XWA One Year Thread Part VII: Shadows of the Forum

[Keyan Farlander]

Originally Posted by edlib

That just may be the scariest, creepiest sentence I have ever read.

Agreed. To the max.

Run felt a lot worse this morning than Monday, but surprisingly I did it in the exact same time. Maybe it's the lack of sleep and long work day yesterday that's to blame. It was good to catch up on sleep last night, though. 9 and a half good hours works wonders.

[Rogue15]

it will be arriving on friday!!!

[Rogue15]

YESSSSS IT SHIPPED!!!!!!!!!!!!! :JOY:

[Kuuki]

ate a Fish Fry for the first time in >15yrs.

why? stopped liking fish.

why get one now?
F**KING DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! [/egoraptor]

cravings sucks. I missed out on getting 'fish n chips' in london on deployment, should've gotten it.

[K_Kinnison]

I never liked fish as a kid, I never really could get past the "Fishy" smell. until one day on a whim at a VERY VERY nice restaurant I had a perfectly prepared lightly sauteed fish filet. It was wonderful. Since the I have enjoyed fish.

I usually prepare a Salmon Filet in my grill on a plank of wood.

[Keyan Farlander]

Attended a Traditional Latin Mass last night - not too many of those around anymore!

[edlib]

Woke up feeling like crap this morning... but since there was no option for taking a day off, I came in.

I feel better now.

Boring day at work though. Babysitting a recording session all day.

Some monster piano player, doing the original arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue.

[Cmdr. Cracken]

Still have bets on 15 getting arrested on Easter. Anyone want in on that action? I say about 10 a.m.

Setting up a buddy with a girl, hope it goes well. Trying to get him to not be a forever alone.

Work situation still sucks. >.<

[Kuuki]

put me down for 11:45 am

[Keyan Farlander]

Originally Posted by edlib

Some monster piano player, doing the original arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue.

Ah, nice. What do you mean by original? Two pianos or piano and jazz band?

Destroyed my previous best five mile time this morning - over two minutes faster. Probably because of the ideal conditions - nice and cool and no wind.

[Rogue15]

lol it should be on the way to my place as i type this now!

[edlib]

Originally Posted by Keyan Farlander

Ah, nice. What do you mean by original? Two pianos or piano and jazz band?

http://berklee.edu/events/detail/111...apsody-in-blue

It's 2 pianos, plus a jazz band/ small orchestra. It's the original 1924 arrangement, as it was first publicly debuted... or so I understand.


I am so tired.

Long days. Late nights. Early mornings. Little sleep. Bad sleep. No time for exercise. No days off.

Oh yeah... it's the end of the Spring Semester again. Well... now it all makes sense.



Just another 6 weeks or so to suffer through all of this. It just seems like so much more to deal with this year, with me now taking care of mom, and 2 puppies, and my girlfriend and her kids, and pets, 2 houses, 3 cars...

Yikes!

[Rogue15]

working my ass off on this annotated bibliography. By the time my research paper is all done, I'll be able to understand why I'm going to Kuwait.

[Keyan Farlander]

Originally Posted by edlib

http://berklee.edu/events/detail/111...apsody-in-blue

It's 2 pianos, plus a jazz band/ small orchestra. It's the original 1924 arrangement, as it was first publicly debuted... or so I understand.

Yes, that's the original orchestration. Very interesting!

[Rogue15]

got my costume! pictures up on facebook. lol

called off work today...i didn't want to but it was necessary...my car hasn't been running that great and i have no gas until i get my refund check from my student loan. so yeah...i'll probably get fired. gotta focus on school anyway so i don't get crappy grades. bright side to every dark side i guess. no sense getting down about it.

[Rogue15]

distributor cap most likely...called off again today from work...not good. walmart (that i could walk to) would not cash my refund check and western union told me to go **** myself. got a good 20 miles of walk out of it all. got my annotated bibli done, it better not be wrong or i will be pissed off cause i worked like 6 hours on it!!!!

[Keyan Farlander]

Worse running conditions today because of a pretty strong wind (that seemed to be blowing against me no matter which direction I was heading ), but I still came in at about the same time as Friday. Still got a ways to go before I am back to my former pace, but at least I'm on the way. Broke out a new pair of running shoes today too, which felt good - I didn't realize how badly the old ones were worn down.

[Cmdr. Cracken]

Ordering some custom keycaps for my mechanical keyboard soon........ will post pics...

[Rogue15]

going to go purchase a laptop this week with my student loan refund money...low budget one, so probably not good for gaming but all i need is microsoft office on it cause it's for school...looking to spend between 4-500. not sure what luck i'll have getting a decent one at that price, might end up going with a new desktop. only thing i like about laptop is portability.

[Rogue15]

got the laptop. got good deal i think. 512mb video card in it...amd...it can run TOR, did the test before i go buy it...it says FAST. so hell yes.

[Cmdr. Cracken]

ordered a set of keycaps for my mechanical. should be here next week. very happy.

[Rogue15]

completing the last steps of installing TOR...almost online!!!!

[Wildstar]

OK, as of the end of March, we were on pace for an even 1,500 posts...don't know what that says about us, but I thought I'd throw that out there.

[Law Snoll]

Hello everyone!

I'm new here, registered just yesterday night, so please, forgive me if i ask a ridiculous questions that's answers maybe obvious for you. Also i'm Russian, so English language are not my native, so please, forgive seems imminent grammar and stylistics mistakes in my messages here.

Well, and i have couple of questions that may be ridiculous and even annoying for some of you (who likes when somebody stabs on our common sore spot...) ... but let me explain something at once. Same as most of you i'm fan of X-wing: Alliance (and predecessor games like Star Wars: X-wing, Star Wars: Tie-fighter, and XvT) and same as many of you been awaiting for new full Star Wars flight simulator for more than decade. I assume nobody will state that Rogue Squadron, Starfighter/Jedi Starfighter, and especially TOR (with there's "flight on rails" a la Rebel Assault) are flight simulators... there's level of gameplay that can be described as arcade, "press space to win", and not even close to X-wing: Alliance with it's relatively detailed starfighter's systems controls, damages and free flight space. But because of some reasons (that we may know or suppose) Lucasarts ceased Star Wars flight simulators games series... at least there's no news about a new simulator that's being in developing process for release in future. So everything that was done in last decade was up to fans... you know it.

So:
1. Is here a topic with discuss about a new Star Wars full flight simulator? Sorry, it is maybe here on this forum somewhere, but i can find it by myself...
2. If here's no of such of topic, what do you think about to create it and discuss... maybe just a dream about it? How will it look? Which new features will it have? How singleplayer and multiplayer will look and what can be realized for balance issues?

Sorry if i said something wrong... and hope for your answer.

[Kuuki]

naw, this is basically a blog thread.


speaking of which, I started a youtube let's play. mainly looking for just the comedy not the gameplay :P

[Cmdr. Cracken]

Hi! You have stumbled upon our annual 1 year thread! Welcome to the Lucasforums Community!

Sadly, the idea of a full on Star Wars Flight Sim game has died with the Age of the MMO and FPS. Lucasarts has taken a different direction and it is highly doubtful that it would come out. (We have essentially given up).

In face, except for A-10 Warthog (On Steam, it's a very very very accurate and complex flight sim game. You litterally have to read the manual. The actual. Flight. Manual.) flight sim games as a genre have died.

Your english is pretty good! Again, welcome. Explore Lucasforums at your leisure.

I ordered the custom keycaps for my Steelseries keyboard. Will post when I get them and put them on.

[Law Snoll]

Cmdr. Cracken, Hi. Glad to meet twin soul here... and so fast.

Thank you for your answer, and, yes, you are very right. Situation over modern flight simulators looks really sad. Same as you in the USA we here also have only couple of modern complex flight sims, like Lock On series, for example (i don't know did you heard of it or not...).

Well, i understand, it may look like i switched on "Napoleon mode"... but what if to don't give up? Yes, the only thing i can do is to agree with you about Lucasarts has taken a different direction. Our good old Star Wars, where exactly those "guy in orange flight suit in cockpit of X-wing" was our hero, eventually starts to turn into shameful "fantasy alike" Saberfighting Wars where everything depends on those jumping guys with colored shining sticks. Fans of younger generation cannot understand why there's in Original Trilogy so few of fights on lightsabers and so many of space fights and blaster fire...

Yes, i know about fans disappointment about "death" of Star Wars flight simulators. But what if we just asked Lucasarts before in wrong way? Do you remember those immortal rule of power: "When you ask somebody to do something, never call for their conscience and charity, call for their benefit!"? That's why i offer to start a discuss among fans and develop a complete detailed concept of a new Star Wars flight simulator that should have commercial success and will be as long-played as X-wing Alliance that we have now? We everybody know XWA was released in 1999 and still played by thousands of Star Wars fans around the World. More, this game among other video games of Star Wars setting has absolute record on number of fan works, upgrades and activities, we just need to show it to Lucasarts in right way! If we develop such of potentially successful Star Wars flight simulator concept and then just... take it to Lucasarts as a gift (just send them on e-mail, for example)... for free, would it be ever best petition that we can take them? I don't think they should just drop it in garbage bin. More, maybe we even should be able to invite somebody from Lucasarts to join the discuss?

I also have some of ideas how those "Star Wars flight simulator" must look to be interesting for wide specter of players (not just for hardcore X-wing Alliance pilots) and ready to start post this ideas right here or in a new topic. Somebody (maybe even you) can offer something else, we will discuss and finally collectively we will be able to create those concept that may be interesting for Lucasarts.

What do you think?

[Rogue15]

TOR is ****ing awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my laptop can run it maxed out. besides the shadows of course.

[Wildstar]

Snoll, you may want to look into all of the mods that have come out for XWA since the game's release, particularly the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade Project, which is working on updated models for many of the craft that will look great on modern systems (a new Super Star Destroyer model was one of the most recent releases).

[edlib]

I'd love to see a new Space Battle flight-sim... Star Wars or not. (Freespace 3...) but I don't think I ever will...

I'm sure I probably wouldn't have the time to really spend time with it anyway. Most of my XBox time these days is spent watching Netflix, and my computer is sadly neglected for pretty much everything.

[Rogue15]

get TOR. i should go say goodbye to all the bouncers and bartenders...

[Keyan Farlander]

Welcome, Law Snoll!

I too live in hope for a new X-Wing game or other great space sim. I'm not nearly as pessimistic as edlib about it. These things go in cycles. We'll see another one some day. There are whispers that Chris Roberts is working on a new Wing Commander game. That could open up some doors.

My fear is that if a new Wing Commander or Freespace or X-Wing game came out now, it would be crippled in order to work on the consoles, and essentially not be the game I want to play.

[Rogue15]

tie fighter conversion for XWA i hear is good. but damn son i havent played either in yeaaaaaaaaaaaaars. i used to be involved with the TIE Corps....hehe good times, overflowed email inbox...

[K_Kinnison]

Welcome snoll. Basically i doubt Luca$arts will ever come out with a Space flight sim because of the troubles making the compatible to the variety of PCs out there. Also space flight sims are a niche market that does not cater to the masses who are more into RPGs.

btw, thinking of getting Team Fortress 2 going again. Not sure if i want to get into a online FPS anymore, last time i played a FPS was JKII. and I still have fond memories of TFC

[Law Snoll]

Wildstar, Edlib, Rogue15, Keyan Farlander, K_Kinnison, Hi. Glad too meet you all!

Oh, i even don't know how to answer to each of you and don't write another "ten pages poem"... so i'll try to be short. I think you'll understand what i'm talking about, we here discuss about familiar problem for everyone of us after all.

Wildstar, yes, i watch very carefully about progress of XWAU project, and i'm in awe about it. Recent Super Star Destroyer are just unmatched even on screenshots, and i can imagine how would it look in the game. Guys from XWAU project doing really great and outstanding job, they accelerated XWA's engine to maximum, i can even say "squeezed all the juices" from it, took new life to the game itself! And those Clone Wars Campaign, Tie-fighter Total Conversion... it caught my breath when i see it! But don't you think it's a little not enough because of limits of software engine itself? Some of very interesting ideas and advances are absolutely impossible to be realized on XWA software engine, you know it. For example nobody will never create there module and partially destroyable space objects (well, except of turrets), falling apart capital ships, detailed ingame upgrades of your own fighter and many other interesting and necessary things.

Actually there's no need to design something revolutionary in those new hypothetical "Star Wars: Flight Simulator", better left basic flight model of X-wing Alliance without any changes. But general improvements of possibilities of software engine itself and addition of some of features are very necessary.

Keyan Farlander, K_Kinnison and Edlib, is it Ok if i would answer you all?

As you possibly know, modern FPS games that's being released for all PC, XBox 360 and PS3 are played separately. There's too different possibilities of controls to let play PC and console owners all together in same lobby. In Call of Duty game series if one of players uses mouse+keyboard and another one uses joystick/gamepad, then that one who is with joystick/gamepad has no chances against that one who is with keyboard+mouse. Too different possibilities of control. There's no one deathmatch video game exist yet where mixed gameplay is possible (at least i know no one).

In our hypothetical "Star Wars: Flight Simulator" there will be possibility to create mixed skirmishes between PC, XBox 360 and PS3 players, because of joystick/gamepad users would have no of controls disadvantages (they would have advantages sooner) in comparison to PC pilots who uses keyboard and finally classic joystick too. If to speak about revolutionary ideas... isn't it revolutionary to create such of deathmatch game that is one for all platforms (or compatible)? You can to don't agree with me, but i think such of game can even "push aside" a little such of "monsters of gameplay" like Call of Duty and Battlefield (and other "Kill a Russian, get $10" games, lol). We just need to revive gamers concern to starfighters thematics and then new generation of Star Wars pilots will born. Everything that Lucasarts need to remember is to keep balance between arcade gaming and detailed flight simulator (that's impossible in Star Wars because of it's SciFi after all), where X-wing Alliance is ideal example of those balance. Yes, yes, it's not just a stupid arcade for 3 years old kids, so keep an eye on your shields and laser cannons, don't forget to recharge it... and forget about idea to attack those Star Destroyer on your X-wing, or there's gunners will die by awful death... from laugh. This is only one idea, actually i have more and can report about it in details, in spite of it's all exist as raw and pretty chaotic ideas yet.

Rogue15, maybe you even had to shot down me there in those good old days...

[Cmdr. Cracken]

Well, the issue with cross platform multiplayer is control. Keyboard+Peripheral is always better than just a control pad. ALWAYS. That gives PC gamers an edge.

Example: Quake 3 was cross platform between the Dreamcast and the PC. PC gamers RIPPED APART the console players, because you can be more accurate and quick with a mouse+keyboard combo than the control pad.

Example 2: Universe at War was an RTS where there was cross platform play. Again, PC gamers could destroy console players because we have the keyboard mouse combo which allowed us to manipulate the intereface better than the console players. Hell, there was a 100 point achievement for the Xbox 360 players for defeating a PC gamer, that's how rare it was.

It's been tried, will never work.

BLOG: Keycaps are enroute. Yay.

[Keyan Farlander]

Originally Posted by Kuuki

naw, this is basically a blog thread.


speaking of which, I started a youtube let's play. mainly looking for just the comedy not the gameplay :P

Of what game?

[edlib]

Here's a little something to look at as a trip down Memory Lane...

Star Wars Video Game Retrospective

[Law Snoll]

Cmdr. Cracken, yes, i agree about difficulties of tactics controls (commands to wingmen or scripts options), but i can't agree about gamepad controls of starfighter itself. In space flight simulator controls there are very different from FPS and RTS games, where you have to use keyboard+mouse. In X-wing Alliance we have to use joystick+keyboard that makes this game much closer to "console style" controls. Starfighter fly with relatively same speed so gamepads has more than enough of buttons for complete and effective controls of all systems. More, i think console players will even have some of advantages on PC players... but, of cause, only practice can show is it possible to realize cross platform battles or not. And, of cause, there's always possible to use keyboards with consoles of modern generation, many of people uses it instead of gamepads.

But actually it's not critical. I think much more important in new Star Wars: Flight Simulator is to realize detailed starfighter's systems upgrades in singleplayer and especially in multiplayer. And even more important, i can even say "true key to success" is open configuration with possibility for addons and mission/campaign editor with own script language, like it was done in games series Operation Flashpoint / Armed Assault / ArmA2.

[Cmdr. Cracken]

I FOUND IT!

After many years of searching, scouring, I found it! Final Fantasy VI Advance for the Gameboy Advance! 75$ USD total was spent, because I didn't own a Gameboy Advance.

I've played an hour and 30 minutes. The game is 60 hours long or so.