Kush

Support SHOULD be a given. It's not. At ALL. The SC is being humble, and that's cool, but I have to say, of all the games I play, BCM is the BEST SUPPORTED period. Bar none. Most... no ALL games should be supported as well as BCM. They are not. When we live in a world when all games ARE supported as well as BCM then I agree, it shouldn't be mentioned in a review. Until that day happens, I think it is a good selling point for the game. To be honest, when I read a game review, I've already made up my mind whether or not I'm going to play the game. The most important thing a review tells me is if the game is buggy, and what kind of support I can expect. The reviews for BCM have, and should tell the public that a) the initial release version is VERY stable whatever issues there are in the release version have been dealt with in patches. This hopefully will encourage people to buy the game. There will be no support for Anacronox. Too bad, great game. There will be no support for Sin. Again too bad. There will be no support for the last Ultima. Too bad. Lots of potential. The list goes on and on. BCM is not on that list, and from what I can tell, it won't EVER be. You can be humble all you want SC! You support BCM the way ALL developers should support their software.

Personally I thought the US team played admirably. I don't think they should beat themselves up too much. But it was real nice to see Canadians playing with such team work and passion and skill. It REALLY didn't look like we could pull it off when we played Sweden, but the team smartened up and played their hearts out. And we didn't have to put anyone's flag on the floor of our dressing room either.

I was going to call this Kush's Review, because I was going to list all of the things I love about this game in a kind of review style... but I won't. There have been enough really spot on reviews detailing what is amazing about this game. And I'd just be preaching to the converted. We all know why we play this game. We all know what Derek has delivered. I'm not going to go over the same territory that everyone else has gone over. I will say this, I would also like to thank the Battlecruiser community, past and present. I'm sure Derek would agree that this game is as much theirs as his. Derek has, very very VERY wisely listened to you all, and you have helped him create a game that delivers a kind of gameplay that no other game has ever delivered before. Ever. This is the most intelligent, interesting game community I have ever experienced. It's a pleasure to jump into the occasional political debate, or even stand on the sidlines, listening to reasoned arguments. You have dedicated your imaginations to creating a vibrant role playing community. Something I have never seen before with any other game that I have played. I have been dying to join, and one day I will, I just need more time, cause when I join, I want to do it right, and really immerse myself. That's what this game has to offer, more than any other space sim out there, a level of immersion that exists on so many levels. I won't go on too much longer. Derek, you should be very proud. I know you. I know your personality. I know you're a perfectionist. Let me guess, right now, you probably have a clearer picture of all the things you would like to do, than all the things you have already done. You and I are very similar. I've said this before, and I will say it again, and I'll keep saying it... reward yourself. It doesn't matter what the reviews say, or what anyone on the forums at VE say, or anyone anywhere on the internet says. You have done it. You have created an incredible peice of software. Reward yourself. Take a vacation. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to feel like you are giving yourself the space and time to honour yourself. I have a hard time doing just that, and I really shouldn't talk, but I don't care. Honour yourself. The multiplayer patch will come. I'm not worried. (I know some of you think I should shut up right now, but multiplayer will happen, and it will fulfill our expectations. Don't worry.) For the past week and a bit, I did just that for myself. I promised myself that for this week in January, I was going to dedicate this time to playing BCM. That was my vacation. That was my reward to myself. And as Real Life beckons, and I return to all the stuff I have to do, I cannot help but think back on the game and feel really greatful of all the hard work put into it. Over the next five months I'm going to be very busy. I will barely have time to check out the forum (a daily ritual) or even play the game. I'll steal moments here and there, but they won't be enough. I'm already preparing my wife for the next BCM fest in a few months. There are soooooo many more planets to explore, resources to mine, ships to upgrade, adventures to live through. And so I just want to say a simple thanks, to Derek, to the community, the vets and yes the Newbies (hey, I was one too ya know!). This is the game I've always wanted. I'll be playing it for many years to come. Thank you. Long live the Commanders, long live the Supreme Commander, long live Battlecruiser Millennium! [ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: Kush ]

Boy do I know how you feel. RL is about to suck me in after next week. I try and resist, but it keeps pulling me back in!

Only XP will recognize that much RAM.

You've got some pretty good genes there Derek! She's adorable, but the old man might need a shave!

Yeah, how's it going?

Jeff: I agree. I've got friends who are addicted to Team Fortress, and CS. I won't approach them. I've got friends who love RTS's and space sims. I've got friends who have no idea that their video card has a driver, and I have friends who change drivers in their sleep. I know a couple of people who I could recommend the game to, and I will. And others I won't. I agree about Hype. I don't think Derek EVER hyped the game into something that it was not. I think he's been very clear that this game is for a very specific crowd, with very specific tastes. But the film world and the game development world are very different in some respects. This week is the first time I've had to really spend quality time with the game, and I have to say that I REALLY wish that other developers realized the potential in this kind of space sim. In the film world, an indie filmaker who uses 16mm, does practically everything by hand and sticks to their vision, are applauded. They are held up. They are often used as an example of what film should be. No one reviewing 'Momento' criticized it's lack of multi-million dollar lighting, or CG effects. No one mentioned that the sound was actually recorded on sub par equipment. And big budget films like 'Pearl Harbour' are eviscerated. And rightly so. In film you can get away with something a little rough around the edges as long as it presents a strong vision and is entertaining. The game world is really different. PS At least I finished Diakatana. I didn't finish Quake II. I couldn't. My GOD that was boring as HELL. 'Flip switch, kill enemies, find door. Rinse repeat.' The final patched version of Diakatana at least made everything work. For the most part.And once the sidekicks were working, they made me laugh on more than one occasion. It wasn't the second coming, but it had attitude, and humour. I would rather pluck my eyes out than finish Quake II.

quote:Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr: Installing the same copy of ANY OS (or any program for that matter, including BCM) on more than one machine is a violation of license agreement. Pure and simple. True. I just wish there was a deal where you could pay a bit less for the second computer, and a bit less for the third, etc. One program I have lets you use the same program on your desktop and your laptop for working away from home. You just pay a little bit more cash, and they give you a code. All I'm saying is to buy a whole other copy gets expensive. But that's the way they want it, so that's the way it is.

Amen Gallion!!! I went with XP home and it's fine. IF you can't afford XP Pro (like me) you'll be fine with Home. I got an oem copy of XP home for $150 Can. I just bought a $10 keyboard at the same time. (I needed a new Keyboard too!) As much as I love the OS, I am still a little PO'd about having to buy a copy for each machine.

Get xp cause it's a great OS. Forget the warnings. There's not going to be a service pack to wait for. The OS auto-updates like a dream. Get XP and get it NOW. As a gamer you'll love the driver roll back. Particularly if you have an Nvidia card. Some older games won't play, but it does come with win 98/95 emulation. So far it's worked for my older games. It's solid. Waaaaaaay more solid than 98 or ME. Really. I don't give a damn what the nervous nellies in on your favourite hardware site say to you. It just works. Yes there's the whole register thing. You'll have to buy one copy for each computer. And yes you have to work a little to get all the cute cuddly stuff out of the way, but it's worth it. Trust me. Big time. Okay, I'm done.

Gavor I don't know if this has already been mentioned. (I haven't read the whole thread, and I'm about to head off to work...) But have you emptied out your system tray? It has a huge effect on system stability in general, and game stability in particular. All games, not just BCM. If you have, please disregard this statement. If you haven't, try completely clearing out your system tray of everything that's not necessary. Just a thought.

You're not alone. But if I'm not mistaken, I remember reading something about 3000AD developing a game for the X-Box, so you may see something in the future.

I felt that the reviewer spent so much time saying that he thought he would love the Roam aspect of the game, and doesn't. What he failed to talk enough about is the campaign mode. He may of liked that better. Sounds to me like he didn't even try it. One of the reasons why I don't read reviews.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

SC.... Go on VACATION! If I see you here on Christmas day... I'm going to your house, I'm packing your clothes, I'm putting two tickets in your hand, and I'm DRIVING YOU to the airport. Then I'm getting on the plane with you, and booking you into the hotel, I'm unpacking your clothes and physically putting your butt on the beach! I will pry your laptop from your hands. Your pager, your palm pilot and any Game boy, or Tamagochi are all gone. You're on your own when it comes to the sun tan lotion. I'm the same as you. I am. I find it impossible to pry myself away from any project I'm working on. But I have decided to take the first week of January totally off. Totally and completely. What am I doing? I'm sitting my ass in front of my computer and playing YOUR game. I have had NO time to play anything for the past three months, and right now, just spending a week, playing BCM, THAT for me is a vacation. One I will totally enjoy. You on the other hand need a vacation away FROM BCM. No playing it. No testing it. No multiplayer code. No NOTHING. I have given my wife the responsibility of smacking me in the head if I mention one word about work. I have instructed her to keep me focused on staying away from work. You should do the same. PS I'm serious about the plane ticket. I might not get to your house, (I got family Christmas stuff to do.) but if what you need is for me to send you a ticket to someplace warm, I'll do it. I swear I will. Push me. Go for it. I'll do it!

Congrats $ilk!!! My wife are itching to have a kid. You just wait. One day our boys'll be duking it out in BCM multiplayer!

You're not alone!!!! I'm just about to go through the same process. Once I finish work on this project over the next couple of days, I'm going to upgrade my MB, Processor, RAM, Operating System (Win XP, here I come!) and Video Card (GF 3 Here I come!) Re-installing software is sooooo much FUN! I've got it down to a science after reformating my HD a few times. Problems still occur. Word to the Wise, it will take much longer than you think. Always. quote:Epsilon 5 5 - TEST your cd after you are done. One good test might be copying the entire cd on your hard-drive, and opening the critical files. You are soooooo right. Always double check. I actually make another backup of my files on Zip disk at the same time. Just in case. Paddy, If you have tons of small, very important files to backup, I'd invest in a Zip drive. The backup size is small and the media expensive, but the reliability is most worth it. If you've got huge files or lots of MP3's, a burner is all you need. A GOOD one. It saves a LOT of time.

If you don't have a Zip, or CD burner, make a double backup of all your critical Data files. And even some files that you don't think are critical. Go over everything twice. Use as many floppies as you need. Once you've reformatted, there's NO WAY OF GETTING ANY INFORMATION BACK. So better safe than sorry. If you invest in a CD burner, SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY! Get a good, solid reliable burner from a high quality company. Plextor is a great name. Don't do what I did! You get a cheap burner, and you pay in lost files and information when the CD you just burned is corrupt.

Nice Job! I was just thinking the exact same thing. Very nice! You may want to make a copy of this post in the brand spanking new "NEWBIE Forum."! [ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: Kush ]

Actually 'How to treat Newbies' is an age old discussion here on the forum. A lot of what you've said has already been said over and over again. Every now and then, either a veteran or Newbie posts about treating newbies better. I've posted in defence of newbies. And I've also treated a few newbies pretty curtly. I think it boils down to two things. A) The game, and the creator have gone through years and years of public flame wars, and some of the games detractors have a habit of getting on this site, and posting crap. I really like the zero tolerance of detractors. That way we can talk about the game more freely and openly than on other sites. The down side is that most of us have a low tolerance for people who post and don't follow the rules. The rules work, and sometimes they have to be enforced, but sometimes it may feel kinda harsh. Don't sweat it. I know for a fact Derek never gets personal. (Cranky perhaps, never personal.) The game is highly technical, and so Newbies actually have A LOT of questions. It's not a shooter. It's the deepest space sim ever. So finding answers to questions is sometimes a bit of a hunt. Most vets will give you a quick RTFM (Read the Fine Manual) if the answer is explained somewhere else. And sometimes some of the real OLD vets will remember a thread that deals with your question and they'll tell you to search the forums. (The big reason why posting in the wrong thread isn't tolerated is because it hurts the search engines ability to archive a thread topic. The search engine on this site is one of the best you'll ever find, and can be used often to find answers to some very common questions.) So if you see a vet get a little testy about a questions s/he's answered a thousand times, it's because s/he's answered the question a thousand times. Kinda like 'How to treat Newbies' It's a subject that has been brought up over and over again. SC has pleaded with us to make sure that we treat newbs with some latitude because he knows he's going to get more players now than ever before. But even with that, we have sometimes (I should only speak for myself) I know I've torn into a Newbie or two. It's happened. I'm not proud of it, but I've done it. I think for the most part we're doing much better, and I think it's fair to raise your concerns, but I like that this site is practically Troll free. I want to keep it that way. And at the same time, Newbs should feel free to ask a question that they haven't found the answer for in the manual, or the FAQ or the search engine. (What that question might be, well, I don't know ) And I also think that there should be a special Forum, just for Newbies, Called Newbie's Corner, or something. A place that basically takes all the Newbie Questions out of all the other threads and puts them in one place. There'll be alot of RTFM's, but there'll also be less RTFM's in other Forums. That's just my .02 Right now, I think we're striking the best balance we can. If you're new to the Forums, try to check the manual, and the FAQ, and the Search engine before you post your qestion. And I'll try and keep my Newbie etiquette up to snuff.

Well, we both agree that we are free to think whatever racsist thoughts we want. Yeah. Break out the champagne. quote:Originally posted by $iLk: If a Klansmen owns a business, and doesn't want to hire blacks (mind you I'm talking about a small business not a corporation.) then I believe that since it is he who forks out the money, it is he who should hire whomever he likes. As much as I doubt a black person would want to work in a small shop run by a Klansman, it's still wrong to stop any person from working in that shop. One thing I haven't approached is the three month probation period. I don't know about in the States, but up here, you can fire someone for any reason in the first three months. After that period, you have to document what they're doing wrong, give them three warnings, then you can fire them. If that Klansman wants to get rid of Shaq in the first three months, fine. Fire him. No questions asked. Just don't meet up with him in an alley afterwards. And as you suggest, large corporations often times have a responsibility to the community, and to the society at large. Employment has a major effect on everything from school taxes, to infrastructure, to the general health and welfare of a community. Coors got into a little trouble a few years ago. Some one in a board meeting tape recorded himself making rascist comments and suggesting that blacks will never get promoted in the Coors company. Someone got a hold of that recording and all hell broke loose. It was a perfect case study in what not to do. Basically if a company the size of Coors decides not to hire people because of their skin colour, it has a much larger effect than the klansman with the hardware store. quote:Originally posted by $iLk: In conclusion to my main thesis, it doesn't matter what color you are as long as you can do the job. But if someone who is equally qualified as a white and happens to be black doesn't get hired, tough luck. If the person doing the hiring says it's because he doesn't like blacks I think that's wrong, but at the same time - if he doesn't say anything about why he didn't hire him and just said, "sorry you aren't hired" the black person shouldn't assume "it's because i'm black". In my personal experience, when someone doesn't get a job that they applied for, and they know their qualified to do, they all look for something to blame. 'They didn't hire me cause I'm black.' 'They didn't hire me cause I'm white.' 'They didn't hire me cause I've got a third nipple.' That's fine. It is totally natural, rational, and legal to blame and rationalize till the cows come home. I think we've all done it, one time or another. (Hell, it's one of the reasons why I started my own company!) It's very rare that someone actually gets upset enough to actually take a company to court. It's even rarer that the person will have enough evidence to try the case successfully. Most discrimination cases have two, to three years of waiting before their even investigated. And when they are, the vast majority are thrown out. If you're terrified that some black guy is going to get you fired cause you didn't hire him, you're wasting your time. And if you're hiring someone because you're scared, you're not doing your job. As I said earlier, in my experience, the real trouble is when two people are pretty well evenly balanced in terms of good/bad qualities. Rarely do you get two people who have exactly the same qualifications. Personally I go on whether the person in front of me seems like a team player. If three months into the project, Bob is capable at his job, but everyone in the office hates his guts, you've got a problem. If you hired Bob because he's white, you made a mistake. If Bob is black, you gotta treat him the same way you'd treat anyone. reprimand him the same way you would any other employee. Now, here's some fuel for your argument. There are times when it is absolutely important to not hire someone because of their race, gender, gender preference etc. I could apply to be a councellor at a rape crisis centre, but I'm not going to get the job. I'm a guy. A straight guy. The last thing on earth a woman who was just raped wants to see. I don't think it would be appropriate right now for Yasser Arafat to apply to work on a kibbutz. And nothing personal $ilk, but if I go to an authentic Japanese restaurant, I don't want to see you waltzing around in a kimono. I don't care how good you think you may look in it. There are some rare cases where your gender, race, etc will exclude you from employment. But these are very few and very far between. And it is better for the economy, better for the general health of the country if we get as many people employed and working as possible. Restricting where people could work based on their race was the old way of doing things, and it wasn't efficient. It didn't work.

Very good point Menchise, thanks for the assist! I can have all the bigoted thoughts I want. I can even express them publicly. If I send a memo saying 'I ain't hiring no homeys, go bling bling someone elses business!' I could get my ass sued. And I should get my ass sued. America USED to be a place where not hiring blacks was the norm. It used to be a place where Lena Horn could entertain hundreds of thousands, but she couldn't walk in the front door of the very theatre she was singing in. It used to be a place where going to school a school in Little Rock meant a black person would have to walk through crowds of people spitting and throwing rocks and racial epithets. It used to be a place where Tiger Woods couldn't play in certain country clubs because of his skin colour. And that wasn't in our parents life time. That was a couple of years ago. I really think we should be moving away from those years. Not back to them. If someone accuses me of rascist hiring practises and I AM rascist, I should be fired. a) You're a legal time bomb waiting to go off. You're counter productive to the organization. You're less able to see if someone is properly skilled. You're not focused on hiring the best person for the job. And that can be deadly to any company. If someone accuses me of rascist hiring practises, even though I know, in my heart, I wasn't being rascist all I can really do is a) Provide all my documents. Give an honest appraisal of why the person wasn't hired. c) Hope for the best. While I was working at another company, a few years ago, someone outside the company accused our boss of being rascist. Everybody, of all colours shapes and sizes rushed to his defense. Everyone had the same story. The boss was demanding, and fair, to everyone, no matter what colour they are. That's what you want. That's what you want your employees saying about you. That's what I want my employees saying about me. I want everyone working to the best of their ability. I want everyone to feel like their contribution to each project is fully appreciated. I'll make mistakes (I've made a couple already and I'm not telling anyone!) but I want people to know that the best is expected of them, and will be appreciated. No matter what colour, gender, gender preference, religion, or race they are. My field is too competitive. I can't afford to turn away a potential Jackie Robinson. I find it hard to believe anyone can. Again, I don't want to sound like I'm on a high horse, cause Canada sure does have it's fair share of problems. (And you'll notice I never mentioned any of them. ) And I don't live in America, but I find it hard to believe that the biggest threat to America right now is Affirmative Action.

quote:Originally posted by $iLk: Kush, please don't infer so much from my posts. What I'm saying is that everyone has a right to their own bigotries. I'm not infering anything from your post. You say that EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO THEIR OWN BIGOTRIES. I disagree. It is not a right to be a bigot. It is actually counter productive, illegal, and down right stupid. Every baseball team in America had, at one point, agreed to not hire blacks in baseball. It was never an official policy, but it may as well have been. Jackie Robinson changed all that. He actually started off his baseball career here in Canada (shameless plug for my country coming, hold on to your hats) The Montreal Royals hired him. And witnessed what was clear to anyone who knew anything about baseball at the time. He was able to play here, without restriction, without worrying about what hotel he could sleep in. Without worrying about what restaurant he was allowed to eat in. Anyone at that time who saw him play knew that he was one of the great players. When he was picked up by the Brooklyn Dodgers it was a HUGE deal in America. Most people thought that black Americans were little more than animals who knew nothing about the complexities of America's favourite sport. Then came, THE CATCH. In one moment, running towards the wall, arm outstreched, he caught a baseball in a way that no one had ever caught a baseball before. It was as if he had calculated the tragectory in his mind in an instant and placed himself where he needed to be. That's how good he was. Anyone who over looked his ability as a ball player, because he was a negro, was a moron. It's true. Now I know I'm standing on a pretty high horse right now, and I shouldn't be. Here in Canada, we treat our native population worse than we treat animals. I know I'm going to stir up a lot of controversy when I say this among our Canuck members, but the Native situation here in Canada is abismal. I really shouldn't talk. There are those who would like you to believe that Natives here in Canada just drink their lives away. That they are stupid. That they are genetically inferior. The fact that we took their land away from them, and left them powerless, with no way of creating self worth, has no bearing on the fact that they feel a hoplessness, and depression that kills their soul. My last girlfriend was from Trinidad. It was an amazing, three year relationship, full of great passion, and incredible pain. The fact that she's black means nothing. It didn't work out. She realized she didn't love me. I realized that I shouldn't still love her. We had issues to resolve, we dealt with them. The woman I married is from my home town. I didn't marry her because I was looking for a white wife, or I was afraid to trust a black woman with my heart, the world just works in funny ways, I met my wife and I am very happy. VERY HAPPY. My ex and I, when we were still together, visited Washington DC once to see a thanksgiving football game. That weekend, I learned a few things. a)Americans love their football almost as much as we Canadians love our hockey. b)West Indian blacks feel sorry for Black Americans. Most West Indian blacks won their freedom from the British, fair and square. I met a Scottish guy once who said that the West Indians have something that most Scots will never know. I don't want to get involved in Scottish Nationalism, (really, as a Canadian, I don't!) but I'm trying to point out that as a West Indian, she felt a strong sense of pride in herself. And her people. And she made it clear that it's something Black American's don't have. She told me, Black Americans have been told for so many centuries that they are sub human, that they are worthless. She doesn't understand it. She doesn't feel that way about herself. She said this is why Colin Powell did so well in America, because his background is West Indian, not American. And what most Black American's need is to be told that they are not genetiacally born to be criminals. That they are not genetically inferior. They're just human beings, with all that being human entails. One thing she made me understand is that it helps no one to tell a group of people that they are genetically inferior to you. For one reason, it's probably not true, and for another reason, it doesn't help them in any way. It doesn't help our native population to simply say, 'Hey, you guys are drunken bastards who live off of us taxpayers.' That does nothing to help the Native community. As a matter of fact, it hinders them. If all you're trying to do with this thread is 'prove' through statistics that black Americans are stupid and lazy, and that people should be allowed to not hire stupid and lazy black Americans, then I don't really have much more to say. In my job I have to hire people all the time. So does my wife. If you don't want to be in a position to hire people, don't get yourself in that position. If you like being in the position to hire people, do it right. Do it legal. Do it fair. [ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: Kush ]

I want to hear why the SC thinks the S3 cards are so great. I'm on the verge of finally being able to afford a GF3. I'm going to get it no matter what the SC says. (Not just for BCM, there are a few games that the GF3 is a good choice for) But I would like to hear why he thinks these other cards are better.