Every time I read, "throw-up in my mouth," I throw up in my mouth, like every other overused cliche.
That being said, this sounds like a terrible idea.

On top of this, the attitude of intellectual superiority just adds to the humor, because no one knows of anything that Derek Smart has said or done that's actually been intellectually amazing. No published papers. Not a real PHd. No published academic books. No participation in academia. No contribution to gaming technology that has been groundbreaking. At the bottom end of this, no online forum posts that have exuded any sort of aura of intelligence or good, logical thought, it's just blasts of self-indulgent vitriol.

The ranting and raving and elitist intellectual posturing does absolutely nothing other than drive away sales. I just don't get it. People listen to John Carmack and Tim Sweeney because they know for a fact that they are smart, and they don't come across as huge, delusional misanthropic jerks, and they've delivered some astonishing technology, time and time again.
A humble, respectful attitude would go a long, long way.

@dsmart
"erm, wot?!?! Looks like we have a communications malfunction. Not to be confused with a warddrobe malfunction. Though I am in fact, half-naked and sitting out back by the poolside and staring at the lake as I type this. Quick!! Go grab Google Maps!!

In all seriousness, lifes too short my friend. So don't go reading to much into everything. My commentary here is purely generalized because unless I know the person I'm refering to, you're all the fucking enemy! because - unlike those racist bastards here - I am equal opportunity flamer."

Haha! Alright, cool. I did take a bit of an offense, because I really do take story and setting seriously, although not necessarily in the way that many gamers do; a lot are happy with a convoluted, poorly written but heavily plotted piece of crap, and I don't think that heavy plotting is necessary. Something like Shadow of the Colossus shows us that narrative in games can function very differently than in literature or film, television, and plays.

Also, I wish I was half-naked by a pool.

Also, I wish someone didn't screw with me about Elite 4.

This comment was edited on Mar 18, 18:06.

I'm going to try the demo, anyway, because it's a shame that the space sim genre is dead.
X-Wing and Tie Fighter are two of my favorite games of all time, and it's always been a mystery to me why developers have given up on these types of games.

BTW, I had no idea that Elite 4 was coming...hmmm...

"I say GODDAMN someone done bought the hillbillies a computer!

Soooiiieee!

*Edit as far as I know rednecks are a subspecies of human and therefore not classed as a race. "

Hahaha, thank God I got some support. I was beginning to despair, haha. And I think you're dead-on, haha.

I really just wanted to have Derek discuss the game, because I'm curious - he's a figure everyone knows, and he's managed to survive independently in the industry. It's too bad it was all taken down in flames.

This comment was edited on Mar 18, 16:39.

Sad.

Also:
a) Bill Cosby doesn't speak for an entire race, nor do rappers, nor does any one particular person or group.

b) I'm positive Bill Cosby would also think you're a racist.


This comment was edited on Mar 18, 16:31.

Wow. I rest my case. It's not worth my time to argue with someone so incredibly ignorant, hate-filled, and stupid. Your lack of understanding of hip-hop is equalled only by your vast hate.

This comment was edited on Mar 18, 16:21.

The most shocking thing is that Derek isn't the biggest jerk here.

Editing your post, Jonny5, and playing victim is pretty lame.

I don't think racism should be tolerated anywhere. It's ludicrous that in a faceless, colorless internet forum racism still comes out. There isn't a single note of race here until the awful, "angry black man," comment came out

"DS I hate to sound racist or ignorant, but you sound like another black man with a stupid chip on his shoulder.... Get some self esteem "

You don't sound like a racist, you are one. This is about Derek's attitude and our perception of his game, not his race. This is terrible. He doesn't sound like, "like another black man with a stupid chip on his shoulder," whatever the hell that is, he just comes across like a jerk.

If you, unprompted, slide into a conversation and acuse someone of being typical, to you, of their race, you're a racist. It implies you have decided upon a set group of negative behaviors associated with someone's skin color, and you judge members of that race according to it.
So please, GTFO. Go burn your cross somewhere else.


This comment was edited on Mar 18, 16:06.

"Yes, yes, of course, that must be it. Either that or thats what cluelessness will do to you.

A gamer talking about cohesion, storylines, relationships. That makes me wanna either LOL or go down in the basement and smack my leprechaun around. "

Derek, you're really living up to your reputation here. I came in here with some genuine questions that you, as game developer and lead designer should be able to answer without resorting to anger and childish tantrums. In my humble opinion as a game consumer, it is the game developers job to sell me the game - give me a hook, give me something that interests me, and I'll take a closer look; if it's really interesting, I might purchase it. This is all I was suggesting. If you want to look at ignorant behavior, look no further than your outburst, calling people names and suggesting that if they don't know your game, they're ignorant.

You know what makes me laugh out loud? That you'd sink to criticizing me for doing no more than wondering what your game is about and asking you to explain it. What makes it worse is that you use the term, "gamer," in a derogatory fashion, suggesting it implies ignorance. Aren't gamers your entire market?

This comment was edited on Mar 18, 15:58.

I think that the whole 3000AD/GalCom thing needs to be retired if the games are going to be taken seriously. No one understands the relationship of each game to the next, no one understands the universe or why we should care because, as far as anyone can tell, it's hookless beyond the, "if you can think of it, you can do it," which no one really believes anyway. You don't have to set a game in an established universe to have a hook, but you do need a hook beyond bare mechanics.

This comment was edited on Mar 18, 15:34.

I personally find the whole thing strange. These games have been around forever and a day, yet I know no one who has ever bought one, and they still keep getting made. I'm not knocking the games, as I know next to nothing about them other than the infamous original 3000AD debacle, I'm just curious how a company stays afloat with a single, incredibly esoteric product line. I know, I know, there's a giant, empty chasm left in the games field since space combat games exited, but these games (again, I don't speak from experience) don't seem to have a particularly strong set of world building and identifiable key elements other than, "ships in space."

Anyone care to fill me in? I know Derek just posted, so, feel free to reply, if only to defend your game against the lashes others have given it in this thread.

All of this is true, yes. The dumbing down, though, unfortunately, I don't see as entirely the fault of consoles, at least as far as gameplay is concerned. I remember being overjoyed at how much fun I was having playing Diablo, and then, months later, being disgusted as all the "RPGs" coming down the pipe were dumbed down to Diablo levels. Personally, I fault publishers and producers for creating games based on demographics and predicted sales, as you note, and also, the PC hardware industry, which jams new hardware out in confusing varieties that cost fortunes to purchase and promotes the silly competitive "My PC is Better Than Yours" churn and burnout. Games are a business, and unfortunately, rising costs of games has completely killed the cowboy glory days when a few developers could craft something wonderful that they were passionate about. Now, if there is a question it won't meet the bottom line, it won't get made, or it will be compromised, period. Eventually, once graphics technology reaches an apex and the development tools are widespread and more approachable, gaming will most likely have another renaissance, much like film today, as it is much cheaper and easier to create independent films these days with software tools and the cameras becoming cheaper and more readily available.

This comment was edited on May 8, 16:44.

Ecthelion - brilliant post. My sentiments exactly. I am ebarrassed to be a hardcore RPG fan, when this is what hardcore RPG fans have become. RPGs are easily my favorite genre, as I cut my teeth on them in my nascent years of gaming - classics such as Ultima IV, V, VI, Might and Magic III, the Gold Box games, Ultima Underworld, and Dungeon Master. They are, in my mind, the ultimate game, swallowing elements of all genres and yet maintaining story and writing as their center, something particularly important to me. I truly hope Fallout 3 is excellent, as Fallout is at the top of my heap of favorite games of all time, and Bethesda, thus far, have shown they care about the franchise and will try their best to make the game as great as they possibly can.

I speak this as a PC gamer myself, but PC gamers in general have become a nasty, disgruntled pain, never satisfied, always complaining, and they need look no further than themselves if they want to look at where some of the PC gaming industries problems are coming from.

This comment was edited on May 8, 15:37.

"You just have to love the dumbing down of the once great CRPG, right?"

Because you've played it, right? Have you seen it? Do you know anything at all about it more than what Bethesda has released, namely that Liam Neeson will do some voice work and that it will use the SPECIAL system? If so, please, do tell.

Are you sure the target audience of, "knuckle dragging, slope-headed, mouth breathing, thin-blooded, inbred, buck-toothed, slack-jawed, chromosomally challenged youth," isn't you? Because, you know, making broad, self-congratulating claims based on zero information is what is usually known as Not So Smart.

It is amazing to me that people are criticizing Bethesda for spending the money to acquire a top tier actor for a major role in Fallout. Making the assumption that all the money is going to be spent on actors and not the game is stupid, period. Oblivion had great voice actors, as well as obviously high production values. Where is the down side?

I am a massive Fallout fan - and PC RPG fan in general - yet I am constantly taken aback by the idiocy of the vast majority of the criticisms leveled at Bethesda. We haven't seen anything of the actual game yet other than some brief music, the hiring of a major actor, and two concept art pieces - which are good. What is the problem?

My God, the stupidity of some people...

This comment was edited on May 8, 12:50.

"Isn't it also illegal in lower 48? Or is she older than 18 now?...I'm a bad person."

Hahahahah!!!