Gaming Signal: October 2006 Archives

Sunday October 29, 2006

REVIEW: Sid Meier's Railroads! by Firaxis Games

REVIEW SUMMARY: Brilliant production value and outstanding graphics can't overcome what has become lackluster gameplay.
MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Build a railroad empire during the all ages of rail! Bridge the US or assist in the war effort in Europe, but make sure to build your company into a powerhouse of the iron horse.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Outstanding graphics, great sound, easy to play, and overall top-notch production value.
CONS: This game seems exactly the same as the original from 1990.
BOTTOM LINE: If you were a fan of Railroad Tycoon 3, I think you'll be dissapointed with this one. The game has been simplified a little too much, and no longer offers much in the way of innovative gameplay.

I was so looking forward to this title because I've been an avid fan of all the previous games. Unfortunately, while the basic gameplay is there, this version offers little more than upgraded graphics. The game is certainly accessible to people who aren't interested in micromanaging the railroad, but I guess I always saw that as part of the charm. In the interest of simplicity, the game automatically builds tressles and tunnels - you just point and click and the game fills in the rail. Perhaps I'm a luddite, but I guess I enjoyed the fun of building the bridge where you want, the tunnel where you want, etc.

I played most of the historical scenarios, but only a couple to completion because I got bored before the end. There are 15 of these missions, and while decent in idea the gameplay made them pretty trivial. The AI opponents are overall quite poor - pretty much just spamming as much track on the landscape as they can.

Again, if you've never played one of these games and are looking for a start, this is a great start. But if you're a longtime fan, I think you're going to be left wanting.

Wednesday October 25, 2006

Post-Game Release Support?

This is always an area of interest since many games have issues when they are released. This is a fact of life for software since it is almost impossible to solve every issue or predict every use case. I could go on a long winded discussion of this from a software engineering perspective, and that would only result in two things - one being this post not conveying the information I really wanted to give, and two having folks stop reading what I write.

Anyways, the official patch route is often a long one and in many cases never done if companies close shop or release a new version. This does not stop work from being done by rather adventurous users who wish to see the game reach its full potential. These fan based mods or improvements are hit or miss, but they do try to add to a game they love. I have collected a few links that I want to share and see if anybody has any other games that have been touched in this way - not total conversions or mods, but end user patches to an existing game to fix flaws/deficiencies or story elements.

Without further ado, the list:

The most popular and probably best done mod/fix pack is the one from Circle of Eight for Temple of Elemental Evil. This was featured in a recent PC Gamer and claims to fix alot of the issues with the game that will not be addressed by the developer. I have not tried it but the general consensus is that it is very very good.
Another one I have seen lots of releases for is an unofficial patch pack for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. This fan update adds alot to the game, but since Troika is out of business, this maybe the only route to fixes and content patches.
Finally for my list is a new one that claims to fix the issues with the Obsidian game, Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. They claim on their website that it will fix/restore content that is missing from the original game. It is still pretty early in development, but it might be worth checking out.

This is a relatively short list and as I said, does not include mods for games like Neverwinter Nights or Half-Life. The other great thing is that all of these games don't require the latest and greatest in hardware and can be acquired cheaply for those who are on a limited budget.

Tuesday October 24, 2006

Battlefield 2142: Things that suck...

I've been getting some fun times in BF2142 lately but I have a few gripes, and what better to do with them than to share them with the group.

When logging in the first time, the game gives no indication that it is going to permanently lock your serial number to your EA logon. This sucks because I have two EA logons (I wish I didn't, but apparently I do) and I didn't know it was going to do this and I inadvertently locked BF2142 to the wrong one. It isn't a big deal, but it kind of sucks not to be able to use my name from BF2 (which is locked to the other account, and can't be used.)
The games increase in firepower has created a lot more 'one shot, one kill' situations. I know they want to model the cool new weapons in the future, but this doesn't necessarily make for a great game. When a firefight is essential over in one second, it isn't necessarily that fun. Being one-shotted by a sniper is the worst. I give that guy credit for nailing me, but waiting 15 seconds, dying on respawn, and having to wait 15 more is really lame.
I miss the near constant action of BF2 sometimes. Maybe I just haven't found the best maps yet, but except for the battles on the Titans, it can feel pretty lonely out there.
Some Assault maps are terrible - with such natural choke points the attackers can never get past them. I was on the defensive end of this twice - we just stood there with a full compliment of armor, air cover, and infantry as the enemy just threw themselves against us over and over again. Yes, they should have geared up and attacked as a unit - but that's just impossible with a group of players who don't know each other.
The worst offense - the lack of a real game manual in the box. The one it comes with is written for BF2 players (pity the poor soul who is coming to the series for the first time.) Except, critical information is left out. There isn't any mention of battlefield upgrades in there. In fact, while the booklet alludes to upgrades in general, there isn't any explanation of the way the system works. I frankly had to make mistakes (permanent mistakes) before I figured out that the upgrade system was a tree. I'm afraid that isn't obvious from the graphic. The fact that the forums are filled with questions like 'how do I do this?' and 'what is this?' should make it obvious they missed the boat here.

OK, I guess that's enough ranting for now. None of these things are keeping me from playing, but it's too bad the game couldn't have been that much better.

Saturday October 21, 2006

REVIEW: Gracias by Richard Borg and Alan R. Moon

REVIEW SUMMARY: A fun card game that deserves it's nomination as Games Magazine Family Card Game for 2007.
MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A card collection game where the object is to have the second most cards in any given color!!

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Very simple rules and a quick playing game.
CONS: Strategy only plays a partial role in winning, and the whole large mouse, little mouse thing is not needed once you get the game flowing.
BOTTOM LINE: A great family game

This is one of those games where setup seems confusing, and scoring seems odd until you play a single hand. Then all becomes obvious, and that is when the fun begins. This game has just about everything I could ask for: screw-your-neighbor aspect, fast play, and the ability to do my terribly bad Cheech Marin accent. So it is bound to get high marks from me, but the game is very fun.

The basic play involves the dealing of two cards to each player as your starting pool, and then the placement of stacks consisting of 2 face up cards and 1 face down. The play then goes from the left of the starting player selecting a stack and keeping one face up card and the face down card. Then delivering the other face up card to another player who must say "Gracias". The objective is to collect a high number of cards from each of the six colors, but not to have the most since at the end of the selection phase - the highest number of cards in each color are thrown away. Now, I am skipping out on some of the rules, but that is the general flow of the game. But it is not hard to see where the screw-your-neighbor element comes from when you hand them a blue card and they now have the highest number of blue cards.

The artwork is simplistic and reminiscent of Speedy Gonzales of Looney Tunes fame - which is a good thing. The colors are also well done, nothing is too bright or too dark. The overall production value is well done with the card stock being similar to nice playing cards.

The only downsides from my standpoint is that there is a logistical step of moving a large mouse and small mouse card to determine who is the first player in each hand, and after you understand the rules - this seems to be an unnecessary step. Also, the game is somewhat random with the facedown card mechanism so planning strategy does not always work, but that is a minor fault. This game is great fun for all ages and was nominated for Games Magazine's New Family Card Game of the year award for 2007 (it lost, but being nominated is pretty good.)

What gaming magazines do you read?

This week I was picking up the mail and had a little surprise. It was a complimentary copy of the Official Playstation Magazine. I know it is slanted towards Sony (and some folks will say meh), but I think you are selling yourself short. Now the magazine is published by the same folks who publish that crap EGM, but this one is so much better. This all started me thinking about what magazines I get and which ones I really feel are worth my time investment to read them. Basically, my monthly gaming magazine set looks like this (it is a short list, but I have other magazines and stuff to read too):

Of those, I really only trust Game Informer (and is currently the only one I pay for) for reviews, articles and what not. The others are great as vehicles for previews and screenshots, but very little else. I have posted before about an article in PC Gamer, and sometimes there is an interesting column there. But for the most part, I find these magazines are not very good. Luckily, many offer free subscriptions for a year and that way I can find out what I like and what to avoid. I also fully understand there are websites out there (some which are to be avoided at all cost) that do a fine job of presenting news, but sometimes I am not connected to the web and I still enjoy flipping pages.

So I wonder what magazines other folks read and would be willing to pay for a subscription? (That is two questions for you...)

Thursday October 19, 2006

Advertising and Gaming

Unlike my normal curmudgeony type self, this topic comes up again and again these days as developers and publishers work to release titles and recoup the development cost of said titles. The MMO market does not have this problem as much due to the monthly subscription mechanism, but if thier fees are low and growth is high - they can easily enter this state, but I digress. The latest implmentation of this concept of in-game ads to help pay for the game development comes from those lovely folks over at EA in Battlefield 2142. The original posts related to this all spoke of spyware and a scanning of browsing habits - but that has since been clarified to being the capture of an IP address. This can be done today and is most likely done already if you are surfing the web without some obfuscation tools, and again I digress.

Now I have already stated my love for this series, and this probably will not stop me from purchasing the game and playing. But as Trent brought up to us today, the overall cost structure seems flawed given that we are already paying a premium price for the game. Furthermore, he was not even warned that they would be performing this IP capture due to the mechansim by which he purchased the game (via the EA downloader). This is then combined with the simple fact that EA only provides a small number of servers with the rest provided by third parties. So the question is, why am I paying $50 for a game that will be recieve supplemental income via ads? Furthermore, what ads will I be subjected to? The whole situation starts to take on a stink that I would rather not think of. I mean Anarchy Online has a free mode that is totally ad sponsered and I can accept that. This all makes me question if I should invest in the game at all...

Updated to fix spelling and sentence structure in a couple spots...

Monday October 16, 2006

Computer Gaming World for free?

Yes, it is true!!! The wonderful folks over at FileFront and CGW have made the back issues of the magazine available on-line for free. Now you can go off and remember the days long since passed in computer gaming, and see how far the technology has taken us. The older issues offer some nostalgia, and I bet it would be great to go back and see what predictions they made "back in the day".

Battlefield 2142 and you!!!

I have become a major fan of this series since I played Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. The game really appeals to me, and while I am frustrated by my skills - it is still something I love to fire up once in a while. With that said, if you have not heard there is another game from those guys at Dice coming out. It is titled Battlefield 2142 (not a major leap in naming), and is a futuristic spin on the series. I have played the demo and it is absolutely fantastic. The game still has the conquest mode (which tends to drive me crazy at times), but it adds a new Titan mode that I think seperates this title from the ealier ones. I forsee me playing only Titan games since there is a capture the flag element combined with an assault mode that is really fun.

Okay, great overview Tim, but what is the point here? The point is that the guys over at MyInternetServices have placed a bounty on the folks there who play BF2142. This is a great thing and while I would love to claim that I am off acquiring these bounties hand over fist - this is not my intention. My hope is that we can add some tracking to our own skills with game. I am sure Trent will be up there in the body count category since his middle name seems to be Assault, and I will figure out a way to allow folks to let us know when they steal our tags. Once the game releases, I will figure out how to put the information up for all to see, and then you can have at us too. Now don't expect me to chuck cash at you - you will simply have to go the knowledge that you managed to kill me repeatedly (in game of course).

So lock and load and prepare to do battle!!!

RPG Tidbits for 10/16/2006

Welcome readers and today I have a set of tidbits that are best described as being role-playing game centric (hence the title name), and that should give you all the RPG news you can handle. So without further ado...

Pixel Rage has collected a list of Oblivion mods that they feel should have been part of the original game. This list includes a variety of modifications that include enhancements for the environments (including the water), window lighting and other things. As another addition, I saw a link for a very ambitious mod to create individual book jackets for every book in the game. I have not tried these, but they only work on the PC version of the game. And I will be downloading them and improving my Oblivion experience.
Gamasutra has a list of games that "offer a quantum leap" in RPGs. The games listed brought something new to the genre such as toolsets (for Neverwinter Nights) or some other feature that is now taken for granted. The list is a rather interesting one and worth checking out.
Joystiq has news that with the release of Neverwinter Nights 2 - a group of modders will be releasing a Planescape campaign for the system.

Well, I know its not a long list but there is some good stuff to check out there.

Friday October 06, 2006

Another Reason To Dis-Like Kotaku

Kotaku doesn't allow open comments, they don't even have moderated comments. No, they only allow you to comment on their posts if you meet with their approval. Check it:

You appear to be a new user. We only allow in a commenter if the debut contribution is interesting, substantial or highly amusing. Polish up your words and confirm your password, above. Your comment will only appear once (or if) you're added to the membership list.

Does this strike anyone else as condescending and a bit elitist? You get to join their secret commenter club only if they approve of your attempted comment. I have to wonder if they dis-allow those potential commenters who are overly critical of a particular post. With a statement such as the above, I certainly wouldn't put it past them, 'journalistic integrity' or not. Put this together with Tim's rant and their penchant for being juvenile and puerile and its no wonder gamers get a bad rap.
So why even bother going there? Good question. Occasionally they post something that is interesting without the childishness, but I'm beginning to wonder whether its even worth the bother. Is there another gaming blog that looks at the industry from a fan perspective? Aside from this one of course....

Wednesday October 04, 2006

Decisions, decisions...

While, I would love to throw some more mud at those folks we mentioned in our previous posts. I have been trying to figure out what I should do about upgrades. Do I upgrade my PC to something that has PCI-express and SLI? Or do I simply ignore those darned bastages who make games that keep raising the PC hardware stakes and get an Xbox 360. I pretty much have a good idea that it will be a 360 (thats tree-sitty just to keep my street cred) since I really like some of the console only titles that are coming (Assasin's Creed, Mass Effect, Gears of War, Dead Rising, and Castle Crashers - just to drop a few names). But if you could only pick one new upgrade this coming year, what would it be? And then tell me why you chose that particular upgrade? Keep in mind, you are not limited to the two I mentioned. Any of the next gen consoles or handhelds or computer products are open, I just want to find out what folks are waiting on. Or maybe you are just all very happy with your fine gear, and for those folks, I h8 you .

Monday October 02, 2006

Maybe, I am just getting old...

Not to follow on JP's thunder, but...

Lately, I am finding many of the other gaming blogs out there are just not all that appealing to me. I know they are a "fan" sort of thing with opinion running rampant, but I thought they would at least be able to report information without being childish all the time. I mean lately Kotaku and Joystiq have really gone downhill with posts like this (and there are others that just rub me the wrong way). Combine this with yet more use of the f-bomb and other colorful words, and then they wonder why gamers get labelled as immature. Honestly, once in a while is funny and irreverent - all the time is just annoying and low brow. I have a kid and I would like to be able to share games with him, but I don't want him picking up any other "unique" vocabulary from yet another source.

What is so hard about reporting information without being smarmy at every turn? And before anybody gets on me about what blogs are really about - I will throw it back that Joystiq and Kotaku really are more than a blogs per se. And while I am lashing out at sites that I used to enjoy, I will not say that print magazines are any better with EGM also going that same way in many articles - okay maybe the whole magazine. In each case, these guys are looking for subscription numbers either via RSS feeds or actual magazine distributions, but I cannot believe that everybody enjoys this kind of writing. I want a blog that offers me information about gaming shows, upcoming titles and interviews - but I want it to be less smarmy.

Again, this may just be me and work/school/home stress acting up, but I am just being turned off more and more by what I see as juvenile humor and a feeling of "look at us - we are bloggers and the future of journalism." But that will never happen if they do interviews and reports in this manner all the time. I cannot imagine a guy who is looking for good PR to have his interview turned into a venue for some blogger to show his gutter comic skills. I know there are other sites out there that do a better job reporting news and seperating opinion, and maybe I should just stick to those.

Does DICE Really Not Care?

Over on Kotaku, blogger Florian takes the opportunity to rip DICE over statements made by their senior producer, Marcus Nilsson about Battlefield 2. Nilsson pretty much says that the vocal minority of BF2 gets all the attention in gaming circles, while the majority of people are too busy playing BF2 to post about it. Florian then opines:

....After all, you are part of the minority that speaks... the majority loves the game and has no problem with it, as evidenced by the fact that they aren't talking.

Actually, if Florian is really into the whole gaming scene, which, his gig as blogger on Kotaku would seem to indicate, then he should know that this is very true. The majority of people are too busy playing or are not interested enough to post about the problems they have. BF2 sold how many hundreds of thousands of copies? I'm guessing a very small minority of those purchasers ever bothered to descend into the troll infested BF2 forums, and, for many that did, they ran screaming. So while you can't really determine the 'happiness' of the non-posting players (raises hand), I think we can assume that they like the game, witness its still going strong today.

Another:

Man, Marcus, shut up. That vocal minority? Those are the true fans of your game.

Nice attempt to categorize all the vocal players as 'true' fans, while everyone else isn't a fan, apparently. I consider myself a fan, I've played BF2 a ton, and I haven't whined or complained a bit on the forum. Of course, I won't generilze, but I feel my experience mirrors many people. The people who are fans of the game, but don't engage on BF2 boards.

And lastly:

Silence in gaming forums, as in death, does not indicate satisfaction.

Aside from the fact that most people won't post on BF2 boards, and therefore silence can't be taken to mean one thing or another, there is on additional reason for the silence. Its human nature to encounter a problem, then to want to go and complain about it to someone, somewhere. If you're having a good time and whatever bugs you encounter aren't bothering you, then you won't go post, let alone expose yourself to the daily flamefests. It isn't worth the time.

Do the above comments mean DICE doens't care? Of course not. They know that you can't please everyone and that the intricacies of software development are beyond most people, even gamers. Could Nilsson have said it better? Probably. But so could have Florian.

Frankly, it surprises me that someone who is ostensibly a professional gaming blogger doesn't understand this about the gaming community. If Mr. Eckhardt can't or won't realize this, it makes me wonder what other areas of gaming he isn't up to speed on. All I ask is that some thought be put into a diatribe and not just the reflexive hate for DICE/EA and with the concomittant sexual reference (which no one at Kotaku seems to be above using). Is it too much to ask for people being paid to blog about gaming to rise above a high school level of reporting?