SolarLune's Content

#112539 Unity Engine

Posted by SolarLune on 24 September 2012 - 07:37 PM in Wii U Games and Software

Unity is a "good" engine.

It's not Unreal 3-4 and it's not CryEngine 3, but it's very capable.

This isn't the kind of news where Nintendo fans would be excited in the same sense as the Fox engine or anything.

What makes it exciting OS that Nintendo is not only removing any and all barriers and excuses for developers that may have any trepidation about the console, but they are literally rolling out the red carpet for any and all developers to ensure the largest opportunity for game creators and game players to enjoy the wii u console.

This is a very hungry Nintendo.
Theyre after the championship here.

I am a wannabe game developer of my own, and I feel like adding my comment to this topic. Whilst I don't use Unity, I can firmly tell you that the choice of engine does not dictate the graphical quality or style of the game created with it. A game can be created with the best engine in the world and look absolutely horrid, while a game made with a 2D engine like Game Maker can look quite impressive. Great graphics are about using what you've got and using it well, not grabbing an engine that was used to make graphically impressive games and using that. Even then, a good-looking fun game is better than a great-looking boring game any day of the week.

While what Nintendo's doing - making it easier to port Unity games to the Wii U - is good and definitely should help to encourage interesting game development, they and Unity are not, to my knowledge, removing any and all barriers for developers. It still will probably take a load of time and cash to develop a game for the Wii U, as it will almost certainly require an additional development license (I can hardly imagine that it currently costs an additional $400-1500 for an Android license, but a Wii U license will be free, or even similarly priced).

Even then, it probably wouldn't be as simple as "purchase the license, register your Unity executable, drop your game onto your Wii U SD card, and boom! ~You're now developing on the Wii U!~", though I'm sure that a quick workflow like that would be greatly appreciated by developers, indie and otherwise.

Finally, even if you purchase that license or become a licensed developer and make a great game, there's no guarantee at all that it will actually make it to the Wii U eShop, and if it doesn't, that's it. There won't be any other way to distribute a Wii U game. So, that risk will remain for indie developers.

#95326 Sonic Adventure 3 Website Domains Snatched Up

Posted by SolarLune on 24 July 2012 - 11:26 AM in General Gaming

I hope it comes out for the WiiU. I wont play Sonic games anywhere other than Ninty Systems. I LOVED SA1. Things i hope to see in SA3:
-A deep story. SA1, SA2, and Sonic Unleashed had an awesome story. Sonic 06 could have had the best story out of all games if it wasnt rushed and.. confusing with those chaos emeralds stuff. Sonic Generations and Colors were basic and simple. I don't like basic and simple.
-More platforming, a liiiiiiiiiiiiitle bit less running. We need the platforming the games pre-unleashed had. Keep Sonic's speed as it is or a little slower, he has become waaay tooo fast.
-Full 3D Free Roaming Hub Worlds.Sure action stages are nice, but hub worlds are better. SA1's hub worlds were amazing. Make them bigger to fit Sonic's new speed.

So thats all i want from SA3. We all know the music is gonna be outstanding so no need to ask for that.

I would agree with this, but Generations was the best Sonic game I've played in awhile. I didn't like Adventure much, and Unleashed's night stages were way too slow and boring (though as a whole, the game was better than it got credit for).

I agree with the deep story, and platforming's alright, but I think they should also keep the emphasis on running and boosting. I don't think they should break up the running segments with platforming segments - it makes both feel underwhelming. As an example, I would have rather have less platforming in the Act 2 stages in Sonic Generations. The whole point of those stages is speed. To hamstring it with platforming was a bit annoying. If they want to de-segment it and have both platforming and running in the same levels, that's fine, but I hope they do it logically (i.e. a section of running and a section of platforming, not random platforming parts in the middle of running around like the old Sonic games did).

The hub worlds would be nice to see, as well.

#93324 Where did Sony go wrong this generation?

Posted by SolarLune on 14 July 2012 - 06:47 AM in General Gaming

I would have bought a PS3 on launch, but I wasn't going to shell out $600 for a game console. I bought a Wii instead. They should have lowered the capabilities of the system to lower the price. They also shouldn't have taken out the good operating system installation feature. That was kind of a major feature to have for a console - to take it out was a step back.

#93323 New Console Coming To Challenge Wii U, PlayStation 4 And Next Xbox

Posted by SolarLune on 14 July 2012 - 06:42 AM in General Gaming

Yes, it's a Gamecube emulator. It's also a Wii emulator, which does indeed run well enough to be used on many different kinds of PCs (it's not like it requires a super-computer). And an emulator isn't piracy. As far as I know, there's no licensed material in that emulator - it was all built from scratch. No emulators are piracy, actually. The BIOS and ROMs or CD dumps are if you didn't make them yourself. Emulators simply copy the behavior of pre-existing software.

OT, the thread title should probably be changed as it's not looking to challenge those consoles at all. The OUYA's looking pretty good, and I'm kind of excited about the games. It sounds like it might be getting some actually interesting titles (Hawken and RadianGames' 2D shooter titles, among others). Maybe the games will be higher quality than initially thought.

#92866 New Console Coming To Challenge Wii U, PlayStation 4 And Next Xbox

Posted by SolarLune on 10 July 2012 - 12:23 PM in General Gaming

@Nollog - How cheap do you think it should be? $99 sounds very reasonable to me.
@Deadly Virus - It's not supposed to be 'smartphone gaming' - I think it's aiming to move away from that. I personally wouldn't really want to develop for a phone because of the lack of buttons - this however, gets me excited because it seems like the "XBOX for Indies". It seems like it's as easy to develop for as an Android, but has the buttons (and possibly some of the networking capability of a 360).

And I don't think it's supposed to compete. That's what I like about it. For $99, you get a complement to your normal console. I doubt I would buy it if it were more powerful and $299, especially with the next generation of game consoles on the way (and how would anyone secure developers and break that market), but for a lot cheaper and with a much more open operating system, it could be a lot of fun to own and develop for one.

#92810 New Console Coming To Challenge Wii U, PlayStation 4 And Next Xbox

Posted by SolarLune on 10 July 2012 - 06:54 AM in General Gaming

News from the Kickstarter for Ouya shows more info about the design for the console, as well as the design for distribution on it. It would seem that it's not going to be all free-to-play, but be something like XBOX / PSN is - "Developers can offer a free demo with a full-game upgrade, in-game items or powers, or ask you to subscribe." I guess there might also be free games there. So, by 'free-to-play', it's just that there will be no games that don't have some form of demos or playable entries. Sounds pretty good to me.

There's also news about the specs, and it's a bit more than I thought it'd be, though I don't really know much about specs. It'll have a Tegra 3 processor, with 8GB of internal flash storage, 1 GB of RAM (surprising, since the 360 has 512 MB, though the speed and type of RAM aren't indicated for the OUYA), and built-in WIFI. There'll be a wireless controller with the standard controls (dual sticks) and a touchpad. They also mention reserving your username with a pledge of $10, which makes me think of some sort of online functionality a la XBOX Live.

I feel a bit skeptical, since I don't know when they plan on releasing it or how well it will work, but it's looking better and better.

Thoughts?

#92665 Tons of new Wii U info - Nintendo Network, Achievements, Virtual Console, etc

Posted by SolarLune on 09 July 2012 - 06:44 AM in Wii U Hardware

Freeware is the best thing in this list IMO, and I think that some of the Indy games will make great use of the gamepad.
Getting really hyped now, gunna have to get my mum to turn the internet on cause I doubt mobile internet will work on the wiiu

Wow, that is interesting. I wouldn't have thought that a console would have free to play games. I really hope that they'll do something like Microsoft with their Indie games service, but make it easier to use. I'd probably love to develop for the Wii U.

#92561 Top 10 games that will guarantee the sucess of the WII U?

Posted by SolarLune on 08 July 2012 - 03:38 PM in Wii U Games and Software

Earthbound / Mother HD.
A sequel to Cave Story.

Like Crackkat said, if the game's underrated, then it wouldn't help to boost sales - there's a difference between a game that should be 'renewed' on the Wii U and one that would help it sell. As some examples, a new F-Zero wouldn't really be under-rated - I think a lot of people would like to play one. A new Megaman X, again, isn't under-rated, but would help sell the console.

#92559 Metroid ... the possibilities.

Posted by SolarLune on 08 July 2012 - 03:32 PM in Wii U Games and Software

Make it third person over the shoulder, switching to first person through the controller would be cool, but I'm worried about rm ache if I have to keep the controller held up all the time. Or make it like Prime. Either way amazing 8th gen graphics would be nice, just to show off the advanced lighting, particles, tessellation unit, and anti aliasing: 1080p @ 60FPS just to prove the critics wrong.

Obviously smooth, game-play, and more of an M-Rating would be welcomed.

Everything except the M-rating would be welcomed to me. To me, an M-rating literally never helps a game be better.

EDIT: And it most likely would never happen with a Nintendo franchise. It'd be more likely for a Sonic game to be M-rated than a Nintendo game.

#92450 Wii U leaked Games

Posted by SolarLune on 07 July 2012 - 02:23 PM in Wii U Games and Software

This list is indeed odd, so I would say that it must be fake. Games that are known to exist like Tank Tank Tank are on the list, but games that are known to be launch titles like New Super Mario Brothers and Pikmin 3 are missing.

#92226 Nintendo customer service says Wii U/3DS to have unified eShop account setup

Posted by SolarLune on 05 July 2012 - 11:21 PM in Wii U Hardware

I do wonder if there could be some 3DS / Wii U cross-compatability? Maybe not 3D titles on your Wii U, but I could see playing some Virtual Console games on your Wii U, or WiiWare titles on your 3DS. Although, I think I'd like to see a Lost Winds sequel in full 3D. Anyway, this is cool news.

#90331 Since Namco Bandi is helping with NSSB do you think it will be released sooner?

Posted by SolarLune on 27 June 2012 - 08:01 PM in Wii U Games and Software

I think it's doubtful that this will be released sooner with Namco's help. It was probably planned for them to get help from an external company like Namco before they even started.

#89454 Why is it "pro" to not have a screen?

Posted by SolarLune on 22 June 2012 - 03:57 PM in Wii U Hardware

Just a thought on the names of the two gamepads. The only difference between them is that one has a touchscreen with a lot of really cool features. Yet, the one without the screen is called the Wii U gamepad "pro". Any thoughts?

After all of the responses, I thought somebody would have brought this up. The pro controller has no screen, which means that it probably has a much better battery life than the gamepad. This being the case, "Pro controller" = "Sit in front of your TV for hours without charging", as opposed to the Gamepad's five hours (which is still pretty good). Also, while the gamepad probably won't be heavy, it's a bit oddly shaped, and holding it from the top, while not uncomfortable, is not the same as holding a controller from the bottom, so that's something else to take into account.

#88790 Nintendo Offering "Insane Incentives" To Publish on Wii U eShop

Posted by SolarLune on 19 June 2012 - 06:11 PM in Wii U Games and Software

This is good news. I'm surprised that they said that they'd release all retail games digitally. I can't imagine that would make their games particularly popular with game stores.

EDIT: And oh, please give indie devs (and wannabe indie devs) a crack at the Wii U like Microsoft did with the 360 Indie Games service. Please?!

#88557 Everyone says Nintendo is behind the times...

Posted by SolarLune on 18 June 2012 - 08:59 PM in Wii U Hardware

Note that good graphics does not mean cutting-edge. The Wii was somewhere between the GameCube and the 360 (or at least, those two generations) and still managed to output great graphics, and enough to impress. Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Brothers all had great graphics. Just because they weren't exceptional doesn't mean that they weren't good. Now the 3DS looks pretty close to a Wii, so I don't think people should worry about the U's graphical power.

#88555 Wii U Experience

Posted by SolarLune on 18 June 2012 - 08:42 PM in Wii U Hardware

( why no longer, I would stay all day if I came)

Probably because of that. If they allowed everyone to stay as long as they wanted, nobody would leave until the end of the day, causing major congestion from people milling about. By capping people off at a couple of hours, they ensure that everyone can see and play the games. This is just a guess, though. Anyway, it sounds interesting. Hopefully they'll show some new games there.

#88204 Multiple Gamepads Slowdown

Posted by SolarLune on 16 June 2012 - 11:18 PM in Wii U Hardware

Just wanted to see what people thought about multiple gamepads slowing down games' FPS for the Wii U. Do you see it being a huge problem? It's not that noticeable on the 3DS when some games get capped when playing in 3D mode (not all games do it), but you can tell the difference. Being that not every game gets slowdown on the 3DS with 3D mode on, it would be safe to assume that it's not just the fact that the 3D is on that the FPS gets capped, but it has more to do with what's actually being drawn on-screen.

If the Wii U's the same, then wouldn't it stand to reason that you would have to be running a fairly graphically intensive game for 2 gamepads to slow down the FPS (and not just using the console)? It seems to me that there are a couple of ways to work around this without actually solving it, like turning off the TV display and just showing the screens, or turning off the gamepad screens and just showing the TV screen. It sounds weird to me that if you've got a map on the gamepad screen, the game will run at 30 FPS, and if you don't, it will run at 60.

#88203 Dual gamepad support coming 'well after launch'

Posted by SolarLune on 16 June 2012 - 11:09 PM in Wii U Hardware

Sounds less like "Dual Gamepad Support's coming later," and more like "no launch titles support dual gamepads." The support for it to work probably will be there, but it seems like the first launch titles won't use two gamepads for local multiplayer. But then again, who's to say? None of the games are out, so devs could slide in dual gamepad support.

#87925 Super Smash Bros. 4 Discussion Thread

Posted by SolarLune on 15 June 2012 - 03:38 PM in Wii U Games and Software

I'd personally like to see Knuckles, particularly as he seems to be better suited to battling than Sonic.

#87913 Super Mario Sunshine 2

Posted by SolarLune on 15 June 2012 - 02:35 PM in Wii U Games and Software

I think they should look into taking Mario into a different direction, like they did with Super Paper Mario. Maybe make a 3D Mario adventure title with more of a storyline like SPM - it was pretty impressive if I recall correctly.

#87796 Wannabe Game Dev Says Hi

Posted by SolarLune on 15 June 2012 - 12:23 AM in Introduction Central

Yeah, it was easy to pick up, at lesat to me. I chose it over other engines because it was easy, I suppose.

I started out with Game Maker years ago, and thought that the engine in Blender was just a toy, and wasn't really a 'real' game engine. So, I didn't really get into it. Then, for some reason, I just started to pick it up, and after I found out that you could program with Python, I started learning. At least, this is my memory of the whole thing, so I don't quite remember.

#87542 Wannabe Game Dev Says Hi

Posted by SolarLune on 13 June 2012 - 06:22 PM in Introduction Central

Ha, I'd like to bring it to Steam if possible. I think Desura's easier to get your game into, so I would probably go for them first, but if Steam would allow it, I'd love to have Soldier Of there.

EDIT: Oh, and I was thinking of releasing Soldier Of in episodes (chunks). I'd hope that I could make the first one by the end of the year, but I'm not sure. It's kind of hard to get a definite time frame for game devving.

#87310 Wannabe Game Dev Says Hi

Posted by SolarLune on 13 June 2012 - 07:32 AM in Introduction Central

Thanks!
@Hinkik - I wasn't going to add enemies, actually - I was going for more of a Portal-esque puzzle FPS.

#87207 Wannabe Game Dev Says Hi

Posted by SolarLune on 12 June 2012 - 08:13 PM in Introduction Central

@Hinkik - Thanks. I saw your graphics - you've got real skills!
@Sportsgamer - Ha ha, I wish. If they were willing to give individuals dev kits / software, then maybe. Something like XBL's Indie Games service, but a bit more cross-platform would be awesome.

Anyway, I also wanted to post a video of the progress of that 7DFPS thing I'm working on.

#87193 no online multiplayer for Pikmin 3

Posted by SolarLune on 12 June 2012 - 07:07 PM in Wii U Games and Software

Huh, my mistake. I thought that there was only RTS - I forgot about Turn-based strategy games as a game genre. I guess it's possible to do for sure, then. I'm not sure why Nintendo wouldn't do it.