but michael side scrollers are too easy, not random and just not worth the money. if you want a side scroller, can't you program your own? i agree though we do need more side scrollers but they are old games we need to be in the 21st century
On 21 Mar 2008, at 15:29, Michael Feir wrote: > This is absolutely the most idiotic situation I hope ever to come > across in > accessible gaming history. Instead of giving us a relatively simple > sidescroller already fairly far along in development, Tom has > decided to > give us a completely different game than what many of us have been > waiting > for and have purchased. We'll doubtless have to wait a whole lot > longer for > this project to finally be fully completed stretching things out > even longer > than the years we've already waited. It would be like me going in to > a store > and paying for an orange only to find myself carrying a watermelon > home > since the clerk didn't feel like getting me an orange. We've waited > years > for what showed every sign of being a very good sidescroller game. A > sidescroller is a very different kind of game than a 3d action > adventure. I > can't imagine the controls for such a thing being at all as easy to > master. > Nor is the art of navigating at all the same. A sidescroller is a > far more > intuitively easy thing to get the hang of. Even computer novices can > fairly > quickly grasp the controls. Even a 2d game like Shades of Doom > reaches a > point of complexity where I would hesitate to recommend it for > novices. > Sidescrollers are such a natural format of game for translating into > audio. > Why is it that everyone feels the need to make all these other kinds > of far > more complex games while this genre is left so full of unexplored > potential > only represented by one very basic game? Why can't somebody just put > out a > decent sidescroller? > > Doubtless, a lot of gamers will even end up enjoying this creation. > I'll > even grant you that I am likely to enjoy it. However, what I've paid > for, > waited for, hoped and dreamed for was a well-designed sidescroller. I > already had to accept the loss of an actual accessible copy of a > game I've > wanted to play since childhood. Frankly, I think Tom has been > looking for a > reason to basically abandon his rescue attempt of James North's > excellent > work for quite a while. I'm not even getting a good sidescroller for > my > troubles. This is preposterous! I've been lead to hope that there > would at > last be that salvation at the end of the tunnel only to be left > completely > hanging out to dry. > > Think about what this does to the whole issue of trust in the > accessible > gaming community. What's the point of being as transparent as you've > been if > at the last minute, you do a 180 degree turn and produce something > quite > different than what people paid for? You could have produced the > sidescroller and then gone off in completely different directions > with no > lasting resentment from anybody. I would have accepted the finished > sidescroller and simply moved on with life. In taking your decision, > Tom, > you throw away a lot of the credability all your transparency has > built up. > I had very high hopes that you would be the rising star who helped > to cary > the accessible gaming industry forward. Shifting gears so > drastically just > isn't the right way to build up a confident and loyal customer base > who will > trust you enough to place pre-orders. You've certainly lost any > lingering > trust I had. Everyone was so quick to basically run James North out > of town > for precisely the kind of thing we're seeing again here. I don't > think I'm > being unreasonable in wanting something at least a bit similar to > what I > paid for and fought hard for. > Michael Feir > Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine > 1996-2004 > Check out my blog at: > http://www.blindspots.net/blog.php?user=13 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Thomas Ward" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Gamers Discussion list" <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 10:54 AM > Subject: [Audyssey] What's Ahead For MOTA Beta 2. > > >> Hello everyone, >> Over the passed couple of weeks I have received some inquiries about >> Mysteries Of the Aztecs Beta 2. I am writing this email in the hope I >> can answer as many questions at once as well as give all of you >> gamers >> an awesome sneak peak into MOTA Beta 2. There is a lot changing under >> the hood of the new MOTA game engine, and there is a lot of new >> features >> coming your way. In addition Mysteries Of the Aztecs is getting an >> expensive sound upgrade which will make the audio environment sound >> so >> much more realistic. >> First, let us explore the new game story. It is no secret that the >> Tomb >> Hunter series is USA Games new line of games similar to the Tomb >> Raider >> games produced by Core Design and Edos Interactive. While USA Games >> is >> forbidden by copyright law to use the official Tomb Raider trade >> marks >> and its leading character, Lara Croft, we hope our Tomb Hunter games >> will capture the Tomb Raider spirit in all other respects. Our >> leading >> character, Angela Summers, is an archaeologist with a variety of Lara >> Croft style moves such as back flips, jumps, forward and reverse >> rolls, >> safety drops, and other skills. In addition Angela is well versed >> in a >> variety of fire arms including her trusty 9 Millimeter Browning, 357 >> Magnum, Shotgun, and the M-16 assault rifle. >> Our game begins high above the Amazon rain forest as Angela Summers >> parachutes into the jungle where Dr. Pierre Romo's expedition went >> missing one year ago. Armed with her trusty 9 Millimeter Browning, >> two >> med kits, her laser sight, and an emergency radio she sets off on >> foot >> to find the Aztec Temple of death. In the first level Angela must >> work >> her way through the jungle on foot picking up gold coins, diamonds, >> reloads for her Browning, and fend off giant spiders and snakes. >> Inside the temple proper Angela must avoid several traps including >> lava >> pits, spikes, swinging blade traps, pits of fire, and rolling boulder >> traps. She must also face undead Aztec skeleton warriors armed with >> bows >> and spears. Unlike the snakes and spiders the skeleton warriors are >> much >> harder to kill with Angela's trusty 9 Millimeter Browning. She must >> pick >> up more powerful weapons including a bow and arrow, a 357 Magnum, >> Shotgun, and M-16 Assault Rifle left behind by Pierre Romo's failed >> expedition. If she makes it to the end she will face the Aztec King >> and >> Queen of death in combat. >> As stated above one of the major changes in Mysteries of the Aztecs >> Beta >> 2 is an all new sound upgrade. I have worked very hard to create or >> purchase only the highest quality sound effects for Mysteries of the >> Aztecs Beta 2. For example, Angela's weapons such as the 357 Magnum >> and >> Shotgun are pretty true to the actual sound of a Magnum and 12 gage >> shotgun being fired. I have added in some echo and other special >> effects >> to sound as though they are being fired inside a large empty >> structure >> such as a tomb or temple. Interesting enough in comparing my shotgun >> sound to the ones used in the majority of the Tomb Raider games my >> shotgun sounds are far more realistic and accurate. As someone who >> thrives on high quality authenticity in my sound effects I think Tomb >> Hunter is going to be as good as any TR game as far as the Audio >> environment goes. >> Taking a look at the new engine there is a lot of changes in game >> play. >> I have decided in order to really do Mysteries Of the Aztecs >> justice I >> have incorporated the new Genesis 3D technology into the game. >> Many of these upgrades involves Angela herself. I have been working >> on >> adding all sorts of realistic full 3D movement for Angela. When the >> engine is done Angela will be able to jump, do flips, rolls, turn in >> place, climb, sidestep, crouch, stand, crawl, swim, etc. While I know >> many of you were hoping for a side-scroller I really honestly think >> you >> will be impressed with the new direction the game has taken. >> The new and improved 3D Aztec temple will include secret passages, >> hidden treasure rooms, and a host of new dangers and puzzles to >> solve. >> For example, imagine having to climb a rope to a ledge at the top >> of a >> room to find a gold key that unlocks the door below. You might have >> to >> locate and pull a certain lever which allows a specific Aztec >> statue to >> be moved or pushed aside revealing a hidden treasure room behind >> it. It >> is these sorts of puzzle elements that draws many sighted gamers to >> the >> Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider games. >> Another aspect is random placement of some treasure and weapons. >> One of >> the major complaints I got about Montezuma's Return was nothing was >> randomized. I have heard your complaints and Beta 2 will have several >> items appear randomly in rooms. Some items such as gold coins in a >> hidden room will be static while some gems and weapons will be >> scattered >> around the temple randomly. >> In short I am working hard to make Mysteries Of the Aztecs the best >> game >> it can be under the current situation. I feel bad I was not able to >> complete Montezuma's Return do to copyright issues, but in the end I >> think what you will get in return is going to be a much more fun, >> exciting, and better game altogether. >> >> >> --- >> Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] >> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >> http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >> list, >> please send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > . > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of > the list, > please send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. 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