PC Gamer, my favorite gaming magazine for several reasons, featured a column about Fable 2 in its latest issue. It was written by staffer Yahtzee Croshaw, after attending the Fable 2 presentation by none other than Peter Molyneux himself on GDC, and the column made me choke on my afternoon coffee, cough and then blink, and then finally think to myself, "what is wrong with that guy?"
Then I decided to research the matter. I went to Gamespot's coverage of the Fable 2 presentation on GDC. I looked at IGN, I went to the official Fable 2 website, but none of it convinced me to change my initial thought: From a fantasy gaming perspective, there is something wrong with Peter Molyneux's vision.
The first thing that is wrong is that the man scoffs at mini maps. If you tried playing Overlord on the 360, you know why scoffing at them is just wrong. Because without the mini map there is no way of knowing where we are, where everything else is, and where to go in a game. Apparently the reason the mini map is not there is to encourage players to explore, with the help of the marvellous dog that an entire 20-minute video was dedicated to. The video was submitted to Xbox live, in an effort to make other players as excited about The Vision as Peter Molyneux is.
But as far as I am concerned, he has lost me, my enthusiasm, and the time I would have spent playing the game, and here is why: He has told me I will not be able to earn an in-game living on adventuring.
According to PC Gamer's column, and supported by everything else I find, it is not possible to earn a living simply by adventuring. Especially not if you marry someone and start a family, because now your income needs to support them as well. As an extra bonus, by the way, if you play as a female, the extra weight, loss of agility, and over-all vulnerability of being pregnant will be a very noticeable factor in game-play.
It appears that I am going to need a job to finance my death-defying adventuring life-style. According to Croshaw's column, Peter Molyneux spoke proudly, "with breathless enthusiasm", about the many extra features of game, and all the things that you can buy in the game... houses, furniture, villages, or dungeons. Monsters are not going to drop gold at all, instead you need to find gold elsewhere, either by hiring out as a henchman to another hero, by using the multi-player co-op function of the game, or by playing the Xbox LIVE Arcade mini-games, that will allow you to start amassing in-game cash for purchasing armor and weapons, long before Fable 2 hits retail shelves.
I refuse to believe that I am alone in asking Mr Molyneux, in stunned disbelief: What the hell are you trying to do? If you are aiming for realism you are so far off it is not even close to making sense.
Conan never settled down with a family, whom he then had to provide for, neither did Elric, Red Sonja, or the Grey Mouser and his far less mousy friend. Geralt of Rivia spoke for all of them when he stated that his high-risk profession, with extensive traveling, was not conducive to marriage, and if you want realism, shouldn't you factor that in? In fact, if you want to be realistic, shouldn't you take into account that none of the above mentioned adventurers want to settle down and start a family? They're all adrenaline junkies, commitment-phobic, not to mention that they are constantly broke. The reason they are broke all the time is because an adventurer has no retirement to save up for. Slaying dragons is a risky business, not to mention that all the loot inevitably is used up too repair or replace the armor and weapons that were damaged while slaying said reptile. Whatever is left over is used up on babes and booze (and if you are Conan, a second babe the same night, for good measure), and that is why adventurers go back out on adventures, and why they take on mercenary contracts. They have nothing to save for, and no one to share with, and nothing to anchor them to any particular place, and that is the appeal and romance of sword & sorcery fantasy literature and games.
But apparently in this game, I will have to take a second job to be able to go adventuring once in a while. I will not have a mini map to help that adventuring, and as an extra realism-bonus I will have to put up with an unhappy spouse who complains that I am never home.
Once again Peter, what the hell are you trying to do here? Didn't Black & White 2 make it clear that however pretty your vision might be in your head, the rest of the world doesn't want to spend money on it?
This is supposed to be a fable! A fairy tale! Give me a high-fantasy world, with high-fantasy realism. If I wanted to raise and feed an ungrateful family, I'd be playing The Sims.
Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts
Friday, May 2, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
New Toy!
For Christmas, I got a wonderful and very thoughtful gift: a portable iPod speaker dock. It was a great idea. I hook up my iPod to the dock, and now I have a portable radio/stereo that can play all my music for me anywhere in the house. I love music, so it really was a great idea, and I do appreciate the thought behind it. Even though my Creative Zen Touch didn't fit in the dock.
Fortunately the givers of the gift did not take offense when I revealed that, but instead told me they purchased the dock at Best Buy, who is notoriously generous with gift exchanges right after Christmas. They even gave me the receipt, to make the exchange easier.
I took the dock and gift receipt back to Best Buy and exchanged them for a gift card, while I browsed their website for cool gadgets and toys. A couple of days ago, they finally received a shipment of the ultimate toy, that I have craved for almost a year now:
I bought one game with it, for now, and I have ordered a screen protector online, since the stylus might hurt it if I play too hard. Now all I need to do is drop broad hints that cool accessories or a DS Top Toy would make for a great birthday gift next week, and I'll be all set.
Fortunately the givers of the gift did not take offense when I revealed that, but instead told me they purchased the dock at Best Buy, who is notoriously generous with gift exchanges right after Christmas. They even gave me the receipt, to make the exchange easier.
I took the dock and gift receipt back to Best Buy and exchanged them for a gift card, while I browsed their website for cool gadgets and toys. A couple of days ago, they finally received a shipment of the ultimate toy, that I have craved for almost a year now:
I bought one game with it, for now, and I have ordered a screen protector online, since the stylus might hurt it if I play too hard. Now all I need to do is drop broad hints that cool accessories or a DS Top Toy would make for a great birthday gift next week, and I'll be all set.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Not Another Christmas-themed Blog
My exposure to anime ended several years ago, mainly because I own no anime myself, and the friends that did are still in Sweden, whereas I am here in the United States now. I still have fond memories of the Ruroni Kenshin episodes I watched (only made it to 14 or 15, I think), mainly because of the supporting cast and the outstanding Japanese voice-acting. My love for katanas was started by Kenshin, and the novel Musashi built on that. (That book is amazing!)
I think Japanese RPGs and games are so popular in the US is for two reasons. The first is that they capitalized on the Anime boom. If something is Japanese, it is exotic in a cool and fashionable way in the US right now. The second is that today's average gamer is just below 30, has a decent paycheck and is of the generation that grew up when consoles and videogames just came to the US, and the Japanese don't get enough credit for the fact that as far as RPGs go, they were first. It's to a large extent nostalgia. The first Final Fantasy games, The Legend of Zelda game, and the greatest one of them all, Chrono Trigger… I played them, loved them, and remember them very fondly. So fondly in fact that I don't remember that the things that bother me about today's Japanese RPGs was there back then as well. I just didn't see them, and if I did, I don't remember them bothering me.
One of the most fascinating things to me about cultural differences is the ones that you have to look closer at to see the full extent of. The fundamental ways of thinking, the subconscious assumptions that the thoughts are based on are drastically different... so different that a person from one country may learn the language of the other, but still not be able to understand them.
For example, the English language has no equivalents to the suffixes the Japanese put after names, largely because social station is not nearly as important in the US as it is in Japan. In fact, the English language goes to great lengths to erase differences in social standing. The Japanese on the other hand, have to signal those differences in order to even be able to have a conversation. Because they are so very important, and because they have no English equivalents, the translators of Persona 3 had no choice but to leave them in the game as they translated the dialogue, leading to a mixture of Japanese and English all too familiar to viewers of Anime in the English-speaking world today.
When I was younger, it didn't strike me as odd to play a game in which a 15-year old was the main Hero that saved the world. When you are 15 years old yourself that is an old age, filled with maturity and wisdom, and to save the world is something that every teenager dreams of. We want to be heroes. We know we could be, if we only had half a chance. And then I grew older, and realized how self-centered and immature teenagers are, and it irritates me that each and every one in these games is a kid. Why can't adults save the worlds for once?
Maybe it is because youth symbolizes purity in most of Asia? Heroes should be pure, after all, and why stop at making them pure in thought and deed, when you can add multi-layered symbolism to the mix? The Japanese more than love symbolism; their written language consists of it and their way of thinking is based on it in ways that is difficult for Europeans to comprehend.
Or maybe it's simply a matter of children in a Japanese culture growing up faster than in the US? Where the US thinks of and treats you as a child until you are 18, though your body and mind may be mature in every sense of the word, the Japanese expect responsibility and adult behavior from their children at a younger age, and consequently they receive it. That's a vague theory of course, since I haven't really studied contemporary Japanese culture that much. I prefer to stay with the nostalgia of the samurai novels.
It is also interesting that the typical American hero, the nameless vigilante that operates outside the law, is a negative thing in Japanese culture-they were the Ronin, the cast-off samuari that served no master, had no honor and no principles. They lived outside of society's strict framework of defined roles and rules, and by doing so they automatically threatened that framework. One of many reasons the 360 isn't doing so well in Japan, perhaps?
Speaking of that, have you ever noticed that the villains in Japanese RPGs surprisingly often are tall, blond, and have blue eyes? The evil that threatens the world is European in appearance... as a former history major, I find that fascinating.
I enjoy Persona 3 because the parts of Japanese culture that I liked in the animes and novels are there. The delicate balance between a collectivist culture and a strong individualism, between personal ambition, and the expectations to put the welfare of the group above the welfare of the individual. The insight that although something can matter a great deal to me personally, that doesn't automatically mean that it actually is important, and death is a perfectly natural part of life, and not by far the worst thing that can happen to anyone.
And what perhaps is the biggest obstacle of all for an American audience: A story does not necessarily have to have a happy ending, to have a good ending.
I think Japanese RPGs and games are so popular in the US is for two reasons. The first is that they capitalized on the Anime boom. If something is Japanese, it is exotic in a cool and fashionable way in the US right now. The second is that today's average gamer is just below 30, has a decent paycheck and is of the generation that grew up when consoles and videogames just came to the US, and the Japanese don't get enough credit for the fact that as far as RPGs go, they were first. It's to a large extent nostalgia. The first Final Fantasy games, The Legend of Zelda game, and the greatest one of them all, Chrono Trigger… I played them, loved them, and remember them very fondly. So fondly in fact that I don't remember that the things that bother me about today's Japanese RPGs was there back then as well. I just didn't see them, and if I did, I don't remember them bothering me.
One of the most fascinating things to me about cultural differences is the ones that you have to look closer at to see the full extent of. The fundamental ways of thinking, the subconscious assumptions that the thoughts are based on are drastically different... so different that a person from one country may learn the language of the other, but still not be able to understand them.
For example, the English language has no equivalents to the suffixes the Japanese put after names, largely because social station is not nearly as important in the US as it is in Japan. In fact, the English language goes to great lengths to erase differences in social standing. The Japanese on the other hand, have to signal those differences in order to even be able to have a conversation. Because they are so very important, and because they have no English equivalents, the translators of Persona 3 had no choice but to leave them in the game as they translated the dialogue, leading to a mixture of Japanese and English all too familiar to viewers of Anime in the English-speaking world today.
When I was younger, it didn't strike me as odd to play a game in which a 15-year old was the main Hero that saved the world. When you are 15 years old yourself that is an old age, filled with maturity and wisdom, and to save the world is something that every teenager dreams of. We want to be heroes. We know we could be, if we only had half a chance. And then I grew older, and realized how self-centered and immature teenagers are, and it irritates me that each and every one in these games is a kid. Why can't adults save the worlds for once?
Maybe it is because youth symbolizes purity in most of Asia? Heroes should be pure, after all, and why stop at making them pure in thought and deed, when you can add multi-layered symbolism to the mix? The Japanese more than love symbolism; their written language consists of it and their way of thinking is based on it in ways that is difficult for Europeans to comprehend.
Or maybe it's simply a matter of children in a Japanese culture growing up faster than in the US? Where the US thinks of and treats you as a child until you are 18, though your body and mind may be mature in every sense of the word, the Japanese expect responsibility and adult behavior from their children at a younger age, and consequently they receive it. That's a vague theory of course, since I haven't really studied contemporary Japanese culture that much. I prefer to stay with the nostalgia of the samurai novels.
It is also interesting that the typical American hero, the nameless vigilante that operates outside the law, is a negative thing in Japanese culture-they were the Ronin, the cast-off samuari that served no master, had no honor and no principles. They lived outside of society's strict framework of defined roles and rules, and by doing so they automatically threatened that framework. One of many reasons the 360 isn't doing so well in Japan, perhaps?
Speaking of that, have you ever noticed that the villains in Japanese RPGs surprisingly often are tall, blond, and have blue eyes? The evil that threatens the world is European in appearance... as a former history major, I find that fascinating.
I enjoy Persona 3 because the parts of Japanese culture that I liked in the animes and novels are there. The delicate balance between a collectivist culture and a strong individualism, between personal ambition, and the expectations to put the welfare of the group above the welfare of the individual. The insight that although something can matter a great deal to me personally, that doesn't automatically mean that it actually is important, and death is a perfectly natural part of life, and not by far the worst thing that can happen to anyone.
And what perhaps is the biggest obstacle of all for an American audience: A story does not necessarily have to have a happy ending, to have a good ending.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Happy National Video Games Day!
Today is National Video Games Day. Celebrate your favorite games or gaming devices by playing your latest obsession for hours and hours tonight. Take a moment to fondly remember the game that got you hooked on gaming, your first love, all those years ago.
Rejoice in our captivating hobby, and don't forget to send an e-card to the favorite gamer in your life.
It is fitting that the 360 is returned to us on this auspicious day.
Rejoice in our captivating hobby, and don't forget to send an e-card to the favorite gamer in your life.
It is fitting that the 360 is returned to us on this auspicious day.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Draught
In addition to the backyard swamp, my well of blog ideas has also dried up recently. Somehow it seems that going on a second YouTube binge so soon after the last would be a bit like cheating. I need some other form of filler material, and I need it quickly. It's either that, or I'll have to start thinking again, and I feel very strongly that I'm getting enough of that at work right now.
I am in that situation right now that all callcenter employees recognize, where all my customers are irritating and annoying for me. Every single one of them seems a bit stupid, has a funny-sounding voice and an irritating way of talking, and they aggravate me, and I know that it isn't them, it is me.
If you've ever worked in customer service you know what I'm talking about.
I need a break, and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming three-day weekend. Amaterasu Okami and I are going to smite evil together.
I am in that situation right now that all callcenter employees recognize, where all my customers are irritating and annoying for me. Every single one of them seems a bit stupid, has a funny-sounding voice and an irritating way of talking, and they aggravate me, and I know that it isn't them, it is me.
If you've ever worked in customer service you know what I'm talking about.
I need a break, and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming three-day weekend. Amaterasu Okami and I are going to smite evil together.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
PSN Problems
Although I have signed up, and even selected my very own cool avatar, I have serious issues with the PlayStation Network. More to the point, it refuses to let me sign in. No matter when or how I try, the connection insists on timing out. Suggestions and tips on how to change this are more than welcome.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires
First of all, I would like to say that the only other game in this long-lived series that I have played is Dynasty Warriors 4, and that was a while ago, so think of this little piece of writing as a first impression of a long-lived series of games based on a very tumultuous and fascinating part of Chinese history. Now, I liked Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires. There is something very appealing about single-handedly taking on entire armies and plow your way through them like an unstoppable tank. I'm Achilles! Or possibly Bruce Lee.
The co-op mode is one of the most fun ones I have seen in any game yet to date -- though that might just be because when we played DW4 the TV we had at the time was far to small to be able to handle the split screen. The only thing that annoyed me a little bit is that although there were two people playing, only the one whose profile was signed in at the time gets gamer points and achievements, not the person holding controller 2. I'm pretty sure that the technology is available to make it possible for me to get my points and badges. Just store everything player 2 does on the hard drive (anyone owning a 360 without a hard drive isn't going to care about achievements anyway), and then when I sign in to my profile, let me access that data and upload it. Of course the game will not let me do that. In order to get any credit at all to my gamer profile for the many hours I've spent playing this game, I am going to have to do it all over again. Alternatively, we'll just have to buy a second 360 and hook it up to the TV upstairs, buy a second wireless adapter to that second 360, and buy a second copy of the game, and then we can do the online multi-player co-op mode, and I can get my achievement badges and points that way. Makes perfect sense... right? No, not really.
Apart from that major drawback, major in my mind at least, it's not a bad game. The Empire mode, with the policies and assignments, is well done and at the same time very simple to figure out and master. The many options, along with the random natural disasters and the ability to search and recruit new generals from conquered regions is all fun. As far as strategy games goes, this is a good one, though perhaps a bit limited.
In addition to the strategy elements, there is of course the fun hack-n-slash part. Whenever your ruler moves to invade a neighboring province you fight the battles out with a maximum of three generals and three lieutenants of your choosing. In single-player mode you control one of the generals, in the co-op mode we played Player 2 takes control of one of the other two. You are placed at different starting points on the map, and then have to work together to achieve the objective of the battle. The objectives are simple and very consistent: Beat up all the enemy generals, take all their supply bases, and take control of their main camp. The game play is similarly simple, a number of simple button combinations that leads to a number of similarly simple but very cool looking attacks that make your enemies literally fly across the battlefield. It's fun.
Long story short, if you're after a strategy game that lets you chop, hack, and slash at your enemies, a game that is exactly what it seems to be, no more and no less, then this is a good choice. However, if you want a game with any form of story whatsoever, or with voice acting that raises above the abysmal, you should probably look elsewhere.
The co-op mode is one of the most fun ones I have seen in any game yet to date -- though that might just be because when we played DW4 the TV we had at the time was far to small to be able to handle the split screen. The only thing that annoyed me a little bit is that although there were two people playing, only the one whose profile was signed in at the time gets gamer points and achievements, not the person holding controller 2. I'm pretty sure that the technology is available to make it possible for me to get my points and badges. Just store everything player 2 does on the hard drive (anyone owning a 360 without a hard drive isn't going to care about achievements anyway), and then when I sign in to my profile, let me access that data and upload it. Of course the game will not let me do that. In order to get any credit at all to my gamer profile for the many hours I've spent playing this game, I am going to have to do it all over again. Alternatively, we'll just have to buy a second 360 and hook it up to the TV upstairs, buy a second wireless adapter to that second 360, and buy a second copy of the game, and then we can do the online multi-player co-op mode, and I can get my achievement badges and points that way. Makes perfect sense... right? No, not really.
Apart from that major drawback, major in my mind at least, it's not a bad game. The Empire mode, with the policies and assignments, is well done and at the same time very simple to figure out and master. The many options, along with the random natural disasters and the ability to search and recruit new generals from conquered regions is all fun. As far as strategy games goes, this is a good one, though perhaps a bit limited.
In addition to the strategy elements, there is of course the fun hack-n-slash part. Whenever your ruler moves to invade a neighboring province you fight the battles out with a maximum of three generals and three lieutenants of your choosing. In single-player mode you control one of the generals, in the co-op mode we played Player 2 takes control of one of the other two. You are placed at different starting points on the map, and then have to work together to achieve the objective of the battle. The objectives are simple and very consistent: Beat up all the enemy generals, take all their supply bases, and take control of their main camp. The game play is similarly simple, a number of simple button combinations that leads to a number of similarly simple but very cool looking attacks that make your enemies literally fly across the battlefield. It's fun.
Long story short, if you're after a strategy game that lets you chop, hack, and slash at your enemies, a game that is exactly what it seems to be, no more and no less, then this is a good choice. However, if you want a game with any form of story whatsoever, or with voice acting that raises above the abysmal, you should probably look elsewhere.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Entertaining moment of the weekend:
Now I know how to make employees in a video game store look at me as if I am a freak from another planet. (Aside from walking into certain stores and talk about games as if I know about them. Sometimes I wonder if it's really 2007, the way some of these guys react...)
Walk in and ask them if they can look up what I have on preorder. When they say yes, wait for them to tell me the list of games, and then ask if I can move my preorder of Mass Effect to another game.
Then I giggled at the stunned and "did she just say that?" expressions, and then spent a few moments explaining that no, I hadn't heard anything negative about it at all. Since I make a point of being nice to gaming store employees, I also explained that the reason I wanted to move it was that I was already all set up to get a copy on the release day, and have no need of duplicate reservations.
I then went on to restore order in the universe by simply moving said preorder over to Bioshock.
Walk in and ask them if they can look up what I have on preorder. When they say yes, wait for them to tell me the list of games, and then ask if I can move my preorder of Mass Effect to another game.
Then I giggled at the stunned and "did she just say that?" expressions, and then spent a few moments explaining that no, I hadn't heard anything negative about it at all. Since I make a point of being nice to gaming store employees, I also explained that the reason I wanted to move it was that I was already all set up to get a copy on the release day, and have no need of duplicate reservations.
I then went on to restore order in the universe by simply moving said preorder over to Bioshock.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
EB Games, you tease!
From Gamespot's Rumor Control, we find out that Mass Effect once more has been delayed. We also find out that EB Games may have been too quick to make assumptions...
The bottom line:
The official story: Mass Effect publisher Microsoft Games Studios' response was swift...and not particularly helpful. "We have not made any official announcements regarding release timing for Mass Effect," a rep said. "At this time, any information about the game's release date is purely rumor and speculation."
The bottom line:
The official story: Mass Effect publisher Microsoft Games Studios' response was swift...and not particularly helpful. "We have not made any official announcements regarding release timing for Mass Effect," a rep said. "At this time, any information about the game's release date is purely rumor and speculation."
Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus that it's been delayed, since it technically never had an official release date. However, the EBgames.com listing indicates a September release is now likely.
I try to console myself by watching in-game footage on the game's official site, and curse EB Games for getting my hopes up.Monday, May 28, 2007
Fumbling adventures in Ubuntu-land
I reinstalled Ubuntu 6.06 on my laptop recently, this time with the intention of keeping it there for quite some time. Dropping the encryption level on the home network to one the poor old thing can manage (an additional bonus was shorter load times and faster browsing) means all of a sudden the laptop's built-in wireless adapter can work with the wireless router upstairs, and if I could only figure out a way to extend the effective battery life past 25 minutes, I'd be all set.
Installation and setup was a bit more of a hassle than I remembered. The Automatix2 scripts would for once not work quite right, and I ended up reinstalling the little application a couple of times, from various different sources. Eventually it worked, through the easy installer in the Automatix Wiki, and all plugins and codecs I need to enjoy music and flash in Swiftfox were duly installed.
Wine gave me a bit more problems... You see, one of the reasons I wanted Ubuntu back and Wine installed and working is that several of my old favourite games--and with old I mean published before the year 2000--no longer work under WinXP. The ones that do just don't run very well on the much faster hardware computers today use. My laptop is a Compaq Evo N410c, with a BIOS start date of January 2002, so I figured the hardware would be just the right age to run my games without any glitches or speed problems. The problem was that I don't have any Win98 CDs laying around, and even if I did I would be reluctant to use that OS. I have vivid memories of Blue Screens of Death... so I decided to give Ubuntu another chance.
Back to Wine. Simply put, it's a compatibility layer running within my Ubuntu installation, and within that layer I can run Windows applications. Since Linux has native browsers, office applications, messengers and media players, and everything else I might need for day-to-day computering, I plan to use Wine exclusively for my old Win98 games.
But the stupid thing would not install properly. I tried to simply do it via the Add/Remove... function in Gnome, Ubuntu's desktop environment of choice, but no dice. Next I went on to try it via Automatix2. No dice there either. Next I went to command-line installations via aptitude, and that worked. I was very happy, until I ran winecfg and promptly crashed Wine at my first attempts to configure sound. Several reboots later I had managed to remove every single trace of Wine from the little laptop, downloaded the latest version from WineHQ, installed, and I was all set to go.
Or so I thought. While Wine worked fine, and there were no further crashes, and both Sanitarium and Fallout and all their patches installed just fine, I had no sound. The magnificent intro to Fallout just is not the same without the happy music in the beginning. Argh.
After some online research, and after visiting various forums for help, I discovered it was my own fault. Apparently you need to set winecfg so Wine knows to use the same kind of sound driver that the rest of your system uses. Well, I guess if you want to be logical... ! Sheesh.
Fallout intro played with music. It was awesome.
I have not yet tried to play either game in Wine, but will make sure to do so before I take the laptop with me for my two-week trip later this summer. Who needs a PSP when you have a laptop with Wine and old games?
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go attend to a whole different kind of wine; I have an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and hickory smoked ribs waiting for me in the kitchen.
Installation and setup was a bit more of a hassle than I remembered. The Automatix2 scripts would for once not work quite right, and I ended up reinstalling the little application a couple of times, from various different sources. Eventually it worked, through the easy installer in the Automatix Wiki, and all plugins and codecs I need to enjoy music and flash in Swiftfox were duly installed.
Wine gave me a bit more problems... You see, one of the reasons I wanted Ubuntu back and Wine installed and working is that several of my old favourite games--and with old I mean published before the year 2000--no longer work under WinXP. The ones that do just don't run very well on the much faster hardware computers today use. My laptop is a Compaq Evo N410c, with a BIOS start date of January 2002, so I figured the hardware would be just the right age to run my games without any glitches or speed problems. The problem was that I don't have any Win98 CDs laying around, and even if I did I would be reluctant to use that OS. I have vivid memories of Blue Screens of Death... so I decided to give Ubuntu another chance.
Back to Wine. Simply put, it's a compatibility layer running within my Ubuntu installation, and within that layer I can run Windows applications. Since Linux has native browsers, office applications, messengers and media players, and everything else I might need for day-to-day computering, I plan to use Wine exclusively for my old Win98 games.
But the stupid thing would not install properly. I tried to simply do it via the Add/Remove... function in Gnome, Ubuntu's desktop environment of choice, but no dice. Next I went on to try it via Automatix2. No dice there either. Next I went to command-line installations via aptitude, and that worked. I was very happy, until I ran winecfg and promptly crashed Wine at my first attempts to configure sound. Several reboots later I had managed to remove every single trace of Wine from the little laptop, downloaded the latest version from WineHQ, installed, and I was all set to go.
Or so I thought. While Wine worked fine, and there were no further crashes, and both Sanitarium and Fallout and all their patches installed just fine, I had no sound. The magnificent intro to Fallout just is not the same without the happy music in the beginning. Argh.
After some online research, and after visiting various forums for help, I discovered it was my own fault. Apparently you need to set winecfg so Wine knows to use the same kind of sound driver that the rest of your system uses. Well, I guess if you want to be logical... ! Sheesh.
Fallout intro played with music. It was awesome.
I have not yet tried to play either game in Wine, but will make sure to do so before I take the laptop with me for my two-week trip later this summer. Who needs a PSP when you have a laptop with Wine and old games?
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go attend to a whole different kind of wine; I have an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and hickory smoked ribs waiting for me in the kitchen.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Trivia of the Day:
Female Gamer:
Mythical creature, extremely rare compared to the number of male gamers in the world. Hardly ever recognized by non-gamers, the origins of this mystical species is shrouded in legend and myth.
Stories of these unusual creatures are whispered in the dark corners of LAN parties, with a mixture of awe and hopelessness, and in the unlikely event that one is spotted entering the room carrying what looks like a PC, she quickly collects a following of wide-eyed males, who proceed to carry her heavy bags, open doors for her, offer her seats, and fetch items for her throughout the LAN party.
Researches have yet to puzzle out the complex rituals that govern how to interact with a Female Gamer. One thing they all agree on however, is that a certain way to earn a Female Gamer's eternal enmity is to come across as giving her preferential treatment while gaming, be it extra help across a map, gifts of free items and equipment, or even open admiration and adoration of her skills and abilities in the game, just because she is "a girl".
Mythical creature, extremely rare compared to the number of male gamers in the world. Hardly ever recognized by non-gamers, the origins of this mystical species is shrouded in legend and myth.
Stories of these unusual creatures are whispered in the dark corners of LAN parties, with a mixture of awe and hopelessness, and in the unlikely event that one is spotted entering the room carrying what looks like a PC, she quickly collects a following of wide-eyed males, who proceed to carry her heavy bags, open doors for her, offer her seats, and fetch items for her throughout the LAN party.
Researches have yet to puzzle out the complex rituals that govern how to interact with a Female Gamer. One thing they all agree on however, is that a certain way to earn a Female Gamer's eternal enmity is to come across as giving her preferential treatment while gaming, be it extra help across a map, gifts of free items and equipment, or even open admiration and adoration of her skills and abilities in the game, just because she is "a girl".
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