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Reply to Eve ONline: What is That? in Everything Else Elemental Forums

I tried the trial (10 days I think?) and couldn't even stand playing it after the 2nd or 3rd day. Traveling just takes way to long, even for the required 'learning' missions. On one mission I forgot various components (it did not inform me they were needed) and so had to spend 3 hours going back and fourth between a pair of stations in different systems. 3 hours during which autopilot did EVERYTHING. The game has long travel times for balance... But they should at least give you something to

Reply to Perl vs. Ruby vs. Python in Personal Computing Elemental Forums

I personally am starting with C++ and got a very helpful book which IMO does a great job of explaining the concepts. "Beginning C++ Game Programming" by Michael Dawson. Unfortunately I have been unable to get a decent book concerning Direct X programming with C++, something which is needed after that book since it only deals with running out of comand prompts. Oh, and avoid "Beginning DirectX 10 Game Programming" by Wendy Jones. It has caused me nothing but headaches. Even the example program

Reply to Science Fiction in Everything Else Elemental Forums

I wouldn't be suprised to see Mars colonies appear before 2050. After all, that is the goal of the new NASA craft 'Orion.' NASA hopes to get to Mars by 2020, and so at most it will take until 2030.

Reply to Science Fiction in Everything Else Elemental Forums

[quote who="General Homsar" reply="5" id="2096191"] I think you're being a tad extreme here. We humans have a violent history--I'm not denying that--but the discovery of alien life would be momentous. I mean, we'd have to be pretty scientifically adept to explore space in earnest, right? So why would we spend centuries researching interstellar travel, build a starship, and go all the way to another planet just to kill the natives? I think we'd at least study whatever we find,

Reply to Science Fiction in Everything Else Elemental Forums

[quote who="Phalnax811" reply="2" id="2096066"] I think we will find other life out there somewhere. This discovery (mutual? sentient?) will stir people's emotions to want to colonize space. We have killed this planet far too long. We should colonize ones already dead if not space itself (space stations). Then if we come in contact with sentient advanced aliens, we better hope they are friendly or the movies like Independence Day, Starship Troopers etc. will become

Reply to Science Fiction in Everything Else Elemental Forums

I think you are to conservative. Look back at the past 100 years for example. We had barely invented flight, let alone space travel. To say we will just be starting to get out of our solar system to me seems silly. Technology is increasing at an exponential rate (so far) and I would expect it to continue growing exponentially for a very long time. I would say it will take no more than 500 years for us to develop the technology to easily leave the solar system. My best guess would be closer to

Reply to Will it be pre-technology Altaria? in War of Magic Elemental Forums

From what I understand it is just after the fall of the arnor, when the younger races are just getting a foothold on their planets. However, to my knowledge it had mainly been implied they are related rather than flat out stated by anyone at Stardock.

Reply to Something happens in Everything Else Elemental Forums

[quote who="crashmatusow" reply="5" id="2094513"]"A power surge of great magnitude has been detected." Well, in a world(s) where it costs FAR too much to place a simple surge protector in Crew member's consoles (BSG, Star Trek, etc.) i can see how this could be causing the issue. [/quote] Haha! Ya, they like making computers spontaneously explode don't they... I can't think of many shows/movies where they don't explode when the ship is taking fire. Probably a remnant o

Reply to Loading Screen Quotes... in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Ya, this thread would be somewhat pointless if it loads so fast there is no loading screen. [e digicons]:grin:[/e] But looking at past Stardock games, it will have a loading screen on starting or loading a game which will last aproximately 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Since Stardock games only have 1 load screen as opposed to the hundreds in Total War, they also would only need a fraction of the number of quotes.

Reply to Empire: Total War in Everything Else Elemental Forums

[quote who="FearlessDefiance" reply="13" id="2091381"]Great game so far. Miffed about the constitution. Txt seems a bit small in the game though. Really enjoying my game so far. No problems either. [/quote] Ya, I would have to agree with the text being to small. That and in many cases there is just to much of it! I for one feel very compelled to read any text which appears on my screen... Which means I spend half my time reading the description text on units and buildings!

Reply to music and sound in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Well, dynamic music is just a step or two beyond the music in most games, where in a big battle the music gets more epic. For example, in SoaSE if you zoom way out or are looking in a peaceful well the music is much calmer. In a big battle, the music shifts dramatically and becomes much more fitting to that setting. Dynamic music just takes that one step further and has different parts of the music change according to different variables rather than the whole of the music changing based on a

Reply to Empire: Total War in Everything Else Elemental Forums

ah, ok thanks!

Reply to Empire: Total War in Everything Else Elemental Forums

Hehe, we can't complain to much about AI turns though. After all, it should be the AI complaining about our crazy long turns! [e digicons]o_O[/e] On another note, does anyone know if the Steam downloaded ETW comes with a manual?

Reply to Loading Screen Quotes... in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

[quote who="WildBoarPie" reply="3" id="2090773"]Couple of other things: - The game Warlords Battlecry 3 (which is great, and has been permanently on my hard drive since v#1, even tho an older 2D game - presumably recognised greatness, as it's on Impulse ) - Had rather good loading screen 'history snippets' that were little slices of gameworld lore presented in faux-documentary historical style. I quite enjoyed this - although hilariously now the game is 5 years old you have to read

Reply to Building a fantasy world in Elemental Dev Journals Elemental Forums

[quote who="BoogieBac" reply="6" id="2086089"]but you dont zoom INTO the leaf itself. [/quote] Aw... so we don't get to watch water being sucked through the veins in the leaves? *pout* So by the sounds of it I was somewhat correct when I said it will be similar to SoaSE zooming. A very far out level (cloth map) which is highly abstracted, A level in which things are icons, the 3d model level, and a more detailed version of the 3d model level. All of which zooms

Reply to Where has the value add gone? in PC Gaming Elemental Forums

I at least want my games to come with manuals. Correct me if I'm wrong (and please tell me where it is), when you order something on Steam, you won't get a manual. No paperback, no file. While this isn't much of a problem on self explanatory games like Left4Dead, when it comes to the Total War games I recently got from them (Empire and Rome Gold which came with it free) manuals are essential. I am half way through a Rome campaign, and I still think there are quite a few bits of information I

Reply to What do you think would be the best game made!? (Replies needed) in Games Elemental Forums

Perhaps a procedurally generated game... Generated based on thought patterns in your brain telling it exactly what you want. It would essentially use some sort of device to read your mind, and then put it all together to figure out exactly what it was you wanted to have in the game. Then it would generate said content. It would take into account both concious and subconcious, so you would not only have what you wanted conciously but also what you didn't even

Reply to music and sound in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Yes... Sound effects and music are often overlooked by the player since it is something that is more in the background. However, music really does set the tone in a game. Good music can make or break a game, without the player even realizing it most of the time. Customizable music might be good... But IMO not really worth the effort. Most people just run I-tunes in the background if they want different music, so a built in system would be more hassle than it is worth. Especially since yo

Loading Screen Quotes... in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Ok, this idea is very inspired by the Total War series. On loading screens, Total War games have quotes from historical figures, philosophers, ect. Which lead me to an intriguing idea... What if Elemental had quotes on it's loading screens. Not from historical figures in reality, but from historical figures in game lore. They could be from in game quotes or just made up stuff... As long as they sound insightful it could be interesting.

Reply to Thank you to Stardock and the Impulse Team in PC Gaming Elemental Forums

Ya, I had to restart my comp after ETW install since it kept bugging, freezing, and generally slowing down my computer. This was probably due to it going into sleep mode half way through install though...

Reply to Empire: Total War in Everything Else Elemental Forums

80% downloaded... but I don't think I will play it for a few days. This is because I got Rome: Total War gold edition free with my preorder on steam... I am having so much fun playing Rome I might not play Empire for awhile [e digicons]:P[/e]

Reply to Elemental: Tactical battles in Elemental Dev Journals Elemental Forums

This makes me think of a total war style tactical battle... But with dragons!!! Dragons + Total War battles = EPIC WIN!

Reply to Age of the Universe?!?!? in Everything Else Elemental Forums

[quote who="Shadow_of_Light" reply="15" id="2084215"] wish more people actually agreed on that... its true ofcourse... nothing in space is for sure.. we can only speculate about black holes.... some insist that their theory is right... but it remains just a theory until proven... no it hasnt bene proven.. in fact.. we cant proof it.. not yet.. maybe in another 500 years we'll finaly have the technology to make such researches but even then, just getting to a black hole

Reply to Building a fantasy world in Elemental Dev Journals Elemental Forums

[quote who="landisaurus" reply="1" id="2083617"] that was a very old comment by frogboy, Its the last I heard too, but they have not really been pushing that recently as far as I've seen. It would be really awesome, but I'm not sure how they would do it without having to create several vastly different layer detail for each model. Not just normal drop in poly count, but on completetly different scales with leaf and grass physics. It would b

Reply to Elemental too Revolutionary? in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Elemental too revolutionary? Na, things go down in history for being new and great. Complexity is good when you don't have to mess with it if you don't want to. Pretty much everything except making war and expanding your empire will be able to be turned to AI control. And besides, Stardock hasn't let us down yet! Just remember, when a game company gets too conservative, they go the way of EA. Hated, profits going down, and EVIL.