PC World Review for Aurora

[ollobrains]

actually aurora is fairly well done in 2d graphics, df there are 3d isometric programs and of course 2d sprite replacement mods which makes it easier to play.  I can only hope steve opens the game up to some help maybe or if he goes aurora newtwonian maybe opening up at some point the core game as it is now to open source or some form of NDA assistance might help the programming along or getting offers of help from those he has associations with perhaps on some non core game elements

[Aldaris]

The point of DF graphics is to look like what it represents using ascii, if possible, and if not, use a relatively distinctive letter. After a while of using the look (k) or view (v) options to check what that grey "d" means, you eventually end up seeing the war dog, or knowing it's one and not a donkey. Like the Matrix. Except with dwarves. Drunk ones.
Better wait the bug-resolving versions after this big update. Then will come the time I melt my laptop by running both Aurora and DF, with a YouTube video on the 2nd screen.

After a while you don't even see the code anymore, you just see carpenters, soap makers and siege engineers.

[Erik L]

After a while you don't even see the code anymore, you just see carpenters, soap makers and siege engineers.

Where's the hotty in the red dress?

[Charlie Beeler]

Where's the hotty in the red dress?

She's behind the hotty in the PVC bodysuit!!!!

[CamKrist]

Similar subject was being discussed at yahoo answers last week.  I can post the link if needed.

[Marski]

On one site I posted about Aurora on thread, pictures, empire status report, whatnot. Most of the reactions of others were between absolute confusion about what they were supposed to see and brain-implosions upon trying to comprehend what they were seeing. I asked on the same thread if Dwarf Fortress is harder than Aurora, I was told that Dwarf Fortress is facebook game compared to Aurora in terms of complexity.

And this was on a thread where there were people saying how uncomprehensible clusterfluff Dwarf Fortress was

At that point they refused to believe that I was a human

[Thundercraft]

I'm a little surprised that people are surprised PCWorld covered Aurora -- I've done reviews of Dwarf Fortress, ADOM, Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, and other smaller/indie games with dedicated communities and deep gameplay.    Reading comments in this thread, I'm getting the impression it's assumed "mainstream" sites don't cover games like that (or try to compare them to this week's triple-A title that was advertised on the Superbowl, and whine that there's not enough 3D explosions).   .   .   

It's interesting you mentioned PC World did a review on Dwarf Fortress.    I discovered Aurora from a thread on the Dwarf Fortress forum discussing this game, comparing the depth and complexity as being rather similar to each other.    (I discovered Dwarf Fortress from a YouTube video, but that's another story.   .   .   )

Actually, I'm not at all surprised of a PC World review of Dwarf Fortress.    It may be a niche indie game, as opposed to a commercial venture from a big publisher with lots of ad revenue and such, but it's quite unique and incredibly popular for a game of it's type.    Indeed, in July of 2011 the New York Times did an article on this game.   

You know your game has become popular when it becomes an Internet meme (like Dwarf Fortress).    Indeed, it's tvtropes page is colorful, including how World of Warcraft has two dwarves bickering in a quest plot to do a hilarious parody of a Dwarf Fortress issue.   

Anyway, I do find it surprising that PC World covered Aurora.    And not just because it's a non-commercial indie game.    That too, but mostly because it doesn't seem to have "caught on" yet.    It's not nearly as recognized or famous, unlike ADoM or Dwarf Fortress.   

But, I would be just as surprised if you had reviewed any obscure indie, such as the GearHead RPG (either GH1 or GH2).    It's a unique post-apocalyptic mecha-anime roguelike with (for a roguelike) passably decent graphics (even without any of the replacement graphics or mods).    But despite the game's brilliance, it's a relative unknown to this day.    I'm only aware of two short user-based reviews on it, one on Moby Games and another on RPGDX.   

[ollobrains]

http://www.gearheadrpg.com/

im gunna take a look at this anything as complex as aurora or DF is rare in the world of cough simcity 5 which EA has destroyed.   Post apocoltypic gmaes are well worth a look it looks complex to