Supreme Cmdr

quote: Originally posted by Kush: And SC, really too bad about Sirtech. I remember the Wizardry series from back in grade 7. Man those were the days. Hope your friend has found a place in the industry, and is putting out more games! Nope, he's out of the biz for good. Can't say I blame him either. [ 03-04-2002, 10:28: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

Scratch that. I was looking at the wrong piece of code (salaries). The rank code is correct. The appendix is incorrect. The SC rank requires 200K of EPs and not 250K.

Check the downloads page. Read the .NFO file before attempting to install this script. You HAVE been warned

quote: Originally posted by KreKol: I have a dead prisoner in my detention hold again. I know it was fix several patches ago but it will not clear when I dock at a station. The body is starting to smell up the place. OK. Will look into it. UPDATE: Works fine here. As long as you are using 1.0.06. If you are, then send in the saved game for further investigation. [ 03-04-2002, 10:25: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by Bowemeth: SC, you worked with the 27.70 drivers a lot yet? No. And I don't plan on it.

Maybe Gallion didn't input the correct numbers. Lemme check. Nope. Looks like a bug. You folks should be at Tacops Commander rank. [ 03-04-2002, 08:07: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

hehe, you're welcome. But it wasn't all me; it was a team effort and we're all proud of the game. ....and its only going to get better.

There is nothing new in the renderer which would cause that problem - unless (a) you have incorrect drivers installed ( you've been pissing around with driver settings. And if you are running drivers (27.70 hehe) which nobody else is, then its your problem, isn't it? Uninstall and start from scratch. No way around it. [ 03-04-2002, 07:55: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by Duncan Idaho: Two bit commander? Wow, I didn't know you thought THAT highly of me. hehe, me?!? nah, of course I think highly of your commanding skills. No, really I do.

Get the proper video drivers for your board.

Damn, in XP1, I have got to make it harder to achieve SC rank. It seems GALCOM is giving away ranks to every two bit yahoo cmdr these days. [ 03-03-2002, 15:17: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by Cryptic: I already attempted to put my info in. Im waiting on a response from 3000AD because my wife threw my CDKEY away after I registered. So its not going to get put in until i get a CDKEY. You obviously used a CDKEY when you registered to post or you wouldn't have been approved. I'm going to run a check later to see if you used a duplicate key (e.g. someone else's) So, how did your wife end up getting hold of the CDKEY? And I just checked all the databases and don't find any email query from you regarding a missing CDKEY. Where'd you send it? [ 03-03-2002, 15:13: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by xierxior: Well the problem with how it's current setup is the universe lost the dynamic feel it had, I used to like going thro a system only to come back a couple hours later and find the station was destroyed, that doesnt happen anymore npc ships no matter the type get destroeyd before they leave hyperspace. Il elaborate, I started a new game once about 10 minutes after launching from galcom two cruisers and around four fighters, came and destroyed galcom, which I thought was really cool seeing that happen. My point is npc ships basicly cant do as much as they could before, and mainly serv as target pratic now. I was thinking maybe the pta systems could be dumbd down for npc ships, so it's still very chalangeing to the player, but would make it possible for npc ships to stand a chance againts stations? The state of stations has NOTHING to do with the game's dynamics. If you don't like it, use the 1.0.05 compliance patch and pipe down already. Thats why you have a choice. Then there's always GBS-II. And I have no intentions of ruining my game's balance by making concessions for player vs NPCs. You must be thinking of another game. In the BC games, player or NPC, it makes no difference; every entity gets treated the same. [ 03-03-2002, 14:37: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by Kush: Valve provided fixes in their auto updater, but never EVER listed the bugs they fixed. Most developers will not list bugs because it reveals a bit too much about what is lurking in the program. I can assure you that for every bug you see listed in a release info sheet, there are probably two not listed. In my case, since I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks, I list bugs (no matter how major), revisions etc no matter how critical or unimportant. In fact, about 90% of the bug fixes in BCM are internally discovered. This means that there is a very good chance that the end user will ever discover those bugs during their play time. quote: And in the case of Wizardry 8, I think it's important to mention you shouldn't call the company for tech support cause they won't answer. Thats because SirTech is out of business; and has been for almost two years now. They developers, all of whom have now moved on, do offer tech support via forum. Robert (one of the owners) and I go way back and I was supposed to handle W8 tech support here, but due to my own committments and the logistics of it all, that didn't happen. I also think the developers agreed to handle post-release support on their own time and dime. So thats how come they still do. W8 was also an EB exclusive for a certain period, before it was available elsewhere. [ 03-03-2002, 14:21: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by Bowemeth: I'm having difficulty locating either one. Any specific suggestions? Bowemeth You didn't look hard enough. Now clear OUT of this thread and quit posting off-topic.

Well then, there you have it [ 03-03-2002, 08:27: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

I forgot that public and dev drivers are different. What was I thinking? Nevertheless, before and after they were released, those 2311 drivers are the worst driver releases to date. The only reason I even think they are still official for the public, is due to WHQL certification.

Yes well, its easier to fix a loophole (which is what this is) than it is to implement a feature (I suppose you never did notice that they were created as marines, complete with weapons etc etc) that was never in my design docs.

quote: Originally posted by Urza: SC, I think you desprately want to write another soapbox article. heh, funny you should mention that. I have WIP versions of a soapbox and dev diary I need to wrap up. *sigh* [ 03-02-2002, 13:44: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by netshaman: Hi, i just noticed a feature that seems to be a bug, but is it really ? Well, in the RTM i cannot disable or enable all the options listed because certain keys are not responding : the 0,2,7 and 9 keys on the keyboard. Is it a normal feature or not ? Cheers. Works fine here. Buy a new keyboard. Preferably one that actually has those keys.

Yes, you provided *gasp* useful info Idaho. I will look into it. [ 03-02-2002, 11:51: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

quote: Originally posted by KreKol: I was in the Beta program for about a month. I got in just as you were purging the beta group. Because of my lack of input ( I was just getting caught up on what was going on in the Beta group) I was booted out. It broke my heart. But I got a taste of the game and I made sure I got a copy as soon as it came out. Also as Roberto said I did not post very often back then. Now I am more involved with what is going on so I post more. Ah I see. Well, I will probably put out a call for additional testers during XP1 Beta. Be on the look out for the bulletin.

quote: Originally posted by Grayfox: so here i am, my hand is all white knuckled from being wrapped around the mouse too tight frantically checking my stats to see if i got demoted lol. thankfully not, but they took my stash before i could even look at it LOL!!!

Nothing to do with BCM. Read the instructions that came with the profile program.

Great points all around. Just to expand on what Jeff said. He's right; games should be reviewed as an out of box experience, and I am 100% in support of that. Yes, when you are developing games for the mass market, you have to consider John or Jane Doe walking home with a copy, installing it and crashing. More often than not, they will return it. HOWEVER, because of the direction our industry has taken, gamers (pour souls) have come to expect that all games - no matter how great - will ship with some problems. As such, the first thing they do is make a beeline for the tech support options. More often than not, they end up finally with a game that works on their system. When you develop games that are targeted at the hardcore niche market - such as the BC series - you have certain freedoms because you know that your install base (at least those who know what the floppy drive does - and not to piss around downloading a video driver just because you can) is at the higher echelon. In that if there's a problem, they know where to go. The downside to this, as everyone knows, is that publishers and developers have misused this very premise to shove games out the door. And they are STILL doing it. Some are intentional, some not. Any game, no matter how long it was in Beta for, can and will ship with some problems. And it all depends on the kind of game. Heck, they are still releasing patches for Q3A, Unreal - damn, even Starcraft had a patch a few days ago!! The most important point in this aspect is : does the game work out of the box; and do the bugs ruin the game experience? This is a very critical factor. Case in point, BCM a 100% indie product, was in Beta for almost a year - one year. In fact, it was on internal Beta for about two months before I even rolled out the external testing program. Take a look at the Beta VCF and just count the items marked FIXED. Prior to the game going Gold, the testers were finding things and us fixing them right up to the day I burned the SafeDisc master!! Between the time it went to master, then to duplication (which got botched, as I mentioned in one of my soapbox articles), we'd found more issues!!! Take a look at the release VCF and scroll to the bottom of the page. Then count the FIXED items in that file. The game went gold on 9-22-01 and by the time it hit the shelves on 11-19-01, eleven bugs were discovered and fixed (for 1.0.01 released on 11-24-01) and a myriad of low priority (during development) revisions. But sure enough, the game worked right out of the box and I didn't need to have a patch waiting for download, on 11-19-01 (the day EB started selling it). Up to the recent 1.0.06 patch, thats almost three and a half months post-release. And had we even had an inkling that these were lurking in there, to this date, BCM would never have been released. At all. It is a lot more difficult for an indie to pull off a game, let alone a game as complex as this. Just scanning both of the VCFs and reading the type of fixes and their quality, just reveals the underlying power of the game, its complexity and gives a great idea of just how worse it could have turned out in the end. And just think : this is the THIRD such game of this complexity and time, that I'm doing. So, the end result is that in this current industry climate, some would like to think that gamers have to thank their stars that developers are around to support their product. wtf?!? I'm a gamer. I was a gamer before I entered this God forsaken industry and eccentric or not, I have enough sense to know that if I develop a game that someone buys, it had better damn well work. And if it doesn't, I am obligated to ensure that it does. Period. Sure its nice to have gobs of dollars in the bank and move on to the next thing once you've done a game; but at the end of the day, it is that very notion that is having game companies fold all around us and with startling regularity. So, if a company is notorious for not supporting their games, thats the kind of thing that a reviewer may or may not want to mention. All I'm saying is that any company that does not support the product they develop, deserve to be dragged over the coals for it. At the end of the day, it is up to the gamers to determine who they give their dollars to. I support my games because I am obligated to those who buy and play them. However, that doesn't mean that I have to cater to the whims of every nutcase who thinks that I have to spend every waking minute leading them by the hand and showing them how to install a driver. And while I'm been labeled all sorts of things for the way I run the forum, at the end of the day, it just WORKS. If it didn't, what we'd have here would be no different from other lawless gaming forums. Above and beyond the price of the game, I still spend money and time in support areas - and before you know it, the game someone bought has ended up costing me more money. But I do it anyway because as a game developer, it is my duty to support my games; and that is one aspect that doesn't need to be mentioned in an already constrained review. Game developers supporting their games, should be the rule, not the exception. [ 03-02-2002, 11:42: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]