Supreme Cmdr

uhm no, thats is NOT what you said and that is NOT why I pursued it. Here is what you said eight posts ago: quote: Ack...it seems that my saved game is borked somehow. It locks hard regardless of what I'm doing after a certain amount of time reloading.And the ONLY reason I pursued it was to see WHY the saved game would not load as per your It locks hard regardless of what I'm doing after a certain amount of time reloading statement. You said nothing about a shuttle until I got your follow-up email after I sent you back your working saved game and mine. And yes, it was a false report that had nothing to do with the game per se. You have a legacy GF3 (which barely meets the minimum video requirements for the game) and an on-board sound card for which the FAQ has a section about disabling certain sound processing in the event of problems with legacy cards. Any number of issues could be causing your problem and they are completely - as I have found - unrelated to the saved game as I was led to believe. There is no correlation with a certain shuttle's ability to enter a planet. They're just numbers. And no, I have no interest in pursuing your issues any further. Apart from that, this is not the tech support forum.

If you had a crash, then the data that contains the saved game information will probably be trashed. There are no fatal crashes in the game. If you are getting crashes, it is a problem on your end. Please fix your sig properly and enter the rest of the information in your registration profile.

Coming soon to a coast near you. Good thing I still have most of my shutters still up.

quote: Originally posted by richterm: Derek, check your email. The adventure continues. Got your email. Please don't waste my time. I didn't sign up to tool around with stuff going on with your computer. You said you couldn't get a saved game to load. I found NO problems with it - and even saved and sent it back. Now you want me to go back in and fool around with your shuttles? Are you kidding me? [ 09-24-2004, 07:32 AM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

Most of these services have the ability to burn your purchase to CD-ROM for you; so you don't have to download it.

This is what I just sent to you via email, along with your saved game. quote: Hey Marc, I was able to load and play your saved game just fine. In fact, I saved it again after looking around for a few mins. Just extract the attached file into your game folder and see if you can restore either mine or yours. You can also try the resume. I saved to profile0. The saved game you sent was saved to profile2 cheers

Congrats!!! And welcome back

Recently I was in talks with several companies that offer digital distribution for their games and I am close to signing a deal with Trymedia. They power services like AOL's game trial, THQ's Software Direct, IGN's recent Direct2Drive service etc. The reason for this is not only to offer an alternate distribution method for my games and one in which I have 100% control over my product, its revenue etc, but also because it is becoming pointless to waste time signing with publishers and not to mention risky since you increasingly (now more than ever) run the risk of being screwed. This Gone Gold thread to which I contribute (I have posted the entire text below) highlights some of the issues with this as it pertains to indies like me. Of course it would be harder for a startup indie - without financial backing - to up and develop then self-distribute their games, but the fact is a LOT of indies are doing it; albeit on a smaller scale. For e.g. I have a ton of games and apps for my PocketPC - ALL of which I purchased online (and immediately copy to a DVD+RW disk). Companies like Handango thrive on this and making a fortune for themselves and the indies who distribute through them. So what about PC games? Why is it that most gamers are so highly resistant to this method of game distribution, especially now that broadband and CD/DVD writing technologies are so prevalent? When our next three games become available, they will be available online first, before you see (if ever) them in the retail channel. So my question is, are you likely to buy it (or any gamme) online or in the retail channel. What are your reasons for going either way? quote: Back in 2001, I wrote an article about how the industry works as it relates to figures, sales, royalties and whatnot. If you read it, you will see just how ridiculous it really is; and its only getting worse. Unlike most, I speak from experience and because I have friends in all corners of the industry, I know a LOT more about what goes on, than those who are foolishly posting up wanton speculation. Fact is, digital distribution is not going to replace retail distribution of games. Ever. Why? For the same reason that Linux, OS/2 etc failed to unseat Microsoft's operating system. The same reason that, despite having a lot of more powerful browsers, IE remains the dominant browser - with ALL its flaws. You can offer changes and a better product to people; but if they're comfortable with what they have - flaws or not - they're not switching. Even publishers realize that digital distribution offers a service whereby they can make extra money from their existing and back catalogs and especially to those who haven't been in a retail store in ages. If the likes of Amazon, GoGamer, EBworld etc weren't making money selling their wares online, they won't BE in business. So clearly, there is a market there - somewhere. Broadband makes digital distribution that much easier for those who prefer to use the service. As long as it is seamless, painless and is fault tolerant (e.g. I lost my key, now what?); they will continue to thrive as an alternate means of distribution. But that is a whole different ballgame when it comes to the indie developer. Gone are the days of crazy funny money. They're gone. Most of the indie titles signed up nowadays are either games in final stages of development, fully finished and complete, ready to go in a box or sub licenses of previously released titles in other territories. It is less risky for the publishers who KNOW that it is now an uphill climb to turn a profit from any product, if its not based on some sequel, established property or whatnot. Even THEN, there is still a risk of failure at retail, despite all best efforts. And since publishers are the only way for indies to get products onto shelves, they are likely to get screwed than to reap the financial benefits of their efforts and hard work. Most publishers play ...lets rob Peter to pay Paul on a regular basis; whereby despite the contract, devs with more prospective properties get paid first, get their products promoted better etc etc. And guess what happens if on the off chance the product they spent more money on fails to meet expectations? Yep, you guessed it; the other guy with the product that is selling and to whom they have a lower expectation, gets to shore up their shortfall. That is the #1 reason why publishers shove so many products into retail - regardless of competition and period - in order to see what sticks. Eventually, they run into trouble and out of money; not because of bad products, but because of bad business decisions. Rather than take the small guy with a good product, lower overhead etc and promote+sell the crap out of his products and PAY him; they would rather spend a fortune on a bunch of has been rejects from some other failed venture or another and THEN wonder why the hell they're in financial trouble when those stars fail to perform and meet expectations. There is no known cure for bad products and it has nothing to do with money. You can have the best product with the best production values, but if it is not appealing or within the scope what a gamer deems as being up his street, they're not going to buy it. Look around and count the number of publishers who have gone under, are going under, are in financial trouble etc. Then look around again (the next time you go into a store) at all the new labels you see on those crappy, campy, shovelware games and I bet you that most of those new labels are from the same people from other failed companies. I know of no less than SIX such labels; so I know what I'm talking about. They all seem to think that somewhere out there, all the gamers are hiding and there is money to be made. They all come in with their big names, stories of success etc and don't produce squat. Instead, they milk those indies who can't get signed with big names, dry and then either disappear or play catch me if you can games with them. Why else do you think it is HIGHLY unlikely that you would see more than one game from an indie you never heard of before? Think about that for a minute. And while you're at it, think about why you see indies moved to different labels frequently. You think its because they're being treated so well, are making all this money or are just being greedy and move on to greener pastures? No. Thats not it. The process of getting a game signed is the most harrowing and mentally challenging procedure this side of getting someone shove a probe up your ass. So its not like its fun to jump from one publisher to the next. You have to deal with people you wouldn't be otherwise caught dead talking to - let alone sign a deal with. You get to listen to a bunch of rejects tell you - the game developer and designer who KNOWS the game better than they do - what they think you have to do in order to make your game sell. You get to see deals that'd make a donkey crap golf balls; and if you're strapped for cash - as they expect that you are - you get left with no choice but to sign. And even THEN the thieves aren't likely to PAY. And if they DO pay, you have to chase them, threaten them, SUE them. All this time, they're SELLING your game and pocketing the money to fund their inflated overheads as they continue to shovel crap into the retail channel. For indies, the digital distribution is going to end up being the only avenue for selling your product and getting paid. The more relaxed contracts (they don't pay, you yank the title) makes it that much more difficult to get screwed. For example, most contracts have the publisher paying royalties 30-45 days from the end of a quarter. EVERY SINGLE PUBLISHER that I know of, will wait until almost the VERY LAST day of that grace period to report sales and pay (assuming they do) you. THEN if they are late, they know that contractually they have an additional 30 days (called a cure period) to cure their breach of contract. This gives them a total of 90+45+30 days in which to report sales and cut you a check if they owe you money. Most times they WILL accidentally introduce errors so that - if you notice and question it - this just further extends the time they have to pay you. During this time, you may not even be in business. And thats how most disreputable publishers have forced small indies either into bankruptcy or to abandon their IP and start over. And the funny thing about all this is that ALL these publishers KNOW whats going on out there, even if the indies aren't talking about it. So if, like me, you are a known indie with recognizeable properties and you go to Company B with a game when in fact you previously worked with Company A, the FIRST thing they ask you is, what happened? Then you are caught in a rut because how can you tell them exactly what happened without them thinking that one day you are going to be doing the same thing to them? In my case, a publisher pisses around with me, I just sue them. This puts everything in records and when asked, I just ask them to look up the records, press materials, complaints etc and draw their own conclusions. At that point, its up to them to make up their mind about why I'm even talking to them. I never even have to talk about it because most people know that with limited resources an indie won't take legal action on a publisher unless they had a strong case and the money and resources to see it to the end. Once in a while, they'd find out who else you're talking to (besides them) and they will make it a point of conversation and start telling you horrow stories about the other party. Guess what that does? It now gets you thinking. More often than not, you sign with them (instead of the other party), only to find out later that you've not only jumped from the frying pan into the fire - but ass first and stark naked. I have a very simple principle that I live by. I give you my game, you sell it, you pay me. You don't pay me - or you act outside the boundaries of my contract - you get sued. Scorched Earth doctrine all the way. No exceptions; because I don't give a shit about people enough to care what the end result would be other then me getting what I rightfully deserve and worked hard for: My goddamn money. But being able to self fund and distribute your game, the indie is able to cut out the middle man from the equation, control your inventory and your income. There is a BIG difference between HOPING you get paid every 135 days and being paid every 30 days from an online provider who gets paid immediately and either wires the money directly into your account or send you a check. And thats why I'm in the final stages of signing a deal - like most - with Trymedia so that my upcoming and all future games, can be available online, even if I have them in retail. And because my games are complex and require large manuals, the online PDF manual for the download will only be an issue to those not already familiar with my games. But if you have a Kinko's nearby or a printer with 100 sheets of paper (and the ability to print on both sides of the sheet), you get to save yourself $5 between the retail and the download version. And if I don't make the game available at retail, well, you're screwed I guess. Again, not all publishers are run by scum sucking scumbags. A bunch of them are really good to the devs who provide them with products that they sell and make money from. But guess what, they ARE the minority. Companies like EA, MS, UBI etc have their own internal nonsense going on, but you'd be hard pressed to find a dev who would complain about not being paid. If anything, they'd be *****ing about the politics of actually getting signed and how long and unnecessarily complex the process really is. If EA, MS and two others end up dominating the retail gaming market, it wouldn't be too soon. At the very least they would be ridding the industry of the scum sucking retards who just prey on hapless indie devs who need their resources in order to get their games out and be paid for their HARD WORK. So, I for one wholeheartedly support the advent of digital distribution. You either use it or you don't. No debate there.

Why do you need to set a null zone when the game itself can center the joystick just fine, as long as you have it calibrated in Control Panel? Read the FAQ in the joystick section.

Yeah, I caught LOST light night in all its HDTV glory. Totally wicked!! But whats really going to piss me off, is if this turns out to be another dinosaur gig. I swear I'll personally send JJ an email. But the fact that the pilot's body was high up on the tree, tells me thats it not; because a dino would have (a) revealed itself by now ( eaten him - assuming it wasn't a herbivore. So I'm thinking, Land Of The Giants. The acting was really, really good and the whole thing had that 24 (returns in January, yah!!) type feeling of urgency and the unknown. Yeah, I heard about Touching Evil being canned. The bastards. Hopefully FX will grab it seeing that The Shield (also returning) and Rescue Me (which I like, in a crazy kinda way) are looking good.

quote: Originally posted by Cc: Yes, I have also noticed the problem. Seems like to me, you have object in target, like a station, and then a NPC jumps in to the system,or otherwise shows up on radar, you loose the target track. Rubbish.

Did you read the document for the demo which is on our downloads page? No? Go read it. *moved*

Yeah, MSN is complete rubbish; dunno what MS was thinking.

OK, I think its time to release another patch; that usually gets everyone to quiten down.

*moved* Of course you can setup a server! Thats why I provide the program to do it with. And if you have any problems setting up, well, you know where to ask.

The only localization that is done for our games is the translation of the manuals, box etc. And thats done by the publishers. We have no intentions of doing any in-game localizations of our games. Too much work and hassles for too little benefit. Akella could not have localized our game because they do not have access to the source code. So I have no idea what you're talking about. As for the CDKEY, when Akella obtained the rights from Dreamcatcher Europe, they should have been provided with CDKEYs because we provided them with 100K CDKEYs. If they sell the game without a CDKEY, thats irresponsible of them knowing how important it is to have one. We cannot legally sell UC direct to anyone because Dreamcatcher has the retail rights. ps: Asking a non-technical or game related question does not require that you have a registration profile. So, you're ok.

quote: Originally posted by dreadx: quote: If its not a bug, I'm banning dreadx for a month because I have posted TOO MANY messages telling people that unless you know what you're talking about (as it relates to tech support, how to play the game etc), don't confuse people Regardless of what you find in his save-game, you should ban me for at least two months. I have no intentions of banning you at this time. At least now others will pay attention. You KNOW the procedure around here. If its a bug, telling me about it is IRRELEVANT unless it can be 100% reproduced by someone else - especially a vet or Beta team member. And once confirmed, it goes into the VCF. There are several such instances in this very thread of this and I do NOT tolerate nor appreciate people wasting my goddamn time because they haven't taken the time to RTFM nor learn how to play the game (especially since there is also a 80 page tutorial on it). Look at this thread. How many posts do you see of people reporting BOGUS problems because they're too STUPID and LAZY to read instructions in Red about how to patch the damn game? We used to delete such posts, but now we leave them as testament to the crap that goes on and WHY we don't bother with ANY bug reports unless it can be verified. And no, ...sorry, my bad doesn't cut it. I don't have tech monkeys I'm paying 24-7 to deal with abject STUPIDITY. We're a small dev team and any amount of downtime, is not good enough. Thats why the tech support forums for ALL game companies are littered with rubbish and time wasting rhetoric by stupid and incompetent idiots who wouldn't know what a modem is if it were powering their goddamn microwaves. My games are rated T. And that means the gamer should - at the very least - possess half a brain. Or at the very least, the part that controls READING and COMPREHENSION. Yes, I'm sick of it. quote: Originally posted by Vanor: quote:Vanor, locate the thread which shows how to pack up and send saved games. Then pack up the saved game profile you are playing and send to me directly at [email protected] and I will investigate it for you.I'll do that tonight. But if you're convenced that it's on my end, I'd hate to waste your time tracking this down for me. I didn't ask for another pointless explanation. Just send me the saved game and please do NOT post again until you do.

*sniff* don't you just love dirty laundry?

quote: Originally posted by Cmdr_ Laracuente: it really doesnt look good, especially for indie and small niche Developers. Only those who can't fend for themselves and who rely on publishers.

Thats no excuse; and you're still in the wrong thread. You should have posted it in the after action reports MP thread. So, you might want to do that because I'm going to delete your post when I make another forum pass later today.

I'd like to see that saved game. Please send it to me. And have you tried temporarily running the game in a window to see if an error message pops up?

Read the manual p5-8

quote: Originally posted by dreadx: Uhm, SC. He states he has FC hull/Armor repair kits and there are no more materials required for a support-craft system. If his CE wouldn't be on station, the appendix tells me that this will cause the repair to take 5-25 minutes longer. He is able to repair his other FC so that's not the problem. Irrelevant. I wasn't basing my post on just those items; there may be others required (e.g. repair minerals). And the reason I mentioned the CE is because of the extended time it would take. Further, had you actually READ what he wrote, you would see that NOWHERE did he say that he attempted the repairs to that other fighter, at the same time. So, for all intent and purposes and going by the merits of the post, he could have been talking about another instance where he was able to repair the other FC, rather than during the problematic session in question. There are NO problems in the repair process. The next time you decide to correct me about a game I wrote and which I know better than you know whats in your cereal; think twice about it. I don't like typing unnecessary follow up posts because it is a WASTE of my valuable time. Now, if I request his saved game and find the issue is on his end are you willing to put your ego where your mouth is and agree to being banned for six months? You're not so sure now, are you? Vanor, locate the thread which shows how to pack up and send saved games. Then pack up the saved game profile you are playing and send to me directly at [email protected] and I will investigate it for you. If its not a bug, I'm banning dreadx for a month because I have posted TOO MANY messages telling people that unless you know what you're talking about (as it relates to tech support, how to play the game etc), don't confuse people; especially n00bies to the game. Thats why we have beta testers, BC vets etc etc who usually help them go through and check everything possible. Any one of them who thinks its a problem, will try to reproduce it, request a saved game etc etc instead of posting assumptions only to further compound and confuse the issue.

No. There is no link. When you click on the patch, the download should automatically start. MSN 8 is not a proper browser and its rubbish. So I have no idea why you even thought you could use it. You have IE. Use it.

Just got wind of this one. I can't wait to climb in an A6 Intruder and go downtown!!