Bioshock stuff

[Unstoppable]

First off we have a new b trailer with lotsa nice gameplay. Mostly action with very little stealth though. There's only 1 vent crawl.

 

http://www.gametrailers.com/search.php?s=b...movies&ac=1

 

(it's the 7 minute trailer I believe)

 

Alternatively you can get it from fileplanet on HD make sure to run it on Divx if you do because windows media player lags like a bleep.

 

Secondly I got this link from gamespot forums. It seems to be an online magazine featuring bioshock. IE 7 is ideal. Enjoy.

http://cde.cerosmedia.com/f1c4558b762f5de9...7185c7f0117.cde

 

 

Will check the magazine out later myself. Let me know what you guys think of this stuff. I found the 7 minute trailer to be very cool. I just hope that you can stealth through the game.

[Unstoppable]

More stuff. Specifically focusing on why the PC version is going to rip the xbox 360 a new one. It's going to be much different for the PC, much harder. =)

http://www.joergspielt.de/ed-orman-english/

[Unstoppable]

Ok here we go! New interview with great video while talking to one of the creators.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/bio...;om_clk=topslot

 

Also have a demo after hours video with one of the technical artists.

Edited June 8, 2007 by Unstoppable

[Unstoppable]

Another update here! The mainpage has been updated. www.bioshock.com. It allows you to explore rapture. The music is creepy/scary and orchestral. It's very well done webpage and i'm very impressed. You can look at brochures of places to get a feel for the game. The weapons, the mods, it's incredible. GOGOGO.

 

http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/enter.html

Edited June 15, 2007 by Unstoppable

[jdude]

Lol, bioshock.com is "The Leading Environment Site On The Net" apparently. That link takes you to a commercial website

[Unstoppable]

Fixed!

http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/enter.html

[Vadrosaul]

More stuff. Specifically focusing on why the PC version is going to rip the xbox 360 a new one. It's going to be much different for the PC, much harder. =)

http://www.joergspielt.de/ed-orman-english/

Difficulty won't be an advantage on the PC, it will be a disadvantage of the XBOX360. Mainstream churning has turned difficulty into a thing of the past, especially with the adaptive difficulty gimmick (The game world eases up on you if you don't cut the mustard).

[sparhawk]

(The game world eases up on you if you don't cut the mustard).

 

Which I find extremly dissapointing. If I can't handle a difficulty I can train to make it, but if the world eases up on me, then I never know if I were good or the world easy.

 

I drove some tracks in NFS Hot Pursuit 2 more than 8 times (maybe more), until I had the gold medal. That was ok, because I wanted to get it. Knwoing that the game finally gave up on me, and gave me the gold for free, would spoil it quite a lot. I dont have to play for it, and if I want it I should work for it.

[Unstoppable]

Hmmm will have to say how that plays out before rendering final judgement.

[Unstoppable]

Have a new trailer just released at Fileplanet for you all. Fisheries trailer over 200mb long.

http://www.fileplanet.com/178744/170000/fi...sheries-Trailer

 

Probably want to use divx was windows media player lags.

 

Might be up at gametrailers.com as well.

[Nyarlathotep]

Yes. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21276.html

[Unstoppable]

Here are the official system requirements. Looks like many of us won't have to upgrade after all.

 

Minimum System Requirements:

 

Operating Systems: Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista

CPU: Pentium 4 2.4GHz Single Core processor

System RAM: 1GB

Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550).

Sound Card: 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card Hard disc space: 8GB free space Recommended System Requirements:

 

Operating Systems: Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo processor

System RAM: 2GB

Video card: DX9: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT or better) DX10: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 or better

Sound Card: Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ series (Optimized for use with Creative Labs EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 or EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 compatible sound cards) **Important Note: Game requires Internet connection for activation**

[Crispy]

Only just. I don't meet most of the recommended criteria (just the RAM).

[Nyarlathotep]

The only thing I have that meets the recommended setting is the goddamn sound card, and I made a mistake in buying the X-Fi: even today, Creative has absolutely zero support for the card on Linux. What I want to know is why the fuck Bioshock is requiring hardware sound support.

[Crispy]

The X-Fi is just a recommendation; probably not for any technical reason, but just because of an agreement of some kind with Creative. (Maybe they're using that stencil shadow algorithm that Creative has a patent on, like Doom 3 did.)

 

When they say "100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card", that just means DirectX 9.0c needs to be able to access the sound card. I don't think it implies any specific hardware support beyond "a sound card that works with DirectX" (as every sound card released in the last decade should).

[Nyarlathotep]

The X-Fi is just a recommendation; probably not for any technical reason, but just because of an agreement of some kind with Creative. (Maybe they're using that stencil shadow algorithm that Creative has a patent on, like Doom 3 did.)

Creative doesn't own shit on shadow mapping. I'm wondering why they're requiring hardware support, when it's so easy not to need it at all (easy: write your own sound driver; easier: buy Miles Fast 2D Sound). I'm not particularly fond of the idea of Ken Levine sucking off Creative Labs, much less the mental image.

[Unstoppable]

Some new screenshots now showing off all the awesome abilities and powers as well as the menu customization a plenty!

http://media.pc.ign.com/media/707/707640/imgs_1.html

[Domarius]

Which I find extremly dissapointing. If I can't handle a difficulty I can train to make it, but if the world eases up on me, then I never know if I were good or the world easy.

 

I drove some tracks in NFS Hot Pursuit 2 more than 8 times (maybe more), until I had the gold medal. That was ok, because I wanted to get it. Knwoing that the game finally gave up on me, and gave me the gold for free, would spoil it quite a lot. I dont have to play for it, and if I want it I should work for it.

Gah don't even get me started on DDA. It's completely at odds with the very definition of a game, IMO. Of course you can have video games which could just be a bit of escapism and you don't want much of a challenge, but if it becomes common for mainstream games to "take pity on you" and give you the goal without much challenge, I will lose faith in humanity. May as well let yourself take any card from the stack in a game of solitaire.

 

There should be different difficulty settings for each game, then you can have your bit of escapism without much challenge by chosing the easy setting. That's all the DDA you need right there.

[Crispy]

Creative doesn't own shit on shadow mapping.

Not shadow mapping. Stencil shadows. Different technique. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmack%27s_Reverse#Depth_fail for an overview of the patent issue I'm referring to.

 

I don't even know if Bioshock uses stencil shadows or something else entirely, I'm just speculating.

 

I'm wondering why they're requiring hardware support

From a literal reading of what Unstoppable wrote, they're not requiring special hardware support. As I already said, they're simply requiring a sound card that works with DirectX 9. Any sound card that works with DirectX 9. And as stated, I find it hard to believe that any sound card which works with Windows will not work with DirectSound. I mean, seriously, they wouldn't sell a single card if that was true. Even Winamp uses DirectSound (sometimes - there are other options as well).

 

Of course they are requiring some hardware support though - I mean, you can't expect to have sound without speakers, for instance. And you need some kind of sound card, even if it's just a crappy built-in AC97 chip or whatever. That's true for any sound played on a computer though, not just Bioshock.

[Crispy]

Gah don't even get me started on DDA. It's completely at odds with the very definition of a game, IMO.

Ah, so according to you, Prey is not a game.

[Nyarlathotep]

Not shadow mapping. Stencil shadows. Different technique. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmack%27s_Reverse#Depth_fail for an overview of the patent issue I'm referring to.

I know about the damn stencil shadow patent. Creative doesn't own shit on shadow mapping. UE3 uses shadow mapping. Dong ma?

 

I don't even know if Bioshock uses stencil shadows or something else entirely, I'm just speculating.

From a literal reading of what Unstoppable wrote, they're not requiring special hardware support. As I already said, they're simply requiring a sound card that works with DirectX 9. Any sound card that works with DirectX 9. And as stated, I find it hard to believe that any sound card which works with Windows will not work with DirectSound. I mean, seriously, they wouldn't sell a single card if that was true. Even Winamp uses DirectSound (sometimes - there are other options as well).

Doesn't DirectSound have a software path?

 

Of course they are requiring some hardware support though - I mean, you can't expect to have sound without speakers, for instance. And you need some kind of sound card, even if it's just a crappy built-in AC97 chip or whatever. That's true for any sound played on a computer though, not just Bioshock.

Point: they wouldn't mention something like that. Seriously, just about the only card currently on the market that could remotely describe itself as sound accelerator is the X-Fi, and perhaps a few of the later Audigy cards. Why force an issue like hardware sound support when you can get a more consistent sound with 2% CPU?

[Domarius]

Ah, so according to you, Prey is not a game.

Yep I did add "IMO".

 

I don't see why having an easy setting wouldn't satisfy someone who "Just wants to get past without getting frustrated". Or at least only enabling DDA for them on the easy setting.

 

I've never played Prey but if I choose the hardest setting I wouldn't expect the game to "go easy on me".

[Crispy]

UE3 uses shadow mapping.

If you'd mentioned that to begin with, this conversation would have ended much more quickly.

 

Doesn't DirectSound have a software path?

EXACTLY!

 

Point: they wouldn't mention something like that. Seriously, just about the only card currently on the market that could remotely describe itself as sound accelerator is the X-Fi, and perhaps a few of the later Audigy cards. Why force an issue like hardware sound support when you can get a more consistent sound with 2% CPU?

Sigh. Okay, let's start again.

 

Please point out where they say that they require sound hardware acceleration.

[Nyarlathotep]

If you'd mentioned that to begin with, this conversation would have ended much more quickly.

I figured you could deduce it from my original statement, rather than simply assume I was so terribly confused.

 

EXACTLY!

Then why is it requiring hardware support?

 

Sigh. Okay, let's start again.

 

Please point out where they say that they require sound hardware acceleration.

Sound Card: 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card

Yes, I know that many motherboards support this, but it's still in hardware. How am I, the average user, to be sure that this feature is universal in motherboards, and therefore don't have to run out and buy a sound card (read: Creative POS)? I'm bothered when mainstream trash is pulling the Creative card, but I've always trusted Levine as a game designer. I feel almost as though he's betrayed my trust and slept with that slut, Creative.

[Crispy]

I figured you could deduce it from my original statement, rather than simply assume I was so terribly confused.

You are terribly confused about the sound hardware support, so I figured it was a safe assumption.

 

Then why is it requiring hardware support?

It's not. No more than any other game in the history of everything, because:

 

Yes, I know that many motherboards support this, but it's still in hardware. How am I, the average user, to be sure that this feature is universal in motherboards, and therefore don't have to run out and buy a sound card?

The integrated sound boards on motherboards do count as "sound cards" for this purpose.

 

(Um. Duh?)

 

I must point out that there's no "feature" to support, beyond being basically functional. Notice again the word "compatible". It doesn't require "a sound card with special proprietary super-duper DirectX 9.0c features". It just requires "a sound card that's compatible with DirectX 9.0c". In the same way that my monitor is compatible with Windows Vista (even though it was manufactured while Vista was still called Longhorn), because how the hell could it not be?

 

Put it this way: If DirectX 9.0c required a sound card upgrade in order to function at all, just because, then Microsoft would get raked over the coals. Not even DX10 actually requires you to buy a new graphics card. DirectX 10 itself will work fine on DX9-era video cards, it just won't have all the same features available (causing some games to refuse to run, but that's the decision of the game, not the API).