On Line Gaming

[AngusThermopyle]

I was wondering what people think about on line gaming. Not on line cards or gambling, those are pretty common, I'm talking about the virtual community aspect. As we can see in another thread some people take this pretty seriously with on line husbands, divorces and even murder. Pretty strange if you ask me. Currently I think World Of Warcraft is the biggest of the Massively Multi Player games, or MMO's, this game is also known as World Of war Crack because so many people become addicted to it and its virtual community aspect.

Being a gamer myself I tried it, frankly I found it boring and tedious, a great many people would disagree with me about that (millions of subscribers). Later today I'll log into a free one called Combat Arms, its quite a bit of fun and I'll be playing against my friend in Ontario. So it offers not just a game but a social aspect as well, for myself however I find the social aspect to be quite good but still no where near as satisfying as actual interaction with people who are present.

So could these on line addictions be partly fueled by the anonimity the net provides to everyone, allowing those who normally would not behave certain ways to act as they really want? Could it be fuelled in part by people who have few social skills and become addicted to these games because their lack of social skills is not so important in this medium?

This is a growing part of our culture and I believe it can have a profound impact on the lives of many people, but as with anything it can also have a negative impact on many people. What do you guys think? Is it a fringe pastime or a vibrant growing industry with some positive aspects?

[DogOnPorch]

I'm currently trying to get this new computer up to snuff video/RAM/joystick-wise to get back into IL-2 Sturmovik/Pacific Fighters with an online US Navy squadron (all US military guys...I'm the token Canadian) I'm part of. It totally rocks. The action is brutal and realistic.

http://www.pacific-fighters.com/en/home.php

We are currently working on making 'Orbiter Space Flight Simulator' online capable for certain types of real-time missions. Not so easy..lol.

http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/orbit.html

http://orbiter.dansteph.com/

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It's a Daisy

[DrGreenthumb]

XBOX live!!!!!

Halo3 still kickin ass!

[GostHacked]

I for one, cannot do MMOs. I really just cannot do RPGs in general. I had Guild Wars (buy the game and expansion but free to play) and played it for a short time. I have not gotten into World of Warcraft at all. I get people asking me to join all the time, but I cannot dedicate that much time to grinding/leveling a character up. Not only that, it is the cost. Blizzard created World of Warcraft. You buy the game, and pay a monthly fee. I admit it is a freakin cash cow. 10 million monthly subscribers worldwide pay 15 bucks a month to play. I am astounded at their numbers, and well, they have earned it all.

There is plenty of room for more MMOs. Good ones too. A good Star Trek MMO will be very popular. Hellgate London's servers are getting shut down next year. So that one is a dead end. Numbers for Everquest and others are on the decline.

I have tried EVE Online. I loved the sci-fi aspect of it, but again, I loose interest fast when I have to level up all the time. Free to get the game, but there is a montly fee.

http://www.mmogchart.com/charts/ Has some great information on MMOs, player numbers, and market share. Across the board WoW takes it all.

However there is other online gaming besides MMOs. My and a bunch have gotten onto TeamFortress2. For those who like FPSs, Quake Live is going to happen soon. Free to play and it will launch through your browser. I think it is going to be based on the Quake III game/engine.

It is a growing industry and will continue to grow. Games like WoW I expect them to double their subscribers in the next couple years.

[AngusThermopyle]

However there is other online gaming besides MMOs. My and a bunch have gotten onto TeamFortress2.

I'm a huge fan of Steam myself, its such a smooth and well thought out system. TF2 is a lot of fun and I do spend some time playing it but I'm still largely a Counter Strike player, the short rounds are nice since you can have a game in five or ten minutes. the other one I mentioned, Combat Arms (free) is a pretty standard shooter borrowing from TF, CS, UT and a few others so it has all the good elements. The IM friends matching feature is nice as well since it makes it very easy to hook up with friends and have a game.

WoW doesn't do anything for me either but it does for many people. Actually to the point of addiction for quite a few. Off hand I can't recall any specifics but I do recall that their have been a few (or more) dubious practices and actions credited to WoW players. For many it becomes more than just a game and more of an extension of their personal world, in fact so much so that it can affect their real physical world. If you follow gaming I'm sure you'll have seen numerous examples of fraud or just demented behaviour based around a virtual game world.

It's just my opinion but I believe MMO's are ripe ground for breeding such obsession, they create a persistant virtual environment that enables some people to regard it as more home than their actual home. The other form of gaming, individual server based games, such as TF or CS do not maintain this persistant virtual environment, games are short (generally), the maps change frequently (generally) and most people just server hop instead of using only one (generally). these are some of the reasons why even though you can become addicted to these games they don't encourage the delusional behaviour that some people display in MMO's.

Well, thats my opinion on it.

It is a growing industry and will continue to grow. Games like WoW I expect them to double their subscribers in the next couple years.

Very true, the gaming industry has out paced the movie industry by quite a large margin now and some major media companies are very heavily invested in it. As for WoW, I agree, World of Warcrack. I imagine that as the subscriber base grows so will the incidences of wierdness. Then you have those persistant "sims" type environments, those would appear to be tailor made refuges for the not quite normal.

Edited October 29, 2008 by AngusThermopyle

[GostHacked]

Angus, I knew Steam would be a huge player in digital distrobution. Their stuff just works, and works well. Their netcode is among the best out there and connecting to Steam is rarely an issue. I had to redownload TF2 on my spare system at my pals place. 7.6 GB in less than 40 mins. He has 18 down and 2 up ... it was incredible.

A bunch of us have been lanning for years now. And we still get together and do it weekly. We even had to make a clan for TF2. SGC is the name of the clan. We go onto a good server and got into that community by playing alot on their server and kicking it on the forums for that clan (ODR66). We had one match with ODR66, a fun match. We played a certain style that the ODR66 guys were ahearing do. CIVO matches I think. Anyways, we had the full 7, they had 4. SGC got trashed heavily. We just could not get organized enough to make a come back. Also we played on a map that I have only been on a handfull of times.

http://order66.xtremecybergames.com/forums/

http://odr66.hlstatsx.com/?mode=claninfo&clan=778

Crap. we were seconds to ODR, now we are 4th .. lol

And for the most part I understand why people get into WoW. So they can recreate themselves and become someone else. Role playing, fantasy, larping online . I got a few coworkers and friends who try to get me into it, I always decline, even when one offered to pay for a couple months of access.

How are you with RTSs?? That is my fave genre of any PC/console gaming. Huge die hard fan of the Homeworld series. The Complex mod for that game took it to a whole new level. Company of Heros is a fantastic RTS. I really can't do WWII based games anymore, I think that has been done to death, but CoH is such a polished game (graphics and gameplay) that it is easliy overlooked. I am also a fan of the whole Command and Conquer series .. Red Alert III is droppin real soon.

[M.Dancer]

The only online game I play is Travian

Think Simworld but add in war and alliances.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travian

http://www.travian.com/

Not a fast pace game, afterall, Rome was not built in a day, but a game of complex strategy and diplomacy.

[guyser]

The only online game I play is Travian

Think Simworld but add in war and alliances.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travian

http://www.travian.com/

Not a fast pace game, afterall, Rome was not built in a day, but a game of complex strategy and diplomacy.

Curious, how many hours are spent doing this? Not just you but the others too.

This is a world that I know not one thing about, other than what they are...games played via the internet.

Is it addictive? Do your respective spouse agree disagree, get PO's at youse all ?

Is it more a winter pasttime vs summer or all year round?

[AngusThermopyle]

A bunch of us have been lanning for years now. And we still get together and do it weekly. We even had to make a clan for TF2. SGC is the name of the clan.

Back in the TF days I used to play with a clan quite a bit, never joined it, just played with them on their server. They asked me to join but I just didn't have the flexibility of time to mke it worth while. Now I just jump onto a good server, I can't stand playing the same map over and over. I used to play Homeworld just not online. Actually I was just telling my friend about it the other day. He just bought Spore and was raving about it having the best "space sim" aspect of any game. i've tried it and like most Maxis products found it to be boring in short order, thats why I showed him Homeworld on youtube, so he could see what a real space game looks like. I'll have to pick up another copy I guess.

I love RTS, right now I'm playing CoH again, you're right, it is an incredibly good game. Another thats hooked me lately is World In Conflict. It's a beautifull game, very slick and well done, you'd just better make sure you have the horsepower if you want to run high res with all the eye candy turned on. C&C, got em all, that was one of the first games I ever played on PC, before that (roughly) it was all Amiga for me. About the only RPG I ever got into was Diablo, it set the standard for RPG's but as you mentioned it was all about leveling and grinding, albiet not to the degree it is now but it was in effect the start of it all.

An all time favourite of mine and one that I still play to this day is Civilisation, a brilliant turn based strategy game that covers all the bases and does it well. Morris, you might like this if you don't already know it, very deep strategy with a plethora of factors to be considered when taking your turn, not fast paced but very deep. One of the very few turn based games left around now. I also heard that Fallout III is coming out for the Christmas season, thats another you might like, set in a post apocalyptic world it has its charm.

Is it addictive? Do your respective spouse agree disagree, get PO's at youse all ?

Is it more a winter pasttime vs summer or all year round?

It can be very addictive, especially when you start to get good, no easy feat in itself. In the past I was fortunate enough to be with a woman who also gamed, it was actually another level of interaction we could share, we used to play Starcraft together a lot of the time, so it was never a problem for me, though I could see how it would be if your wife was not a gamer.

As for a seasonal thing, well for me its year round. If I'm at home alone I'll play a game, sometimes when friends come over they even want to watch me play, thats not a problem because I run DVI out into my TV. Since I don't watch TV (just movies) I have that time to spend playing games instead. In my opinion its a much better way to relax and enjoy yourself than watching TV, its interactive where TV is passive.

That is my fave genre of any PC/console gaming.

I really cant give an opinion on consoles because I don't use them. I've tried them but they just don't do it for me, I find the games to be simplistic (even PC ports tend to get dumbed down) and I detest game pads, keyboard and mouse all the way for me. Plus I also like building my own machines and knowing that they can blow any console out of the water when it comes to performance.

I almost forgot to mention Supreme Commander, it can be a lot of fun as well, the Dawn of War series aren't bad either.

Edited October 29, 2008 by AngusThermopyle

[White Doors]

My favourite right now is Hearts of Iron 2 (not really an online game though) and the Total War series is very good as well. Can't wait until Feb 3rd

[AngusThermopyle]

My favourite right now is Hearts of Iron 2

I'm not familiar with that one, what type of game is it?

yes, the total war series is good. Did you know that they use the Total War engine for historical shows when they need to display thousands of units on the battle field at one time.

[White Doors]

I'm not familiar with that one, what type of game is it?

yes, the total war series is good. Did you know that they use the Total War engine for historical shows when they need to display thousands of units on the battle field at one time.

Yeah, I heard about that. New engine with the new one apparently.

Napolean era. can't wait.

Here's the link to HOI2

[AngusThermopyle]

I checked out the link and have to say that it does look like the kind of game I would enjoy, lots of stategic depth and variables to consider. Is it turn based, given the type of game I would guess it is, not very expensive either. It reminds me of the old SSI games actually.

I heard the new Total war will incorporate Naval elements and scenario's as wel, that should be very very cool, just call me Nelson.

I also checked out that Orbiter space flight simulator that DOP has mentioned several times. That looks really really good, a hell of a steep learning curve though, I just started reading JPL's Basics of Space Flight last night, they recommend you read that and R. Braeunig's Rocket and Space Technology before you even start with the sim. It looks very impressive, beautifull graphics and the attention to detail is astounding. Some pretty cool user developed add ons as well.

Edited October 30, 2008 by AngusThermopyle

[GostHacked]

Angusthermoplye

The first time I was introduced to Homeworld was about 8 years ago. At a pals place, drunk/stoned ect .. so the gang told me we were gonna try a new game (well new to me). Once I hit the space bar to pan out to sensor range.. my mind was blown. Hooked from that moment on. Such a beautiful game. Also, I think HW1 was the only game that actually brought a tear to my eye "Karahk, all gone" The single player campaign was really tough as well. I had an easier time taking on a hard AI in a skirmish.

I recently bought CIV 4 and the expansions. You have to commit a few hours to that game. Like a nice lazy sunday afternoon with a cold one in hand.

Recent incredible FPSs

Timeshift - Running through this a second time, and I am having more fun than teh first run through.

Creepy scary games.

FEAR (oh and FEAR 2 is gonna drop next year)

Condemned 1 and 2 (have not played 2 yet).

Doom III

I really liked the Dawn of War series, and DoW2 will be incredible. More real time tactical play. I could not get into Supreme Commander. I guess I did not stiuck with it enough, but even on my good rig the performance is brutal. Gameplay is pretty tough as well as a one on one. But coop play with sides is better, one can concentrate on attack strategy, tyhe other can micromanage the base and production. That is a really good aspect to the game.

Tonight, I think I am going out to pick up Dead Space. If it creeps me out, thumbs way up.

[AngusThermopyle]

Timeshift - Running through this a second time, and I am having more fun than teh first run through.

I only ever played a short demo when it first came out, thats the one where you can manipulate time to your advantage isn't it? Sort of a Max Payne type effect?

When I first bought SC I played it for about a half hour then put it away. About a year later I was bored, had just finished Bioshock, so I thought why not give it a try? Once I gave it a chance I found it was pretty good, like any game I just had to get used to the particular control scheme they use, pretty standard except for a few differences. It's fun when you can develop the experimental weapons and also use nukes.

The award for best Nuclear effects that I've seen in a game so far has to go to World In Conflict, it really is a great looking game and I also like the alternate Cold War scenario its based on. It's just very very hungry as I said so if you want the full eye candy you'd better have ample power.

[DogOnPorch]

AngusThermopyle: Here's a few sites....

Apollo...there's two to choose from. The hard one and the even harder one...lol.

http://www.acsoft.ch/AMSO/amso.html

http://sourceforge.net/projects/nassp/

Mercury & Gemini

http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/

Vostok/Proton/Soyuz/Ariane etc.

http://orbiter.mustard-fr.com/

Home of the 'multistage' and 'spacecraft' modules that are needed by many 3rd party addons.

http://users.swing.be/vinka/

Home of IMFD...an essesntal nav tool for deep space. Orbiter comes with two already...but this one is better in some situations.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/jarmonik/Orbiter.html

The rest of the Solar System (requires free membership to d/l)

http://www.geocities.com/fastheinz39/Saturns_Moons.html

Orbiter Hangar (lots of stuff here)

http://www.orbithangar.com/

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Let's go!

---Yuri Gagarin

[AngusThermopyle]

AngusThermopyle: Here's a few sites....

Thanks man. I appreciate the info but I've just begun reading the recommended materials you should know if you want to enjoy this sim. It looks to me like its something that could become a passion and long term hobby, after all what normal person has never dreamt of being an Astronaut? Like I said, it looks like it has a pretty steep learning curve, it'll take a while to figure out but I know I will, then I'm sure it will become one of my favourite programs.

The only thing I can think of right now that would be better than being a virtual Astronaut would be to actually be an Astronaut

Or a fighter pilot.

[DogOnPorch]

If you grab the Mercury or Gemini...older creations but still nice...they'll be fairly easy to get into Orbit once you get yourself to the launch pad. They both have auto-accent as well as manual. The 'Space 1962' package adds some primitive launch towers...better ones are available once you know more re: adding things. The Saturn V does as well, but it is very complex for a beginner. If you want a craft that takes damage plus has life-support and such, grab the Delta Glider IV from the same site as the sound. It's very nice.

http://orbiter.dansteph.com/index.php?disp=dgIV

Many Orbiter addons...much like the real space programs...require some extra addons to make them work. These are often found at Orbiter Hangar. A good project for beginners is to get the Soyuz up and running from the fancy Baikonur. Grab the main parts here and then grab the Soyuz from here (direct download from SourceForge). Other parts are available for the Soyuz, but that gets you started. It has auto-accent and manual launch. Although, I've come down in China a few times even with auto...lol.

If you haven't figured it out by now, Orbiter unzips and runs from the folder it's in. No install needed. It doesn't alter your registry. A good video card helps, of course. The sound program does install...but it is a very clean job. It's one of those sims like FX (flightsim) that starts small and gets larger as you add more and more. Addons usually unzip right into the folder Orbiter is in. If not, it is usually pretty obvious where everything goes.

Start small and get bigger from there. After a while, try going to the Moon using some appropriate craft. A probe to Mars or Jupiter is a good way to learn that end of things. If you grab the one package for the Outer Planets, it'll have high res versions of the gas giants with moving clouds and better looking rings. Install carefully.

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I don't know what you could say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets.

---John Glenn

[White Doors]

I checked out the link and have to say that it does look like the kind of game I would enjoy, lots of stategic depth and variables to consider. Is it turn based, given the type of game I would guess it is, not very expensive either. It reminds me of the old SSI games actually.

I heard the new Total war will incorporate Naval elements and scenario's as wel, that should be very very cool, just call me Nelson.

Hey Angus, no it is RTS, but you can pause and slow down or speed up the time flow.

It is a very deep game. takes a while to get the hang of it, but is fun once you do.

Yep, Total War is going to have the naval this time, finally.

Here is a link for the new release

Also, here is a cool video on the game

Edited October 31, 2008 by White Doors

[AngusThermopyle]

You should check out the new Tom Clancy game, EndWar, it looks really good. its set in the not so distant future where ICBM's have been rendered useless. Its an RTS and looks very slick and polished, well its a Clancy game, he vets the whole thing before giving it his stamp of approval. Looks like one I'm going to have to get.

The naval scenes in TW look great as well, in fact the whole game looks very well done, another to add to my list.

For me the big news in the shooter genre will be Far Cry 2, those Crytec guys really know how to do shooters. Of course HL and HL2 will always reside in my favourite list. HL pretty much revolutionized shooters when it was released and HL2 continued to build on this legacy. Even though the source engine is getting older now it still does a good job.

Edited October 31, 2008 by AngusThermopyle

[White Doors]

I'll check it out. thanks

[GostHacked]

Alright

Dead Space is a bitch. The game looks and feels pretty. Characters are interesting, runs like hot melted butter. But I cannot get around 3rd person view, and I cannot customize the controls to designate foward with a mouse button. I gave it a good shot, but I keep running into walls and in tight corridors I can barely move. In 3rd person the character is in my way more than anything. UGH.

I really want to love this game. I love creepy scary games. I will try this with a game pad, which I lack right now.

Assasin's Creed - Pretty, runs like butter, 3rd person again, but the character is non instrusive to the gameplay. Not really one for the time settings (midevel times) but it is stunning.

Come on guys, get into TeamFortress 2. Could start our own MLW clan. Our taunts will be taunts about the player's political leader. It is sad to say that the community server we play on will be closing down soon. Our clan SGC donates now and then to them so we can keep the server alive. We have played on a few servers, but this one has a great community feel to it.

What I am still waiting for is a good MMO for Star Trek. It had been in developement, but the studio had problems, and the game did not get picked up by anyone until recently. I am hoping this one goes where no WoW'er has gone before.

Speaking of WoW, they recently surpased 11 million monthly susbcribers. Insanely amazing.

[Mr.Canada]

I started with the DooM shareware, then quake, UT and Warcraft II and Diablo. After Diablo II came out I played that exclusively for 8 years. Just last Christmas I started WoW which I currently still play. Probably until Diablo III comes out, whenever that will be.

[AngusThermopyle]

Come on guys, get into TeamFortress 2. Could start our own MLW clan.

Now thats an interesting concept, I wonder if we'd be a left, right or center clan.

It does go back to what I was saying about the community aspects of online gaming though.

I need something new to play, I heard that Far Cry II has been released, I'll have to check and see whether it has, if so then I'll be getting it.

I started WoW which I currently still play. Probably until Diablo III comes out, whenever that will be.

I'll probably get Diablo III, not because I'm a fan of RPG's but because I played the other two so I'm curious about what III will be like. It's just my opinion but out of all the RPG's out there Diablo is my favourite. I'm not really sure why but the games just seem to have more atmosphere to them. Or maybe its just because Blizzard showed everyone how to do RPG's.

The Diablo online community was great at first but deteriorated as cheats became more common for the game. My friend and I used to play in pairs, one of us would enter the game without cheats and the other loaded up with cheats. If someone came along and killed you by using cheats your friend with cheats would eradicate the cheater. My friend just happened to have the atomic bomb of cheats, we never met anyone who could take him down by using cheats.

Back to TF, I think I made a kid cry once playing that game. He was being a dink, team killing, being offensive, in short being a dink. So I hunted him, everytime he'd respawn I was on his tail and killed him, after about ten minutes of this a message popped up saying "you just like to make kids cry don't you" then he logged out of the game. Honestly, I did feel a little guilty about it.

Edited November 6, 2008 by AngusThermopyle

[GostHacked]

Back to TF, I think I made a kid cry once playing that game. He was being a dink, team killing, being offensive, in short being a dink. So I hunted him, everytime he'd respawn I was on his tail and killed him, after about ten minutes of this a message popped up saying "you just like to make kids cry don't you" then he logged out of the game. Honestly, I did feel a little guilty about it.

I see this often. People in TF2 sometimes grief about spawn camping. Which most of us agree it is a legit tactic in this game. Because it is all defence/offence, this makes it a very legit and effective tactic.

One hilarious thing about ODR66 the server we play on, is that a few of the ODR66 guys are in Quebec and have the heavy french accent. Some players from the US get on and say 'learn to speak english idiots!' ... that is never good to bitch at the people who actually run the server.

Last night the rounds were frantic, fast and intense. I have never seen rounds go that fast before. Like under 5 minutes to capture both points on the map. I actually did pretty good last night with Medic, when I usually take Heavy.

Yeah, I would wear the MLW clan tag