I guess that explains it, although again, I wonder how much it really has to do with anything. That company that was doing AutoDuel Online definitely wasn't doing a Mac version, and they certainly didn't seem to have any trouble getting a license. The various things I had heard from SJG seemed to have more to do with them wanting to make sure whoever they gave a license to would at least do a good job with it (I can't help thinking that AutoDuel Online - or AutoDuel 3D, whatever they called it - experience probably turned them off a bit. Although I find it especially hard to believe anyone would be pissed that they might want to do a PC version at all (and that doesn't even make sense, as there were PC versions of the original AutoDuel game.... if it ticked them off so much, I can't imagine they would have let Origin do it either).

Anyway though, most of that stuff sounds like so much ancient history I can't possibly imagine it would have anything to do with getting something done today. If anything I recall Steve Jackson got royally pissed off at Apple 2 or 3 years ago because he sent his computer in to get repaired and somehow his hard drive got erased..... so even if he did have an obsession with Macs, I just doubt he'd be so hung up on the notion of doing anything else nowadays.

Anyone who's been familiar with SJG for a few decades can tell you about teir mac related hang ups.

It was so bad that at one point, back in the eighties, if you wanted to submit anything in electronic format it had to be in a mac format.

Autoduel was definitely released in non-mac formats (I know, at once point or another I've had them all).

There was a quote a few years ago from someone at SJG saying that they would really like to do something to bring the Car Wars license into the digital age after autoduel but they couldn't find anyone to handle it to their satisfaction. Mostly being that they couldn't get anyone to at least develop it for the mac simultaneously. I got the impression from the guy was sort of pissed that they wanted to do a pc version at all.

It used to be out there somewhere on the SJG pages several years ago. if I cared more I might look it up.

If i'm not mistaken, they once tried to keep all the PCs off the old illuminati BBS. I think it mostly just consisted of a questionaire you had to fill out before they would give you a password. Any other old-timers remember this?

I know I could get on to upload my Omega stuff but I was using an Amiga up until the early 90's so I may not be remembering it correctly.

Yup, I loved AutoDuel. I had it for my old Mac 512ke, and I thought it was just an excellent game... honestly, as many subsequent "car combat" games have come out, what I miss from all of them is the unique "car wars" world. It just had a great atmosphere that I haven't seen replicated anywhere.... although it does perhaps sound like this Auto Assault game might come a bit closer than some other things. Really it seems like a lot of the hard work for doing a new AutoDuel game has been done, it seems like it would be more just about the content and atmosphere to fit in the Car Wars/AutoDuel universe. I mean, I used to love the stuff like the AADA, the courier missions, the arenas, etc.

K, I'm missing something here...... what is it about SJG being "mac-obsessed" that has to do with them not doing something with the license? This is the first I had ever heard they were mac-obsessed.... I mean, aside from Origin System's AutoDuel game which happened to have a version on the Apple II and Mac, I don't know what this refers to. I mean, I know he uses a Mac too, but I don't see why that would have to do with anything (at most I could see that maybe he would want a company that did a new AutoDuel game to do a Mac version as well, but I can't see what would be so terrible about this anyway).

Could you shed some light on this? Also, I thought SJG had been willing to license AutoDuel/Car Wars.... and in fact, I recall that they did license it to some company to do some sort of AutoDuel Online game which was going to be done with some sort of big pods where people would go to gaming centers and play it.... or something like that.

Anyway though, could you explain what you meant here? I don't even remember that use of the license having anything to do with the Mac. I mean, were you saying that like SJG only wants to give a license to someone who would do a Mac version of whatever game they develop? Or what?

This comment was edited on Apr 24, 09:07.

From the Larian website:


For months now, we’ve been working on a big secret. We can finally, and proudly, announce this new project:

"CaRPG" (working title)

Have you ever wondered what an RPG would look like when bringing it to the street? Well, here's your chance. In “CaRPG” you are a Cyrborg: half man, half car. During your dangerous journey through Mutant infested cities, you'll have to face uncountable adventures entangling your Cyrborg in the city’s intrigues, adrenalin-pumping car chases, challenging fights and all the cool features of an RPG. While being hunted by the various villains of a post-nuclear future, your goal is simple: to survive! About 12 different Alien races with simulated culture and complete daytime rhythm will make that very hard...

But you'll also meet lots of Allies that will offer their help if you help them out with many randomly generated Quests.

Mount over 60 different weapons on your vehicle and choose between 20 different cars, ranging from a very basic buggy (pun intended, see screenshot) up to very heavy trucks. Upgrade your character with several shields, armors, spikes, batteries, engines and so on. You'll start with basis of a steel-wire buggy, covered only with a leather hull, but look out for the chain-fence, full plate or titan armor plates! The weapon range is from a basic Katana up to multiple grenade launchers or even Ion canons.

When you get more experienced you will not only get faster and stronger, you also get bonus skills and equipment after reaching a certain level, such as special bumpers for escape saltos with your car, rocket boosters for high jumps or even gravitation belts for levitation. What more would a car want?

CaRPG will be fully 3D, using the same engine we'll use for Divinity II, will have full voiceover for all the dialogs, and steerwheel support.


Too bad it was their 2004 April Fool's joke. I would really like to have played this.

Anyone play Autoduel? I had it for the Apple ][, but I think it was avail for PC as well. It was an outstanding take on Car Wars. It really had an epic feel for its time, and had most of the basic gameplay mechanics you'd need for a MMORPG. Conceptually, really ahead of its time.

#16, if you develop and market this game, you've got a guaranteed sale already. =)

Athlon64 3200+/MSI K8T Neo/1 GB DDR-400 Corsair TwinX LL-PT/Radeon 9700 Pro/160 Gb SATA Seagate Barracuda/Playing X-Com and Commander Keen =)

...even change teams for free WOW what a novelty.

jaja, same.

------
“The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn. Ok?"

Maaaan, I've been waiting for a mission-based car-combat game for a while now.

Ditto. As the game will be MMO, I won't be able to afford it either. However, if the game does well, it will motivate more developers to follow suit and produce vehicular combat games. Personally, I'd love to see a single-player vehicular combat game with RPG aspects. Take Freelancer, mix it with Twisted Metal Black, Interstate '76 and maybe even a little Morrowind... sheer goodness =*]

LMFAO so not only do you have to pay a monthly subscription to play the original game but you now have to pay for an expansion to swap teams Whats the next expansion after that? COS, City of spectators when u have to pay to spectate?

Call me Mr Picky but I will stick to my large collection of games that cost me nothing but the retail price, I can have huge on-line battles for free and even change teams for free WOW what a novelty.

After reading all their anti pvp crap on the Coh.com forums, now I REALLY want to be a villian, just to kill them

"City of Carebears" expanision is forthcoming.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
New sig under construction.

Maaaan, I've been waiting for a mission-based car-combat game for a while now. Too bad Auto Assault is gonna be an MMORPG, so no matter how good it is... I can't afford to play it. I was hoping for something along the structure of X-wing Alliance, but instead of ships.... in cars. Garage opens. 5 cars rumble out with machine gun and rocket attachments. Mission objective.. intercept transport convoy and disable their tires for cargo capture. Or.... attack enemy Mobile Defense Base....... like a Star Destroyer but with wheels. Cars driving all over the place, dodging fire, then turning around and shooting up the MDB...... boom boom boooooom. Vans, buses, and SUVs are considered "bombers", and they drive in formation, with gun turrets blasting out the back and sides. Japanese motorcycles are high speed scout vehicles... Harley motorcycles are slightly beefed up scouts.... Ford Mustangs, Camaros, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Mazda's RX-8's, Skylines, and all the other popular cars perform various combat roles as "road superiority fighters". Pick-up trucks become rocket-platforms. Homing missiles can be shot out at your target.... but a quick turn and deployment of countermeasures spoofs the missile, just like any flight sim. That would be sweeet.

I never played much I'76, but from the looks of it, it was more like a groovy Wing Commander then a real attempt at making a car combat game. And the Vigilante games were just too arcadey. "Cars with guns" is a theme that companies should think about more often. Afterall, the average American spends 90 minutes a day in one..... in anger-inducing nerve-wracking traffic...... urge to kill..... rising.... rising........!

This comment was edited on Apr 23, 17:39.

Cryptic needs to be working on CoH and fixing it's still numerous problems and issues and adding actual content to it before working on an expansion. If the expansion is just more of the same, but you're a "bad guy", I'll pass. CoH = good concept, poor execution.

Auto-assault sounds about the same. It's basically I76' they want you to pay a monthly fee for. While it was fun, it's certainly nothing that warrants paying a monthly fee, much like Planetside. Maybe I just expect more bang for my buck. Why can't they just do a GOOD post-apocalyptic MOG ala Fallout? That would own if done properly.


"It's like "Bang the Drum Slowly". Except the drum is a chick.
- Family Guy

No man, JG is not a turd. It's improved immensely since the release of Episode 2 and lots of patching.

CoH currently has no PvP at all whatsoever. The devs have said they want to introduce player villians YEARS ago, but all the fanbois had their selective review reading glasses on and are now feigning surprise.

After reading all their anti pvp crap on the Coh.com forums, now I REALLY want to be a villian, just to kill them.

Auto Assault sounds completely bad ass.. but I hope NetDevil got some fresh talent, or brushed up their skills, because Jumpgate was a turd.

In any rate, I am going to give CoH a spin.

Welp, the same folks behind AA also made the excellent space sim/mmorpg, Jumpgate, so it should be awesome.

(wewt)
\
t("t)


This comment was edited on Apr 23, 16:38.

It's a shame Steve Jackson Games couldn't pull their mac-obsessed heads out of their asses long enough to actually do something with the license.

That's the beauty of life in post-apocalypse, an idea so public it can't be licensed

Auto Assault sounds like the game I've been waiting for all my life. Ever since I was a teenager sitting around drinking beer and play Car Wars with the guys, this is what I've been looking for.

It's a shame Steve Jackson Games couldn't pull their mac-obsessed heads out of their asses long enough to actually do something with the license.