, but i think i'll stick to good old green and black.
Another game that made me want to buy the Xbox is full spectrum warrior, is that made by the Australian Pandemic or the US one.
mmmm...fable.
Wasn't a great fan of KOTOR, cool idea and ok story but it just lacked substance a bit to me, like most star wars licenses.
It was also so bloody easy and the combat system was pants, either go turn based or realtime guys, make up your mind.
The one redeeming feature, was the Assassin droid, meatbags!! lol. [:P]
Xbox has heeeaps more memory for textures, which right there will allow xbox graphics to be superior. Even generally, the xbox has about twice the amount of memory as PS2 so, bigger textures, more detail in models/levels etc.
I'm not sure what the specs on the actual graphics devices are (can the xbox one actually render quicker etc.) but the extra memory is a huge boost.
I think the xbox might be better when it comes to postprocessing etc. You can use vertex/pixels shaders in the xbox, i think in ps2 you have to use crazy alpha masking and stuff, so you can't process as much data. Not sure though.
CYer, Blitz
I don't think you can compare the graphical prowess of the XBOX or for that matter the GC, with the PS2 which is 6 years old...
.....
I've held out on buying an xbox for ages.. but I'm almost about too because of Ninja Gaidan......
and the same with PS2.. I want one now.. have been playing Hack Infection (rocking game)
ps2 has no vertex or pixel shading.. only darkmapping... (lightmapping for the rest of the world)
umm.. ps2 is limited to 64 bones per character.. Xbox is 256 bones (effects how much detail in character animation)
I know that the ps2 is severly limited by having only 4mb of texture memory..
but the games you get these days dynamically loads textures to get the best possible performance.
I don't think you'll notice any major difference between ps2 and xbox (apart from the obvious) graphically... until more developers use next generation hardware of the xbox (vertex/pixel shaders etc...) and then the ps2 will look reallllly dated!
..
Honestly the only reason to buy an ps2 over an xbox ( and vice versa ) would be the games..
..
.
If anyone remembers the dreamcast.. you'll know that sega's machine was heaps better graphically... (than the ps2) but as we know..
the dreamcast died in the ass.. u just can't compete with marketing!...
anyhow I reckon you should buy an XBOX in which to shift into.. and you should be able to get two cars under the controller... hehe
..
oh and yeah.. since I'm here.... Don't forget the GameCube is out there... with little support... and not many games....... Go NINTENDO....
rant ends here!
quote:Originally posted by Me109
I don't think you can compare the graphical prowess of the XBOX or for that matter the GC, with the PS2 which is 6 years old...
Just to be nitpicky, Playstation 2 was released [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playstation_2"]in the year 2000[/url]. (Here's a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_consoles"]list of all game consoles[/url] and their release dates btw. They did miss one console though - the Amiga CD32, touted as the world's first 32bit console [:)])
I got it today at 8 in the morning. I went to the 24 hour kmart in burwood with my bro and picked it up. Its call ed the elite force pack or somethin', it comes with a special ed. green halo Xbox and controll and tha haalo game for $298. Then i also bought a extra control for it.
soon as we got home we plugged it in and played. Man halo co-op is fun, whne i get annoyed with my bro, i elbo him and knock him out. Shit loads of fun but.
Make sure to catch the little grunts in Halo sleeping (they even have nightmares if you watch long enough) and walk up behind them and bash them across the back of the head. now that is one gaming moment I will never forget.
I recall the guys behind Dead or Alive 3 saying that you could NOT make that game on a PS2...I think he even offered a million dollars to someone who did...don't know if he was serious or not though :)
As much as the xbox is a more powerful machine, you sometimes cannot beat the fact that PS2 just has better licences though. Exclusive content is where a lot of the battle is being fought, that and the online elements. As much as the xbox has some great exclusives now, ps2 has had more time to develop it's exclusives and brands. They do a damn fine job of it :)
I think my biggest annoyance is when a game is ported from the PS2 to xbox, they rarely upgrade it as much as they can, if at all. So it LOOKS pretty much exactly like the PS2 version, hell half the time the frame rate is the same! But anyway...it's better than not getting the game at all I guess :)
Next 'round' is going to be mighty interesting though :) processing power is going to be void, as each will be more than enough to do what developers want (pretty much). Personally I wish each platform the best, as each have their advantages and disadvantages. Personally, even though I don't activelly support their cause (eg. purchase their poducts) I hope Nintendo get back up with their main console. If there is one platform that seems to be holding to creativity over just plain stability...it's Nintendo. They have some weird stuff!
Probing Questions for Uni People
Just out of curiousity, how far did people get through Uni before they had some small games put together that you made during your spare time?
I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how much programming knowledge do you need to create a small 2D, playable, stable game? Because I have been programming for about a year and a half now and I still come to a point in making a small game where I think, "Gee, I should probably start over...".
To create a simple 2D stable game you'd need enough knowledge to simulate simple 2d physics, get images drawn on the screen in a nice order and without too much voerdraw. Organise the entities in the game level in some simple and efficient way and be able to handle user input and some other things in a nice fashion.
Generally this would come when you've learnt some rudimentary data structures, some principles on algorithm design and read enough stuff to gather the necessary knowledge of your chosen APIs that you're going to work with.
I would suggest just building a few scratch engines or scratch games that don't actually do anything but in the process of constructing them you will learn a lot about yourself and a lot about programming itself. It doesn't matter if you have to start over, since you're in Uni you're still meant to be learning and experimenting! :-)
I'd also suggest looking at doing some non-game related projects, maybe creating a solid application (an editor maybe, something with complete implementation of its chosen functionality and little or no bugs to speak of), or working with some other people on creating some embedded software etc.
well thanks for that...
adn about making a scratch engine or game, I have been working on a very simple 2D tile based 'engine', which is in fact the code I think i should rewrite! but I agree heaps with you Daemin, just by writing the stuff, even if it doesn't work half the time, I learn heaps...
I pretty much expected the answers that youse have given, but just needed some encouragement I guess! And I'm only in my first year of Uni so I got a while to go yet...
Thanks guys!
If you are looking to make a 2D game I suggest you search the internet for a Game Boy Advance Emulator and the Open Source GBA SDK. That way you are actually making a game that could be commercially viable in the future.
Programming for the GBA is so easy even I can do it. It shouldn't take you to long to have something up and running.
I would advise against trying to use the GBA emulator and packages for it when your first starting out. There are some funky things with the GBA hardware that can be done and some interesting issues to avoid. Not something for the beginner to tackle!
And since you're learning to program I would say stay away from the Macromedia stuff, they make good applications and programs, but they make them for artists more, rather than beginner programmers. Sure if you want to make something with some artists, go for it, but if you're just learning to program stick to the usuals.
Dream University
The line up for the Dream Team for the Dream University :D http://jeff.cs.mcgill.ca/~luc/dreamteam.html Warning: Very low brow humour and has a bit of swearing ;)
You don't want to know the…
You don't want to know the firends I have ;) One of them spends way too much time on Something Awful...
Fable
I just watch the trailer for this game called FAble, as i've really been looking forward to it. Basicly it is one of those games with a massive environment, where you can interact with everythin. But for some reason it seems a lot more appealing then other games like republic.
See in this game all the things you do doesn't only affect your skills and how much other people like you, but it also affects the way you look. For example, if you primarily use your sword as a weapon then you would probably become a big heap of muscles. But if you use magic as your main weapon, then you'd look like the white wizard. Of course you do missions and stuff to get money as well. Whether you're good or evil also affects your appearance.
Another thing this game has going for it, IMO, is that it was made by lionhead studios, the same guys who made Black & White, and i loved that game, you know the one where you get to play god, and you make your own world, and also can become good or evil.
I am giving serious thought to buying an Xbox especially ffor this game, seeing as i don't have a console anyway.
Have any of you heard of this game or games like it?
EDIT: you can watch the trailer demo at gametrailers.com
you just have to scroll down and find Fable
N.B: Here's hoping you got broadband :)
I have have a copy pre-order for months now, just a note the game isn't being made by LionHead but by a developer (Big Blue Box) working under LionHead.
You can tell how cool this game is going to be from the web site, best game web site ever http://www.fablegame.com/.
yeah ive been wanting this game for atleast 2 years or so, i know someone whos been obsessed since it was called "project ego" so the wait is tearing him apart :P
it looks like the best RPG ive ever seen, when i read interviews with its creators i wonder why this kind of thing hasnt happened sooner (comments like "are you going to put in a item damage system, weapons that break and so on" "you know thats really tedious and annoying, so no" (not in those words ofcourse but thats the gist).
The only thing that worries me is that Big Blue Box under Lionhead promised the world and bit by bit over time, features have been been cut or they've changed their minds on what they said they'd do. For eg - no 'numbers' popping up over characters heads and then later they put numbers over heads as a type of 'energy bar'. That's what I've read, so it may not still be true, mind.
I'm looking forward to it but I dunno if it's gonna be as amazing as they say. I hope the aging thing isn't the main UPC and that the combat is really decent.
You can't even play as a woman (being able to play as either sex was originally touted to be a feature).
I'm not really being skeptical, it looks great but when you promise the earth, you gotta deliver.
i have new card wheeee
just feel like mentioning that i have finally upgraded my video card to a brand spaking new saphire radeon 9600XT. The improvements are amazing (which isnt suprising... err i was running onboard before) and it also means that all these programs that would not run before (on account of running out of video memory for D3D) are now running, including ones like Maya PLE and UnrealED so i should be able to do some more games orrientated work now :D
anyone else got this card and how are they finding it?
I got a saphire radeon 9600XT a few months ago. It's been pretty good, although I've had problems with Unreal Tournament 2004. The gun turrets and tank nozzles ingame still don't show up until about 10 minutes of play and I don't see the teams listing, can't tell who's on my team, can't see which nodes have been taken until later.. After installing the latest patch, the game crashes after a round or two, guaranteed. The editor used to crash a lot too, and it wouldn't let me select brushes at all anyway, so I haven't been able to do anything with unreal ed.
I got the Half Life 2 coupon with the card. Read the fine print and found out that you have to pay to get it shipped to you, so I installed Steam and will download HL2 when it arrives. If you register before Half Life 2 is released, you get Half Life, Counterstrike, DOD etc free via Steam. Don't really enjoy Counterstrike as much as I used to, but it's good for a quick game or two now and then.
[url="http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=getsteamnow"]You can get Steam here[/url].
I have the latest Catalyst gfx drivers, and not I'm not sure if it's a motherboard issue? The new community maps and content for Unreal Tournament 2004 are great, it just sucks I can't play the game online without those problems. [:(]
*hoping the 9600XT handles Doom3 ok when it comes out*
youd be suprised, UT2k4 is one of the best games ive seen for running on a variety of systems with different cards and the like.
The reason i could run UT and not maya n stuff bullet was because my onboard video card had run out of memory to create new D3D properties. I think it may be possible to run maya with a software driver like in max but you can only configure this once youve executed the program and thus sucessfully run it on the default setting of D3D. Max brings up a little window asking you what renderer you wish to use before it even initiates the program (on first execution).
thanks for link souri
Moonunit!!
Download this character for UT2k4!
That wasn't a suggestion.... NOWWW11
*edit*
Yeah, will help if I post the link.
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~polycount/ubb/Forum2/HTML/009002.html?00047
NOOWW
Cool model Bob. Loved that guy when he was in Quake 3 :D
Fileplanet became rather poor as soon as they started up the subscription and login service :/
I did a search for ut2k4-magdalena.zip in some search engines and all that came up was the Polycount site, I really don't like Fileplanet, but if someone wants to PM me with a login (if you trust me ;) ), then I will download it, and host it for a little while (until my ISP gets pissed with me at least :D )
Astro boys back
just thought id Let peopele know if u didnt know already that astroboy is Back on tv with all new advetures 5:25pm thursdays..this time its Better animation Better FX but lamer voices(I like the old ones better, only Two guyes that did all of them in the orig) . I wish I'd known sooners as it looks like Iv missed 7 already [V]
You missed this thread [url]http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=401&whichpage=2[/url]
Too bad you missed the start of the serries, I thought the first episode was great - with Astro being created and discovering he could fly.
I agree that this version is much better then the old one, and it seems to be getting better. Tonight's episode had Astro rocketing through train tunnels, which was done very well, with cool shock-wave type effects.
Not every fan of the classic seems to like it though. One of my friends hates it and said it had been "Digimond", which I don't really understand. I think maybe the modern music and new voices wreck it for some people. Or maybe they remember the Astro from their childhood through rose-coloured glasses?
Anyway, I love the new serries and watch it religiously [:D].
I wonder how long until someone makes a movie, or game? Or both? A 3D animated movie would rock!
Well what do you know; there is an Astro Boy game due out on PS2 later this year. [:D]
[url]http://games.bigpond.com/ps2/games/astroboy/[/url]
Looks cool.
You know, I keep on missing all the episodes [:(]. I only managed to see one entire episode. I forgot what it was called, but it was the remake of the old "the lightray robot". The animation was great, but they changed the story and made it more easier for the kids. There was no tragedy and everything finished with a happy ending.
I think there's a dvd release planned, so I might look into that sometime [:D]
yeah the game looks cool!! but the model of astro is a bit crappy dosent have all his fingers
I only seen 2 epersodes now i liked the train one but the last one was crappy, seamed like there was all seens cut out or somthing. And I think they should have used the old music for the sad bits, and the starting music just plain sucks
LCD Monitors
I've been thinking of getting a 17" LCD monitor for my 21st but I have a few queries first. The budget is between $700-$900
How do they run for gaming? I heard that there can be some motion blur and stuff.
Eye strain. Do LCD monitors prevent your eyes from getting sore? I?m getting sick of having sore eyes, so this is pretty important. And 15min breaks are for wimps!! :P
Colour and image quality. These two are really important since I do 90% of my artwork on the PC, so the colours and images need to be sharp and accurate.
At the moment I have kickass 17" CRT so I?m a little hesitant to give it up to a "lesser" monitor.
Any info would be great :)
Latest batch of LCDs are running 12ms refreshes, so the motion blur seen in gaming is getting to barely visible (haven't actually witnessed a 12ms screen physically yet, so my sceptism stays for now @:-) Sore eyes sounds like a problem related to refresh rates. I think (think) that most LCDs have high refresh rates, so you should be set.
Colour accuracy is definitely getting better. Dad bought an LCD around Christmas, and it gave me faith in LCDs. Up until then, I'd have been sticking with CRTs for quite some time. And sharpness is a given, granted that you're running at the screen's natural resolution. Higher and lower I couldn't tell you.
Needless, try before you buy. Don't be a goose and buy without spending some time infront of the damn thing @:-D
I've a 17" LCD at home and I can say that its not really up to scratch for serious gaming. Lots of ghosting/motion blur even at high refresh rates. Its about 12 months old so they've probably improved since then.
Good thing is that you don't get sore eyes from it. Definitely great for a programmer. I don't really know about colour accuracy, I'm a coder, not an artist. :-) Most of the artists at work and others I know say they prefer to have a 21" or larger CRT rather than LCDs.
Like Chris says, try before you buy. Maybe you can rent or borrow one from someone.
-kul
Eye strain isnt totally related to the refresh rate of your monitor. It does factor into the equation, but it has more to do with the natural focus distance of the eye. If I remember correctly, the normal resting focus distance for the eye is about 10-15', so any prolonged work in front of any monitor is eventually going to result in a coupla sore eyes.
But that aside, i've also been looking around for a new monitor, so i'm looking forward to seeing what people are saying about this.
The quality of the LCD screen will make the biggest difference. Although there are a lot of different brands, they generally use someone else's tubes. Samsung and NEC based ones are really nice. Great contrast.
I have a 17" Prophetview 920dvi. Works brilliantly. I would never go back to a CRT again. The colours are a lot more saturated than on a CRT (the reason why people don't like LCDs), but that doesn't bother me. Everything looks far brighter and... well... nicer :) Refresh rate doesn't play into an LCD very much at all. No glare (as there isn't any glass on it). No radiation. Uses 10% the electricity of a CRT. Better contrast (once again no glass). Weighs 7kg (enough to pick up comfortably in one hand). Hell of a lot less space (great for tight LANing). I haven't had sore eyes since I started using my LCD and that does include many long hours staring at the screen. The down sides are the price, the colour issues (should it really bother you) and the response times (17ms and less should prove no troubles). You can also have troubles with dead pixels, but most manufactures have pretty good return policies towards that (be careful and check them out though). It is also worth noting that I got a dead pixel within a month of having my screen, but it just vanished another month ago. It has neevr returned ?:S Also, don't let your friends touch the screen :)
If you are really interested, go into somewhere like Harvey Norman/Bing Lee and have a llok at their displays. They often have all the bigger name monitors hooked up so you can see them side by side. Ask them if you can have a look at movies playing on them or whatever else. When you have decided, walk out of the store and by the monitor elsewhere :)
I've got a benq fp991. It's 19 inch and fricken beautiful. Like Aven said, the colours are more saturated, brighter and all round better. Images look nicer on the monitor. The bad thing about it is when I spend my time painting a pic on that monitor then I transfer the pic to a comp with a CRT monitor, the image looks worse because the CRT doesn't do the image justice to how it was originally viewed and created through an LCD. Which is a problem. Especially considering most people have CRTs these days. But there's a massive rise in the amount of LCDs this past few months.
It has a 25ms response time which is average. Though I haven't noticed any ghosting or annoying blur when watching DVDs etc. I haven't tested it with Unreal or Quake yet since most of the games I play are slow strategy ones... lol.
I don't know if they're out here yet, but the Dell fp2001 is a great monitor. I think it has a 16ms response time and is 20.1 inches! Has a native res of 1600x1200!! I purchased the Benq because the fp2001 wasn't out here in Oz. Though it was killing me to know the Americans were getting such a good monitor for as low as 750 US dollars...
Read this review for more info on the FP2001:
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1918&p=2
And for all the info you'll ever need on LCDs, check this thread out:
http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=67909965&m…
Happy shopping!
I use a 19" Samsung 191T and all I can say is I'd never go back to a CTR... nowhere near as much eye strain as with my 21" CRT Trinitron and the actual screen size is practically the same.
Definitely look into Samsung if you're thinking of getting an LCD, I researched just about every brand before buying and at the time they stood out as being one of the best.
Thanks guys :)
I have my monitor set to 85Hz for my refresh rate. I will go into Harvey Norman, Myer, etc and look at their monitors and see what they are like, obviously I wont be purchasing one from them.
I have my eyes on this one- Samsung 172X 17"
http://www.scorptec.com.au/index.php?prdid=00010161
Although with so many out there it can be a little overwhelming trying to find out what ones are good and what ones arent.
Personally I'd go for the Samsung 710 (http://www.electronic-avenue.net/details.php?id=64) which has 12ms response time, 600:1 contrast ratio and 270cd/m2 brightness.
Oh, and did I mention it was black? [;)]
21" CRT at 100 hertz is good [:p].
Im not sure as to yet, but our new computers were ordered over a week ago and a nice 17" Philips LCD was in the order to [:)]. I'll give feedback on it in a few days when the two computers arrive with it.
From what i have seen though, LCD is goooood and as far as i know they just keep on improving [:)].
vrml
Hi all
got a ? for youz
what is the latest version currently used for vrml or 3d walk through programs for either on the net or with a downloaded reader exe. ?
i use 3ds max4 and only gotthe option for vrml 97 export
i imagine by now there must be some better format and reader combos to use
thanks for the tips
ps this site rips...
VRML is kinda legacy tech. It comes from the "lawnmower man" generation that expected us to be wearing VR headsets and browsing the net in 3D today.
As far as I know, the official standard remains at vrml97, although companies that create the clients to view VRML add to their own standard. Last time I checked, the Cortona plugin by Parallel Graphics (www.parallelgraphics.com), was the way to go.
There are a lot of things that made VRML unsuccessful, including the superior 3D capabilities of Director 3D, and the fact that MS IE didn't include its VRML player after version 4.
Scott.
New computer, Video problem
After playing with ZBrush I think it is time to upgrade my, 1.3 ghz, 256mb, Geforce 2 TI. To something that can work with 3-4 million polys or more and run a few of the new games coming out.
After working out what I'm getting (P4 3.ghz, 1 gig 400mhz ram) I can't work out which of new video card to get. I will be getting and Nvida 6800 ultra or a ATi Radian X800 XT. I will also be buying an Asus band card (because of the Asus motherboard, and I have had now four Asus cards and never had a problem.)
So does anyone know what the better card or a very good sites which test these cards (a true report would be good)
its really funny - ive read stuff on the x800 that says "up to 75% more performance than the 6800" then the same for the 6800.
Basically im all for 6800 - with intel chips. But i think the Radeon works better with athlons. And thats based on reading a shitload of pcuser/world/format and atomic magazines.
Hehe, the age old question, which is better, Ati or Nvidia. Lets look at the track record. Nvidia always has way better drivers. 1 point for Nvidia. ATI can't get their act together and get a decent driver out. Even if their boards are better, their software stinks (although, the ATI guys came out a couple weeks back and said they "completely" redid their drivers, so here in a couple months, they should be out.) Anyway, Drivers alone, Nvidia all the way.
Second issue, Dual Display. Are you going to be running it? If not, then ATI is fine, if so, then you might want to grab a Geforce. In our office we have a great selection of ati and NVidia cards (I mean, we have to make sure the game works on all right?) anyway, the ATI can't run dual monitor for crap. We've seen this on a few different ATI products but the last case was on the 9800xt. A simple mesh viewer on the main window gets about 150 fps. Slide that over to the dual monitor, you're looking at 20fps. Makes zero sense. Anyway, the Nvidia clocked in at almost the same fps on the second monitor as the first.
Nvidia "recommends" connecting your vid card to two molex connectors.... Having talked to the Nvidia guys (they were out a week before the ATI guys) the second molex connector is to provide more power for those who are interested in overclocking their card. If you're not, just chill with one.
So, let's see here, Nvidia 3, ATI 0. In my eyes, go with the Nvidia. Of course, to each his own, ATI has been known to run cooler then Nvidias which equals more silent.
Anyway, let us know what you decide :)
I've only ever had one problem with the driver, but since upgrading to a latter version there has been no problems.
I've used the TV out functionality, and the only problem I saw with that was that you needed to try some different combinations to get it working, but once it was it worked well.
I guess that it all depends on what you are looking for, heck for most things you don't even need the most powerful card.
Well thanks you all for you help so far :)
Daemin: I have budgeted for an $850 video card so money isn't much of a problem (and I will get most of it back on tax anyway, I love working in the industry.) I'm looking to be able to work on very Hi-res meshes (3-4 million) and also be able to test the characters/objects in-game with a large number of shaders, I wish to have a computer which has the power to make/render my short flim, to play the PC games that will come out to fill the gap between the next generation of consoles and something that will last me as long as my last computer did (3 years.) So petty much all the things I use my computer for need also much power as I can get, so I think the more power the better. Thanks for your help. Oh and power supply isn't a problem I have got 480 watt.
Bullet21: Yeah I have also been a Nvidia fan, but the last generation of card has made me a little more careful because $800 is a lot of a video card.
DaMunkee: Is this true about Dual Display, because I was thinking of have the two monitors one for the application I'm using and the other for concept art and reference images. Do you know a site which shows this. Is could very well be the deciding factor.
Rahnem: any reason for that, or you just like ATi cards??
HazarD: this is the very problem I'm having, one site says this and the other that. But I will add another point to Nvidia 6800 for it being better on Intel chips.
This is how it stands.
Nvidia and the 6800
-Better on with Intel chips.
-Better with duel monitors (not tested on 6800)
-Shadder version 3.0
-New drivers so room for alot more optimisation.
ATi and the X800
-Less power (not a problem for me.)
-Easily won last generation of video cards.
-Old drivers, making a very optimisation card to start with.
-Faster at AA.
I have a 9700 Pro (over a year and a half old). My friend has a 9800XT. I have also owned a GeForce 2 Ultra and seen some of the FXs in action. Preformance wise, they will pretty much give you the same. I like the visual quality on ATI cards a lot more (especially seeing as I have a LCD). The colours are brighter and in some games (FarCry at the moment), the nVidia ones have noticeable artifacts.
The GeForce6 has the better feature list and has more new features. The x800 is just a better made version of what has been available. Thing is, how much will that new nVidia tech bee used? Features that were introduced on the 9700s are only just being implimented now. By the time games start using the newer shader pipelines, newer cards will be out again. The GeFoerce6 also has onboard MPEG-2 encoding capabilities. I don't know just how good it is (quality or speed), but that may be a deciding factor if you want to encode DVDs. As DaMunkee said, nVidia have better dual monitor support. Just not with speed, but the GeForce6 has dual DVI outs (if you have dual LCDs that is ;) ).
I have a P4 and I have never had problems. Driver or otherwise. It is also worth noting that with Maya6, I have no troubles, but my friend with a GeForce3 has really bad preformance (due to a channel box bug). I don't know if newer nVidia cards have that trouble. Read up on other forums and see if people have had troubles with the programs you use and different cards.
There really isn't that much difference in the end, and it will just come down to the small things that will sway you. Nothing about the Geforce5s (original FXs) impressed me, so I was left rather indeiiferent with nVidia. Their 6s do sound nice, but the power and heat issues still bug me. I would personally go for a x800, but that just comes down to that it seems like a better made board, and I like what my current card has been able to do.
After read more tested today the X800 XT, is much faster then the 6800 Ultra. So my plan it to buy an Asus AX800 XT. As soon As I can find a place to buy it.
The main reason is the c3D normal map compression with the ATi cards, and the over all higher power of the ATi XT cards and Nvidia's marketing of there new card (you think microsoft are bad.)
This is the test that I was talking about
[url]http://www.ixbt-labs.com/articles2/gffx/nv40-rx800-2-p1.html[/url]
Tbag: Yeah, that an idea I will ask the graphics programmer here.
Bullet21: I can't see how you have come to the conclusion that the 6800 came out on top from reading the conclusion from the test. Can you point out you pick this up from.
I read it was saying that the overclock 6800 wasn't faster then the XT, the cost of the 6800 overclock will most likly be higher, the XT chip maybe hard to buy because of the small number of them, the XT work better with newer games and shaders. Shader version 3 maybe never take off. Also that 3Dc maybe not take off also (but I know for a fact that is has started to be use by developers, the only way to compress normal maps well.)
Also the Graphic programmer here said the X800 XT was the better card.
It is kind of funny because I was going to buy the 6800 U last week and now I'm getting a X800 XT.
On another note, my computer is on it way, p4 3.2 with HT, 1024 mb 400mhz ram :)
Gish
Found via Penny Arcade: http://www.chroniclogic.com/index.htm?gish.htm
Sweet lil platformer where you play as a ball of tar. Got some really sweet gameplay concepts. I'm hooked @:-D
Wives and Game Development
One of my friends sent me this ebay Auction link that his wife put up. Its for some trinkets that we got while at Westwood, but that's not the point. If you read the description, you can tell that the poor managment not only affected the team, but our families as well.
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=81075…]
Anywho... Enjoy.
I was sad the day i heard of Westwood being shutdown/overrun by EA.
So how many were laid off exactly? Was it the whole crew at Westwood?
I hope that all the crew were laidoff got another job safely; was there ever a reunion or follow up after the closing of the studio?
But yeah, i guess you always have to think that those that are laid off are quite possibly family providers. One thing can make quite a chain reaction and a lot of the time, it does.
Actually Tbag, we were part of the Westwood Pacific office. At our peak we had about 40 people. Westwood Vegas was the main brance with about 200 people at it's peak (maybe 250) anyway, the completely "relocated" the vegas office out to LA which ment; 1/3 were straight up fired, 1/3 were told, you can keep your job if you relocate yourself, and 1/3 were given a relocation package. Out of all those, I think only about a dozen or so went.
When EA "relocated" our office, Everyone but 1 was given the offer of a reloc package but only about 30% of the people stayed (1 year later, only 2 of the original artists are still there). The quote that my friends wife said had to do with taking a once fantastic team (We created Nox, RA2, Yuri's and Generals) and through bad management of the project and the human resources, they completely alienated the whole team and essentially destroyed a blockbuster cast. Heh, not even the Lure of working on LoTR: Battle for Middle Earth, could keep us there.
Anyway, life is good now. 2 of the artists are working in movies (one just finished work on Shrek 2, and another had wrapped up work on Star Wars Episode 3 a few months back). Most of the programmers that left are now working at better jobs (A few are working for a company being contracted out by Valve, Turtle Rock Studios). And me, 6 month vacation (backpacking Australia) followed by a 6 month contract working at Timegate Studios, I'm moving back to Australia :)
Heh I guess in a way, the piss poor management of EA turned out to be a good thing :)
Heh, thanks :)
A lot can be said about taking time out and living/learning about a place. You never know what you'll learn or find. In fact, my girlfriend, a native of Perth, she took a year off after her honours and she chose to explore Australia as oppose to some other country. Heh, I'm glad she did otherwise I wouldn't have met her in Cairns, fallen in love with her in Darwin, stayed with her in Perth, and now is a big reason why I'm dusting off my Australian Citizenship and moving down there :) Hehe Culture shock, here I come!
quote:Originally posted by bullet21
I won't have any of you saying another bad word about EA or someone's gonna get hurt. Comprende
Just curious, why do you like EA? Do you work for them? Have you been bought out by them? Or do you just like the games?
EA has a reputation of burning out a team. I mean look, the whole Medal of Honor team, yes, the WHOLE TEAM decided to leave EA. That says a lot. Sure there are studios that survive, Look at Tiburon, they're responsible for the Maden Series (don't know how popular that is down in Australia but over here it's one of EA's bread and butter titles). Anyway, they have had the opposite experience with EA. Increased growth, their own management, and more IPs to work on. So, EA has some good qualities. Although, I hear working as a 3rd party for EA is crap, developers tend to get the shaft in terms of contracts etc.
ANyway, just curios what your experience has been with them.
Chris
If you're still doing the backpacking thing, DaMunkee, (though I think you are talking about it in the past-tense) and you drop into Canberra, drop me an email.
I'll buy you a few beers of appreciation for Generals.. Just finished playing it on the hard setting.. Again.
I don't think any of those big companies understand that the team dynamic created when you have a bunch of people working together for a long time, is in fact the most valuable asset under the companies name.
When they take a few of the old people, and throw in a bunch of new people, you lose that dynamic. It's not something that carries over with the vets.
I guess good management could get around the problem.. But I don't think good management would let that kind of thing happen.
Anyways, DaMunkee, it sounds like it all turned out for the best.. I'm sure theres a bunch of negative feelings in there from everyone, but it sounds like there have been positive results for some of the people.
You're right, I have already done my "Great Australian Adventure" but, as I am a traveller by nature, I'm sure I'll be in Canberra soon enough :)
So, do you play it online at all? Would you be interested in playing a game together? No need to worrry, I've only played like 20 games since we shipped it over a year ago so you'll probably kick my butt but hey, it'd be fun :) Now, if anyone want's to play Yuri's, I'm actually quite good at that :)
You're right, in the end everything has worked out for most of us, also by us leaving, that opened a lot of oppertunity for others to work on a true "AAA" title. (In fact, one of my friends from Timegate just went over to work for the same manager that I use to work for, we warned him but the lure of working on LoTR was too great, ahh well, to each his own and you never know, hey may enjoy the torture :)
quote:Originally posted by bullet21
I'm 17 i dont work for anyone but KFC :(. I would love to work for them though. I like them cos i love their games. MEdal of Honour kix arse, as does the Fifa games and the NHL games. I hope you didn't get offended did you?
Just because the game is great does not mean the conditions in which it was made is great.
I think this is one of the points that DaMunkee is trying to get across.
There are a lot of young people trying to "get into the industry" that do not really look at the larger picture. The larger picture being things like how does this company treat its staff, working in a place where you are actually happy, etc.
quote:Originally posted by Sorceror Bob
Bullet - Call of Duty is great fun.. Multiplayer is pretty mindless, but I would rate the single player game as the best I've played in a fps since half life. The levels are all heavily scripted, but they have a frantic - non stop feel to them that really immerses you into the game.
How long are the levels? Like Half-Life(ish) length or longer? [:p]
Well.. If. Say.... I had a wife who played games.. And her skills were on par with mine.. I'd say she would finish each level in roughly 10 - 20 minutes.. Give or take
Half life only had one level too.. Well it had 'chapter' type things.. But with CoD theres a definate beginning and end to a level. Some would say objective.
Enclave
Hey all, just thought id spout my piece about this game, it rocks - and for 40 bux - i think it packs alot more punch than most of the non fps new realease pc games out there. and its quite old to boot being released in the early part of 2003.
Most EB's only have 1 or so copies left - but i sincerely urge you to buy it. especially for those of you who have good spec pc's - with everything in the game cranked right up to full - the textures and models look extremely impressive for such a low profile/buzz game.
When i first started playing the game chose the dark path and took hold of my assasin like charcater - i began to run and jump around like a tool as per usual, and low an behold i was tripping wires and pressure plates, spikes where shooting out from walls and arrows shooting from tiny gaps in walls. real adrenaline pumping type stuff - so early in the game.
The same for the good path which i chose next, the player is thrust into defending a village from attack - walls are crumbling down, orcs jump down from roofs jumping the charcater. And at one point as i stalked up behind an unwary goblin crossbowman, several more had had snuck up behind me and pulled of some nice head shots, which killed me.
The AI is not totally stupid - which in alot of these games it usually is. The graphics are absolutely superb in my opppinion for an older game - the physics are well done, with the rubble crumbling pieces of walls / bookcases falling down etc.
Atmosphere is suprisingly frightening in some points - and the sound is also very VERY good and enhances the gameplay.
The only downside to it is a somewhat jerky melee combat mode - but the sniper mode is very cool, and when they become available to you - the mage characters are also very cool to use.
Well done to the starbreeze team for creating such a cool game [:D]
/end rant
Starbreeze have just released a new game called "Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade" which is supposedly somewhat similar to enclave, but with a different setting. Might be worth checking out (try before you buy!) if you liked Enclave.
CYer, Blitz
PS. Dunno if it's only Xbox or PC as well though.
yip thanks blitz - ive been chekcing it out - it does look very cool indeed.
another to point out - the starbreeze credits i noticed - theres roughly 8-10 different names for the entire development crew. small team - one helluva game. Knights of the temple also looks insane - im definately going to get it. these guys are on a good wicket i think.
I think the studio may have expanded since they did enclave...i believe they are also doing the highly anticipated Chronicels of Riddick atm, i would imagine they would have required more people to be doing knights and chronicles at the same time :)
Certainly looks like things are on the up and up for them though!
CYer, Blitz
Personally, I think Enclave is an acquired taste. I know a few people who loved it, and a few that hated it. I'm part of the latter group. There was a sequel under way, but the Enclave license holder went bankrupt, and Starbreeze couldn't rescue the license.
Chronicles of Riddick looks very good, especially for a console title, but it's still about two months off its Australian release.
E3 2004: GameBiz Coverage
GameBiz will be bringing you all the latest information from E3 2004. All the latest announcements from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendos press conferences. We will be providing you with live updates and all the latest screenshots, trailers, press releases, rumors, speculation, first look of the announced titles, hands on previews, photos from the show room, and a lot more.
Check it out.
Sony PSP VS Nintendo DS
Which one is the best ?
[PSP SPECS]
UMD(Universal Media Disc)
60mm
Laser Diode:660nm
Dual Layer :1.8GB
Transfer Rate:11Mbps
Shock Proof
Secure ROM by AES
Unique Disc ID
PSP CPU CORE
MIPS R4000 32bit Core
128bit Bus
1 - 333MHz @ 1.2V
Main Memory :8MB(eDRAM)
Bus Bandwidth :2.6GB/sec
I-Cache, D-Cache
FPU, VFPU (Vector Unit) @ 2.6GFlops
3D-CG Extended Instructions
PSP Media Engine
MIPS R4000 32bit Core
128bit Bus
1 - 333MHz @ 1.2V
Sub Memory:2MB(eDRAM) @ 2.6GB/sec
I-Cache, D-Cache
90nm CMOS
PSP Graphics Core 1
3D Curved Surface + 3D Polygon
Compressed Texture
Hardware Clipping, Morphing, Bone(8)
Hardware Tessellator
Bezier, B-Spline(NURBS)
ex 4x4, 16x16, 64x64 sub-division
PSP Graphics Core 2
'Rendering Engine' + 'Surface Engine'
256bit Bus, 1-166 MHz @ 1.2V
VRAM :2MB(eDRAM)
Bus Bandwidth :5.3GB/sec
Pixel Fill Rate :664 M pixels/sec
max 33 M polygon /sec(T&L)
24bit Full Color:RGBA
PSP Sound Core: VME
Reconfigurable DSPs
128bit Bus
166MHz @1.2V
5 Giga Operations /sec
CODEC
3D Sound, Multi-Channel
Synthesizer, Effecter, etc
AVC Decoder
AVC(H.264) Decoder
Main Profile
Baseline Profile
@Level1,Level2,Level3
2Hours(High Quality) - DVD movie
4Hours(Standard Quality) - CS Digital
I/O
USB 2.0
Memory Stick
Extension Port(reserved)
Stereo Head phone Out
Input Device
Two shoulder buttons
One analog stick
One D-pad
select,start,x,o,triangle,square buttons
Communication
Wireless LAN (i802.11)
IrDA
USB 2.0
-----------------------------------------------------
[DS SPECS]
CPU Core
* Main Processor - ARM946E-S (Running at 67 MHz)
Cache: 8 KB Instruction Cache, 4KB Data Cache
TCM: 8KB Instruction, 4KB Data
* Sub Processor - ARM7TDMI (Running at 33 MHz)
Memory
* Main Memory - 4 MB (Debug version has 8 MB)
* ARM9/ARM7 Shared - 32KB (16KB x 2)
* ARM7 Internal RAM - 64 KB
* VRAM - 656 KB
LCD
* Display Size - 256 x 192 RGB Screens x 2
* Display Colors - 262,144 colors
2D Graphics Engine
* Background - Maximum 4 layers
* Objects - Maximum of 128
3D Graphics Engine
* Geometric Transformation - Max 4 million vertex/sec
* Polygon Rate - Max 120,000 polys/sec
* Pixel Fillrate - Max 30 million pixels/sec
Sound
* 16 channel ADPCM/PCM (Max 8 channels can be set to PSG)
* Microphone input
Wireless Communication - 802.11 Protocol
Input Device
* Touch Panel
* Direction Pad, A, B, L, R buttons, Start, Select (X, Y buttons being considered)
Power Save
* Sleep mode (WakeUp possible at set times or by wireless communication)
* Power save for 2D engine, rendering engine, geometry engine, LCD screen possible.
The PSP does look more powerful and all but what about the DS and its backwards compatibility? I think it will probably dominate in sales as opposed to the PSP; think though something like 40 or 50 million GBA's have sold worldwide havent they? I dont think many gamers will be dropping Nintendo just so they can play different games on a different handheld when they can buy a DS for $100-$150 less then that of the PSP, and besides the DS plays their old GB/GBC/GBA games which is always an ultra plus [;)].
Personally i dont think i am going to buy another console or handheld anymore. I always end up back at my computer within an hour, so why should i go and waste another $300-$400+ [;)]?
Just my 2 cents and a slapstick of handhelds [;)].
quote:Originally posted by Kane
Well I agree with this too, but I think deep down we all know which one that is going to be...Go DS! [:D]
I have to go aginst everyone here and say that I am looking more forward to the PSP. For the simple fact that in recent times, Nintendo have always done something stupid to their handhelds. GBA: No backlight. GBA-SP: No normal headphone jack.
Game wise, if you have a look at the previous consoles, Sony have always had more variety on their systems than what Nintendo have. Although I am not the biggest Nintendo fan, I do realise they have had some fantastic games (Mario Tenis). I still think that Sony will have better variety. From kids games to the usual testosterone driven teen male games, up to some more adult oriented games. BTW, I think about as much of Sony as I do of Nintendo.
Very true, Sony do have a greater variety, but it is also true that one good Nintendo game can compete with several dingy Sony games. Now, I like Sony's stuff, but from what I have experienced, Sony does have a LOT of mediocre games...Nintendo tends to have the same standard in most of its games, but yes they do have some crap-tastics too
Also, again this is just my opinion, but I think that the PSP is much more adult oriented, with its multimedia capabilities and so forth...I personally don't think kids would get the same experience from the PSP as they would from the DS...advanced features don't mean much to kids, my guess is they just want to play games...
Thats my thoughts anyway, be they wrong or right...[8D]
I think the DS might usher better use of innovation (and hence, will push gaming forward), but the PSP will probably grab the bigger market share. Having said that - the backwards compatibility of the DS will ensure that many upgrade from the GBA SP.
With regards to kids; most kids these days don't want to play Mario - they didn't grow up with him and don't have that rose tinted nostalgia when his name is brought up. They want to play GTA.
Like a few people have said, it of course all comes down to the games. And Sony seems to have the edge when it comes to sheer volume of games. Just having a massive selection to choose from, even if half the games suck, could be what sells the most units. When a games machine has so many games to select from, there is bound to be something for everyone.
quote:Originally posted by Blitz
The DS is obviosuly better, being made by nintendo, not sony, and everyone knows that everything sony makes is crap :P
Besides...2 screens!!!
CYer, Blitz
right your going in the pen with all the other rabid fanboys :P
ive never really had a need for portable gaming, the prices are so near to a console/PC game and i dont really get the oportunity to play them outside and the like usually because when im travelling i have to watch were im going :P
I'm with Moonunit also. The only time I would find a portable gaming system handy would be if I were waiting around or travelling a lot (unfortunately, I don't). I wouldn't be able to find the time to play a portable if I did have one - I don't even watch tv anymore (along with the many who've replaced tv with computers in some recent statistic). Things are getting interesting with portable gaming though..
All fanboy craziness aside.
The PSP looks like its screen and raw grunt will provide some seriously pretty visuals.
The DS looks like a GBA and N64 rolled into one (a good thing) plus a stylus.
I can't wait to hold a PSP in my hands. But i get positively giddy when i think about the crazy stuff that will be possible on the DS.
And whats this about the PSP having a battery life of 2-10 hours? wha??
cheers
Animal Crossing on DS looks like a really nice start [:)]. Nintendo have gotta make more games like that! One of the complaints about AC on the N64 was that you had to be in the game at certain times (the game uses the machines inbuilt clock) for special events on the calendar.. with a handheld, it'll much easier to stop what you're doing and play, no matter where you are..
Oh, and Animal Crossing is great because you don't need to play it a lot to enjoy it.
Nintendo brought back a virtual video game corpse from the dead.
Nintendo introduced the handheld market.
As Nintendo continued to make games for their pea-green screen, bigger (not too convenient), "better" (specs) handhelds came out with color ("bell and whistle" for the time) like the Sega Gamegear and the beefy (quite beefy for it's time) Atari Lynx and made a run at the pea-green screen and were smitten severely. No these companies were not as big as Nintendo, but the point is playing on the go is not the same as playing at home. "Little discs" suck when your kid just dropped a bunch of them in the back seat of the car and as he fumbles around getting them he scratches the hell out of them and gets them dirty. Who would hand their kid a portable dvd player w/screen and say "go watch a movie"? Ok now who would hand their kid a PSP? How about after he drops it once and now it's toast? Take a Sony PSP camping. Take a Sony PSP on a long family trip and see how long it stands up to two or more kids fighting over it. It is meant for hard-core gamers only. It'll sell, but DS will outsell it, and GBA will even outsell DS for awhile. Durability is one of the key things that kept the pea-green screen kickin' butt against everybody, that and killer apps and a long battery life. Gaming on the go is gaming on the go, the rules of home console gaming do not apply to it.
Nintendo DS has more features, better graphics than N64, Sony PSP has a slightly inferior graphics to PS2, so both fall into the Sega Dreamcast slot, essentially. Nintendo will not only walk away from this they won't even break a sweat.
I personally think that Nintendo (as big of fan that I am) maybe making a big mistake with the DS. I can see how the "Touch Panel" could be cool and something different. But I do think there will be a large lack of support for this by 3rd party developers. But then again the game cube has done well with little 3rd party support and most 3rd party game sucks ass anyway.
The PSP looks to be a fine little unit. But it will be host to many ports, and the cost I would bet be over $1000.
The bottom line for me is that hand held are for good puzzle game, but I haven't see one for a long time and give my GBA to my sister because I never played it. So I can't see myself buying an other hand held.
quote:Originally posted by homagos
"Little discs" suck when your kid just dropped a bunch of them in the back seat of the car and as he fumbles around getting them he scratches the hell out of them and gets them dirty. Who would hand their kid a portable dvd player w/screen and say "go watch a movie"? Ok now who would hand their kid a PSP? How about after he drops it once and now it's toast? Take a Sony PSP camping. Take a Sony PSP on a long family trip and see how long it stands up to two or more kids fighting over it. It is meant for hard-core gamers only.
That's the problem in your argument. Have you seen the supplementary marketing material Sony have been supplying? The pics with the young 20 somethings looking at their PSP? The PSP is not aimed at kids, it's aimed at the iPod crowd. Adults wont buy a piece of kit like this for their kids.
iPod crowd = 16-28 age group (and further as music is much more universal in popularity than videogames).
Hardcore gamers will buy it, but like the PS2, Sony are banking on others to buy it for it's other capabilities.
Right now, I'm leaning towards the DS. I've got too many issues with the PSP right now - mainly battery life concerns (only 2 hours (apparently) when the UMD is in use [:0]) and the software lineup - a few original titles, but a lot of PS2 trim downs. I can't say I'll ever use the movie feature, either. While the DS currently features the usual suspects (2 x Mario, Metroid, Mario Kart), they can at least expand on the ideas offered in those franchises with the dual screens and the stylus.
DS all the way!! touch screen sounds... interesting. two screens is cool (see metriod) but touch? could be sued good, but could be fiddely. the new metroid game for it uses it for turning and aiming, which sounds cool seeing as there is no analog movement otherwise (buggered if im gona play 3d games with a DP, i thought were over the tap tap 3d control scheme), but i dont like the idea of holding the system stable with one hand and covering half the screen with the other.hopefully the stylus is long and thin enough.
but there are reasons to get it still:
>metroid (looks just as good as the GC version)
>new mario 2d platformer!!!!!!!!!!!
>mario 64x4 (fourplayer mario 64 - apparently the DS has better 3d power than the 64, probably due to the smaller resolution)
>and heaps of others
one thing i will say though, at least the DS has still got a bunch of 2D games going for it. Next round of handheld consoles will see 2d platformers disapear for ever (i was afraid it would be this round cos of the PSP, but looks like nintendo are hanging onto it at least a little). That would suck though. When i bought Metroid Fusion for the GBA over a yeah ago it was instantly my 'best game since i dont know when', then Metroid Prime claimed that title. i am yet to try Metroid Zero Mission (much to my displeasure) - damn my student level income!
so that said, why would you want ut2003 on a handheld system when you've got some of the greatest games ever made - even if they are 2d platformers, and realativly ne games at that!
I have to agree with Jon Kerr here, i think that the PSP and the DS are aimed at to very differant markets, just like the N64 and PSone. When i was in primary school the N64 and Psone were out, i was in grade 5 and my Bro was in year 9. It seemed him and all his freinds wanted the PSone and the N64 was for all the kiddies. Some how i think nintendo has a childish image attached to it where as Sony are "cool".
But anyway i don't care for portable gaming systems, especially after seeing the N-gage and that game on it called red faction
Hand-helds rock, for what they do, and for what they are aimed at, I think they rock. On the train or bus, I'd hate to have to setup my ps2/3 xbox/2 and plug it into the backs of the chair in front to play.
Rather whip out a small device, plug in my headphones, and I'm away.
Of course Nintendo has that kidsy rep chasing it all over, due to one title / brand name IMO and thats mario.
Weve all grown up a good many years since mario came out, yet the poor bugger is still being pumped out, and immediately we all think "Man that used to be so cool, hell it still is!" BUT we were playing it when we were 5 or so.
No matter what people say, I dont think sony or even xbox, has something with their consoles that even rivals mario. Not in terms of sales, not in terms of fun, but in pure terms of how many gamers can remember the jolly little bloke in red and blue, or has even heard the name. The game is timeless, but we arent.
I think the handheld market is something to keep an eye on, yes the capabilities are getting better, will I buy one ? depends on the games available. If there's a game I want, I get it, regardless of platform.[:)]
See - this thread has proven that people always want 'cool' over 'kiddy' (or family, if you prefer). Even kids (who are probably more obsessed about cool than adults) always tend to lean towards something cool, or whatever it is that their older brothers are doing. Personally, I think only the under 11's are the ones that love the family stuff. After that, kids start getting to the intermediate school age and what's cool suddenly becomes a bit more important.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love both machines to do well and while I think the DS offers more opportunities for developers to be innovative, I think the Sony system might sell better. Having said that, Nintendo should take the opportunity to work on some more franchises. Mario is getting old - as shown by Mario Sunshine's underperformance at retail (compared to what people thought it should have sold).
Metal Gear Solid 3 code stolen
I read this from ign :
"Two unidentified people attending E3 yesterday made off with the demo code for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The one-level demo has been on display at Sony and Konami's booths.
According to reports, the two thieves, believed to be young men between 19-20 years old, cracked the case protecting the demo PS2 and leaned against the unit until they were able to eject the disc. They then made a mad dash for the doors.
The LAPD are currently investigating the situation, though details about the perpetrators are still unknown. We've heard no official comment from Konami, Sony, or the Los Angeles Convention Center so far, but we'll keep you updated with developments as they come in.
-- David Adams "
Heh. I read that article earlier.
I think it goes to show that it was in a way smart. Most E3 companies have firewalls etc... to stop hackers but these guys did it the plain and simple way (Although obviously stupid), it probably shows that in future developers will have personal security guards rather then relying on E3's security [;)], afterall it was bound to happen sooner or later, they brought it upon themselves i think (Sort of...) [;)].
But yes, stupid.
Maybe they were even hired to do the job by another developer (Highly unlikely, but possible)?
I find it humourous that some nerds jacked them for their source code. I know i'll probably never here the end of it and i'd be awfully pissed of if i was working on it to considiering that the MGS series have been some of my all time favourite games. But just imagine, instead of hackking in or whatever they did it the dark ages way
A demo wouldn't include the source code.
They must have just grabbed the demo disc, no one would be dumb enough to take source to E3, and theres no reason for it anyway.
"Ok folks we'll just open Visual C++ and compile this so you can see our demo?!".
Me thinks not.
I think the visual arc of the guards needs to be increased. [:P]
"LA Convention Centre security staff were left flat-footed and red-faced yesterday as two unknown perps had it away with a copy of the MGS3: Snake Eater demo code. According to eyewitness reports they achieved this by leaning heavily on the unit before simply ejecting the disc."
One of the perps was heard shouting "Run Steve! RUN!" in what witnesses describe as a "German accent". (from [url="http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?comments=31884&page=1"]Shacknews[/url])
Here's what the LA police apparently have of the [url="http://shack.igneferroque.org/stolensnake.jpg"]5 finger discounter[/url], according to Shacknews.. (although judging by the lack of attention from the people around, the way the thief's hands don't really look like they are actually holding the box (rather just giving a thumbs up), and the box itself being a perfect orthographic view (dont see the sides - perculiar since he is sprinting), I'm assuming it's a photoshop joke)
Infinium
Just thought id post this here, some may have heard about it before, but i think its an interesting piece of console. [:D]
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php'section_name=new&aid=3452
could be a potential gateway to a brighter future for gamers, game devlopers, but not publishers [;)]
So what do you know, the phantom might actually be real. However I don't see this as a real big benefit, as it will ultimately reduce freedom for the rest of us. Game developers might like the idea, publishers would also - depening on the pricing scheme - but as a game player I don't really like the idea. Although I bet that it will only take a few months before the thing is hacked and modded and then I wonder what they will do.
I dont think it is that interesting, its just another typical PC chucked in a fancy case with controllers with another fancy name for it and marked as a console [;)].
Consoles dont do anything for me anymore, i rarely play my GameCube, the poor thing. I suppose it has a chance but only time will tell...
Rahnem: I have read it, but since they've actually released some sort of concrete specifications it is much harder to doubt them. Plus you never know, the guy in charge might actually be wanting to do something good and proper business like...
However there's no way in hell that I'm going to be buying one of those things... Not even if its totally free... (well then I might get one, and just crack it open using the contents for something else).
[url]http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2003-01-22&res=l[/url]
Seriously though, I've been taking Infinium a lot more seriously since their pre E3 press release. Its an interesting idea and they seem to be backing it up with facts rather than the "its a console that plays PC games" crap that we were getting previously.
Daemin: The guy probably wanted to do good business in his last ventures. Problem is I don't think he has much business sense.
At best I think it will have limited success in America, at worst be a complete failure.
I don't think the idea is that bad, but such a huge market shift needs a big fish to peddle it and I don't think Infinium have the resources to do it.
However, I could be completely wrong and off base. [;)]
Dunno what real arcade and xbox arcade offer... i thought real arcade was mainly small web-based and other small games, not AAA etc. titles. In which case Phantom is completely in a different sector.
They don't really need to release a list of hooked up developers, since basically any PC game that has been released will run on their console, they don't need to get developers to develop for their system, they just have to get rights for distribution (which i believe they have for most publishers). I recall BF1942 was one of the earlier games that they said would be available.
CYer, Blitz
Ahh the Infinium Phantom. I went by their booth and checked out the goods. Looks like a pipe dream to me. Having talked with people who have delt with these guys, I'm not confident this thing will be successful. Although their T-Shrits they gave out were interesting. On the front was a picture of their Phantom Logo, on the back it said "It does exists." At least they have some humor about the whole thing. Anyway, I have a lot of friends in the biz and so far none of them have mentioned they are supporting this thing.
On a related note, under each phantom was a big grey box about 3x the size of the phantom itself. I'm not sure what it was for, but I wouldn't put it past the guy to have rigged some smoke an mirrors to help his publicity (HardOCP just being 1 of many negative things to happen to the phantom)
Anyway, I guess only time will tell if it's A) real and B) successful.
I believe that the console (Phantom) will have a limited success, not as much as a regular console because its just a PC, and most gamers have PC's as well as consoles. Some families might get that because the content controls will be stricter and parents would have more control.
However a certain issue hasn't been raised yet, if it's a PC, and it will be running a product of Windows (presumably), then what about viruses? I'm guessing that it'll automatically update to the latest patches, but there is still that issue of virii.
Virii shouldn't be a major problem. They will be running a highly stripped windows kernel (can't remember which but i beleive it has been stated. Probably a stripped win2000 kernel), that won't support anything that isn't required for games. This automatically rules out most of the security issues in windows related to network connectivity (no RPC or file sharing). The only ports they will have open will be the ones to actually play games, and the ones required to download games/patches. In both cases, fairly tight controls are maintained over which ports are open, and how those ports are used (ie. secure connections? or at least some sort of athentication of ip addresses of other phantoms etc.) this basically rules out the rest of the non-user interaction related virii attacks. Finally, (as long as it is a games-only machine), there is no case of user-interaction related virii exploits, as there is no email, web browsing etc. that can cause the virii to be downloaded and run. Perhaps the worst case scenario is causing virii to be run by hacking the games and modifying the packets to cause nasty code to be executed, but really that can happen on any platform, PC or console.
Lastly, a bad person could hack the infinium software distribution systems so instead of transmitting the latest battelfield game you end up downloading a virus :P
But yeah, i don't think it's such a big issue...if they do things correctly.
CYer, Blitz
If it's a games only system no one will care, especially if it's just going to play games that a PC can play. That pretty much sums it up for me :)
It's certainly an interesting idea, but consoles have to play to their strengths. Usually those strengths are good, high quality developers, understanding of the market/audience for the console and well researched marketing.
This thing is barely on the radar as far as every average joe PC, PS2, X-Box etc owner is concerned.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=pub&aid=3533
Looks as though Kevin's hired Andy Schneider to head the marketing of infinium. November 18th is the day of judgment so it seems [:P]
Just thought I'd dig out this old thread, now that November 18th has come and gone.. And what's the news we get from Infinum, apart from an actual release?
quote:Official filing reveals that Infinium's coffers are nearly empty
A new regulatory filing from Florida-based firm Infinium Labs has revealed that the company needs to find fresh funding of around $11.5 million if it is to launch its Phantom game service next year as planned.
[url="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=5643"]Oh dear[/url]...
Ok, we might be getting some closure with the Phantom console...
quote:"The company believes, based on past performance, that there is a high likelihood that sufficient capital will not be available ... and many or all of these milestones will be missed and the launch date will again shift and/or the company will go out of business..."
([url="http://games.slashdot.org/games/05/05/20/1835255.shtml?tid=235"]From Slashdot[/url]). I wonder if Kevin Bachus (one of the creators of Xbox) is kicking himself for joining Infinum Labs/Phantom.
quote:But in an interview with US website tradersnation.com last week, Infinium president Kevin Bachus stated that the Phantom will indeed launch in the US "later this year."
He went on to say the company was confident of the machine's money-spinning potential, identifying "three streams of revenue" - the hardware, the content and the subscription fee.
"Between those three revenue streams, we feel very confident that we're going to be able to not only deliver value to the consumer but to our shareholders as well," Bachus said.
[url="http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9139"]Refusing to hand in the towel just yet [:0][/url]
Kick-Boxing shrimp, deadly!
Hey everyone,
Here is a nice interesting link for everyone, deadly kick-boxing shrimp!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$SQOD2XZ0RAOEJQFIQ…
Bet that got you thinking/interested didnt it? [:p]
Cheers,
Tom
Beware...
Since some certain Sumeans (Wont mention names, inglis... [:p]),
Have been having fun photoshopping others pictures this is just a quick beware thread. Here is what could happen to you!
http://www.smlinks.com/sotw/why/
Mind you it wont stop the madness but still, dont post yourself people... although i already have on other forums.
Notice how Photoshopping others pictures of themselves always happens [:p]?
Photoshop, the deadly weapon of the artists.
NOTE: Yes im bored and this thread wasnt probably post worthy but heck why not if your bored? As long as it keeps someone entertained for a second.
onimusha 3
[:0][:0][:0]
I just watched the Trailer - possibly the best cg martial arts fight scenes ive EVER seen.[:0] at least choreograhy wise, its just that its not covered up with crazy special effects like most pieces are - or full of camera shots that only show how fast the fighters hands are moving but nothing else etc.
and the hair.... oh the hair simulation...[:0]
it came on the cover cd of may issue of pcuser magazine, but if anyone can grab it somewhere GET IT NOW, i would but im on dial up [:(]
quote:Originally posted by Rahnem
Lets just hope the game is as good as the cut scenes.
The game got 9.0 out of 10.0 from ign and won the editor's choice award.
And readers gave the game 9.3 out of 10.0.
The complete score from ign :
out of 10
9.5 Presentation
A complex story arc, incredibly smooth load times, easy to navigate menus, incredibly CG sequences, and one of the most compelling atmospheres in videogames puts Demon Siege high above the rest.
9.5 Graphics
Onimusha 3 is one of the best looking games on PS2. Destructible environments, dead-on facial recreations, unparalleled CGI, gorgeous texture work, and high-end effects bring it all together.
8.5 Sound
We still miss the game's original Japanese language track, but the voice acting is more than acceptable with hours worth of dialogue. The sound effects are good too and the score in terrific.
8.5 Gameplay
Faster-paced with a heavier emphasis on action, the game provides distinct experiences with its characters. Additionally, the 3D controls are fantastic and the world is varied but it's a little short.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
Numerous difficulty settings, hidden costumes, secret weapons, multiple endings, and various other mini-games all contribute to the most replayable Onimusha adventure yet.
OVERALL: 9.0
(out of 10 / not an average)
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Hi everyone!
(I know there is another CS:CZ thread but i didnt exactly want to bump it back to the top [;)].)
Has anyone actually played Condition Zero yet? Ok i know it hasnt exactly been praised but i must say it was quite a treat to finally play it.
The bots really do add a great feel to the whole experience, they have new voices and work together and actually sound like real players with microphones hooked up! Its great hearing them say 'I'll guard the bomb', 'Hey im on your side!' and the occasional praises from them like 'Nice shot commander!', 'Good job!' and of course the funniest of them all is when they say 'Owned!', just because its kind of expected from lamerz [;)]. Oh and the bots actually will cover and guard you from fire etc... You play the role of their commander, which is always fun [;)].
Overall i would give it a 7.5/10, the graphics has also been slightly improved. However, i was only playing v1.0, the new version 1.1 has new higher res player models, higher quality sounds etc...
A nice refurbished version of Counter-Strike if you will, i think it is worth it if you are a heavy Counter-Strike fan like myself, as for others it is probably not worth it if you dont feel like forking out the cash ($60+) but personally i loved it for every minute but i guess i always do fall for games like Counter-Strike [;)].
So, has anyone else played this gem yet? [:)]
I played it
Didnt play the counterstrike mode. Not really into it. And we couldnt get a network game running as the option to run it was mysteriously absent. Was yours there t-bag? If I remember, you had to click on change game mode or something in the menu. Whatever it was, I remember it wasnt there!
Did play the "deleted scenes" Good for an hour or two but then it gets repetitive.
Its gameplay is pretty good courtesy of the fancy bots [;)], and it seems to run a lot smoother then the original Counter-Strike which is always a plus.
As for network play i couldnt find it either, i dont know where it went [:(] (I think you can do it with the included evil program they call Steam [;)]).
So yeah, it was good i thought. If you are looking for a proper copy of Counter-Strike, not the downloadable version, try Condition Zero. It wont let you down, oh and the latest version also allows custom single player missions etc... kinky!
I'd really hate to be a huge Counterstrike fan at the moment. Counterstrike free mod, Counterstrike retail, Counterstrike Condition Zero (from the reviews and steam forum discussions, this was a turd of a game!), Counterstrike Source (the Half Life 2 port which will come out at a budget price and not included with Half Life 2 - essentially the same content but on the Source engine), and Counterstrike 2..
Definately some "milking the franchise" happening..
I dont know Pokemon is still being milked and still successfully makes profits...
But yes it is in a way sad to see what a free mod turned into over the years, these days nothing is ever free gaming wise, and if it is it will eventually go commercial or be plaqued with advertisements.
Its sad to see what happened to one of Valves key titles (Although it was a mod, Valve didnt do much but milk it and hire a few of the creators/modders).
I used to be a massive CS ploayer. Then i got Steam, when i had to formmat and reregister my key it said it was already taken :(. SO i just downloaded Enemy Territory and haven't looked back. After playing ET i realise hhow crap CS is. The main objective is Frags where as in ET you have little misions.
If you're interested in seeing Counterstrike: Source but don't want to download the 650mb or so E3 Half Life 2 footage with it, grab it here: ftp://ftp.futurenet.co.uk/pub/dailyradar/movies/Half-Life_2_CounterStri…
Basically you'll see a more detailed Aztec map, water reflections, splashing when bullets hit water/guys running through water, rag doll physics, and exploding objects.. it's nice, I guess.
And yeh, if I say any more praise on Enemy Territory, people will tell me to shut up [:)].. I just wished that there were plans to develope that game on a new engine with more maps and other ideas...
OS Statistics
Hi all,
Anyone no of a website that has operating system statistics such as:
*how many people use Linux / Windows
*etc...
that's just ridiculous, anywayz i'm off to bid for it