Is PC gaming doomed? Apolyton 2008 edition

[DarkCloud]

Ah. Simulations :heart:

[El_Cid]

http://www.mobygames.com/game/simlife

http://www.mobygames.com/game/simearth-the-living-planet

I've put these two next to one another, hoping they will breed, then I'll put that offspring next to this:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/simisle-missions-in-the-rainforest

And finaly the ofspring from that match will go next to this:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/master-of-orion

Fingers crossed

[DarkCloud]

Ah, I much enjoyed Sim Earth.

[Krill]

[q=Wiglaf]Sometimes the worst sex can be the best when you look back on it. One time in high school I was sure I got a girl pregnant and was really worried but then she got hit by a car (!). That's just one example.[/q]

Er...Wiglaf...were you driving the car at the time?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike
I feel vindicated.

Shame on those who fell for it and forked over cash.

from what I can gather the consensus is its a great toy. The views of the "game" are mixed. Most admit the first 4 phases are minigames, with the cell phase much admired (but short) and the tribal phase particularly weak. All lead up to the space game, which is the "real game" apparently. About that too opinions are mixed. Lots of folks saying you have to really play it for a while to get it, while others are frustrated by interface problems and excessive micro.


Lots of folks suggesting some of the problems could be fixed. Given EA's known approach to PC gaming, we can expect lots of xpacks that address those problems as well as adding "stuff".

Metacritic score is at 86 for what its worth.

I haven't gotten it yet, but I think I may buy it rather than an old game, for a change.

[DrSpike]

I agree, they will definitely come back for a second round of fleecing.

[Asher]

What's interesting is that if Spore came out on the console, all of the PC diehards would be complaining the console version made it stupid.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Asher
What's interesting is that if Spore came out on the console, all of the PC diehards would be complaining the console version made it stupid.

and the console diehards would not be trumpeting the technical triumph it is said to represent. No sir. They would not.

Asher is right, there are no diehards as obnoxious as PC diehards.

[Asher]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


and the console diehards would not be trumpeting the technical triumph it is said to represent. No sir. They would not.

Asher is right, there are no diehards as obnoxious as PC diehards.

It is not a technical triumph by any stretch of the imagination.

In fact the technology is pretty ho-hum. They use procedural animation which may seem new and exciting to technical luddites still playing Kings Quest games like yourself, I suppose.

The graphics in Spore are particularly underwhelming.

And what the ****, are you intentionally trying to piss me off? Not only do you continue to post nothing interesting in these threads, you've decided you're funny when you're not and are constantly attempting sarcasm. You're not funny, stop it. It's exceptionally obnoxious.

Spore is an original game, I'd stop short of calling it a triumph in any way, but what the **** do I know -- I actually own it. Kindly **** off and come back once you've located a clue.

[El_Cid]

kind of amusing, interesting atleast:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20218

The negative reviews on amazon disappeared then were put back due to a 'technical difficulty'.
Whatever - still not going to get it until 6 months down the track(for stuff to be fixed/DRM toned down/gold edition etc).

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Asher
Not only do you continue to post nothing interesting in these threads, you've decided you're funny when you're not and are constantly attempting sarcasm. You're not funny, stop it.

Spikey and I have been discussing Spore, and Will Wright in general since long before you decided to bless Other Games with your regular presence.

This forum worked just fine before you got here, I don't know who appointed you to tell others when and how to post.

[lord of the mark]

this from Gamespys review of Spore

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore

"A Triumph of Technology and Style

In many ways the real genius of Spore is that the immense complexity of the technology is hidden beneath very simple editors, such that you forget the technology is even there. Spore allows players to create fully articulated and textured 3D models of vehicles, buildings, and creatures. The creatures are the most impressive: they're instantly capable of walking, chirping, fighting, singing, running, even flying. And they stand up to scrutiny -- they look alive, and even cute, when zoomed all the way in. The data used to store a complete creature is under 30K. The fact that anyone, including non-gamers, can create and share these models in their first game session without any training or practice is remarkable."

No, I havent bought it yet. Here in other games, someone thinking of buying a game is free to discuss the reviews and reports on games they havent yet purchased (or may never purchase) Spikey and indeed, most of our OG regulars do that. It makes the conversation interesting.

Now if you have something interesting to say, go ahead and say it. Your repeated metacomments are nothing more than spam. Of course thats a beloved OG tradition as well.

[Asher]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



Spikey and I have been discussing Spore, and Will Wright in general since long before you decided to bless Other Games with your regular presence.

This forum worked just fine before you got here, I don't know who appointed you to tell others when and how to post.

I'm sorry that the concept of posts with substance is foreign to you. If you think the forum worked fine when all you had was a circle jerk of stupidity, that's your prerogative. It's more active now than ever.

I just ask you to think before your post. It's not really that hard. Sometimes it's even fun.

Posts like this serve no purpose at all:

and the console diehards would not be trumpeting the technical triumph it is said to represent. No sir. They would not.

Asher is right, there are no diehards as obnoxious as PC diehards.

I even gave you a little bait if you wanted to discuss the "technical triumph" claim of Spore, which you've ably avoided with another completely inane post.

[Asher]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
this from Gamespys review of Spore

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore

"A Triumph of Technology and Style

In many ways the real genius of Spore is that the immense complexity of the technology is hidden beneath very simple editors, such that you forget the technology is even there. Spore allows players to create fully articulated and textured 3D models of vehicles, buildings, and creatures. The creatures are the most impressive: they're instantly capable of walking, chirping, fighting, singing, running, even flying. And they stand up to scrutiny -- they look alive, and even cute, when zoomed all the way in. The data used to store a complete creature is under 30K. The fact that anyone, including non-gamers, can create and share these models in their first game session without any training or practice is remarkable."

No, I havent bought it yet. Here in other games, someone thinking of buying a game is free to discuss the reviews and reports on games they havent yet purchased (or may never purchase) Spikey and indeed, most of our OG regulars do that. It makes the conversation interesting.

Now if you have something interesting to say, go ahead and say it. Your repeated metacomments are nothing more than spam. Of course thats a beloved OG tradition as well.

What don't you get? Perhaps you need me to be far more explicit in my posts. They assume a level of intelligence that is perhaps far too ambitious.

My comment was regarding the frequent argument, made all the time at this very site, is that console games are being dumbed down and PC games are more complex, etc. Spore is the most popular PC game in a few years and to say it's complex would be to completely miss the point. The point is it's a trend in gaming altogether, not only to the console. In the future I'll be more verbose so you can make these connections with the rest of us and not feel left out.

As for the technology being a "triumph", I'm not sure a professional video game reviewer for a website can understand that. This kind of technology has been available and used for many years in game development. In Spore it is exposed to the users directly in a more polished form, but that doesn't make it a technical triumph nor technically innovative. It's an innovative and original game concept as a whole, but to speak about it technically as a triumph is inaccurate. It has an initial release DirectX 9-grade graphics system and a physics system that is no more complex than what we got in the original Half-Life. The only thing remotely interesting technically about the game is the polished procedural generation tools, but as I said, those are not new nor even as complex as they may seem to simpletons who don't understand the science behind it. As I said, to call it a technical triumph is wrong.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Asher


I'm sorry that the concept of posts with substance is foreign to you. If you think the forum worked fine when all you had was a circle jerk of stupidity, that's your prerogative.

we talked about games, and we had fun. It was pleasant. And yeah, most of us learned something. And no, commenting on other posters posting style is not substance. Unless done by a mod, its spam.