Messages

26

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Revolutionary Controller

« on: May 20, 2005, 01:20:07 PM »

I totally agree about the gyroscopes, by the way.  I've been speculating about this for a long time - it's not only the most intuitive form of control, but it's also a much more effective method of force feedback.

I doubt that the controller will into separate parts.  It's probably possible, but more trouble than it's worth.  Would they put separate wireless ports on each section?  Wouldn't that suck if you lost half of it?  Isn't that a huge complication when they're aiming for simplicity?

Anyway, even if Nintendo's controller doesn't utilize an internal gyroscope for the purposes of tactile control and force feedback, I hope this kind of controller will be developed someday.  The tactile control available with a gyroscope is much more advanced and precise than that available with a Tilt 'n Tumble-type tilt sensor; even just one embedded gyroscope would be able to cause smooth resistance to tilt, and another configuration could conceivably do all sorts of things with it.

If this isn't the wave of the future, I don't know what is.  It's kind of an *OF COURSE* that the controller should be able to convey tactile information back to the player - and Rumble is only the very first tiny step towards that.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Zelda Orchestrated?

« on: April 20, 2005, 02:58:18 PM »

Orchestrated - do you mean officially or unofficially?

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: April 16, 2005, 08:29:36 AM »

Awww I was hoping that was a new trailer!

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: April 12, 2005, 06:08:23 PM »

I wouldn't imagine full-body motion would be a basis for an entire system/control interface, either.

After all, Nintendo is all for MORE accessable control and gameplay.  Little kids wouldn't have the same ability to swing Link's sword as more mature people with longer/faster arms - that much alone would dissuade Nintendo from such a system.

As such, although I do believe that the Revolution controller will incorporate limited bodily motion as some form of control, I think we can rule out any full-fledged bodily control of the sort that would actually allow you to puppeteer the action on-screen.  And I doubt that the upcoming Zelda will be forward-compatible with new Revolution features, seeing as the Revolution probably won't be finalized by the time Zelda comes out.

As for Revolution Zelda... well, to use a generic example, say the bodily control is in the form of an xy tilt-'n-tumble plane - tilt forward, back, left, right.  The whole idea is to enhance the intuitiveness of control.  So I picture it being used in place of an analog stick - probably as the main motion control device.  I would assume both Gamecube analog sticks would remain present on the controller for the sake of compatibility - and having 3 analog controls accessible at one time would be useful (5 if you count the shoulders).

In addition to the tilt-'n-tumble sensor, another cool thing would be a torque sensor (a little more far-fetched).  Basically, any semi-rapid motion twisting the controller left or right would register as an analog input (by the rapiditidy of said motion).  Zelda usage: camera swing.  Want to see left, twist quickly to the left and you get a quick camera swing - unfortunately, this presents various problems of it's own.  Hey, this is fun - conjecture is an enjoyable pastime.

Or maybe there's just a gyroscope right in the middle of the controller - not only does it stabilize the controller so that it's easier to keep it in an upright position without accidentally tilting it, but it provides a mechanism for force feedback.  Has this been suggested yet?  It can offer varying resistance to tilting the controller - a classic example would be in a racing minigame, trying to turn the wheel, the farther it goes, the harder it is.  In a fishing minigame, when you're casting, the resistance goes down so the cast feels faster - when you're reeling in, resistance goes up, as you're fighting the fish.  Obviously, it's not going to actually stop you from turning it, but it gives you an intuitive cue of tension and resistance in the on-screen physical action.

In Zelda, during horse-riding, the resistance would increase when you try to "rein back", whereas there would be little resistance to tilting the controller forward.  All controlled by the speed of the gyroscope, which would have to be very light for its speed to be able to be changed in a small fraction of a second.  In battle, when you receive a hit from a moblin sword, resistance goes up exponentially to any direction but back, away from the screen, until you recover - this lets you "feel" the impact of the hit, and the direction of the character's motion.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: April 10, 2005, 12:55:10 PM »

Yes, I support the opinion that the 3-D Zelda's have so far been better than the 2-D ones.

I enjoyed LttP alot, and LA was great, but I can't say either of the aforementioned have the same charm and overall gooditude that OoT/MM had.  And I didn't even really enjoy the first two Zeldas, to tell you the truth.  WW was more like the 2-D ones than the 3-D ones, in terms of overall "how the game plays" factor (and I don't mean during battle or anything,  just what happens during the game and what the experience is like) except with less cool stuff to do.

31

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: March 30, 2005, 01:50:27 PM »

Finally, we're off the voice-acting subject man was that boring

Anyway, I've never had a problem with Zelda's being similar to each other.  I mean... it's a series.  I don't expect anything radically different.  The reason series' are so popular is the element of continuity - it's a feeling you get from playing a game that follows and has features from a previous one, that you don't get with one-shot games.  And it's not boredom.  But anyway, that's why Zelda is so popular - it IS something of a formula, and it's a good forumla

I really need to play Minish Cap... to convince myself that it's not the most idiotic premise for a game I've ever heard.  I know enough not to knock it til I've played it (there are those who think Mario Sunshine is an idiotic game... !!! so I won't be too quick to judge) but I can't help feeling that a talking hat and shrinking and tiny gnomes are simply unfit to be the basis of an entire game.

Anyway, looking forward to the new Zelda - hopefully there will be some new info soon, I can't keep watching this trailer forever (I mean, it's not even really that pretty, graphically... I just watch it for the gameplay )

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: March 27, 2005, 03:18:14 PM »

Guess we'll just have to wait and see if it's true or false

Whether the interview happened or not, there seems to be some evidence that is nearly impossible to call a coincidence... good thinking on the trident thing.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: March 22, 2005, 04:18:50 PM »

It's looking to me like the Loz'05 field is just the new WW ocean...

After all, it uses the same engine - you can see the same hazing effects and architecture in the distance, billowing clouds, lightning, that's all part of WW's loading and traveling scheme.  Personally, I've always been extremely fond of "hub" system from MM and OoT

I just don't see the WW system working on land.  Unless there's a major modification, or there is some already in place capability that allows the engine to deviate from the "squares" concept into a more free-form, unstructured collection of themed areas/towns/etc, then I think it really wouldn't work out.  The 2D Zeldas got away with it because the screen was rectangular by nature.  WW got away with it, and barely, because of the incredibly cool although tedious water-travel system - it was their solution to forming land-masses and it was pretty lame but acceptable because every island had something relatively cool on it, which made up for the fact that the overworld as a whole was extremely lame.

There's no ocean in between the areas on land, so it's not allowed to be lame on the whole and just have interesting little tiny bits spaced uniformly.  And that's why I have no idea what kind of overworld system they're going for

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Mario 128 early 06 with a fixed camera - EGM

« on: March 14, 2005, 01:49:37 PM »

Man, Mario Sunshine sure was great, wasn't it?

I wouldn't mind another game using the Mario Sunshine engine, at all!  It was fun

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: March 14, 2005, 01:44:10 PM »

I know what you mean by being alone in WW - most of those NPC's were not exactly the most interactive or exciting you could imagine.

But I still would rather not see a lonely-style Zelda.  I mean, that's Metroid territory, and I love Metroid (mostly... couldn't finish MP2:Echoes, just wasn't fun enough) but the Zelda series has become more and more interaction-oriented, to the point that it's just part of the Zelda experience now.  Not much of it in the original, then increasing up til OoT/MM where NPC interaction was a vital part of the gameplay experience and really fleshed out the gameworld with colorful characters and interactions.

A lonely Zelda is by nature a continually serious Zelda.  Of course there are always lonely stretches and sections - but the world of Zelda is a populated one.

And I feel like bringing this up for no reason, but I really dislike it when people say Zelda is "about a boy facing dangerous adventures."  Yeah, it's about a boy, and dangerous situations, but that phrase and its variants make me think of a lot of really bad movies from the 90's.  Zelda has never really been about Link - Link is there really only as a stand-in for you, and his age is largely a non-factor.  I don't know what Zelda's about, but I wish there were a better way to make the point that it's supposed to be humorous and light-hearted without in the process saying that it's campy, kitsch, flippant, and of little account to itself.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Legend of Zelda: 2005 Official Discussion

« on: March 13, 2005, 08:03:49 AM »

It really doesn't look like a "Sidequest" type of game to me.

I mean, it's "the spiritual successor to OoT."  Hyrule castle is there.  The world seems to be vast.  There are roving armies of Moblins everywhere.  It just doesn't add up to be a sidequest (as MM or Link's Awakening are sidequests).  It looks more to me like it will be even less of a sidequest than WW was, even though it takes place directly afterwards.

Yeah, I hope they don't abandon the great town/social aspects that were present in OoT - after all, it IS the spiritual successor.  WW didn't have enough NPC interaction for my tastes, although it had more than for example LttP.

37

Nintendo Gaming / RE: LOZ: 2005

« on: March 11, 2005, 11:20:41 AM »

There are also dogs following Link around in one of the screenshots I've seen - seems to me like they're just an evolved form of the same concept behind the pigs in WW.

I see what you mean about the moon, from that screenshot.  I'm going to say it's 50/50 that they're significant, rather than just random.  They certainly don't look unintentional, but I wouldn't say it's out of the question.

I hope there won't be an ocean of land in this new one like there was the ocean in WW.  The ocean was fun... as a concept for a single LoZ game, same as MM was fun for a single LoZ game.  I like the idea of some substantial riding/exploring, but I wouldn't want the kind of massive overworld WW had, where the world was made of little pieces that are connected by vast stretches of boring.  OoT's overworld I'd say had the right proportion of size to content: add more significant towns/dungeons/areas accessible from the overworld, then the overworld should be of a size to accomodate it.

As for the battle system, I guess I'll be the first in this thread to say that the horse-back battles look fairly lackluster, at least visually.  The way the steeds collide is not terribly convincing, and the lack of detail on the plain they are generally riding over is somewhat suspicious.  Big flashes of red light don't really improve the situation.  The enemies themselves don't seem to take much interest in Link besides crowding around him and punctiliously swiping at him.  I'm sure it will be fun, though.

I don't really have any doubts that it will be a beautiful game visually, have amazing music (maybe they can find a better soundset this time - GC must be able to hold larger samples?), and will be a blast to play.  My only concerns are about everything else.

Someone else commented that they like how a Zelda game is one that really doesn't take itself too seriously.  While I agree to an extent, I think that Zelda can be extremely serious about itself at times, to great effect, because at other times it can be a great, relaxed and humorous experience.  That's the beauty of it - Ocarina of Time captures the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation, humor, and "epicness" that a huge faction has craved ever since its release, and has only been equaled/paralleled in that time by games like Skies of Arcadia and... uh, Skies of Arcadia is my only example of a game that can equal OoT in vibe, but I've heard good things about plenty of PS2 games.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:LOZ: 2005

« on: March 10, 2005, 06:12:48 PM »

Guys -

Isn't it obvious that that golem-like figure is the Deku tree, in one if his many avatars?

I can't say I was impressed by the outdoor graphics, but the indoor ones were great .  Not that the graphics make too much of a difference to me in this case (or in any case) - what I'm really excited about is that the game looks like it might have a PLOT.  Imagine that?!  Link to the Past and Wind Waker were both great games, but both of them had stories but not really plots.  I'm a plot guy .  My two biggest heuristics for game-appraisal are

#1 Vibe
#2 Plot

and everything else comes after that.  So obviously I'm very excited about this new LoZ - OoT had the copious amounts of excellent vibe and plot (actually MM wasn't so bad in the vibe department either), WW, had the gameplay, and I think this will be the best of both worlds, with something new in the mix.

I wish Nintendo would release more factual details, though - I want an interview!  Tell us about the new multi-faceted battle system give us some shots of Link in a town or engaging in some pleasant, cheerful gameplay hey, you could even harp on about the graphics engine if you really want, just talk to us about it!  And in the meantime let's speculate.

Definitely Deku Tree.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Mario 128/WW2 at E3

« on: January 29, 2004, 12:20:22 PM »

Just so you all know, those screens *are* fake.  The creator himself admitted it... he posted on the OCR forums.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Ideas for the next Super Smash Bros.

« on: January 09, 2004, 04:56:00 PM »

I'm sure your ideas are great, Saturn.  But Nintendo has their own ideas.  They have focus groups; they have professionals.  I'm not *SURE* Nintendo wants your ideas; but that's open to interpretation.  It's cool that you have them and are sharing them, though.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Gamecubes Graphics

« on: December 23, 2003, 01:13:07 PM »

The specs don't matter because the software is developed individually for each system, as opposed to the universal PC software that can harness any graphics card you may have (as long as it's supported... but most current ones are).  Still, correct and straight-forward specs can give you an idea of the capability of the console; one console cannot necessarily be made to perform the same functions as another, so the specs aren't totall irrelevant.

And to whoever said that DirectX was easier than OpenGL...

42

Nintendo Gaming / RE:A realistic Zelda afterall?

« on: October 26, 2003, 01:48:22 AM »

I don't know about you, but I don't really like dungeons all that much.  Yeah, some are fun, but some are just boring.  I don't care if the next LoZ is cel-shaded or not, but what I do want is for there to be more of a plot.  WW was a small step in the right direction.  I am much more interested in playing through the plot as it unfolds (plot-based scenarios) than seeing a plot element, and then playing through a bunch of dungeons to get to the next element.  Not "Gannondorf captures Princess Zelda, go do 3 dungeons and come back later to see what happens." but "Gannondorf captures Princess Zelda.  He's imprisoned her at his secret fortress in the bottom of the ocean.  Invade and take over a Moblin submarine.  Then navigate the submarine to the underwater fortress.  On the way down you see a Zora being chased by a HUMONGOUS shark.  Save the Zora; etc".  A sequence like that is way more interesting than 3 dungeons.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Music in games....(again)

« on: July 28, 2003, 05:23:35 PM »

YES!  Go to OverClocked ReMix!  Not only is it home to some of the best ReMix artists, it's also a great online community, where you can learn a lot about ReMixing music, but even more about composing and sequencing in general!  In fact, I suggest you get an account on the forums and go to the forums and go to the Works in Progress board and listen to and comment on "Metroid - Fly Away" by Rellik right now!

If you want suggestions, I hate to give them since I don't want to turn you off from any, but I'd suggest McVaffe and Analoq and lots of other people who I'm too tired to post right now... like SGX, and DJP, and GLL, and DarkeSword...

And... me... I'll be good enough someday, you can count on that .

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Nintendo Gaming / Baten Kaitos = Gamecubes answer to Final Fantasy???

« on: July 25, 2003, 01:47:02 AM »

I think it's cool that we're getting a high-poly, not super-deformed RPG.  I mean, those are cool, but if EVERYTHING was super-deformed, then it would be kind of boring.  And it looks great... I just wish that the worlds were a little better, they look like they were made with as little polygons as possible.  That and the battle system looks awesome!

I really do think this is GameCube's answer to the newer Final Fantasies.

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Nintendo Gaming / Zelda RPG

« on: June 07, 2003, 12:51:31 PM »

I think the world of Zelda could make for a great MMORPG/MMOA/A (action/adventure).  Especially the Wind Waker world... a bunch of boat sailing around :-D except there would have to be bigger islands, cuz interacting with other people on boats would be kind of boring, but it's still a cool picture.  I think it would be cool if the sequel, you know, now that everything is gone except for Outset Island, would take place as an MMORPG, with customisable characters, and the premise basically would be explore and discover a new world, (of course there would be some cool mysterious plot or something).  If it would be an MMORPG, it would have to have experience points, otherwise there's no point to a MMORPG.

Or not...

I'd really like to see an MMORPG take full advantage of how freaking COOL they could make it be.  A gigantic, mysterious, world, some parts sunny with people running everywhere, some parts misty with just you and a few party-members.  Ragnarok Online came close... the IDEA of PSO came pretty close (just watch that opening video... the whole mist and trees thing and the different characters "HUmar... RAbo..." or whatever, coupled with the music, and then that climax at the end only marked by an intense swellling of the strings).

But this was about a Zelda RPG, right?  Yeah, cool idea.

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Nintendo Gaming / Your thoughts on the Wind Waker ending (major spoilers!! Do not read unless you have already beaten the game!!)

« on: April 13, 2003, 06:23:41 AM »

I wouldn't say the ending is perfect, but I will say I think it and the final boss battles were pretty awesome.  You actually had to think on the marionette guys (well, at least the first one... and the second one, although I immediately figured out to use the reflection because I had tried that earlier on the big monkey guy, but that's still a really cool strategy to have to use.  The third guy was all sharpshooting though... ).

The final boss, as in Gannondorf himself, was COOL, just not all that hard.  I like how he said "I coveted that wind, I supposed"... makes him seem more human, but then you get to see that although he IS human, he's still fantastically evil and crazed.  The actual fight was cool... everything had the perfect atmosphere.  But the actual hitting him/letting Tetra zap him/reflecting it thing was a little off.  I would've liked to see one final change in gameplay.  As in, I think it would've been REALLY awesome to have a one-on-one all-out fight, no secret strategy or anything.  But here's what would make it REALLY cool:  when he attacks you, he would like dash over to you like he did when he stole your triforce-part, and then slow motion would ensue with you dodging each of his blows (or at least attempting... even in slow motion, it would take precision) and then attempting to hit him while he's recovering (which would be a very small window).  Any time he does something, as in, whether he blocks, or he slashes, or he jumps, it would go into slow motion.  The controls would be adapted to the slow motion, as in, it would be automatic L-Targeting during these segments, and instead of using normal jump and backflip moves, these are now sort of dives, as in, dive to the side with a quick recover, and instead of backflip it would be a back-lean, allowing the blade to go over you... now that would be a perfect boss battle.

When the king says "I have scattered the seeds for the future" I think he meant that when he wished for hope, he had spared Link and Tetra/Pirates and Medli and the Korok and Komali and all them.  Apparently he spared everyone on Outset Island too.  Anyway, I think that's what he meant... probably they just go off exploring and seeing what's left and planting trees to make new land and over time they form Hyrule again.

Oh, and that last dungeon was pretty awesome concise.

47

TalkBack / Lieberman Talks Videogame Violence... Again

« on: April 10, 2003, 04:10:09 PM »

Hah... once again, I say Lieberman is good to be thinking about this.

He has points... although, from our standpoint, it seems like he's being stupid, I think he does have points.  If studies show something, then there's some validity to it... think what you want, but there's not just some guy somewhere who makes up these studies.

Why do people not actually listen to what he has to say?  Just go to that last link, the Daily Radar's interview with Lieberman.  He's probably wrong, but it's good to be concerned, and he is not advocating that video games are bad for you and everyone who plays them must be either juvenile delinquents or screw-ups who failed college because they were too drunk.

Doesn't it annoy anyone that nobody is really listening to what he has to say?  Don't be so defensive... it's not like he's accusing you of anything, and you don't have to lash out at him.

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TalkBack / Lieberman Talks Videogame Violence... Again

« on: April 10, 2003, 01:34:55 PM »

Hey, I like Lieberman...

And I guess now you see what it's like to be on this side of a controversy?  Oh well... next time I see him, I'll talk to him about it.

Next time I see him... oh well.

Some level-headed person needs to gather together the general sentiment and make it visible, and make it actually make a difference.  A hacker, maybe?  You know, take over some site... that seems to be the best way.  Or you could do something legal like make your own site, but the message is confined by how many visitors you can get.  Sending e-mails doesn't help... that gaggle of blitches over at MAVAV don't even answers letters if they don't like them.

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Nintendo Gaming / The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker General Help

« on: April 07, 2003, 12:03:20 PM »

There are places where they will respond.  The easy way is to go to the place where you get the ... um, let's just say the Ice place, so go there, and drop in the hole where the wind is blowing.  Unfreeze the darknut, get the knight's crest.

Or, you could try shark island.  That takes longer, but more crests per try.

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Nintendo Gaming / A deeper meaning to a name?

« on: April 06, 2003, 08:16:26 AM »

Tetra?  The name isn't that way for meaning, it's that it SOUNDS similar to something...

It would be a spoiler, so I won't say it.