On Sunday 21 May 2006 09:01, Adam Bower wrote:
On Sun, May 21, 2006 at 12:35:43AM +0100, Ten wrote:
Trouble is, there's lots you can't do on a console at the moment, including but not limited to PC-quality FPS titles (console games use weighted crosshairs, proximity deceleration and suchlike to compensate for the 10-thumbs nature of controllers, and this tends to spoil the game even when you do use a keyboard and mouse), RPG games (mustn't....mention....recent console RPG guis.), and the most important thing, the only way to make and run custom content, or to make and run Free games on a console is to try and run it as a PC itself.
The only thing is, you say there's lots you can't do on a console, but examples seem limited to FPS type games and RPG games. Since I started playing more console games I've discovered such delights as "we love katamari" & "destroy all humans" not to mention my old faves such as "wipeout fusion" & "dancing stage megamix" I just honestly can't see many of these kinds of genres ever existing for the PC which seems to be limited to flight sims, strategy/god game, RPG and FPS type games.
Oh, they're not entirely limited to those, I just didn't want to rattle on endlessly.
I've also absolutely *loved* my games consoles, with the possible exception of the gamecube (I never really got on with the games and the controller), and they've hosted some of my all-time classics (the Gran Turismo series, the MGS series, Resident Evil II, Street Fighter II, TimeSplitters etc.), but there are still not-so-little aspects of gaming on a PC that don't yet have equivalents on a console.
If nothing else, there's nothing to replace the eclectic experience you can put together for yourself on a PC at any point - and frankly you can always lay your hands on a game for free.
All of this is fairly useful to me at the moment of course, since I'm running without 3D acceleration due to unavoidable technical issues, and will be able to run games console games and 2D RPGs in order to replace my usual fare.
Although, in the Linux world there does seem to be a fair few more quirky and original games, mainly because many of them are not commercial so there is no demand to make money. Also, the only PC games on my shelf I can't play under Linux are civilization (III & IV) (but the Linux world is graced with the excellent FreeCiv) & Half Life 2 (annoyingly they make a server that runs on Linux for multiplayer games. Quite a few publishers still make versions of their games to play under Linux and given how few hours
Shame you cut off short here. Yes, the HL2 MP servers are a bit weird. Bugs go unfixed on hl2ds for extended periods of time and performance seems to be inferior performance-wise on to the same machine running the windows version (based on anecdotal evidence from a friend who runs windows specifically for the app despite running linux web servers).
The thing that really surprised me is how different Quake 4 is after you've played it a decent amount, to the first impression you get.
Also, about FreeCIV, I think Brett was talking about having a multiplayer game today, co-ordinated via the irc channel. (Usually when we've played multiplayer FreeCiv before we all hang out in irc while playing the game). So if anyone is interested perhaps they should stop by and find out if anything is happening.
Ooh, last time I played in one of those it was great fun - I'd definitely be up for that, notwithstanding the fact that I play FreeCiv like an absolute duffer. :)
Regards,
Ten