Along The Tech Tree #178

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ID:101687

Sep 9 2010, 2:18 pm

Keywords: techtree

ACWraith

Ginger chews are my new treat for good digestion. Unfortunately they get stuck in my teeth. Check out these links while I work it out.

Rob Zacny's latest Keys to the Kingdom column explores the downloadable Peninsular Campaign expansion for Napoleon: Total War.
Ben Kuchera interviewed StarCraft II commentator Husky for Ars Technica.
The Experimental Gameplay Project listed 40 games from their Zero Button challenge.

Is it just me or is content running low now that school has started?

Version 475.1080 of BYOND has been released. Multiple fixes were included for the pager, development tools, server and game client. Meanwhile, the sound library was updated and options were added for handling file exports. Check the release notes for the full set of changes and download from the site directly if you have problems updating through the pager.

"This is a pretty big release full of a lot of little fixes. We tried to go back and address as many bug reports as we could to allow us to keep up with the list better in the future." -Tom

Vexonator has added what he hopes is a more robust customization system to the tactical fantasy Surreal Dreams. He plans to add more features once the bugs are worked out. Meanwhile, players are welcome to report bugs in his forum.

Acebloke is planning to make political ideologies part of the mechanics in his military/economic simulation, Wargames. A choice has been available for players at the start of the game, but it's only window dressing. It will soon be replaced with a dynamic leadership spectrum ranging from monarch to president and committee to congress. Expect a hint of the new system in the next update.

IainPeregrine has announced the dates of GiaD 2010. Developers will be tasked with creating a game that will be started on Saturday, September 25th and finished on Sunday, September 26th. One of the themes has been decided. More are welcome. Keep reading IainPeregrine's blog for more details.

It's been over a month and a half, but Flick's simultaneous battle of planning five steps ahead has yet to find a server. Previously removed from the featured list, Mano A Mano has now been removed from the guild. *sniffle* =(

My turn-based race of space combat, StarScurrier, is almost playable. I'll be looking for testers soon.

Just kidding.

My entry for BYOND Casual's Imagination Competition is almost playable though. In theory. There's a rhythm action game in there somewhere, but it's probably going to need a lot of balance tweaks. Meanwhile, the odd time signatures, round-based harmonies and lack of consistent chords might not fit the musical tastes of some... Not that I know what it sounds like yet anyway. I still need to add the audio files. This could suck.

Sign the petition from the Electronic Consumers Association that will be submitted along with their amicus brief in the case of Schwarzenegger v. EMA. Do it before November 2nd. Protect your gamer rights!

Sep 9 2010, 3:09 pm
Fugsnarf	I'm tempted to sign this petition. What I don't like is throwing my address out there. I definitely don't want them mailing me stuff.

Sep 9 2010, 3:13 pm
ACWraith	I signed quite a bit before I started putting the banner in Tech Tree. They have yet to snail mail me anything and the only email I remember receiving was one stating they could use some help promoting the cause.

Sep 9 2010, 3:16 pm
Fugsnarf	I signed it. I'm fairly convinced that this is pretty important. I'll be sure to tell my friends as well.

Sep 9 2010, 4:20 pm
Hiro the Dragon King	I can't wait to here the Supreme Court repeat their line from the attempted regulation of "harmful" arcade games that came to them years ago, "No means, 'no'!"

Sep 9 2010, 4:45 pm

RJTaylor

I am having a hard time believing video games are the sole reason in which many teens are prone to commit a violent act. We are exposed to violence everyday through many other mediums. Such mediums include television shows, the news, movies, and even through our peers. There is a reason why movies, TV shows, and games have an age restriction, not every medium is acceptable for every age.

Now, if parents were to follow the age guidelines provide, little 7 year old Johnny would not be playing Grand Theft Auto.

Sep 9 2010, 6:11 pm
Vermolius	Wait, why was mano-a-mano removed?

Sep 9 2010, 6:14 pm
Tiberath	If you guys end up getting censored games, I'm going to ridicule everyone who mocked Australia for that very reason. ;)

Sep 9 2010, 8:27 pm
ACWraith	@Vermolius: Mano A Mano was removed because there's no way for players to access it. There's neither a download link nor a server. It's been that way for quite a while. =(

Sep 10 2010, 2:46 am
Fugsnarf	How long is a while? I'm pretty sure IainPeregrine hosted it when he did his Sessions thing.

Sep 10 2010, 3:14 am
ACWraith	@Fugsnarf: It's been months. I know IainPeregrine invited people to play last October, but I'm guessing he played on Flick's server back then unless he made special arrangements. Either way, it's not doing current players any good.