Guest Ol' Blood & Guts Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 As a notion, I just went over to the Matrix Games Forum to check up on SP:W@W's development. As of yesterday, April 18, Paul Vebber announced that SP:W@W will be released as a STAND-ALONE free download on May 8th. YES, that's right ladies and gentlemen. A stand-alone game, meaning that you WILL NOT have to have a CD of either SPII or III to play it. Just download, install, and play. Only drawback is that the install file will be roughly 280MB! So if you're still running a 56K connection, as I am, get your Get-Right or Go-Zilla program warmed up, while all you lucky SOBs with cable modems can get it in a matter of a hour or so I guess, right? ------------------ "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." --Jedi Master Yoda [This message has been edited by Ol' Blood & Guts (edited 04-20-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraut Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 You serious? Free? How are they gonna make money? Charge us for patches .. err, i mean "updates" ... ? MK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_PanzerLeader Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Man - you mean to tell me you were giving them a hard time and they were GIVING away the game _ way UNKOOL ------------------ SS_PanzerLeader.......out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ol' Blood & Guts Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Well yes it's free. Always was and every other game they will be doing will also be free. I only gave them trouble when the administrator had a problem with free speech. But as for the huge download, the game will be available on CD in late summer editions of some of the PC gamer mags. ------------------ "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." --Jedi Master Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraut Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Free ... that makes no freakin sense. You can't make a livin' by developing a piece of software for months then give it away. I mean, as much as i would like to beleive it, it just doesn't make sense. There's gotta be some kind of hook here ... something ... just something ... MK ps. Hey, why can't CM be free too? ... rofl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_PanzerLeader Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Well the fact that these guys have put all thiis effort into this and arent asking a dime for a WELL KNOWN and sucessfully titled game is astonishing> I am not afan of the game but did enjoy SP1 - I was considering looking in the bargain bin cause i thought this was an add on- At any rate For them to do this for free is was kool , and for you to have anything over there to say that they felt needed to be censored is pretty bad IMO. How can you trash something that someone is giving to you - talk about ungrateful Personally I think you owe them all a hell of a big apology INCLUDING the administrator, but I will be suprised to se it happen. I guarantee I will download it sen them a thank you email for their efforts, whether or not It stays on my drive for years to come! ------------------ SS_PanzerLeader.......out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ol' Blood & Guts Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Again, I must say. I never ONCE trashed their game or efforts in their hard work. All I ever did was to mention CM and it's features over on their board and they found fit to censor that information. It is when the so-called SP community started trashing CM is when it started getting ugly. The reason why the game will be free is because the company owning the rights to the original SP code (SSI, Mattel) SAID that the only way that they will sell them the original code so they could "up-grade" it, was to only distribute their efforts as a free download or as later on in a free CD in a Gaming Magazine. ------------------ "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." --Jedi Master Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_PanzerLeader Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Well CM trashing aint kool at all But.... they are giving away a game that Will probably be extremely enjoyable for alot of people so I still think an apology would go along way But thats just my opinion ------------------ SS_PanzerLeader.......out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraut Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 AHA! ... well, just went to that board and read a little. It seems like they found some "volunteers" to work on the game. Hmmm ... they should make all games "volunteer" work, so i don't have to pay another dime again in my life to play a game. As a matter of fact, why don't they make everything "volunteer" work? Free meals, free cars, free beer, free ... ahhh, the possibilities. Hey bloody guts ... don't worry about PanzerGlieder. He seems like the type who would want to press his morals and views on someone (if you don't apologize RIGHT NOW, you'll get your knee-caps shot off, your nuts roasted on an open fire, the IRS will come and take your house, dog, TV and computer, but leave your wife and kids to nag you all day long, and god will make you kiss his dirty, crusty feet for eternity. That is if you even get to heaven ... rofl) . If you wanna bitch about a game, even if it's free, hell, go ahead. I personally view it all as first class online entertainment Besides, if the makers of any game can't handle a little online bitch-o-rama they should find new jobs ... imagine if steve, charles and the others would have bailed on us at the first sign of trouble (anyone remember OSCAR? Now that was entertainment). MK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Username Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 It has commercials built in right? (everyone is ripping off my ideas i tell ya). Lewis "Paranoid and LOVING it" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neutral Party Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 SPW@W is free because they can't charge for it. Same story for the updated Pacific War and War in Russia. AFAIK the copyright for these games belonged to SSI and is now the property of Mattel and apparently its too much hassle for these guys to set up a licence deal. Again AFAIK any new games developed by Matrix will be commercial products (i.e., you will have to pay for them). So who says you dont get something for nothing I'm especially looking forward to the updated WIR. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GriffinCheng Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Personally, I am very grateful that ppl @ Matrix Game are devoting their labour of love and SSI permits it delivered for free. On the dark side, the Falcon 4 source code drama makes me feel sorry, even though I have not traced every development about it. I am hoping someday, it would get the same treatment as SP. Griffin @ lunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ol' Blood & Guts Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SS_PanzerLeader: so I still think an apology would go along way<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Apologize for what? The only negative message I posted on that Forum was never even seen because the administrator deleted the thread as soon as I hit "Submit Reply". The only heated debate was on THIS Forum with that ever famous thread, "An almost silly rebuttle to CM's superior AI." The only negative (really bad) statement I made was through a personal email to the administrator concerning his administration practices regarding (basically) OFF-TOPIC information which obviously goes by without a hitch on this Forum. So there! ------------------ "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." --Jedi Master Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ol' Blood & Guts Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GriffinCheng: On the dark side, the Falcon 4 source code drama makes me feel sorry, even though I have not traced every development about it. I am hoping someday, it would get the same treatment as SP. Griffin @ lunch<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, I've heard of something similar, but what seems to be the problem with the Falcon 4 code. I'm not versed with the "history" of this game and its code. Just give the basics on what the deal is with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_PanzerLeader Posted April 20, 2000 Share Posted April 20, 2000 Kraut said: Quote: Hey bloody guts ... don't worry about PanzerGlieder. He seems like the type who would want to press his morals and views on someone (if you don't apologize RIGHT NOW, you'll get your knee-caps shot off, your nuts roasted on an open fire, the IRS will come and take your house, dog, TV and computer, but leave your wife and kids to nag you all day long, and god will make you kiss his dirty, crusty feet for eternity. That is if you even get to heaven ... rofl) . If you wanna bitch about a game, even if it's free, hell, go ahead. I personally view it all as first class online entertainment Besides, if the makers of any game can't handle a little online bitch-o-rama they should find new jobs ... Lol sorry i'm not pushing anything on anybody _ I just made an observation, and since I was brought up to have some common courtesy I stated what I thought. whether he does it or not I could care less I never actually told him to I just stated my opinion - it isn't like hes never addeed his, or you, yours for that matter ------------------ SS_PanzerLeader.......out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEF BUNGIS Posted April 22, 2000 Share Posted April 22, 2000 Anybody know a good tech support site for SPIII? The game recognizes my sound card (SB16), but when I play the game with sound, it crashes. Both in DOS and from WIN98. It runs fine with sound disabled. SB16, IRQ 10, I/O 280. Thanks. ------------------ Better to make the wrong decision than be the sorry son of a bitch to scared to make one at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrullenhaft Posted April 22, 2000 Share Posted April 22, 2000 DEF BUNGIS: I don't know of any REALLY good support sites for SP3 unfortunately. SSI doesn't seem to be doing to much to support the title (who are they now - Mattel ?). My SUGGESTION would be to change your IRQ and possibly your I/O address on your sound card. This can obviously be a hassle. The "standard" settings for a SoundBlaster are IRQ 5 & I/O address 220. I play with a SB Live myself and it uses "emulation" software to play DOS games and it seems to work fine (at IRQ 11). Be careful in changing your IRQs, etc. You may find yourself in a quickly escalating situation of "IRQ configuration insanity". Before you attempt to change the IRQ check in Window's Device Manager to see if anything else is using that IRQ already (from the "Computer" device). You can change your card's settings from Device Manager. Hope this helps. As for Matrix Games and SPW@W: I was under the impression that the SP2 or SP3 CD was needed to play the game. If this is no longer required, then this is a boon for anyone with the capability and/or patience to download the game. While many people here may not like hex-based games, the SP series was very good in its day. Admittedly there are issues with LOS when it comes to "top-down" views, but otherwise it is a fun series (nothing like CM, but still enjoyable). From what I can tell Matrix has done just about as much as they could to rid the series of some of its "gamey" conventions/rules. And now you don't even need a previous version of SP to play ? Mattel is being quite gracious here in allowing the distribution of the code w/o charging for it. Now you won't need a dumb CD in the drive to play the game. [This message has been edited by Schrullenhaft (edited 04-22-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Madmatt Posted April 22, 2000 Share Posted April 22, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ol' Blood & Guts: Yes, I've heard of something similar, but what seems to be the problem with the Falcon 4 code. I'm not versed with the "history" of this game and its code. Just give the basics on what the deal is with it. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The Falcon 4 source code was leaked out to several Falcon web sites and on the newsgroups. This all happened recently. Hasbro got most of the sites to remove the source code almost immeditaley but the damage was done and if you know where to look you can still download a copy of it. Even though the Falcon line is now a dead product Hasbro has yet to come and say as much so they undestandably upset about this breech of security and code. What ramifications this may have are still to be discerned. There are many 3rd party enhancents to this game which are ongoing from groups such as IBeta and others that have fixed some of the larger campaign bugs and realism issue. This newest wrench in the works may put a halt to such activities if Hasbro decides to start playing with their cards closer to their chest so to speak. For the record I was a Beta tester for the Falcon 4 project and I am not too surprised that any of this has come out the way it did. That the program was revolutionary is an understatement, the internal support it got, less so. This stands in STARK contrast to my experiences as a tester for Combat Mission which have been nothing short of wonderful. BTS makes the testers really FEEL like they are part of this project. Then of course they coerce you into spending your whole life doing things for them for free and chanting the mantra MOYLAN, MOYLAN over and over again but its not too bad really. Oh, here comes Steve with the Koolaid now! Hmm, why is the cat stiff??? Madmatt p.s. References to the Jim Jones incident were meant to be humerous and just go to show you that I don't call that event the Largest Mass Suicide in modern history but rather a good example of "Thinning the Herd"... ------------------ If it's in Combat Mission, it's on Combat Mission HQ! combathq.thegamers.net [This message has been edited by Madmatt (edited 04-22-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ol' Blood & Guts Posted April 22, 2000 Share Posted April 22, 2000 Thanks Matt. Appreciate the information. Boy, that's crazy. So the code was leaked to some sites and was available to download for free? Is that it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted April 22, 2000 Share Posted April 22, 2000 Do you think 600 MB is too much of a download for an update to a cool game? I have downloaded demos of 70 MB before, so, a game of 600 MB would not be too much of a stretch for me! Pacific War has been 'cancelled' for the same reasons SPW@W is going through troubles. The main problem is distribution. Matrix games can't sell the game, so, the CD is out. They say nobody would download 600 MB, so, they are cancelling the game. However, I see Pacific War and War in Russia as totally different from SP. SP was a relatively new game compared to these two, plus it had two sequals to update the program. WIR and PacWar are both 8 or so years old, and there aren't any replacement games, or games that come even close to representing them on the market. Cancelling them would leave a vaccum, as, there would be no other option than to play an 8 year old game if you wanted a good Pacific War game (encomassing the entire war), or a high quality Eastern War game. I understand the frustration that they are going through, but, to cancel them (they are offering patches and upgrades for the DOS versions, but, only fixing bugs) is a bit extreme. I understand that they feel their work will go to waste, as, nobody would download it (by going on the poll for SP), but, seeing that it is a high demand game (no other option for a game of this genre!) I would assume many WIR and PacWar gamers would not worry about the 24 hours of downloading required and get the thing in droves. If the original game still has a message list with constant updates for a game that is 8 years old, I am sure that they will get loads of downloads for the updated version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl Posted April 23, 2000 Share Posted April 23, 2000 I believe I read on the newsgroups somewhere that the August issue of certain computer gaming magazines are going have SPW@W on their CDs. Has anyone else heard this? If true it would be a great alternative to those of us who would can't easily download something the size of SPW@W. ------------------ Darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_PanzerLeader Posted April 23, 2000 Share Posted April 23, 2000 Yes i think it will be in the June issue of PC gamer - u can find out at matrix for sure tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEF BUNGIS Posted April 23, 2000 Share Posted April 23, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Schrullenhaft: DEF BUNGIS: I don't know of any REALLY good support sites for SP3 unfortunately. SSI doesn't seem to be doing to much to support the title (who are they now - Mattel ?). My SUGGESTION would be to change your IRQ and possibly your I/O address on your sound card. This can obviously be a hassle. The "standard" settings for a SoundBlaster are IRQ 5 & I/O address 220. I play with a SB Live myself and it uses "emulation" software to play DOS games and it seems to work fine (at IRQ 11). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Thanks for the suggestions schrullenhaft. Well, I did all the resource rearranging and still nothing. I have edited every friggin system file on my computer. Still nothing. I have narrowed it down, When I run the sound configuration it recognizes my card, but crashes if I try to play the game with sound enabled. So I start the game with no sound, then enable the MUSIC, the game continues to run, but with no music heard. Then I enable the SOUND EFFECTS, bam...the game crashes. I dunno.....SP III and my system aren't getting along very well, even the patch made my system crash. I think I'm giving up. Anyone interested in trading an older WAR GAME, for my SPIII(Brigade Combat team). If your interested see my E-MAIL under my profile. ------------------ Better to make the wrong decision than be the sorry son of a bitch to scared to make one at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrullenhaft Posted April 23, 2000 Share Posted April 23, 2000 A couple of more suggestions & questions for DEF BUNGIS: What is the DMA address that you are using ? The SoundBlaster 16 series typically uses two DMA channels - the "standard" being 0 & 1. Which SoundBlaster 16 are you using ? Creative identifies its products with a "CTxxxx" number that is usually silk-screened on the card. Most of the SB16s out there are probably the Plug-n-Play variety with no jumpers. However there were many models w/ jumpers. You may want to take a close look at your card to see which one you have. It is possible that you may have to change some of the jumpers to actually change the configuration (at least in a DOS environment - Windows 9x seems capable of changing resources by itself). In a DOS environment the PNP cards in a system will use the settings given to them by the PNP BIOS. If your system doesn't have a PNP BIOS, then some Intel PNP software was necessary in order to configure the card. You can possibly use the CMOS to configure your card. Hopefully the BIOS reports to you on boot what your PNP cards are configured for in terms of resources. These settings are what the card will use (and if you have "PNP Operating System" ON in your CMOS, the Windows 9x will be capable of changing these settings, so they possibly may not match what you see at the DOS prompt at boot once Win 9x is loaded up). Many BIOSs will vary as to what you really can do to modify settings in the CMOS. Quite often you are left will little choice when it comes to modifying PNP allocated resources. Some will let you set what IRQs, etc. each PCI slot gets and possibly whether a resource is available to PNP or "ISA/Legacy". Depending on which SB16 you have you may need to change the availability of a resource to PNP or Legacy. As for DMA channels the most common conflict would be with a built-in ECP port (which will typically use DMA 3). You can check for the settings of the ECP port in your CMOS. They usually can be set for 1 or 3. I'd suggest 3 if it is modifiable (and not set to it already). Also, I'd suggest (if you're not doing it already) that you "Shut Down to command prompt" when you go to play SP3 instead of possibly attempting to play it in a "DOS box" (launching it from within Win 9x). A file called "dosstart.bat" in the Windows directory is the equivalent of an "autoexec.bat" when you shut down to DOS. In here you will want mouse drivers, mscdex.exe for your CDROM and any sound and VESA drivers. You may want to check your software that came with your SB16 to see if comes with the Intel PNP software ("Configuration Manager" ?). If it does you may want to use it to configure your card (it will load up some stuff in config.sys & autoexec.bat). I'm not sure how much the SB16s pay attention to the "set blaster=" statement in your autoexec.bat (which you have probably been modifying already), but make sure it matches your card's settings. Also, you may want to minimize the number of things being loaded in your config.sys & autoexec.bat in order to meet the memory requirements under 640K. [This message has been edited by Schrullenhaft (edited 04-23-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEF BUNGIS Posted April 24, 2000 Share Posted April 24, 2000 Thanks again. I am printing this and will let you know the outcome. ------------------ Better to make the wrong decision than be the sorry son of a bitch to scared to make one at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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