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General / Re: The Widescreen Thread
« on: March 07, 2008, 04:27:05 am »
Yeah, I'm just following up on something I wasn't too clear on earlier in the thread. I'm eagerly awaiting the widescreen patch as well.
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General / Re: The Widescreen Thread
« on: March 06, 2008, 12:45:57 am »
AMD/ATi have added in driver fixed aspect ratio scaling in the 8.3 catalysts they released today. The same rule applies though, you need a digital interface to your display.
Quote
Digital Panel GPU image scaling
This release of Catalyst™ introduces a new setting that allows users to enable GPU accelerated scaling for Wide aspect LCD displays. The new setting Maintain aspect ratio improves the display resolution image quality when scaling is enable by maintaining the wide panel aspect ratio (stops the image from looking distorted)
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General / Re: You guys should totally enter Aquaria into the PAX 10!
« on: March 02, 2008, 05:43:40 pm »
Jerry has been on a big indie kick recently so assuming he hasn't tried the game yet now is the time to put it in front of him.
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General / Re: Aquaria on XBLA or PSN?
« on: February 29, 2008, 01:21:52 pm »
The size limit for Wii ware is probably a bit too limiting (~40mb supposedly) for a game with such a high quantity of 2D art. Also, it's not free. You have to get the full blessing of Nintendo and use a fully featured dev kit ($$$).
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General / Re: The Widescreen Thread
« on: February 12, 2008, 11:38:21 pm »No such option here on my Nvidia Control Panel (with advanced options), using the latest drivers for my 8600GT on Windows XP.
Could it be because of my crappy monitor doesn't have a DVI input, only VGA? (Samsung SyncMaster 740nw)
It could be a lot of things, the OS, the GPU, the interface. I'm using Vista, DVI-D & a 8800 GT and it's available. I'll look into this further and post back with info on just where it's available and where it isn't.
EDIT: You were right. This requires a digital interface (DVI/HDMI).
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General / Re: The Widescreen Thread
« on: February 11, 2008, 06:31:49 am »
First of all many "nice" LCD displays have the option in their internal setup to pillar or letter box non native aspect ratio signals. My BenQ 241W has such an option. Of course, many "nice" LCD displays do not have this. This is something you should really consider when buying a display. I know I wouldn't buy one without this functionality. You can never trust a source to be able to do it's own pillar/letter boxing.
If you have a Nvidia video card and are using recent drivers you can go to Nvidia control panel -> Display -> Change flat panel scaling -> and select "Use Nvidia scaling with fixed aspect ratio". This may not be available if your card is x number of generations old, I don't know. It also may not be available in OSX. I'm not aware if ATi has anything similar in their recent drivers.
If you have a Nvidia video card and are using recent drivers you can go to Nvidia control panel -> Display -> Change flat panel scaling -> and select "Use Nvidia scaling with fixed aspect ratio". This may not be available if your card is x number of generations old, I don't know. It also may not be available in OSX. I'm not aware if ATi has anything similar in their recent drivers.
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General / Re: just want to say thanks for a great game
« on: February 10, 2008, 03:33:25 am »
I say let the big publishers that have to worry about quarterly earnings and stock holders hash out sequels. Bit Blot should continue to be creative and move on to their next idea.
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Off-Topic / Re: Random youtube stupidity
« on: February 05, 2008, 08:14:01 pm »
Staying on the Japanese theme, this is one of my favorite youtube videos. Mostly because it seems like such a fun place and time to be. Mass street dancing in Tokyo's Akihabra district to the theme song from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (with a punchline!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okeq0uuldy0&feature=related
There is a better angle that shows the girl playing Haruhi and with better sound but I can't find it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okeq0uuldy0&feature=related
There is a better angle that shows the girl playing Haruhi and with better sound but I can't find it
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General / Re: Disc version/Future Retail plans
« on: February 05, 2008, 04:39:25 am »
The Steamworks announcement is basically Valve declaring war on Microsoft's Games For Windows Live initiative. Although initiative isn't quite how I'd describe it. Apathetic, underfunded, half featured vapor is more accurate. I really wish MS was more serious about GFWL, but what they've done so far is half ass at best. Valve have stepped up and want to make Steam THE Xbox Live style of unified service in the PC space. They're doing it right so far. Of course if Microsoft really wanted to, they could throw 100 million dollars at the situation and bring it to a decisive close.
There isn't much of interest in Steamworks for a game like Aquaria (non multiplayer). The detailed sales tracking would be nice for you guys to have but I would consider that a given for any sort of digital distribution. Steam achievements could be added which would please the Steam hardcores and you'd be the first non Valve game to have them. Also, assuming this would not be too hard to program, the gameplay stats and analaysis could help tip you off to where people stop playing the game, where they get stuck, if people are dying too much in some places and such. Almost like post release play testing. Nifty but pointless unless you're planning on going through the game and tweaking such things if they seem to be a problem. I probably wouldn't want to do that at this point.
I'd like to add my voice to those encouraging you guys to push the Steam issue. I've really gotten behind it in recent years and think Valve are doing some great things for PC gaming. I'm sure they'd be honored to have Aquaria on the service.
There isn't much of interest in Steamworks for a game like Aquaria (non multiplayer). The detailed sales tracking would be nice for you guys to have but I would consider that a given for any sort of digital distribution. Steam achievements could be added which would please the Steam hardcores and you'd be the first non Valve game to have them. Also, assuming this would not be too hard to program, the gameplay stats and analaysis could help tip you off to where people stop playing the game, where they get stuck, if people are dying too much in some places and such. Almost like post release play testing. Nifty but pointless unless you're planning on going through the game and tweaking such things if they seem to be a problem. I probably wouldn't want to do that at this point.
I'd like to add my voice to those encouraging you guys to push the Steam issue. I've really gotten behind it in recent years and think Valve are doing some great things for PC gaming. I'm sure they'd be honored to have Aquaria on the service.
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General / Re: Random Thoughts...
« on: February 03, 2008, 12:22:33 pm »
I would personally love a map that doesn't mark anything unless you do it yourself, but I agree it would be a rather "hard line" move that not everybody would be happy with.
Like I said above it's not just one thing about the map that causes raised eyebrows, it breaks down in a few different ways that stack on top of one another. If you could somehow figure out the performance issues behind the complete "fog of war" rendering, and make the change in a future patch, I think that would get people off your nuts about this whole thing.
Like I said above it's not just one thing about the map that causes raised eyebrows, it breaks down in a few different ways that stack on top of one another. If you could somehow figure out the performance issues behind the complete "fog of war" rendering, and make the change in a future patch, I think that would get people off your nuts about this whole thing.
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General / Re: Random Thoughts...
« on: February 03, 2008, 04:19:42 am »
I suggested that as a compromise between the the two sides of this argument. I understand it would probably be too much work to be worth it at this point. Adding stuff to the current discovery based icon system would solve the problem, but I'm assuming there were reasons you have it mark some things and not others. In the case of the blue crystals, I thought you may have intended the player to not give them much thought until the ability to make use of them is unlocked. And when you do get that ability part of the fun and exploratory spirit of the game would be finding them again out of vague recollection of seeing them, or notes you might have made. If they're all marked on the map when you do get that ability, visiting them all might feel more like going down a checklist than exploration.
(I know I don't need to say this, but I'm afraid I'm sounding like a smart ass about this whole thing.) You're the game designer, bro. If you don't thing any changes need be made then don't make any. It's your game and it's very fun and playable as it is.
(I know I don't need to say this, but I'm afraid I'm sounding like a smart ass about this whole thing.) You're the game designer, bro. If you don't thing any changes need be made then don't make any. It's your game and it's very fun and playable as it is.
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General / Re: The Widescreen Thread
« on: February 03, 2008, 03:10:49 am »
16:9 is "higher" than 16:10 in the way Alec phrased that sentence. Think of it like this, 16:9 is as wide or rectangular as will be allowed and 1:1 is as narrow or square as will be allowed. This is only a bummer to dual display or triple head to go users because they use super wide resolutions. For the other 99.99% of the world, 4:3, 5:4, 16:10 and 16:9 are the only ratios that matter and they will all be supported.
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General / Re: Random Thoughts...
« on: February 03, 2008, 03:06:10 am »
Every criticism of this game I've seen on these boards have been very constructive. This is the kind of thing a good artist loves to hear, and is all part of the ongoing dialog between those who create and the people who pay for and consume their work.
I think we're having all these threads about the mapping system because it does a few odd things that if either one were more transparent, the other would be largely irrelevant. The first one is the lack of "fog of war" progress tracked on all areas. We all know that this is a technical problem in the game as of this writing, but if implemented you could glance at the map and know where you had been. If, say you'd obtained an ability and we're looking for places that you were previously blocked from, this would narrow down where those barriers might be immensely.
Second, the game already has a discovery based icon system but it's used in a way that doesn't make much sense. It tells you where a boss was after you've beaten it, and found memories but I don't see why you'd really need to know that other than not to wander down that way again. Perhaps these are meant as check marks of a sort. It also marks some ability based barriers like the nature form "blue dome" shortcuts but not others, like blue crystals, darkness, and impassable currents.
If either of these things we're as suggested, these threads probably wouldn't exist and the map system would not be mentioned as a strike against the game in any of the reviews. As it is, it's in almost all of them.
Paper is good for things like inkblot listed, but when you want to notate something like where a blue crystal is located, things get a lot more involved. You either end up drawing a map, which would be difficult and time consuming in a game like this or you give yourself directions that probably make a lot of sense when you write them, but may not make so much when you try to follow them 10 hours of gameplay later.
Some form of manual map notation system would in no way take away from the experience, and would be more in line with modern game design conveniences. Marking the map up yourself is fun and very satisfying when it pays off. For some it would be even more fun than wandering around later on trying to find the x or y that you recall seeing. But if you prefer that, you wouldn't have to use it. It's an excellent compromise.
I think we're having all these threads about the mapping system because it does a few odd things that if either one were more transparent, the other would be largely irrelevant. The first one is the lack of "fog of war" progress tracked on all areas. We all know that this is a technical problem in the game as of this writing, but if implemented you could glance at the map and know where you had been. If, say you'd obtained an ability and we're looking for places that you were previously blocked from, this would narrow down where those barriers might be immensely.
Second, the game already has a discovery based icon system but it's used in a way that doesn't make much sense. It tells you where a boss was after you've beaten it, and found memories but I don't see why you'd really need to know that other than not to wander down that way again. Perhaps these are meant as check marks of a sort. It also marks some ability based barriers like the nature form "blue dome" shortcuts but not others, like blue crystals, darkness, and impassable currents.
If either of these things we're as suggested, these threads probably wouldn't exist and the map system would not be mentioned as a strike against the game in any of the reviews. As it is, it's in almost all of them.
Paper is good for things like inkblot listed, but when you want to notate something like where a blue crystal is located, things get a lot more involved. You either end up drawing a map, which would be difficult and time consuming in a game like this or you give yourself directions that probably make a lot of sense when you write them, but may not make so much when you try to follow them 10 hours of gameplay later.
Some form of manual map notation system would in no way take away from the experience, and would be more in line with modern game design conveniences. Marking the map up yourself is fun and very satisfying when it pays off. For some it would be even more fun than wandering around later on trying to find the x or y that you recall seeing. But if you prefer that, you wouldn't have to use it. It's an excellent compromise.
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General / Re: Globe and Mail Article Scan
« on: January 31, 2008, 05:08:53 am »
If I understand correctly, this is basically the "USA Today" of Canada?
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Off-Topic / Re: Random youtube stupidity
« on: January 31, 2008, 02:28:50 am »
Wow Daikatana's level designer... no wonder. If I was working under her all I'd be able to come up with would be lame canyon levels with mountains on each side.
You know I've never played the game but feel like I should if I want to go on calling myself a serious PC gamer.
You know I've never played the game but feel like I should if I want to go on calling myself a serious PC gamer.
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