Serik55

FYI: Steam now has a demo for Defense Grid that features a few tutorial levels and an advanced stage. It's really a lot of fun.

Impulse is designed to deliver Windows products to Windows machines. Impulse is a key component of Stardock's games, so they'd have to make a Linux version, which is totally pointless since its primary purpose is to sell Windows products. If you read Brad's report on Stardock, he pretty much says that the company is uninterested in developing for other platforms.

Cool ideas. Having the AI keep track of your trustworthiness would help create a "living, breathing" fantasy world, which seems to be a common theme in the idea threads. In a different thread, someone mentioned how the AI could keep track of various wars, even mention them by name (The Great War of the Year 6780). Little flourishes like that would go a loooong way to making your game feel like a unique, self-contained world. [quote who="pigeonpigeon" reply="3" id="201830

I use Linux for real work and Windows for games and have no problem with that setup. If Windows craps out (it happens), reinstalling my games is effortless thanks to Steam and Impulse. At this point, Windows is just a videogame console. Like McGee said, game development is about money first and foremost. Why waste manhours programming for an OS that comparatively few people use? When it comes to games, the money's with Windows and maybe OS X.

[quote who="MooiNiet" reply="21" id="2016613"]Good post, good idea. Have some "outside force" disrupt excessive turtling (but not too much please, i like turtling )[/quote] Same here. [e digicons]|-)[/e] I've yet to play FfH2, but the Armageddon Counter is a nifty idea (not to say that it would be appropriate in other 4X's). My mid- to late-game Civ strategy typically involves turtling and going for the tech victory. At that point in the game, I d

Well no one said that removing DRM would suddenly stop piracy. DRM or not, games will be pirated. Instead of punishing customers with DRM rootkits, stupid restrictions, etc., reward them with smart DRM that adds value to legit copies (unlimited downloads, free content, online matchmaking) This has always been Stardock's general philosophy, which is why I dig the company. WoG would've been pirated the same regardless of DRM. As an aside, the boxed version is in the top 10 best-selling PC games

[quote who="Mazuo" reply="6" id="2013971"]I certainly wouldn't intepret the article as Ebbert stating flatly that there will be no DRM of any kind. If it turns out that way, great, but I think it's far more likely that there will be some minimal and noninvasive DRM methods employed which I have no problem with. The best news from this article when I read it over at the forums is the notion that they want to model the game's release after Valve's recent games and keep giving u

http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/warhammer40000dawnofwarii/interview.htm Strategy Informer: Now this is a standard question that we always ask, but what do you have lined up in terms of expansion packs and DLC? Jonny Ebbert: We have a lot of seriously exciting plans for DLC. We really want to give our players a top-notch online experience and we want t

Protip: Don't buy half-assed X-Box to PC ports, not for any reason, ever. I never do. The games I play on my PC are meant for my PC. Xbox dumps are an EZ way to make money before sending a game out to pasture. (I don't oppose well-made multiplatform games; Valve's games come out on the Xbox and the PC and never once have I felt ripped off by their PC games) I agree: crappy, unoptimized, clunky, dumbed-down console ports -- not piracy -- hurt sales (along with stupi

The steamroller effect (and other 4X annoyances like boring late games) was brought up another forum I visit. Someone provided a link to Soren Johnson's interview with the designers of the Fall From Heaven 2 mod for Civ IV. Here's the interesting part: Soren : Let’s talk a little about the gameplay itself. What are some of the mechanics that you are most proud of develop

Rock Paper Shotgun compiled 15 DF tutorial videos from Youtube . Seems like a great way to learn the basics.

No idea why it's happening, but it's a great way of ensuring fewer sales. Ideally, PC games should be designed to run on a wide range of systems (TF2 looks good on my Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB, single core, 1 GB system). Even worse: games that run poorly on high-end systems (usually half-arsed consoles ports). GTA IV and Saints Row 2 run like crap, based on reports I've read on the Steam forums.

The more I read about this game, the more I'm blown away. Dwarf Fortress is a reminder that gameplay is so much more important than $30 million graphics and Hollywood voice actors and orchestral soundtracks. If only more games were this engrossing. I'd like to get a group of videogame devs together and ask them to discuss one thing: how would you design a graphic set for Dwarf Fortress, or is ASCII really the most effective way of transmitting information?

When do you think the next-gen of consoles will be released? Last time I checked, both MS and Sony have yet to recover the billions of dollars they spent on the 360 and PS3...

[quote]One way I could think of would be to make the AIs take increasingly large risks when pushed to the wall, like sending their channellers on the front line.[/quote] Good point. Command&Conquer does something similar. If you destroyed most of the AI's structures, it would sell the rest and send a wave of infantry and harvesters at your base in a final, desperate attack. Another benefit of your idea: the AI's desperation might actually pay off, resulting

Glad that the gaming press is acknowledging Stardock's business acumen w/ regards to PC gaming. Quality gameplay, low development costs, system scalability, and consumer-friendly DRM FTW. [e digicons]:beer:[/e]

Thank you guys for making great PC games. Look forward to the coming expansions.

Yet Nintendo is still cleaning both their clocks. I find it interesting that Nintendo is the only console maker who is focuses solely on videogames. Sony and MS have a million other properties, all bringing them more money than their console divisions. By virtue of being "hardcore" gamers posting on a TBS game's website, sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. PCs + Wii is the powerhouse gaming combo for most of the world.

DRM is mainly about eliminating the resale market. Just read how often game publishers piss and moan about used games "killing" the industry blah blah blah. EA, Take-Two, Sony, MS, and everyone else would love to see Gamestop and its used game business go away. Expect next-gen consoles to have a Steam-like digital distribution service. (Once again, PC leads with regards to innovation.) In that regard, Steam and Impulse have achieved what the consoles can only dream of: millions of customers w

I just wanted to chime in and say that Steam and Impulse are both acceptable forms of DRM. They've made PC gaming incredibly easy. Search for a game, buy it, and download it whenever. No physical media, no bullcrap. I also know that my money's going to the developers and not some stupid company like Gamestop. Indeed, at this point I'm one of those "if it's not on Steam and/or Impulse I don't buy it" blokes :D

How the AI responds to mega events is important, too. If a huge, pissed-off dragon spawns between several kingdoms, will the AI awknowledge the threat, put aside differences, and help you take it down? Or will the player be forced to deal with such threats by himself? If aliens invaded earth, don't you think we'd all team up to fight them (I hope so)?

[quote who="psychoak" reply="4" id="1995086"]Why do I keep getting karma for being a prick?[/quote] Because you're talking some sense :D Crytek spent $22 million on a game targeted to a comparatively small audience. Expecting more than 2 million sales was delusional. Even so, I think 1.5+ million sales is respectable for that game. Every hugely successful PC game is designed to run on a wide variety of systems. You think WoW, Diablo II, Civ IV, The Sims, Half-

The great thing about digital distribution is that devs get more money, even if the game costs you less. If I buy Sins from Impulse for $30, Stardock keeps all the money. If I buy it from Target for $30, Stardock's cut is less. Even third-party devs selling through Steam and/or Impulse, probably get more $/copy, even after Valve and/or Stardock takes their cut. (This is based on various stuff I've read; Stardock and Steam are quiet about such matters.) Side note: Growing up, I play

Hooray for stylized art. We need more of it, that's for sure. Put 12 FPS games in a line-up and only one sticks out: Team Fortress 2. Blizzard gives its games character, distinctness, and longevity by using stylized art. With enough money, anyone can make tech demo graphics like Doom 3 or Quake 4 or Unreal 3. (And only a small percent of users have PCs capable of displaying them in all their glory.) It takes real artistic and technical talent to pull off suita