I will be using XNA too, its a hell of a lot easier getting things done fast that way.

I haven't used XNA, and I try to avoid it (don't like vendor lock-in at all), but what does it do better than other game libraries/frameworks?

Might I suggest..... The Holy Bible. 

Ah, I can see it now. Released by Vatican Studios in 2008: The Good Game.

Well, that isn't exactly the issue. I suppose I should have clarified myself a bit more. I was merely using graphics specifications as a platform for initiating the discussion. What I am talking about mostly is the fact that running a game on the PC is not as easy as it should be. Bargain bins are all fine and good but that doesn't mean a thing, an old game can have a problem with a certain piece of hardware just as much as a new game can. I mentioned above that I was having problems running Diablo 2 which is more than just a few years old. Recently I have also experienced problems with Imperishable Night which theoretically should have no problem running on this computer (I can run Oblivion on low settings).

Okay, I see your point. I guess that's just a basic fact of trying to run one piece of software across a range of wildly heterogenous hardware configurations. I guess one way around this would be to provide one stable, efficient and well-tested runtime environment in which many different games are hosted; much like console emulators, which you can use to run hundreds of games on virtually any PC, even across operating systems, but for more modern titles which are specifically written for that environment. A VM like Java, but better suited to games. The idea is nice, but try getting more than one vendor to accept such a system. I guess the reasons are more political than technical.

Also, some of the hiccups cited above are more related to copyright protection. This whole DRM thing is a pet peeve of mine, punishing honest customers as opposed to people who just download the cracked version. But again, it's political and doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

Hmm, you would think that if it was an issue of being driven by a capitalistic outlook that the developers of these titles would see the potential in bringing in more people through abolishing the barrier for entry. I don't think that WOW would be even 15% as popular as it is if it weren't for the low barrier of entry.

Let's face it: many of the current big budget titles are nothing but rehashes of older games. Just look how many sequels were presented at E3 this year. If you take the next-gen graphics away, you just end up with a game you played two or three years ago, so there's no incentive to allow these games to scale very well to older systems.

And hardcore gamers just seem to expect this. They want eye-candy above all else and are prepared to shell out the money for it. If the system wouldn't work, it would have collapsed on itself by now. (I'm not saying it isn't going to; just so far it hasn't happened.)

WOW was different, it had to offer a new gameplay experience to many players (I haven't played it, but so I hear), so it profited greatly from allowing older systems to run it well.
EDIT: Thinking about it, the game concept actually requires the barrier of entry to be low, because more players probably means more fun for everyone playing.

Hey Muku, how did you get the episode to work? Every time I've tried to run it, the little Telltale Reminder just pops up asking for my e-mail address. I can't even close the little bugger...

Hm, no idea. When I start it, I get that Telltale Games splash window with a big blue "Launch Game" button, I press that, and it starts.

You can't go wrong with anything by Tim Schafer. Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, and likely the upcoming Brutal Legend are all really well-crafted games that have some of the most memorable writing in the industry.

I was a bit disappointed with Full Throttle. The atmosphere was sort-of nice, but I found the game seriously lacking. Grim Fandango is gold though. Still have to try Psychonauts.

What, you can't post "server"?

EDIT: Apparently you can. I have no idea what word any spam filter might have picked up on.

NAMES NOT GOOD

Actually I think "Big Stolen Car" sounds exactly like a bad Chinese translation of GTA. I love it.

The forum is seriously acting up. When I try to post in the Indie Brawl design thread, I get an error page with:

Precondition Failed

The precondition on the request for the URL /index.php evaluated to false.

A tip if it helps- and I've been there with this one when developing the AI for the bad guys in E.V.E. Paradox: Arena (Robotron-like game). I created a generic set of AIs with certain responses and parameters, all written in C++ in a switch statement.

Hm, a switch statement doesn't seem very idiomatic for C++. What were the reasons you decided against a polymorphic design with an abstract AIBehavior class from which specific behaviors were derived?

Thundertainment is awesome 

Man. If I ever finish a game in the foreseeable future, I want that as my intro screen.

Mr. Cake! Nice to see you again!

By the way BMcC is back to, so say hi to him.

Also, I fully expect you to give us an awesome demake on the Odegron.

BMcC is back TOO. Not to. To indicates that he is heading somewhere. If you can't your tos and toos right, just stick to "as well"! Sheesh.

Yeah, fuck you melly


....fucker

This thread makes me crave a Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Sam & Max Hit the Road.
...
Very silly, very funny.
Haven't played the new ones yet, though.

There's a free episode: http://www.fileplanet.com/182132/180000/fileinfo/Sam-&-Max:-Abe-Lincoln-Must-Die!-(Free-Game)

It's the only one of the new ones I've played, but I loved it. The dialogue is among the most hilarious I've ever heard in a game...

Don't get me wrong though, I love playing games on the PC. The thing is is that it seems like people that play games on the PC are getting the short end of the stick. I understand that there is a "hardcore" demographic out there that has monster pc and can play Crysis on the higher settings but there are still a lot of people out there that would play games on the PC but don't have the hardware that a lot of newer PC games demand.

Well welcome to capitalism, baby. It seems there is a large enough demographic of hardcore gamers who upgrade their rig to the latest and best every 12 or 16 months for it to be profitable for a couple of studios to keep pumping out AAA titles which demand a lot from your hardware.

But after all these aren't all the games that there are. In the bargain bins you can find hundreds of really amazing older games which run on just about every hardware. And the indie scene? We get new indie games all the time which don't push the hardware envelope. So I guess I don't really see the problem?

[No-one wants to make or to play "real" demakes.]

No-one wants to make or to play "real" demakes.

While I personally agree with many of your points, I think you are underestimating this community's potential for nostalgia

Quite possibly. I have no idea what the noscript plugin is or does.

Heh. I hadn't heard of that game before, but from what I've just read, it sounds more like a guerilla statement on intellectual property than an actual game...

LotL demake!

Still doesn't help...

I did in fact laugh out load when I saw the thread title.

Ok, I'm going to make myself look stupid and ask: what game is this going to be based on?

And it seems you actually specialize in retro remakes? Guess that means we have something to look forward to then. Also, +1 for the Mike Patton video on your blog.

I hope you don't have to make a game that actually runs on a retro system because I plan to fake my way through this competition using XNA.

The rules allow you to. But... XNA

I think you guys can still go for a SotC clone, no one would object. Let the better colossus win