Messages

526

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Dongle not available in stores?

« on: October 19, 2005, 07:17:45 AM »

What no one has internet access and can't order online?

Anyway that dongle is going to be a ripoff.  

A wireless router is $20 with a rebate and the Best Buys and Circuit Cities and CompUSAs have these deals every week.  

that USB dongle dealio is going to be at least $20.  

So cry me a river.  Do yourself a favor and pickup a wirless router.  

527

Nintendo Gaming / Time names Revolution 1 of New Things that will blow your mind!

« on: October 17, 2005, 03:34:23 PM »

Hey this is good hype for Nintendo!!!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1118338-2,00.html  

528

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Mario Baseball

« on: October 14, 2005, 01:59:03 PM »

Actually judging from the sales numbers I guess there was lots of love.  Just not alot on this site.  

I was just playing that barrel mini-game again with a bud.  It's darn addicting.  Reason:  Almost every game comes down to the wire because one good shot can make or break you.  

529

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Battalion Wars: Looks like a riot!

« on: October 10, 2005, 04:11:55 PM »

Yeah I filled up a couple of those bunkers.  Not sure about arty placement.  I fianlly finished it when I left my assault guys back by the capture pt and mopped up guys that made it to the flag like you said.  I also stopped targeting guys cause the capture pt would get in the way and make it impossible to get a target.  

I don't know had a problem on that mission.  The next couple have been fairly easy with at most a couple of retries mostly cause I'm too slow as I look to heal my guys and group 'em together.

530

Nintendo Gaming / Mario Baseball

« on: October 10, 2005, 07:21:16 AM »

Where's the love?

This is a very enjoyable title.  IT's a fun party game and it's fun single player as well.  A couple of the minigames are a blast to play with a friend.  The homerun one and especially the barrel game.  

IT's my kind of game because it's easy to pick up and play yet has depth and lots of room to get better.  And it also sports a very smooth frame rate, lots of polish all around and let's you play a quick baseball game.

 You know I like that the game just gets down to the nitty gritty.  You aren't sitting their watching your guys walk from the dugout.  You aren't waiting for the game to switch back to the pitcher view after the opponent gets out or gets on base.  It's quick.  

I like sports games but some of them just drag the game out but showing too much extra details.  Tiger Woods and Madden come to mind.  This game is just good pure arcade fun.  Unless you'remaking a career out of sport gaming this is the title to play.

The animations are great.  The hitting is fun and same with pitching.  The fielding, throwing and running isn't as fun as noted in many reviews.  However I think most of them exagerate the annoyances.

[joeposh]

531

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Battalion Wars: Looks like a riot!

« on: October 10, 2005, 07:02:04 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: joeposh
I enjoy this game alot... but it's hard as hell in my opinion. The first 3 missions are pretty simple but then the difficulty suddenly ramps up significantly. It can be rather aggrivating, but when you do finally succeed it's a great feeling.

Yeah I pretty much agree here.    

Man that Sand Dunes mission really pissed me off.  The one where you guard the fortress and they bail form copters on the beachead.  20 tries later and I finally passed it.

I finally just sat next to the capture pt with my assault guys and killed the enemy soldiers without using targeting.  This technique kept them from lowering the flag.  Targeting was just next to impossible when the enemy was at the capture pt because it would always target the capture pt.

The game sorta plays itself you know.  The whole put your guys in cover and move your arty to strategic pts is a bit lost on me.  IT's hard to give orders.  And it's hard to tell if cover is helping your guys or not.  

You never quite get the sense you really have anything under control or that you really know what you are doing.  

The game is pretty polished tho.  Frame rate is smooth.  

I think the key is just hit start alot and look at the overhead map and use that interface to switch to what troops you want and to get a heads up on where to move your troops.

532

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Nintendo and it's philosophies

« on: October 04, 2005, 09:50:58 AM »

Nintendo is making the classic controller shell not because they don't think their controller will have enough functionality or anything, but to give consumers a choice and developers a choice.  

I think is the best of both worlds and a bridge to getting the horse&buggy crowd to try the new controller.    

[Ian Sane]

533

Nintendo Gaming / RE:New Miyamato interview (with new info!)

« on: October 03, 2005, 04:47:26 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane

The SDK comment suggests to me something fairly similar to the "2 or 3 times as powerful" comment.  Ideally shouldn't a new console be enhanced enough that using the previous console's SDK just isn't going to work out well?  Wouldn't you end up with games that look like they're on the Cube?  It suggests to me that the launch games are going to look pretty dated or the console itself isn't much more than a Cube with a new controller.

Well they make games on the pc all the time for future hardware.  Half LIfe 2 on the pc was in development for 6 years before it was released.  When it was released it looked state of the art.  It ran on the newest APIs and needed the newest hardware to run good at it's best look.  

Same thing with making a Rev game on a Cube development platform.  It will run slower and/or not look as good when you're developing it.  YOu might take out shadows and AA and AF and various lighting effects while you're testing it on a old platform or again maybe you leave them in and test out at lower frame rates.  When the Revolution kit comes you put all of flick a switch and put all these effects back in.  

This kind of thing is done all the time on the pc to let new games run on old hardware.  IT works in the opposite way too.  

Alot of the new hardware is just about adding various lighting effects to games to make them look better.  

YOu can also make your games with really nice textures but use low res versions in testing until you get the real hardware.  

534

TalkBack / RE:G4 Interview with Iwata Reveals New Details

« on: September 30, 2005, 06:38:15 PM »

MS came along and lost $4 bil bringing the xbox to market.  Nintendo never could have afforded to compete on those terms.

What's funny is that you all bitching about Nintendo will buy a Revolution.  You know it.  lol.  

 

535

TalkBack / RE: G4 Interview with Iwata Reveals New Details

« on: September 29, 2005, 01:18:16 PM »

Why are some of you all entirely too dense to  understand that tilting left or right can each be a function?  Did ya not see the video where the 'chic' is flicking the controller up in a controlled manner to simulate jumping?  

Does that not show you the possibilities that many functions won't need buttons and won't be 'tiring.'

You can also tilt the controller up or down.  You can zoom in and out by moving the controller closer/farther away from the TV.  

Do you somehow think these things will be too difficult?  I mean you use the argument that it only has two buttons to make it look easy to use, but then you use the opposite argument to explain the gryo functions.  So Nintendo makes it look easy to use with the buttons but the gryo will be too difficult for their intended audience?

Has Nintendo not used gryos in GBA games?  Was that stuff not easy to use?  

Did you read up on the gyro technology in 3d mice that have existed on the market for years?  Those mice are capable of mapping keys to gestures.  And they do it accurately.  I'll find a link to a review of one.  The company that makes 'em is the company Nintendo licensed the technology from 4 years ago.

Mapping gestures is a matter of good software.  You've seen how controls in games depend on how the game interprets your movements.  HOw some games have really tight controls and others have really loose controls.  So current controllers aren't immune to bad controls.

And the way the software interprets control movement in 3d space is the same as in 2d space except you've got that extra dimension to deal with.  

So a 3d controller will really be no different.  It's up to the developer to make responsive accurate controls.  The hardware technology is there.  IT's up the developer to play with the controller and find the right limits for each gryo function.  IT's a matter of playtesting just like before.

The power to detect simple motions such as shaking the controller or waving it in a small circle are entirely possible to accurately do.  You're just detecting movement in 3d space instead of 2d.  

Anyway none of you naysayers seems to address this extra functionality the Revolution does have.  You just choose to ignore it I guess and live in your own little world.  Your brains can translate from button to motion.  Thankfully NIntendo totally see this.

Come on use your imagination.      

[Ian Sane]

536

TalkBack / RE:G4 Interview with Iwata Reveals New Details

« on: September 29, 2005, 06:41:42 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane


The Rev controller's big flaw is that it removes existing functionality.  They just went from seven buttons to TWO.  

?

Come on now.  There are two buttons on the left controller.  There's the big A button on the remote along with the trigger.  That's 4.  YOu also have a select and a start button.  So that's 1 extra button than before.  That's 5.  Plus lower on the remote is a&b or x&y.  That's 7.   Sure those are out of the way but they can be used for functions like switching to a map or something.

Then of course you utterly and completely ignore the additional functionality built into the Revolution controller.  The gryo stuff can map functions to hand gestures.   The number of buttons here is beyond 7 in and of itself.  The Revolution can also sense how close/far the controller is from the TV.  

So I really wish people wouldn't be so narrow minded.  Quit playing games for awhile and look around.  There's a whole world out there.  
 

537

Reader Reviews / RE: Killer7

« on: September 29, 2005, 06:32:48 AM »

I couldn't get into this one.  IT has style tho.  

538

Reader Reviews / RE: Advance Wars: Dual Strike

« on: September 29, 2005, 06:30:11 AM »

Great game!  Reminds me of playing Civ2 on the pc.  

I use the touchscreen controls.  They work good tho it's clear to me that the game was designed around the d-pad and buttons first and the touchscreen controls added on top of it later.

I like the touchscreen for selecting different units and looking at their firing ranges on the map.  You can do so instantly.    

 

539

NWR Feedback / RE: Pop-ups are one thing...

« on: September 28, 2005, 06:35:41 PM »

Alright thanks for the tips.   Between the blockers and the 4 or 5 anti-spyware programs  I downloaded it disappeared.  NOt sure what ultimately did it in but so far so good.  

540

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Geist 2 for Revo?

« on: September 28, 2005, 06:30:43 PM »

Geist had enough in it that it made you yearn for what could have been but wasn't.

 

541

TalkBack / RE: G4 Interview with Iwata Reveals New Details

« on: September 28, 2005, 02:43:31 PM »

I'm totally behind Nintendo's strategy.  

New controller.  Hell yeah.  FPS heaven.  It just blew the lid open on a crate full of new ideas.  Fresh blood for aging titles.  The technology really sounds like its there too.

Going to 3rd party developers and showing them the controller and showing them how they could use it in their games?  A great PR move.  Folks have been saying NIntendo has showed them more than ever before earlier than ever before.  It sounds to me like Nintendo now realizes the importance of a good relationship with 3rd party developers.

The controller will help them attract owners of other consoles.  What 360 fanboy will touch the Revolution first?  But how many might down the road have to give it a try just because it's a unique way to play games?  

On top of it Nintendo shows, with their Revolution controller marketing video, that they know how to market this thing.  I thought the video was just brilliant.  

Nintendo won't have hi-def.  But they'll do 480p.  And at that resolution they will have as much power as their competitors.  Considering the vast majority of consumers don't have hdtv this is a very reasonable move.  

And this time Nintendo will have online support.  AT no cost.

PLus their console will be considerably cheaper.

I am a fairly hardcore pc fps gamer and I have to tell you this new controller is like a dream come true.  So when folks wonder if Nintendo is catering toward the hardcore I have to say that they are.  This controller shows it.  Iwata has mentioned Western FPS games many times in his speeches.  Nintendo has woken up in this regard too.  They are admitting there is a difference in the Western gaming market and their controller is positioned to cater to that difference - the fps game!


 

542

NWR Feedback / RE:Pop-ups are one thing...

« on: September 28, 2005, 07:39:54 AM »

Dear PGC,

I love your site and I understand you guys need to advertise to pay the bills.   But recently a very annoying ad pops up when I visit your site.  It is for Winfix.  I click 'x' to close it and what does it do?  It opens a new webpage.  I close that and another popup appears.  I close that.  And up pops another webpage again.  

This is absolutely and totally annoying.  It does this at virtually every step thru reading and replying to messages in your forums.  

This happens with Firefox.  IT has become so annoying I stopped visiting your site.  

I did find a workaround tho.  I switched to IE just for your site and the annoying ad doesn't appear.  But it's annoying to have to use this browser for only your site.

I know ad-aware and spybot detect winfix as spyware and supposedly delete it.  But it always comes back and its always linked to your site.  

PLease get rid of this extremely annoying advertisement.  

Thank you,

PGC fan.  

543

TalkBack / RE:G4 Interview with Iwata Reveals New Details

« on: September 28, 2005, 06:53:45 AM »

In the interview Iwata said the nunchuck expansion is particularly aimed at Western customers and fps games.

I think this is for the hardcore.

544

Nintendo Gaming / RE: lol he told us way back when

« on: September 26, 2005, 09:28:09 PM »

What you're missing is Miyamoto and Nintendo have used this philosophy (the example in the quote) for all their games for the last 20 years or so.  

This isn't some new vision they've come up with because of the Revolution controller.  

The controller will perhaps enhance this vision, but it will not change it.

That quote is merely an example of 'doing' vs. 'watching'.

Another example in Wind Waker is just like the lever example.  You pressed a button to grab a block and then used the controller to move the block instead of just pressing a button to move a block.   It's the same example as the lever.

It's not the central focus of Wind Waker but these are the subtle gameplay mechanics Nintendo seems to be famous for.  IT's that extra layer of interactivity which makes you feel more like you are doing the task instead of watching it being done.   Interactive vs passive.  Videogame vs movie.  

545

Nintendo Gaming / RE: lol he told us way back when

« on: September 26, 2005, 08:40:09 PM »

I think that quote is just him saying he doesn't want to make context sensitive games.  You know where the screen says press A to jump.  Then you watch a cutscene of your guy jumping.  


In his mind and Nintendo's mind you're the hero.  So you should do the action with the controller.  

There's a degree of interactivity he wants to maintain because that it what makes the videogame medium unique.

546

Nintendo Gaming / RE: So is Nintendo stupid enough to make the controller use normal, non-rechargable batteries?

« on: September 25, 2005, 10:05:12 PM »

Yeah I just don't think Nintendo wants to deal with consumers saying their batteries are charged so how come your controller doens't work?  IT's not my batteries it's your controller.  So they say alkalines only.

[BigJim]

547

Nintendo Gaming / RE:So is Nintendo stupid enough to make the controller use normal, non-rechargable batteries?

« on: September 24, 2005, 04:11:11 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: BigJim
Rechargable AA's with a dock (if you don't already have a charger) seems like the best of both worlds. A custom pack that can't be easily replaced or swapped out on the fly would be the real annoyance, IMO.

No doubt.  I use rechargeable AAs in my Wavebird.  I don't see the big deal here.

[KDR_11k]

548

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Controlling Shooters on Revolution. A Thesis

« on: September 24, 2005, 04:08:32 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
relative means that it's like an analog stick, holding it in one position keeps the velocity constant. With absolute controls holding it in one position will keep the position constant.

Triplex: Context sensitive controls are annoying. RABicle already said it'd use a dual dpad (or one dpad and one analog if you use only one rod) setup for rough movement and the gyros for shooting things.

It's not context sensitive.  IT's a shift key.  

Anyway you need the gryos and the remote for looking around.  The whole moving arm and moving gun separately controls needs to be mapped to a shift key so you can use the remote to look around.  

You just haven't thought this out enough imo.  

[KDR_11k]

549

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Controlling Shooters on Revolution. A Thesis

« on: September 23, 2005, 02:33:09 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k

Triplex: Why would you want to hold it in that position? You could hold it anywhere you like as long as it points where you want the shots to go. And if you want them to go somewhere behind you, that's fine.

Well the pt was your going to get your arm/wrist into some funky positions.  I'm merely trying to illustrate that moving the remote and tilting  it in certain directions is just not going to work in certain positions.  

Also I don't think you've worked out how you look around in the 3d world yet if you have this kind of setup.  Maybe I missed that part.  



Anyway I much rather just have the simple and intuitive ability to look around freely in a 3d world.

But hey I could see this happening if say it's used in conjunction with a shift key.  HOld down the big 'A' button and suddenly moving the remote in 3d space moves your arm(gun) in the 3d game world.  And not your view pt.  YOur viewing angle is temporarily frozen.



 

[RABicle]

550

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Controlling Shooters on Revolution. A Thesis

« on: September 23, 2005, 06:24:04 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: RABicle
Clearly you are.
Put it this way, there's nothing wrong with Nintendo's current approach. But it doesn't do nything that couldn't be done before. Frankly Nintendo have to jsutify this motion sensing controller by giving us ways to play our games and things to do in these games that we coudln't do before. In my scheme it would be possible to shoot on the left side of the screen while you're turning right. Under my scheme you could strafe in a straight line while aiming in any direction.

You can't do that in FPS currently, and Nintendo's initial metroid demo can't do that either.

If we can't do new things with a new controller than there is no point.

YOur approach might be an idea worth trying but not anything more than that.  It would be too difficult for most games.  

Think about it.  You'd be aiming awkwardly all the time.   TAke your remote in your right hand and move it up near your left shoulder and then try using your wrist to aim back at the TV.  Have some fun with that one.  IT doesn't work.  

Keep the remote in your right hand and hold it on to your right a bit.  Try aiming at your TV.  Awkward.  Not fun comes to mind.  

For the most part it's going to be setup like the Metroid Demo for fps games.  Like other guys have said it's in the ease of use and fluidity of movement is where this thing will shine.  It will be alot easier to look around 3-d worlds.  This will be the beauty of this controller for 3d games.  The zooming in and out function would be totally natural for 3-d games.  Try it in your living room and see how simple it would be to zoom in and out in 3-d environments!!  Yeah this movement could even be used to move your character forward/backward.  YOu could do all that with one hand.  

This doesn't mean this controller won't be used for new things.  Some of what you are talking about could be used in games.  But it will have to be more thought out.