Post reply

Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.

Note: this post will not display until it's been approved by a moderator.

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Message icon:

shortcuts: hit alt+s to submit/post or alt+p to preview

Please read the rules before you post!


Topic Summary

Posted by: ollobrains
« on: March 10, 2013, 01:20:55 AM »

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
Posted by: Thundercraft
« on: March 09, 2013, 11:52:32 PM »

Quote from: LizardSF link=topic=4339.   msg43291#msg43291 date=1321471087
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.   
Posted by: Marski
« on: March 09, 2013, 03:10:02 PM »

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
Posted by: CamKrist
« on: February 19, 2013, 07:28:59 AM »

Similar subject was being discussed at yahoo answers last week.  I can post the link if needed.
Posted by: Charlie Beeler
« on: February 26, 2012, 08:25:28 AM »

Where's the hotty in the red dress?
She's behind the hotty in the PVC bodysuit!!!!
Posted by: Erik L
« on: February 26, 2012, 06:03:45 AM »

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?
Posted by: Aldaris
« on: February 26, 2012, 04:19:30 AM »

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.
Posted by: ollobrains
« on: February 16, 2012, 12:36:18 AM »

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
Posted by: Marthnn
« on: February 15, 2012, 09:30:39 PM »

I would play DF if I could understand the graphics, I never been good at figuring out asci.
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.

Posted by: ardem
« on: February 15, 2012, 05:38:13 PM »

I would play DF if I could understand the graphics, I never been good at figuring out asci.
Posted by: ollobrains
« on: February 13, 2012, 05:52:42 PM »

great review and DF in the next week or two is getting its big yearly update so numbers will spike over there.  I play both aurora and DF both are great games in their own right
Posted by: Thiosk
« on: January 23, 2012, 09:23:42 PM »

Yup, my house mate refers to it as Database Wars


Attack of the Spreadsheets:  THE REVENGENING
Posted by: dgibso29
« on: January 23, 2012, 08:35:10 PM »

Yup, my house mate refers to it as Database Wars


That sounds like a viable new name!


Dwarf Fortress still kicks my ass. Partly because I only play it on my rather outdated Laptop. I invariably go to a point where things just STOP. Dwarves just stop working.
Posted by: Shinanygnz
« on: January 23, 2012, 03:41:47 PM »


But associating Aurora with casual gamers? No way.  None of my friends understood my appeal to Dwarf Fortress, and it's the same for Aurora.

Yup, my house mate refers to it as Database Wars
Posted by: Marthnn
« on: January 23, 2012, 02:07:03 PM »

Quote from: sloanjh link=topic=4339. msg45477#msg45477 date=1326649130
LOL - I don't think he fits the target demographic :)

John
Well, one thing I feel he got somewhat right is about Aurora almost not being a game. . .  I myself prefer to consider it as a simulation, similar to, say, finite-element analysis or other modelisations, in that the result is dependent on time pulse and sub-pulse lenghts.  It became very apparent to me when I noticed my shipping line incomes triple when using 8 hours increments instead of 1-5days ones. 

But associating Aurora with casual gamers? No way.  None of my friends understood my appeal to Dwarf Fortress, and it's the same for Aurora.