Supreme Cmdr

We are currently using our own decoder and will probably switch to using the decoder in DirectX 8, which probably supports 256 rates. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-20-2001).]

Tyrn is 100% right.

There is no placeholder art/sound/music in the demo. All the content was finished SEVERAL months ago. The sounds are in 3D and positional. The guns on a Warmonger are mounted very far from your location on the bridge. So you are not likely to hear them very loudly. Compare that to a fighter. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-20-2001).]

quote: I ask the above questions because I've been following the progress of BC:M for some time, eagerly awaiting a demo and, frankly, was a bit shocked by what I got. In my case, I feel the demo did more harm than good. It demonstrated all the obvious weaknesses without making the strengths nearly as clear. My marketing skills are rusty but I'm pretty sure this is THE LAST thing you want to do with a product demo.Yesterday I was excited about BC:M, today I played the demo, tomorrow I'll be looking for something like BC:M to play... but not BC:M. This can't be what 3000AD had in mind. Note: I (as I'm sure a lot of folks) did the same thing with Daikatana. The comparison works for me even if it doesn't for you. So the demo DID do something. Saved you some money. I'd rather you didn't buy the game, than have you buy the game and complain about it. Thats always the issues I try to avoid and is the primary reason I am releasing the demo in episodes. Whats curious to me is that, you took the time to write that lengthy response, without saying WHAT was wrong with the demo. Oh well. I guess some things are more important than others. ...and comparing BCM demo to Daikatana is just laughable. Now. If you were expecting any other response, I'm sorry to disappoint you. At the end of the day, its my game and its your money. As a gamer, you have a choice. Use it. Good luck finding a game like BCM. You're going to need it. TTFN [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-20-2001).]

First of all, thanks for all the comments - but please refrain from posting wish list items. You'll just be wasting your time as they stand a 101% chance of being ignored. In time, your post will scroll and we'll all forget you ever wrote. I sure as hell will forget right after the first time I read it. This game ships in a few months and NOTHING, outside of my current design/tasks, is going to change. NOTHING. There. That should take care of that I think. I dunno who said that releasing a demo was a call for wishlist or design ideas - especially for a game that is supposed to be shipping by June. Just to respond to some of the important stuff. Perscan is work in progress. The Tacops-like button bar is NYI. Had you actually READ the version control file, you'd have noticed the WIP letters in Red. Perscan and Tacops are part of the bridge primary sub-system (like NID/TACSCAN/CVD) and are in no way connected to the secondary sub-system (LOGISTIX/TACTICAL etc). So, they won't be in the drop-down menu. Has been this way since BC3K, back in 1996. I plan on reducing the size of the pop-up menu. Right now, it is one size so that it is still visible at any resolution. If you haven't played the game at 1280x1024, then you have no clue what am talking about. The default scale is for 640x480 as this is the default screen mode. At that size, it is still visible at higher resolutions, while looking large at the lower 640x480 resolution. Get your brain used to the menus being left-click. Don't plan on changing this. Ever. The 5 key on Tacops does a full zoom. Use it. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-20-2001).]

uhm.....

The business about the craft stopping on a dime was something I decided to leave in to simulated computer assisted control..sans the frustration. There are no planets to deploy the marines on, in the E1 demo - but they are prepped for combat, so they can take on any intruders that show up on your ship.

Tabris, you probably had an older version of the installer on your machine. So, you have to wait while it updates your system. It hasn't hung - you just have to be patient. Since you have a geForce card, read the FAQ.

While I don't plan on adding rudder support (I probably would, if the demand is there, since its trivial to do), I definitely have it in my todo list to add joystick twist. In fact, I just received some new sticks from Thrustmaster, and they're begging me to implement it. I plan on it. As for the text HUD, I'll probably come up with something post-release. Perhaps a Config option. Can't go around alienating the grognards now, can we? Flight engine. Actually, Peter (my flight dynamics person), did two flight models - the second one is realistic (its partially disabled though it is listed in Config) but I have not implemented the code for it. I was planning on just not doing it. So, don't be surprised if the Config option disappears in the next update. IF I have time, I will implement it. The PROBLEM is that you can't just implement it for the player craft, you have to implement it for the NPCs and those b*astards have to learn how to use it - or combat would be a non-issue. At this point, it is the highest on my list to disable and remove from Config. Again, if there is a demand post-release, I'll include it in a patch. I've GOT to get this damn game out, so, am not bloody likely to be screwing around in novelty items. Its one thing to make decisions on my own and delay the game, its another to put the team at risk for personal gain. We ALL have to move on and right now, GCO is the TOP priority around here. In fact, I've just hired Robert from The Other Guys to join the GCO team. So, as far as I'm concerned, BCM is on the way out and we're moving on. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-19-2001).]

The next installment will be out soon!!

Kerin: Interface: Sorry you don't like it. And since most everyone so far, likes it, and since I don't intend on changing it in any shape or form, you'll just have to play the game until it grows on you.And I didn't redesigned it to appeal to a wider audience. Its going to take a lot more than an iconized interface to achieve that. The OS you use, every day, has an iconized interface, so I don't understand the double standard. No. I don't miss DOS either. You must be the ONLY person on the planet who likes the text interface of BC3K. I can't please everyone, so I'm going with the majority. The PTA system was re-designed from scratch. You'd better go read the version control file so that you can actually learn how it works. AND if you LOOK at that file, you will see that in the 2.2.09.02 version, is the kernel that the demo uses, they are independent and graduated based on the turrets they control.And the caveats you describe about how you can be in a bad situation regarding its settings - is what a good commander should be about ----> learn the strengths and weaknesses of your ship's systems. You don't need to jump 600K. And thats just a fictious number someone dreamt up. The distance is pre-calculated based on your ship size and the size of the target; so 600K is not a locked number. If you read my VE post, then my argument should be clear. Again, learn the capabilities of your ship. As for the CE, thats his job. If you don't like how he's doing his job, take him off-station and see how YOU like monitoring all the energy aspects of your ship. The music was geared to particular instrument. You don't like the music, delete all the files in the .soundfxmusic folder -or turn it off in CONFIG.Again, I think you are probably the only one who doesn't like music - and the reason you give is really funny as hell. No, seriously, it is. Don't take my word for it, read what you wrote again. All the weapons were handcrafted and designed, by me, to be unique. You've only had access to about 4 ship types in the demo. All in all, thanks for your comments. But make NO mistake about this, NOTHING in this game is changing based on any external input. Thats just NOT going to happen. My design and my goals are clear and written in stone. So, ALL what you describe, WILL be in the final game - so, I suggest that you do NOT waste your money buying the game. Wait for I-War2 or some other title. Thats what a demo is for. In the meantime, have fun!! [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-19-2001).]

quote: My question about the 5 key was that the ship seemed to move "faster" than doing the same manuvers with other controls. I just wanted to know if the speed difference was normal. It was designed to do that - irrespective of the flight dynamics. Its just a way to orient the craft/camera after you've screwed it up.

I have updated the BCM troubleshooting FAQ and the demo readme

quote: Pressing '5' on the numpad to autolevel seems to pitch/roll the ship much faster than the manual controls. Is that by design? Thats what the 5 key does. Your question was what? quote: Accessing computer screens pauses the sim, and since multiplayer probably won't do that I was wondering if it will stay this way for single player in the final release. No it doesn't. quote: Whle not necessary I think it would add something to the game. No it won't. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-18-2001).]

From backups RAVEN: quote: wen't perfect, just one thing that seems to de-motivate a few "bypassers" (as in "see link on site, d/l and try"), which is the z-buffer option that has to be disabled. No BC fan is having a problem with that (since they have readup on the material and troubleshooting guides before the files were available), it just seems to demotivate a few people (the ones who don't make it to the FAQ). Of course I usually represent the opinion that those who d/l such a bigass file but refuse to read the FAQ don't deserver the game at all, but oh well. Just wanted to bring it up (you asked for it Daniel Sedlacek: quote: A definate hit for me. The graphics update is a very welcome change from the old DOS days of BC3K. The new interface is very intuitive, altho annoying in that whenever I pass my mouse over one of the modes, it just switches without me clicking on it, no biggie tho, I usually use the keyboard anyway. Mission 1 is real easy, and I like how the game keeps on playing after the mission is over. Having the game quit would just be down right awful, considering how much fun you can still have after the mission is over. I noticed the appearance of freighters, other military carriers, and explorers passing by to dock with the station once the gammies were crushed. Mission 2 is a beastie. I tried to tackle the station, but accidentally forgot to plot my course right, and my hyperjump threw me off course. So I had to sub-light to the base. I eventually lost patience and went back to mission 1 again. The ships look wonderful, especially with the scale of them pumped up a few digits. It truly is a wonder to leave the ship and see how tiny you really are in the game! The regions are much bigger, making tactical retreats a big pain now, but who cares, if I die I at least get to see that satisfying explosion and destruction of my ship. The music is very well done, and holds true to the atmosphere of the sim, hats off to Markus, who deserves much praise for getting that sweet guitar solo into the main theme! I also like that we can add in our own mp3's and listen to them while we play. Usually in BC3k, I just turned off in game sounds and listened to mp3's anyway, now I get in-game sound and mp3's! I also opened up the little bcstudio.exe program, and looked at all the models. Wow, the models look wonderful, and it's cool to put all the different effects onto them and see how they look. This has truly made my month, thank you very much testers, coders, sound guys, etc. who are making the game possible for us to play! Your doing a good job! Now all we have to do is wait for the multiplayer release... Supreme Commander: quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- altho annoying in that whenever I pass my mouse over one of the modes, it just switches without me clicking on it, no biggie tho, I usually use the keyboard anyway -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mode doesn't change. It just goes into preview mode so that you can quickly look at a mode without actually switching to that mode. To actually change the mode, you then click on the mode tab. This is documented in the version control file. Kush: quote: I haven't played it anywhere near as much as I'd like to. (Real life is always eating into my game time) And when I do play I'm far too busy enjoying it to think about what I enjoy about it, but I echo Daniel. The music's great! The models all look great. The flight dynamics are great. If this is a preview of things to come, I'm way more excited now then ever before. The icons RULE! Everything is much more intuitive. Love the changes to Tacops. Perscan is WAAAAAY better. It's very slick. There are so many things I felt were huge improvements, I can't think about them all now. If you're looking for constructive criticism I've got one comment. (Take them with a grain of salt. It's not a huge issues and I don't expect you to impliment what I say.) I would love it if the beam weapons on the ship you pilot looked a little beefier. Sound is great. And I like the pinpoint laser feel of the weapon, (For some reason the pin point laser effect makes you feel like you're doing more damage than a big wide beam.) But a little something to sparkle it up could be neat. The thing about this game is that it's deep, very deep. So what is in the demo is great but I know there's more to come, so BRING IT ON! Supreme Cmdr: quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would love it if the beam weapons on the ship you pilot looked a little beefier. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They are scaled to the size of the ship. And I do NOT plan on exaggerating the scale because then it would look wrong in multiplayer (as seen by other players) in the external camera view. Filo: quote: I have to say that I'm very impressed, I especially like the new hyperspace FX Went for a space walk and bashed my AE against the hull a few times. He even tells you when it hurts (Oof!!), lol. Managed to beef my grafix all the way up with no slowdowns. Still have yet to create a huge skirmish and test it for process intensive stuff. Love the new interface. It's very familiar to BC3K Veterans, yet also user-friendly to newbies (with icons & stuff), seems much easier to use. Music rocks, definately better than listening to that boring midi over and over, I always had it turned off, hehe. I found the FAQ very helpful too. It fixed my initial sound & graphics problems in no-time. This game is now definately on my GET ASAP list. BTW, is my craft supposed to disappear completely when I enter hyperspace? Also, fleet controlled craft don't seem to follow me into different regions. Do I have to wait until they emerge from hyperspace? p.s. Nice choice of JStick SC, same model I have. I only get that OK/Unknown problem if orig drivers get over-written by OS standard ones. i.e. - OS re-install Supreme Cmdr: quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BTW, is my craft supposed to disappear completely when I enter hyperspace? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes. And when you cloak too (scenario #2, carrier only) quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also, fleet controlled craft don't seem to follow me into different regions. Do I have to wait until they emerge from hyperspace? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. Just go. They will follow if they were previously set to escort/defend you. If they weren't escorting or defending you, they won't follow you out of the region. File: quote: Thanks SC, just noticed while in battle i accidentally rammed into another craft (or was it him into me?) and saw my hull cracking open in many different places, this is too cool!! Ohso: quote: First the story of how I found a bug (I thought): I was playing the first scenario and hyperspaced out to the jumppoint and back to the station while playing with the camera views. I knew my ship was supposed to be invisible while in hyperspace so I switched to inverse tactical view to watch it reappear near the station. Waited....no ship. Rotated the view around in case the angle was wrong, no ship. Switched to bridge view, hmm I can see the station fine. Now I'm thinking maybe my ship never became visible again (No I wasn't cloaked). Back to the other view and rotated around some more, no ship. Zoomed in a bit...hmm, what's that little green speck. Ack, it's me. My cruiser is microscopic compared to the station. Talk about overestimating oneself. Stuff I really liked: The music. The hyperspace effects and star streaks. Blowing stuff up, explosions and laser hits look cool. Ordering people somewhere and then watching people move around the ship in perscan. Exiting the ship with a jetpack. The hud, it's easy to get at lots of stuff (I think I liked this best). Questions/problems/comments: Pressing '5' on the numpad to autolevel seems to pitch/roll the ship much faster than the manual controls. Is that by design? Accessing computer screens pauses the sim, and since multiplayer probably won't do that I was wondering if it will stay this way for single player in the final release. I expected wormholes/jumpgates to have some sort graphical effect or transition rather than being instantaneous. Whle not necessary I think it would add something to the game. (I used to love the cinematic Privateer played when jumping) Papi: quote: Hi Ohso, accessing computers don't pause the game time, as you can see if you go to logistix and assign engineers to do repairs. You can wait in logistix and see how repairs get done. But MP is still not implemented, so you have to wait to see how it works in MP [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-18-2001).]

I am currently investigating some issues with the site. It seems to have been hacked. And one of the deleted threads, was the original of this one. So, here it is again. I have backups, so am going to post some of the messages, starting with mine. quote: Well, what do you think? Let us know!! Hit or miss?!? What do you like the most?!? What have you done so far? What do you think of the new interface? etc etc This is for DEMO users only. So, none of your showoffs in the Beta program, need not apply.

quote: FYI Detonator 11 drivers don't work either ;-> Noooo!! really? quote: Good luck with your game. You might want to add an Un-install shortcut to your BCM program group. Go to Control Panel quote: ps. My wife asked why I was playing a game with such bad music and sound effects (the guy saying "I've got clean scan" sounds like he's saying "I've got clean skin"). Is the final version going to include improved music and sound? Don't like 'em. Go to Configuration and turn them off. Simple, eh?

The FAQ and the demo readme files CLEARLY that you should use the official drivers for your video card. The Det3 10 drivers will NOT work. Period. For nVidia, the 6.50 WIN9x/WINme/WIN2K and the 7.52 WIN2K drivers, have been tested and work fine. There is NO intro. So what fix are you talking about? The AVI that briefly plays at the start of the demo is the company logo animation, not an intro. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-17-2001).]

BCM demo is now on the main feature list at File Planet

Its range based. If you are too close, it won't engage. While you're at it, read the demo read me

Daniel, please post this message in the thread I just created. Thanks. Feel to add new stuff!

Thats the only driver that we have tested and which works. So, if you use any other, you are one your own. UPDATE: Mano says that some folks in the Beta used 1.07 drivers without problems. Thats fine, but thats irrelevant to me. My original point, still stands. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-17-2001).]

I have updated the demo readme with a list of new mirrors. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-17-2001).]

doh!! I added the starbase images (look in the .gfxfrontendstations.zip file and you'll see) instead of the station ones. I have reuploaded the file. That should fix it.

I have uploaded an update (2.2MB) which should fix this problem. I did not include all the station bitmaps for the frontend. Run this file in the folder where BCM DEMO is installed - WITH - folders intact, and let me know if this fixes it. If so, I will rebuid the demo and upload to all mirrors. [This message has been edited by Supreme Cmdr (edited 03-17-2001).]