shbazjinkens

I took it that they were 3d.. are they not?

Game engines are probably a priority before coding the game because that is almost definately the hardest part (if you code the game engine from scratch). People expect Normal maps, shadows, and real-time lighting now. If the game has the most awesome story in the world it won't be successful unless the engine is up to technological standards. Sad, but true. I attribute the resale value of old games to nostalgia and the fact that at the time it was cutting edge and popular. Otherwise many of the adventure games being released using AGS at no cost wouldn't have the "no" in front of "cost." There's a guy on this forum who knows loads about the programming end of 3d engines, so maybe I'll be proven wrong.. but that's the way it seems to me. Games made with pre-built engines don't have this dilemna. Another reason that some game companies spend so much time developing their engine is so that it will have sale value to other companies or individuals who want to use it without coding their own (and it has to be very good to beat out the competition).

YDKJ was awesome, but hardly needed much for multiplayer capabilities.. I mean, you just pressed a button to buzz and then a number for the answer. In any game where you're competing in a shooter or something you would need much more control than that, making it more cumbersome.

Crowding in front of a monitor shouldn't be a problem either with modern PC's.. most new ones will have S-Video out or RCA out and you can link directly to any decent new TV (especially the large expensive ones). I used my RCA out to my TV for a second monitor when I was in my dorm, so that I would have more real-estate for 3d modelling without the hassle of two monitors. The same can be done as a substitute monitor - or possibly you could split each player onto their own display, which brings me to my feature request; seperate displays for multiple players on computers that will support that option. I would think that with 3d being around for so long now that developers would take advantage of that freedom more often, but we still do have a slew of games with no back view, peeking around corners and etc (though sometimes peeking around the corner would be totally useless). Being able to zoom in on stuff more often would be nice too, but it's an understandable hinderance, using textures that are hi-res enough to support that would be very taxing on the computer.

Final Fantasy and similar would have huge design documents.. I've heard that Vice City was designed with an enormous board of post-its so they could keep missions in order.

A no skateboarding sign.. Kind of symbolic for anti-fun.

Yep, that's been around for a while. Good stuff.

I had no idea. For me, it's probably the most recognizable because it's the oldest of the successful consoles. I grew up with them. Weird to imagine that they wouldn't be marketed through Europe.

Back when Doom was new, I didn't enjoy it because of the graphics necessarily. It was just the fact that it was sort of 3d, and I could roam around more freely and examine things closely. There were tons of secret rooms you could find, something I'd previously not experienced. Plus, I was about 12 so blowing things up was a satisfactory storyline for me at the time.

So, how did you find out that I skateboard? Or is Yufster only posing as Yufster's mom? Christ, I really am an idiot. Angry image for Yufster coming later.

*sigh* Is this about the GTA comment?

I wonder how they do those motion blur effects with the sword.

Ok, so I'm conclusively an idiot. Time to drop out of college and land that McD's job.

Care to elaborate?

Well, you're sort of wrong there in seeing the PS2 as the family console. Traditionally that honor is bestowed on Nintendo, because so many of their games have been cartoonish and suitable for children (a couple of exceptions I can think of offhand are Resident Evil and 007). The PS2 has had the honor of hosting Grand Theft Auto, which I'm sure you've heard of considering the controversy it made here in the States. It's also had other titles like Spyro and Musashi though, but I see those as a minority. The PS2 is most famous for Final Fantasy, which is fairly difficult for children under 13 to grasp and still a challenge for those over. Yufster is going to kill you for mis-spelling Schafer. But as was said, this is probably for the future, not necessarily for Psychonauts. They could also release it on the Xbox before other platforms, rather than holding the release just to make it cross-platform first.

I prefer the PC simply for the fact that it has twice the processing power of an Xbox, or more, if you have a newer PC. That and I wouldn't have to buy an Xbox to do something my computer could do better (unless I decide to construct a supercomputer with old Xboxes).

It also says, "The role requires a minimum of 3 years of video game experience, and at least one published game on PS2, Xbox, Gamecube or PC." under the programming job, but sadly, you guys are probably right.

Better graphics on the X-box than on PC? Are you kidding? EDIT: I think you must assume that multi-platform limits the game to consoles, which is simply not the case. Tim has in the past worked on PC software, and it's highly likely that they'll be converting Psychonauts as such.

Congrats! I used to be not so fond of ATI because an incompatibility with OpenGL caused Blender to slow and crash minutes after opening. Then the Blender.org programmers sent some hate mail and ATI sent 5 free cards over to help identify the problem. After a few weeks they figured out what it was and the problem is now solved, so thanks ATI! I still have a Geforce4 in my laptop though, and don't really intend to change it.

I'm making character models for a FPS project that is supposed to serve as a showcase game for Crystal Space (Open Source 3d game engine). I don't like it (just pushing my character skills), because I'm not a fan of FPS games, and this is one of the most cliche games you can get; A shoot-em-up with aliens. I started thinking about the reasons I don't like FPS games much.. and I actually realized that I do like some of them. The ones that aren't typical, like Silent Hill or Metal Gear Solid, and more recently Splinter Cell. Even the terrorist plots are becoming cliche though, so I had the idea that maybe you could present the game from the other side of the box, with the player being the terrorist. The gameplay would be challenging and interesting, since you're only with a ragtag group against a major force, and it would most certainly be unique. But could you imagine the media response to a game like this after what happened with Grand Theft Auto? The potential revenue for an independent project distributed via the internet could be huge, considering the media attention it could get. Just a thought, as I'm always thinking about get-rich-quick schemes and games. What are your thoughts (besides the obvious moral qualms)?

From the FAQ: HOLY CRAP. I can't believe a bunch of racists had the ability to come up with their own 3d game.. I mean, all of the ones I've met are lucky to still be alive despite their day to day stupidity in all areas of life. Anyway, getting back to the point.. I don't think WWII games are as controversial because the wounds are old and this generation is largely disconnected from those events, plus their love for shoot-em-ups is too great. I also think there would be more interest in becoming a terrorist in a game than becoming a racist. People are curious about what's going on over there.. they know what's going on here with racism.

Also, the practical problems of creating a large transportable heat source to boil water leaves steam far behind the combustion engine. As it stands, its only practical for use in power plants and sea vessels. You know, so that's probably why they named their seemingly crappy program after an outdated source of power.

Play Redneck Rampage. It's a classic.

Eh.. that video is a little confusing to me. They mention RGB values but they show a traditional grey bumpmap in the demo. That and they leave out that you could just paint the Normal Map instead of making a hi-poly mesh to get it via scripts. Now there is a different technique that uses RGB values to a better effect, maybe they just used a flawed demo? Here is a huge (probably more than you want to read) discussion about Normal mapping by game art pros (and some novices). http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=129627

You don't need to sleep.. have you tried Red Bull, or that Sobe energy drink that comes in a large can? Extremely bad to do it constantly, but for a night it does the trick. That stuff is like crack. The problem I had with it was that once I drank two cans of the Sobe stuff and my heart started pounding when I woke up from a catnap.. a certain ingredient (Taurine) thins your blood and if you drink too much it can cause your heart to go into overdrive. If this helps any, I procrastinated just like you're talking about and now I'm on academic suspension and have to go to a junior college for a semester, and I lost a LOT of money in scholarships that I earned for my previously good grades.. :rolf