Traffic Department any time soon?
Matt Denault
be released? I've read several things from Safari that said April 30th,
but I can't find it at any FTP sites and haven't seen any announcements.
Is it just me or does Epic need more of a 'net presense?
And does anyone know if TD will support the GUS?
--
ciao
matt mden...@pomona.claremont.edu
Dean M O'Donnell
Matt Denault <mden...@pomona.claremont.edu> wrote:
>Does anyone know when Traffic Department (the new Safari/Epic game) will
>be released? I've read several things from Safari that said April 30th,
>but I can't find it at any FTP sites and haven't seen any announcements.
>
>Is it just me or does Epic need more of a 'net presense?
Well, they've got a really big presence on CI$. They told us to get
the word out to the net, but we're only allowed to talk about One Must
Fall 2097 at the moment (which is way cool, BTW).
TD is still in beta test. They're working on it.
>
>And does anyone know if TD will support the GUS?
>
Can't say at the moment, but I'm a GUSser and I've been screaming
about it. ('nuff said?)
I'm allowed to "hype" (their words, not mine) One Must Fall 2097 at
the moment, and since you're asking for more of a net presence, I
guess I'll hype...
It's pretty cool. I'm not a big fan of fight games but this one roped
me right in. It's not a blood kinda thing (after months of Dooming
this was kind of a dissappointment to me, but that's me), but it is a
fighting kinda thing. There are going to be four robots in the
shareware version-- Jaguar, Chronos, Claw and Pyros (I've played three
of 'em and fought all four), and
11 in the registered version. Some of the registered robots look
mighty fine (can't wait to get behind the controls of the Flail--
heehee).
Everything that you want in a fight game is in this-- special moves,
new arenas (1 in shareware 3 (4?) in registered), finishing moves
and--- get this--- an actual story! Yup, there are a couple of ways
to play-- pick a player, pick a robot and fight your way up to the
top, OR start with a basic robot (the Jaguar), create your own
character and enter one of a couple of tournaments. You get money for
every win (and have to pay for your damage-- win or lose) with which
you can buy more power, speed, armor, or stun resistance or you can
use the bucks to take training courses in strength, agility and
endurance.
Did I say special moves? Well, there are those, but since we're
talkin' robots here we've also got special weapons. I've seen pulse
cannons, time stopper thingies (I forget what the official name is),
and flame throwers. Also, the arenas have hazards-- pits, electrified
fences, and other nasties.
There are rumors of other things-- editor type things (touchy ground
here, I'm watching myself-- hey! I look kinda good! <g>), but as of
now they're only rumors.
Overall, OMF has the look of Japanese Anime cartoons, and the sound is
great (native GUS support-- Yay!!!!!!!)
Hope that helps Epic's presence on the net (and I hope I don't get
yelled at for giving too much away).
Dean
John Pallett-Plowright
Due to some bureaucratic bullshit, TD won't be released until about the
10th after all. I'll keep you updated, but it seems that the requirements
for deadlines were miscommunicated through the levels between programmers
and publishers.
It won't be like Raptor though - should be out soon! :).
>And does anyone know if TD will support the GUS?
TD won't support GUS (sorry!). It does, however, support SB/Adlib, and
the music is damn decent. (Robert A. Allen, composer. Need I say more?)
I'll keep everyone updated. Sorry for the delay.
John Pallett-Plowright
>>Does anyone know when Traffic Department (the new Safari/Epic game) will
>>be released? I've read several things from Safari that said April 30th,
>>but I can't find it at any FTP sites and haven't seen any announcements.
>
Dean, please make sure that you have your information updated BEFORE
you answer questions relevant to Safari Software or Epic. Thank you.
Traffic Department 2192 is NOT in beta testing. Episode I is completed,
tested, and ready to go. The registered version, however, is still being
ironed out. Rather than present people with a product that has no follow-up,
Safari has decided to postpone the release date until the registered episodes
are completed.
Why are we behind? A small miscommunication - P^2 Multimedia was under
the impression that only the Shareware version need be completed by the
official release date, and slotted time to complete the registered versions
afterwards (2 weeks later, to be exact). In truth, Epic will not release
any product until ALL parts are completed. This is to ensure that deliveries
are prompt, organized, etc.
Traffic Department 2192 (TD) will be released shortly. P^2 is on schedule
with the registered episodes. The game should be released between the 10th
and the 15th, barring a natural disaster. Or even a synthetic one.
On behalf of P^2 Multimedia and Safari Software, I apologize for the delay.
John
Yossi Oren
jdwp...@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (John Pallett-Plowright) writes:
>>And does anyone know if TD will support the GUS?
>
> TD won't support GUS (sorry!). It does, however, support SB/Adlib, and
>the music is damn decent. (Robert A. Allen, composer. Need I say more?)
SB support. Cool. I wonder if it uses the ALTERNATE CGA palette,
the red and yellow color scheme is damn decent.
Yossi.
Lyle T Sidor
Aww, too bad. I'll bet they were really counting on your support.
Do you really expect every game to support the GUS, just because you
and a couple other people happen to own one?
--
,,, mwM
(o o) ( oo)
----------------------oOO--(_)--OOo---------( O)---------------------
Lyle Sidor `' | lsi...@dres.dnd.ca
DEFENCE RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT SUFFIELD | PH: (403) 544-4742
Box 4000, Medicine Hat, Alberta, CANADA T1A 8K6 | FAX: (403) 544-3761
John Pallett-Plowright
Your loss!
Actually, I may as well tell you everything it ISN'T to save news space.
It isn't 3D. It doesn't support GUS. It doesn't use gory violence to
sell itself. It's not jam-packed with mesmerizing electronic stimulus.
In fact, I doubt that people who can't read would enjoy this game. I
expect, in fact, that there are MANY things it isn't.
However, there are many things it IS.
It IS a decent game. It DOES have an incredible storyline. You DO
get to play a really gorgeous, bitchy character. It DOES have beautiful
graphics. It DOES have some good action. It DOES have really decent
sound - even SB does a decent job sometimes. And it IS a game like never
seen in shareware before.
It IS a huge game. It has been in the works for almost 2 years. The
shareware episode alone offers more gameplay than a lot of other games
on the market. It does feature a variety of talents, from the ranges of
Dragon Magazine (our writer) and other top-knotch products.
It's different. (But aren't we all?)
John
Eric Hsiao
John Pallett-Plowright <jdwp...@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
>>TD won't support GUS? Well, I won't support TD (sorry!).
>
> Your loss!
>
> Actually, I may as well tell you everything it ISN'T to save news space.
>
> It isn't 3D. It doesn't support GUS. It doesn't use gory violence to
Ok, does it support the PAS-16 natively at least?
> John
>
--
Eric Hsiao | GFX News * The electronic GraFiX mag that's fun to read *
hsi...@rpi.edu | Get on the subscribers list today -- Send your E-mail address
hsi...@bnr.ca | to: hsi...@rpi.edu or FTP 128.113.65.38 /pub/gfx-news
Dave Barney
> Hope that helps Epic's presence on the net (and I hope I don't get
> yelled at for giving too much away).
> Dean
******************************************************************************
Dean, YOU"RE FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<G>
Hey let's get Mark and the rest off their you know what's and push them
onto the net........
BTW Seen OMF and TD and they are Great!!!!!!!!
Coming soon to a ftp site near you....
Dave
Hey where did my .sig go????
--
Dave Barney * THIS SPACE FOR RENT
Daa...@isumataq.eskimo.com * sorry but this .sig is
compuserve address upon request * UNDER CONSTRUCTION
recovering aol addict <G> * <<<<<<<GO SONICS>>>>>>>
Dean M O'Donnell
>Dean M O'Donnell (do...@bigwpi.WPI.EDU) wrote:
>
>> Hope that helps Epic's presence on the net (and I hope I don't get
>> yelled at for giving too much away).
>
>> Dean
>******************************************************************************
>
>Dean, YOU"RE FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<G>
>
>Hey let's get Mark and the rest off their you know what's and push them
>onto the net........
>
>BTW Seen OMF and TD and they are Great!!!!!!!!
>
>Coming soon to a ftp site near you....
See that? I DID get yelled at. Sorry all for the misinformation
(that's Usenet for ya...)
<sniff> Guess I'll go back to lurking and let them make their own
presence on the net.
Dean
John Pallett-Plowright
>
>Ok, does it support the PAS-16 natively at least?
It doesn't specifically have a PAS-16 setting (if that's what you meant?).
John
Dave Barney
> >TD won't support GUS? Well, I won't support TD (sorry!).
> Your loss!
> Actually, I may as well tell you everything it ISN'T to save news space.
> It isn't 3D. It doesn't support GUS. It doesn't use gory violence to
> sell itself. It's not jam-packed with mesmerizing electronic stimulus.
> In fact, I doubt that people who can't read would enjoy this game. I
> expect, in fact, that there are MANY things it isn't.
> However, there are many things it IS.
> It IS a decent game. It DOES have an incredible storyline. You DO
*****************************************************************************
The storyline in this game is worth expanding on. This is more like
reading a book sometimes...The above mentioned "Bitch" is Great!!
The storyline fits like a glove...I'm not saying that this game is going
to beat Doom off the block, but it will be WELL worth looking at!!!
It's the first game I've seen that I didn't just want to zap thru the
storyline <G>........See ya............Dave
--
Dave Barney * If you can't DAZZLE them
Daa...@isumataq.eskimo.com * with Brilliance
compuserve address upon request * you Baffle them with Bullshit
Yossi Oren
lsi...@dres.dnd.ca (Lyle T Sidor) writes:
>Aww, too bad. I'll bet they were really counting on your support.
>
Aww? Maybe I'm being too nice.
You know, people who write software, they, like, make money off it? They
don't do it for kicks. Little-known trade secret, that is.
>Do you really expect every game to support the GUS, just because you
>and a couple other people happen to own one?
>
Well, actually, yes Lyle, I was.
You see, this is sorta Pavlovian - know him? A game maker supports GUS - the
game maker gets money. No GUS? No moolah. There's also a name for it -
business.
Anyways, I think it's about as easy as game making can be to take out TD's MIDI
files, pack them up and use the UltraMID API to play them - it IS free,
after all. You can get a written implementation in the source code for the
SuperUnknown demo (5 and then some).
Also, it takes more than good graphics to make ME buy a game, at least with
Israeli prices.
Yossi. // Let's play the association game... Traffic Dept? Paper Boy.
+---+-----------------------------------------------------------+---+---+
| = | Yossi Oren, Al-Daf Technological Mercenaries. Ýdiet .sig¨ | v | ¬ |
+---+-----------------------------------------------++----------+---+--+|
|LIO...@weizmann.weizmann.ac.il (or just @weizmann)||GUS-sound that's ||
|The people are with the Golan Heights! ||worth hearing! ||
+===================================================++=================++
Dave Barney
> Dean
*****************************************************************************
Hey don't leave me by myself out here <G> ok ok you're unfired ok???
Played Cyberbabe lately????:):)
See ya on CIS and here....Dave
--
Dave Barney * If you can't DAZZLE them
Daa...@isumataq.eskimo.com * with Brilliance
compuserve address upon request * you Baffle them with Bullshit
Steven Gershenfeld
Yossi Oren <LIO...@weizmann.weizmann.ac.il> wrote:
>In article <1994May5.1...@dres.dnd.ca>
>lsi...@dres.dnd.ca (Lyle T Sidor) writes:
>
>>Aww, too bad. I'll bet they were really counting on your support.
>>
>Aww? Maybe I'm being too nice.
>You know, people who write software, they, like, make money off it? They
>don't do it for kicks. Little-known trade secret, that is.
>
>>Do you really expect every game to support the GUS, just because you
>>and a couple other people happen to own one?
>>
>Well, actually, yes Lyle, I was.
>You see, this is sorta Pavlovian - know him? A game maker supports GUS - the
>game maker gets money. No GUS? No moolah. There's also a name for it -
>business.
>Anyways, I think it's about as easy as game making can be to take out TD's MIDI
>files, pack them up and use the UltraMID API to play them - it IS free,
>after all. You can get a written implementation in the source code for the
>SuperUnknown demo (5 and then some).
>Also, it takes more than good graphics to make ME buy a game, at least with
>Israeli prices.
Um, give game developers a break. They have so many other things to worry
about, that support for a card that, even though it may be superior in some
ways, still has a small market share, that I am sure that GUS support is
WAY down on their list. From what I read, the game doesn't even have
any sort of MIDI support (just SB and adlib), so they would have to write
all the midi type music too to make the general midi crowd (roland and
other wavetable cards, which have a much larger market share, BTW) happy.
Now this company is not as big as Sierra, Origin, and other companies
which, IMHO, should try to support the GUS. It probably has a limited
staff or programmers.
I am sure the game will work using SBOS.
Do I complain everytime a company does not fully support the SB16 (16 bit
sound with stereo). No.
Steven
Lyle T Sidor
|> In article <1994May5.1...@dres.dnd.ca>
|> lsi...@dres.dnd.ca (Lyle T Sidor) writes:
|>
|> >Aww, too bad. I'll bet they were really counting on your support.
|> >
|> Aww? Maybe I'm being too nice.
|> You know, people who write software, they, like, make money off it? They
|> don't do it for kicks. Little-known trade secret, that is.
|>
|> >Do you really expect every game to support the GUS, just because you
|> >and a couple other people happen to own one?
|> >
|> Well, actually, yes Lyle, I was.
|> You see, this is sorta Pavlovian - know him? A game maker supports GUS - the
|> game maker gets money. No GUS? No moolah. There's also a name for it -
|> business.
|> Anyways, I think it's about as easy as game making can be to take out TD's MIDI
|> files, pack them up and use the UltraMID API to play them - it IS free,
|> after all. You can get a written implementation in the source code for the
|> SuperUnknown demo (5 and then some).
|> Also, it takes more than good graphics to make ME buy a game, at least with
|> Israeli prices.
Get real dude! You bought a cheap card that is manufactured for two
classes of users: suckers and hackers. You're don't appear to be the
latter, so... suck it up. It is obvious that your understanding of
the economics is clouded by the fact that you own a GUS. I mean
really, "No GUS? No moolah."... how about "No GUS? More profit?"
Denis R. Papp
--
Denis Papp dp...@amisk.cs.ualberta.ca
"He's dead Jim."
David Connors
Get real, it'll support EGA (Adlib = CGA). ;-)
I don't think you're the only customer they'll be losing. BTW: I can't
(and I mean CAN'T) understand how anyone can consider Sound Farter FM
music (whoever is composing it) to be anything more than crud.
Dave Connors (dcon...@gucis.cit.gu.edu.au) Griffith University, Australia
- -- ---=-==-=================================================-==--=--- -- -
" BEIJING: A middle-aged man suffered months of headaches before he was
diagnosed as having worms - 120 of them inside his brain cavity.
The Health News said a brain scan revealed the bladderworms, or
tapeworm larvae, believed to have originated from the patient's
diet of raw crab and undercooked pork. "
- Courier Mail "Oddspot" Thurs March 24 1994.
- -- ---=-==-=================================================-==--=--- -- -
Yossi Oren
lsi...@dres.dnd.ca (Lyle T Sidor) writes:
>Get real dude!
Dude?
>You bought a cheap card
I bough one of the clearest-sounding, most versatile cards in the market,
and the price being nuts is not a flaw.
Mind you, when I inquired about the price of the GUS in Israel, I beleived
at first that the price I was gives was not NIS but US$ - which is 3 times as
much!
>that is manufactured for two
>classes of users: suckers and hackers. You're don't appear to be the
>latter, so... suck it up.
Suckers, hackers, and people who read c.s.i.p.s.
And people who read CGW, PC-Professionel or PC Review.
And people who just listen to what's happening.
>It is obvious that your understanding of
>the economics is clouded by the fact that you own a GUS.
Your incompetence reminds me of a Nixon. Using that LISP script again, twit?
>I mean
>really, "No GUS? No moolah."... how about "No GUS? More profit?"
Ah, I see. You have enlightened me. By not supporting a soundcard the
company will make more money. Let's see where your logic comes from...
>DEFENCE RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT SUFFIELD
Of course.
Look boy, I think you should've hung out on Fidonet a bit longer before
exposing yourself to Usenet. The GUS is the DE FACTO STANDARD card of the net
(480 GUSsers last poll of comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard, next was SB16 at 85),
the GUS has AIL support, SOS support, CygnusSound support, Sierra support,
DSMI, ST3, MASI, c'mon!
Developers aren't stupid. They want to make the most of what they're given,
and OPL2 2-operator, 9-channel mono FM is B-A-D bad! The next emerging
standard is GS MIDI. Guess what? The GUS does GS MIDI! And it sounds like
pro while doing it! Using that lowest-common-denominator SB standard means
you're stuck at the stone age.
And let me tell you one more thing, o Lyle-Sidor-on-the-taxpayers-back,
After you take away the OPL 2 standard and look beyond, the next standard
is nothing but the GUS - simply because it's been around for 3 years, and
since nobody has the time or money to gamble on these million incompatible
ARIA/Soundscape/OPL4/whatever-based OEM sound boards. The GUS in its current
state is similar to what the MT32 must've been ages ago. AND, again, the GUS
SDK is free, and the programmers are friendly, so you can get your work done.
Besides, maybe you haven't heard a tame GUS at play, but it's... wow. I
could send you a tape if you give me your mailing address.
Yossi.
Yossi Oren
sger...@merle.acns.nwu.edu (Steven Gershenfeld) writes:
>Um, give game developers a break. They have so many other things to worry
>about, that support for a card that, even though it may be superior in some
>ways, still has a small market share, that I am sure that GUS support is
>WAY down on their list.
Well, if it's late at night and you're alone, and suddenly this small market
share comes at you with chains you don't think it's so small ;)
Anyway. The GUS may have a small market share, but it's RIDICULOUSLY easy
to support - and there are people on the net who could hold your hand all
the way through.
For example, let's say you want to play an effect. You just tell Ultramid to
load it, and then play the note. I'm not leaving anything out here, mind
you. No MIDI, no DAC, no blah. Add the software libraries and SHEEZ - it's
like GW-BASIC from there.
> From what I read, the game doesn't even have
>any sort of MIDI support (just SB and adlib), so they would have to write
>all the midi type music too to make the general midi crowd (roland and
>other wavetable cards, which have a much larger market share, BTW) happy.
MT32 has as much units sold as GUS, I beleive. SCC-1 is SMALL and pro. These
guys don't play anyway.
Besides, if this hot-shot musician Allen dude (should I know this name?) is
what he's rumored to be, my guess is that his editor of choice isn't ROL
Editor. There are MIDs somewhere, and they've been converted.
>Now this company is not as big as Sierra, Origin, and other companies
>which, IMHO, should try to support the GUS. It probably has a limited
>staff or programmers.
id Software is 25 guys including everything. Future Crew is a bunch of
Finnish freshmen and high-school students. Josh Jensen is one guy.
I mean, there's so much written already, it's a waste to recode. My tip for
a limited budget and time would be to get GUSSK210 (available at archive.orst.
edu, pub/packages/gravis), see how to talk to UltraMID, and just load it
before the game. This approach is being used by many other games (Archon
Ultra, Hired Guns, Kasparov's Gambit, T7G) and it should be really easy to
do, even if you don't se other AIL drivers.
>I am sure the game will work using SBOS.
>
Well, but that wouldn't get me anywhere, now would it? The game will still
sound like a Sound Blaster!
>Do I complain everytime a company does not fully support the SB16 (16 bit
>sound with stereo). No.
Maybe that's why we noisy 100K-and-then-some GUSsers get so much support?
Microprose joined in lately with UFO, after a technician working for them
responded to a query by "I don't know why we don't support GUS... should we?".
Look, if the advertising guy is reading this, do tell your nice friends up
at Safari Software to have a look at the GUS SDK. I understand it's quite
easy.
HTH,
Yossi.
PS Lurkers! Wanna know what a GUS is? It's a $130 sound card that's simply
the best! Mail me for info.
Michael Peltzer
In article <2qe3of$5...@bigboote.WPI.EDU>, Dean M O'Donnell (do...@bigwpi.WPI.EDU) writes:
>In article <CpCKK...@eskimo.com>, Dave Barney <daa...@eskimo.com> wrote:
>>Dean M O'Donnell (do...@bigwpi.WPI.EDU) wrote:
>>
>>> Hope that helps Epic's presence on the net (and I hope I don't get
>>> yelled at for giving too much away).
>>
>>> Dean
>>******************************************************************************
>>
>>Dean, YOU"RE FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<G>
Ok I'll give you an official unfiring :)
I might not be that active just now, but I AM watching.
Mike
Epic MegaGames
Ajaipal Tanwar
> In article <2qlt14$r...@news.acns.nwu.edu>
> sger...@merle.acns.nwu.edu (Steven Gershenfeld) writes:
>>Um, give game developers a break. They have so many other things to worry
>>about, that support for a card that, even though it may be superior in some
>>ways, still has a small market share, that I am sure that GUS support is
>>WAY down on their list.
> Well, if it's late at night and you're alone, and suddenly this small market
> share comes at you with chains you don't think it's so small ;)
> Anyway. The GUS may have a small market share, but it's RIDICULOUSLY easy
> to support - and there are people on the net who could hold your hand all
> the way through.
Then why was Id held up getting out one of the patches trying to get GUS
support? Not a challenge or flame, just curious.
And I understand that you have a superb sound card (I heard it playing Star
Control 2), but the original poster sounded a bit superficial when he said he
wouldn't buy if it didn't support GUS. I mean, doesn't good old fashioned fun
count for anything anymore, or do just bells and whistles count. I, for one,
would rather have a fun game, and if the game is fun, why not get it? I hope TD
is fun, and if it is, I will get it.
--
Ajaipal S. Tanwar, millionare. I own a mansion and a yacht.
tan...@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu - University of Texas at Austin
"You call that mowing the lawn? Bad dog!" -Gary Larson
Lyle T Sidor
|> In article <1994May9.2...@dres.dnd.ca>
|> lsi...@dres.dnd.ca (Lyle T Sidor) writes:
|>
|> >I mean
|> >really, "No GUS? No moolah."... how about "No GUS? More profit?"
|> Ah, I see. You have enlightened me. By not supporting a soundcard the
|> company will make more money. Let's see where your logic comes from...
The logic here isn't that difficult to understand, so I will try again.
To add support for the GUS takes time... and time equals money... and
money spent without an equivalent payback means less profit... pretty
simple, huh? But this is only half the problem... if a company adds
GUS support to their software, they then have an obligation to provide
technical support to all GUS owners that buy their product. So,
considering the small number of GUS owners, it is very likely that it
just does not make good business sense to add in GUS support.
|> Look boy, I think you should've hung out on Fidonet a bit longer before
|> exposing yourself to Usenet. The GUS is the DE FACTO STANDARD card of the net
|> (480 GUSsers last poll of comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard, next was SB16 at 85),
|> the GUS has AIL support, SOS support, CygnusSound support, Sierra support,
|> DSMI, ST3, MASI, c'mon!
Ha ha. Your *CLAIM* of the GUS being the de facto standard only goes
towards proving my point. There are so many GUS owners following
csip.soundcard, simply because there are so many compatibility problems
with the GUS. If you seriously believe that those numbers mean anything
more, then I feel sorry for you. Using your logic, I suppose you'd
find out what model of car is in the shop for repairs the most... and
that's the car that you'd buy!
[...more drivel, cheap shots, and half-truths deleted]
The thoughts expressed here are entirely my own and do not necessarily
reflect the thoughts of any other individual or group.
Daniel Kennett
[text deleted]
>> Well, if it's late at night and you're alone, and suddenly this small market
>> share comes at you with chains you don't think it's so small ;)
>> Anyway. The GUS may have a small market share, but it's RIDICULOUSLY easy
>> to support - and there are people on the net who could hold your hand all
>> the way through.
>
>Then why was Id held up getting out one of the patches trying to get GUS
>support? Not a challenge or flame, just curious.
While coding for the GUS is easy, it's different that coding for the
SB. With the GUS you pretty much dump a sample to the GUS's ram and tell
it to play it. With a SB you must send it the data via DMA, make sure
its playing at the right freq. etc..... From what I heard Id (and Cyngus
[raptor]) sent all the samples to the GUS via DMA to play. They didn't
store them in the GUS's mem before hand, instead the sent them, played them
and wiped them. With the SB for doom they just mixed samples in memory
and DMA'd one stream to the SB instead of the 8 the GUS was being
given. Hence the "slowdown" on the GUS raptor reports. If programmed
like a SB, the GUS won't perform as well (sometimes). Good GUS support
takes a small change in thinking. On the subject of patches for GUS, the
first patch was because the guys at Id forgot to uncomment code for GUS
midi. The other patches dealt with fixing a SB bug which in turn caused
a GUS bug (I'd guess it was a result of treating a GUS like a SB).
-Daniel-
--
Daniel Kennett -- dken...@sfu.ca -- OPERATING AT A HIGHER LEVEL - OS/2 ;)
dken...@axposf.pa.dec.com
"He who can destroy a thing can control a thing" TEAM OS/2!
John Pallett-Plowright
Traffic Department 2192 - a new game from Safari Software / P^2 Multimedia.
A good preview of this game is on ftp site: wuarchive.wustl.edu in the
pub/MS_DOS/games/Epic directory, called TDDEMO.ZIP
(At least, I THINK that's it... the directory may be a little messy...) :)
John.
John Pallett-Plowright
>at Safari Software to have a look at the GUS SDK. I understand it's quite
>easy.
To tell the truth, the main limitation of the GUS in shareware is that
the music files require you to include ALL the digital samples used in the
song. We were, in fact, considering a 4-channel mod soundtrack for the
SoundBlaster, and GUS support. The problem is that Traffic Department is
such a big game graphics/story-wise that there just isn't much space left
for music.
Possible solutions we saw were sample generators, where we actually
create the samples at run-time... but this is just FM music, in the end.
A final problem with shareware and GUS is that because the samples have
to be squished so much, they generally suck. (Unless they're generated
at runtime). A lot of shareware GUS sounds very scratchy, not because of
the card, but because the samples are at such a low sampling rate that
they just don't sound good!
Traffic Department 2192 doesn't support GUS for these reasons (and more,
but the other ones have already been covered). We had to balance music in
the structure of our filesize, and found that it had a lower priority to
such things as the graphics. (But we've learned our lesson here at P^2,
haven't we? Yup, sure have.)
We feel that TD is still a decent game - it's just not like most games
out there. We've been limited in many ways (like music), but we've taken
some major steps in other directions as well.
As an update: Traffic Department 2192 WILL be released very, very shortly.
(The major thing keeping it under wraps is the fact that the manuals
haven't finished being printed up yet. Ie: It should be in a few days)
John
The Rink
>>really, "No GUS? No moolah."... how about "No GUS? More profit?"
>
>Ah, I see. You have enlightened me. By not supporting a soundcard the
>company will make more money. Let's see where your logic comes from...
Time is money. Adding GUS support takes time. Thus, adding GUS support
costs money. Course, the company may well get their money back and more
by happy GUS users. But if the company doesn't feel that way, they won't
add it. If you have a problem with this, take it up with the company --
not csipga.
--
"Hi cutie, yeef." -- clc to jlw3 =====================================
================================== From the Terminal of the Rink =
= There is a growing trend = s...@kepler.unh.edu ri...@unh.edu =
= in America to consume foods =====================================
= that are less that are less ===== No Jesus, No Peace; =
= likely to kill you. I think ===== Know Jesus, Know Peace. =
= this is counterproductive. clc ===================================
==================================== Paul Sand coolly...oh never mind.
Dave Barney
******************************************************************************
TD = Traffic Department 2192
A great game coming from Safari software.......it may not be a doom
killer but it's like a book and a game in one...the best storyline for a
game I've seen anyware yet ..... and a lady pilot with an Attitude <G>
--
Dave Barney * If you can't DAZZLE them
Daa...@isumataq.eskimo.com * with Brilliance
compuserve address upon request * you Baffle them with Bullshit
Dave Barney
> I might not be that active just now, but I AM watching.
> Mike
> Epic MegaGames
******************************************************************************
Mike...are you guy's gonna be regulars out here now????
or in the future?????
or are you to busy playing One Must Fall 2097 ?????<G>
--
Dave Barney * If you can't DAZZLE them
Daa...@isumataq.eskimo.com * with Brilliance
compuserve address upon request * you Baffle them with Bullshit
Dean M O'Donnell
>
>
>Ok I'll give you an official unfiring :)
>
>I might not be that active just now, but I AM watching.
>
>
> Mike
> Epic MegaGames
Cool! I'm unfired!!!! I'm unfired!!! (Does that mean that I'm no
longer subject to flames?)
BTW, In case anyone was wondering, TD is a way cool game. (Hey, John,
does that mean you'll be my friend again?) :)
Actually, I wasn't off sulking, just off the net...
Dean
John Pallett-Plowright
>longer subject to flames?)
>
>BTW, In case anyone was wondering, TD is a way cool game. (Hey, John,
>does that mean you'll be my friend again?) :)
>
Sure, Dean. I'll be your friend.
Well everyone, it's official. Traffic Department 2192 has been given
the "GO!" and will be released tonight. To be safe, I'll say that it
will be available tomorrow. I will make every effort to have it up on
the net ASAP, but it will be available on Compuserve and Exec-PC in
Safari Software's file areas.
John.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do you want a wingman?" "Do you want to die?" - Lt. Velasquez
Traffic Department 2192 - coming damn well near about Now!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Barney
> John.
John, are you guy's going to upload it to the net somewhere??? where us
down to earth folks can get it without paying cis fees (and exec pc)
maybe to ftp.uml.edu Please Please!!!!!!
sl...@cc.usu.edu
> and they both told me that Tim Sweeney took a weekend at the beach,
> and Epic Pinball with the MASI system and TD 2192 have been
> delayed for a few days. :)
I've had Epic Pinball since about 10:00 A.M. on Monday the 16th... I just can't
get the dumb thing uploaded to the net... ugh!
Joshua Jensen
(It's 850k in case anyone wants to call me voice/data and then get it and UL
it.)
Vladimir Elberg
B
B
: Traffic Department 2192 doesn't support GUS for these reasons (and more,
: but the other ones have already been covered). We had to balance music in
: the structure of our filesize, and found that it had a lower priority to
: such things as the graphics. (But we've learned our lesson here at P^2,
: haven't we? Yup, sure have.)
: We feel that TD is still a decent game - it's just not like most games
: out there. We've been limited in many ways (like music), but we've taken
: some major steps in other directions as well.
: As an update: Traffic Department 2192 WILL be released very, very shortly.
: (The major thing keeping it under wraps is the fact that the manuals
: haven't finished being printed up yet. Ie: It should be in a few days)
Will there be any NATIVE support for the Sound Blaster AWE-32 in your future
games? I dont mind not having it from TD since I can actually use the effects
processor on FM anyway. I can do REVERB and CHORUS on FM Music and sounds and
when you combine both it makes it sound wild! Echo, Echo, echo.... Neat
effects. If you need information, check out ID software. Their new 1.4
version of Doom will support the brand new Sound Blaster AWE-32 in NATIVE mode.
If you dont support the AWE-32 in your upcomming games can you support AIL
(Miles drivers) or the new VESA sound standard? I would love to get more than
just Stereo FM or Stereo MOD type MUSIC....
Dont you just love soundcards... <Grin>
John Pallett-Plowright
>(Miles drivers) or the new VESA sound standard? I would love to get more than
>just Stereo FM or Stereo MOD type MUSIC....
We may release a version of TD with more soundcard support, but I'm not
sure just yet. GUS would be a definate, but I don't know about the AWE-32...
we'll see, I guess.
> Dont you just love soundcards... <Grin>
No. <Bigger Grin>. Actually, I do. I was very happy when the SB finally
came out, and even happier when people figured out that it could play MODs.
Now there's the GUS, and who could ask for anything more?
Again, TD may have a post-game release with more sound card support, but
that is neither definate nor guarenteed. We'll see.
John
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Let's see if they cloned you properly... without a spine!"
- Lt. Velasquez, TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT 2192
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean M O'Donnell
John Pallett-Plowright <jdwp...@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
>>BTW, In case anyone was wondering, TD is a way cool game. (Hey, John,
>>does that mean you'll be my friend again?) :)
>>
>
> Sure, Dean. I'll be your friend.
Yay! (God, I sound like I'm 12 yrs. old).
>
> Well everyone, it's official. Traffic Department 2192 has been given
>the "GO!" and will be released tonight. To be safe, I'll say that it
>will be available tomorrow. I will make every effort to have it up on
>the net ASAP, but it will be available on Compuserve and Exec-PC in
>Safari Software's file areas.
>
> John.
Finished Episode 3 the other day. Whew! If you guys out there
remember Dark Knight (the graphic novel) and liked it, you'll love
Traffic Department 2192. (Although TD2192 has nothing whatsoever to
do with The Batman, it just has that same dark, neo-noir quality and
attitude, attitude, attitude.)
Great story. Kudos, John.