MINERVA: Episodic, Single-Player Half-Life 2
Ну что, соскучились? - posted by Cargo Cult on Friday March 16 2007
...
Edit 2007-04-03: Spanish and Russian language packs uploaded - once again, thanks to the Sarmatia Project!
Article Comments (now closed)
2. Russian
Posted by locworks at 10:53PM, Friday March 16 2007
What if the people behind the Minerva language packs were also heavily involved in the Russian-English translation of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
4. Translation
Posted by kast at 12:55AM, Saturday March 17 2007
BabelFish claims that this thread's title is:
"Well that, they did miss?"
which I take to mean "Well, what did they miss?"
Any thoughts?
5. hmmm...
Posted by Nesretep at 4:56AM, Saturday March 17 2007
Well, thats great I guess. Sorry if I'm not enthused by the new language packs, I just keep looking for the post that says:
Go to the website and download Metastasis 3!
I mean March <i>is</i> half over now...
6. March?
Posted by Sortie at 8:50PM, Saturday March 17 2007
Damn, if Adam release at the exact end of March, it wouldn't be nice to be me, since I'm travelling to Praha then. But still, then'll know what to do when I get home.
7. Babelfish (long)
Posted by locworks at 12:03AM, Sunday March 18 2007
Babelfish is a gisting tool. It gives you between 0 and 70% of the actual meaning of a string, by allocating standard translations to the terms and assuming a standard sentence structure.
Software "translation" tools are actually gisting tools when used on natural speech. Only when they are used on controlled language (simple, short sentences and custom dictionaries) , you'll get better results, which require anyway heavy post-editing by a human linguist. Adam's work translated into Russian is not suited for this kind of treatment.
If you are lucky and the language combination was properly implemented in the Systran server that runs under the system, you'll get a slightly better idea of the meaning than when you'd use a dictionary and looked the words up yourself.
If you're unlucky (like in this case), you'll get randomly generated poetry.
Translated directly, the sentence means: "Well, you got to the state of missing (me)?" which is a good translation of the very idiomatic "to miss s.o."
8. Re: Babelfish (long)
Posted by Yar Kramer at 2:32AM, Sunday March 18 2007
So, more or less, "Mr. Anderson, welcome back. We missed you"?
9. state of missing (me)
Posted by M_Gargantua at 6:17PM, Sunday March 18 2007
clearly he's refering to missing Minerva, a hint that Depth charge will be released soon.
11. what
Posted by mrhankey at 10:45PM, Sunday March 18 2007
clearly you all like to make crap up when it comes to predicting the next installment of Minerva.
12. Missing (not the Todd Terry remix)
Posted by locworks at 12:06AM, Monday March 19 2007
The "You've missed me, haven't you?" refers to Someplace Else (see the URL's target)
13. lol what
Posted by Yar Kramer at 12:18AM, Monday March 19 2007
Perhaps, though I derive greater pleasure from needlessly repeating quotations from movie sequels that lie in the mediocre-to-execrable range (particularly when compared to the original).
14. Всплывают отголоски прошлого…
Posted by Cargo Cult at 12:22AM, Monday March 19 2007
Yep - surprisingly, I *haven't* suddenly, incomprehensibly developed an in-depth knowledge of idiomatic Russian language!
Instead, I looked at the Russian sentences, and knowing what the English originals meant, I copied-and-pasted what I hoped would be something suitably cryptic and meaningful. Why the Russian version in particular? Partly 'cause Cyrillic looks cool, and partly 'cause I wanted to show off the blog-beast's fully UTF-8 clean internals. ;-)
(The MINERVA website - a modern-day Rosetta stone for those of us wishing to sound mysterious and intellectual in as many languages as we like...)
As for МИНЕРВА, sorry, MINERVA? Was ill for the last week or so, and had lots of work the previous week, so haven't done nearly as much as I'd hoped. But metastasis_4b is going nicely, and stuff suggested by playtesters for metastasis_3a is mostly implemented. Plus, everything has improved lighting, above the previously implemented HDR...
17. Dates.
Posted by Sortie at 9:39PM, Monday March 19 2007
Good to hear that Metastasis is progressing, even though you were sick. I guess this pushes the release date a week for two further. So, it's mid April now? I suggest doing the Valve, release when it's done. And don't forget to add an extra year or two, just to be sure. :P
And yeah, this site is going russia.
18. Fire, Updates, and Russia
Posted by Sirc at 4:17AM, Tuesday March 20 2007
Beware the flames that comment will bring Sortie....
It is nice though to recieve an update, as long as these still come out I will continue to support the game. (It is one of the few things that gaurantees that MINERVA is not dead.) Keep up the work Creator!
Do not stress nor stall, simply keep a pace that will please us all!
(Rhyme FTW!)
Out of curiosity which 'Russia' (Historically) are we talking about?
19. March is awesome
Posted by Elyscape at 6:46AM, Tuesday March 20 2007
March seems to be the Month of Awesome Gaming. Why?
1) Metastasis 3 (probably)
2) STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
3) Penumbra: Overture - Episode 1
Also, some personal acquisitions:
1) American McGee's Alice
2) Call of Duty
3) Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth
4) Fahrenheit (AKA Indigo Prophecy)
5) Far Cry
6) Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (I actually already had this and remembered about it last week)
7) Lode Runner 2 (same story as Hitman 2)
Also, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars comes out sometime in March as well, though the demo didn't impress me too much. I'll probably get it, but not until March is gone.
Either way, yay for March!
20. for you, for me. 4b?
Posted by vecima at 3:08PM, Tuesday March 20 2007
so thus far the grand total of metastasis maps is 6? given there is no 3c or 4c that we have yet to hear about...
21. 6 metastasis?
Posted by Sortie at 3:30PM, Tuesday March 20 2007
Well, by my information there's only 5 offical maps, at the moment.
metastatis_1
metastatis_2
metastatis_3a
metastatis_4a
metastatis_4b
At least, I never hear Adam mention a 3b.
22. Eggtimer ticking
Posted by kast at 10:50AM, Thursday March 22 2007
March is running out fast. Can't be long now.
Unless it's delayed... and then I'll cry. And tell everyone you made me cry, Adam, you big meanie. :P
23. 4b?
Posted by Kerath at 1:01PM, Thursday March 22 2007
so, i thought metastasis was to be 3 parts with part 3 being split up in 3a and 3b.
now there's a metastasis 4b?
anyway, hope metastasis 3 releases soon, with valve taking ages with their episodes i need more hl2 goodness, and minerva is the only real alternative
(O_o)
24. yes, 4b
Posted by Au-heppa at 2:34PM, Thursday March 22 2007
quote (originally posted Cargo Cult):
Carcinogenesis: metastasis_1.bsp
Downhill Struggle: metastasis_2.bsp
Depth Charge: metastasis_3.bsp
Pegasus: metastasis_4a.bsp and metastasis_4b.bsp
http://www.hylobatidae.org/minerva/blogsheep.php?action=articleinfo&id=47#comments
25. 3b --> 4a
Posted by Sortie at 3:10PM, Thursday March 22 2007
If there ever was a 3b, I guess it either became 3a or 4a, or splitted into 3a and 4a.
26. Doubt, Uncertainty, and Hope
Posted by Sirc at 4:24PM, Thursday March 22 2007
From what i've alluded from the posts here, I believe there are supposed to be 3 Episodes for Minerva. The map 3a, was supposed to be the end of Episode One, while 4a & 4b is the start of Episode Two. If I'm wrong the series will be a lot shorter than I hoped...
27. No. All metastasis.
Posted by Sortie at 6:23PM, Thursday March 22 2007
No. The first whole episode is Metastasis, which 4a and 4b is a part of.
28. ...
Posted by Kerath at 9:05PM, Thursday March 22 2007
ok, so it got longer, yay!
so, metastasis 3 isnt's going to be 2 maps?
29. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Posted by Yar Kramer at 4:16AM, Friday March 23 2007
Now I'm gonna be waiting for someone to make a mod, for one or the other, involving Stalkers in the setting of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
30. The forum...
Posted by Nesretep at 4:39PM, Friday March 23 2007
So what's happening to the forum? The poll has been set up for some time now and everything is still locked down tight. Is it staying like the vote would indicate, or is it gone?
31. Re: The forum
Posted by Naurgul at 11:31PM, Friday March 23 2007
Adam probably sees fit that the re-opening of the forums coincides with the release of the third episode of Metastasis. It shouldn't be long now...
*holds breath*
32. Something like that, anyway!
Posted by Cargo Cult at 11:35PM, Friday March 23 2007
The forums almost certainly shall be brought back from the dead to coincide with a certain release - but I'm far too busy working on that MINERVA thing right now.
Good news: I've just played through metastasis_4a. Needs plenty of tweaking before it goes out to playtesters (tomorrow?) but otherwise its gameplay appears about done!
Bad news? Erm... A March release will be tight, but I'll continue to work like mad...
33. Release it on my birthday!
Posted by quaunaut at 12:00AM, Saturday March 24 2007
March 30th baby. You can do it man, but as always, don't release early just to appease us. But hey, birthday presents still rock. <3
34. Would you like the archive translated too?
Posted by oasis at 7:36AM, Saturday March 24 2007
Can't thank you enough for the game; I wonder if you'd like to have the "Former echoes resurface elsewhere... " archive translated into Russian? I could do that.
Cheers.
35. March is awesome. April is Awesome. December is awesome...
Posted by Sortie at 4:17PM, Saturday March 24 2007
Yeah, good to hear work progresses. If you can get it out 30th march, awesome. But any other date is awesome too.
You know, instead of posting this I'll just build on my mod instead.
36. progress
Posted by _Wizard_ at 12:42PM, Sunday March 25 2007
Hm. So what do we have here? NLS support, but no release of new maps for march *my tendency to be realistic*...
The fact, that fans/people/"our god of the mod" still post comments in here leaves me with the "bittersweet taste of pleasant anticipation".
NLS support (Language=GERMAN):
Hm. Was haben wir hier? NLS Unterstützung, aber immer noch keine Freigabe von neuen Karten für März *meine Tendenz realistisch zu sein*...
Die Tatsache, dass Fans/Leute/"unser Gott des Mods" hier immer noch Kommentare posten lässt mich mit dem bittersüßen Geschmack von Vorfreude zurück.
37. Everything You Wanted To Know About Sterlok
Posted by Au-heppa at 1:03PM, Sunday March 25 2007
well, atleast we have Stalker while we are waiting, it has been sweet so far...
38. Heh...
Posted by irondragons at 2:01AM, Monday March 26 2007
You have all the time in the universe Adam,
So take your time. :)
I look forward to the mod as much as i do as Episode 2, even if the mod was due for release in Novemember.
I can't wait to see what a genius like yourself has unravelled the the world.
Thanks for your forever inspiration to this once and ever susceptible mapper.
Ta tu Bothar Gan saru (a bit of irish for you) . :)
39. Time
Posted by Cargo Cult at 5:55PM, Monday March 26 2007
Not the weekend, but I've just sent off emails to playtesters informing them of a newly uploaded, jumbo-sized map-pack.
108 megabytes. And that's without metastasis_4b. Sodding hell. It's the HDR lighting and cubemaps, honest!
40. 108 mb calculations = :O
Posted by Sortie at 6:15PM, Monday March 26 2007
Woah, 108 megabytes ( minus cubemaps, and bsp/vis) of lighting calculations. That gotta take a long time. Nearly as long as a Valve game.
41. Re: 108 MB
Posted by Yar Kramer at 12:09AM, Tuesday March 27 2007
Wow. I knew MINERVA was something big, but this is ridiculous. ;)
This is also without the soundcache, right? It's a good 44.5 MB on my computer ... wonder what it'd be WITH the soundcache ...
42. I've made room for my Dinner!
Posted by Sirc at 3:06AM, Tuesday March 27 2007
I am prepared for those 108 MB, I still have plenty of room on my computer to be filled by the Glory that is MINERVA.
Space is not the issue, TIME is...
43. Hope its this week!
Posted by barton at 7:11AM, Tuesday March 27 2007
I have been hoping since x-mas that it would be released at the start of my spring break, or at least sometime during it (all this week). Otherwise i'll have to wait until the middle of May! (the desktop doesn't go to school with me)
keep up the good work, Adam. TBH, i'd rather have it well done and play it in summer than a rushed game that i can't take time to admire.
44. Without hesitation, deviation, repetition or repetition
Posted by Cargo Cult at 3:39PM, Tuesday March 27 2007
108MB is the size of the compressed Zip file sent out to playtesters - containing a MINERVA pruned of any unnecessary files.
Poor Minerva's put on a bit of weight since you last saw her. ;-)
Random aside: as a celebration for finally getting another MINERVA out to playtesters, I finally got round to watching my Children of Men DVD last night. Bloody hell, it's HL2 in film form - with Steve Bell cartoons...
45. Without annunciation, inebreation, mastication, or inflation
Posted by vecima at 7:16PM, Tuesday March 27 2007
yeah, Children of Men was a good one... Saw that one in the theater with a few close ones.
i love the tense slow chases, and the intensity of the urban warfare scenes.
supposedly Iraq inspired some of those scenes.
and.... wait a second, did you say out to playtesters? wohoooooooo.
we're pretty much next right?
46. Yeah...what he said.
Posted by Nesretep at 10:28PM, Tuesday March 27 2007
Now was that a "release candidate" of MINERVA that went to playtesters as in "I'm basically done with it." or "I'm still working on it."? Cause if it is indeed the former, then that is exciting news for us all! :))
47. Release candidate
Posted by Yar Kramer at 1:38AM, Wednesday March 28 2007
Methinks it means "I want to know if I still need to work on it, so I'm showing it to a small number of people."
48. Children of men, minerva and 300
Posted by Holy Socks at 4:51PM, Wednesday March 28 2007
I saw children of men a while ago and I did see a few similarities with HL2 (Totalitarian state, near future setting, broken world)
Anyway its looking like were getting close to the final release of metastasis and hopefully it will land some time around easter.. if thats not too much to ask?
Also i watched 300 over the weekend and i thought it was great , I loved the stylish, over the top sin city style to greek mythology, anybody else seen it?
49. torrent
Posted by fuzz at 6:42PM, Wednesday March 28 2007
*hint* of course, if you released the full version to those of us on this board/blog a little early, then you'd have a nice big swarm of seeds for the torrent when the time came for the public release *hint*
50. Nice one
Posted by macc at 9:07PM, Wednesday March 28 2007
Good hint, then this site won't crash when everybody tries to download at the same time.:)
By the way, my first post, but I read the blog for a long time already. Can't wait for part 3.
51. Re: nice one
Posted by Yar Kramer at 9:43PM, Wednesday March 28 2007
So, what's to prevent *everyone* from finding it here? I mean ... more people than simply post here, or whatever. (Obviously, not "everyone" would find it here.)
52. Re: torrent
Posted by SkUrRiEr at 5:07AM, Thursday March 29 2007
I think he means something along the line of posting a torrent for it here, so we'll all download it, then when it's publically released, we are all on there, seeding, (whilst we're not playing =) ) so his server doesn't go down.
Not a bad idea, all up.
53. Good idea indeed
Posted by Kerath at 12:43PM, Thursday March 29 2007
a torrent would be a nice idea, I'm all for it, to save the site from crashing as soon as it's released.
also @ holy socks, yeh i saw 300, loved it, great movie. Interesting how half the movie focuses on Leonidas' wife while in the comic he doesnt even have a wife.
I read a review in a newspaper here that said 300 was just American militaristic war propaganda O_o, dont really see the connection there
54. Crash (not the Ballard book)
Posted by locworks at 4:05PM, Thursday March 29 2007
Check http://www.hylobatidae.org/
Something tells me that we shouldn't worry too much about the site's stability.
Nice try, though. :-)
55. random wonderings
Posted by M_Gargantua at 6:49PM, Thursday March 29 2007
Adam, I've always wondered if your name of Cargo Cult came from the General Systems Vehicle Cargo Cult from The Player of Games by Iain M Banks.
The thought popped in my head when I reread it and read your name. It would be so fitting.
56. just no
Posted by Naurgul at 7:40PM, Thursday March 29 2007
For the love of god! Here's what Cargo Cult means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult
57. Just Yes
Posted by Cargo Cult at 11:17PM, Thursday March 29 2007
Part of the reason for adopting the 'Cargo Cult' moniker was knowing its meaning - and a reaction against the usual, cargo cult routine of mod creation through careful impersonation of the outward behaviour of professional game developers.
And another reason was indeed via Iain M. Banks - I've made a habit of adopting Culture ship names as usernames. Unfortunately, they're often already taken by like-minded individuals.
(On the Natural Selection mod forums, I went by the name of 'Hand Me The Gun And Ask Me Again'. Now *that* was a mouthful.)
In other news, I now have many pages of absolutely excellent constructive criticism from playtesters. Now to implement some of it...
58. Just got the tables turned.
Posted by M_Gargantua at 11:27PM, Thursday March 29 2007
Look to windward isn't my favorite of the series, but some of my other favorites from it for those who have never read it.
Poke It With A Stick, Sanctioned Parts List, and Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall, the last of which I think has some other inside joke that im forgetting about, seeing as a few ships have gravitas in the name.
I've taken to naming all my ships in eve off a list of all culture ships I have, just going through the list one by one. And im a good enough pilot to only be halfway through those named in excession.
59. Gravitas
Posted by Cargo Cult at 11:34PM, Thursday March 29 2007
"It was a scathing review of Culture ship-naming policy delivered by another Involved civilisation. They suggested that such enormously powerful and intellectually refined entities ought to have names with a little more gravitas, to reflect their near-god-like status; the immediate and sustained reaction of one of the Culture's ship manufacturies was to name all its subsequent vessels things like: Stood Far Back When The Gravitas Was Handed Out; Gravitas, What Gravitas?; Gravitas... Gravitas... No, Don't Help Me, I'll Get It In A Moment; Gravitas Free Zone; Low Gravitas Warning Signal, etc etc (including the Zen-like Absolutely No You-No-What). I am so sad I have a separate list of the Gravitas ships at home. It currently runs to about 20, I think."
http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/sciencefiction/story/0,6000,367256,00.html
60. the irony
Posted by Naurgul at 12:36AM, Friday March 30 2007
Seems like I was wrong, as usual.
*cries*
Sorry for making assumptions without knowing any better and then ranting when other people don't make the same assumptions as I do.
61. Let Me Step Out Of Character For A Sec...
Posted by Sirc at 2:11AM, Friday March 30 2007
Making assumptions comes natural to human beings. You defending your assumptions is just a misplaced output for your enthusiasm.
I honestly try not to push anything I assume too much when it comes to things that are Supposed to be wrapped in mystery. (*coughHalfLifecough*)
When you do voice your opinion, try to be flexible until the 'official answer' comes. (Since this is the only successful interaction to reveal an answer, keep it up! ;P)
I try to funnel my Enthusiasm into a more humorous approach for my fellow cyberspacians, since I always enjoy the odd chuckle.
Now that I have expended my seriousness for the month...
PREPARE ACOLYTES OF MINERVA, FOR HER ARRIVAL IS IMMINENT!!!
62. *cough*
Posted by kast at 2:25AM, Friday March 30 2007
"Imminent"?
I sure hope so but I feel more and more cynical as time goes on.
63. offtopic, but hey, the thread titles Russian...
Posted by vecima at 6:11AM, Friday March 30 2007
just bought stalker (i am refusing the acronym. it was completely unnecessary) off of a friend who didn't like it for some reason for $30 US.
i must say so far this feels like the best 30 bucks i've ever spent. i have an aging system, so i have to turn everything all the way down, and it still runs slowly. but it doesn't matter. i'm hooked. a little bit farcry, a little bit deus ex, this game is incredible. i now can't wait (even more than i couldn't wait before?) to build a new computer. but i digress.
300? yeah i saw it. it was decent mindless action entertainment. friends of mine were complaining about the conservative propaganda. supposedly that frank miller character is a 'neo-con'. for those outside US, um... google it or something.
man am i hungry now... how long was i playing stalker? i feel like i just awoke from a very long dream.... hungry and tired... where's that bread and sausage? i don't want to try eating bandages again.
to recap:
1. stalker - stupid acronym, awesome game
2. 300 - whatever.
3. sausage...
64. indeed
Posted by macc at 4:13PM, Friday March 30 2007
Thanks for the recap, otherwise I would totally lose it.:)
Stalker is indeed an awesome game, good there is something to play till Ep2 and Minerva of course.
65. AGING SYSTEMS
Posted by Nesretep at 6:00PM, Friday March 30 2007
I totally feel your pain vecima. I am running an aging - correction- aged system as well. I so can't wait until I can scrape together the cash to build again!
66. aged systems
Posted by fuzz at 8:06PM, Friday March 30 2007
tbh I get almost as much enjoyment out of building a new system as I do from playing a particular game on it, despite the week or two it always seems to take to get stability and al your apps running the way you want, etc.
course the big question now is XP or Vista? My money's on XP 'til SP1 but I'm still too skint for a new box right now anyway...
67. ...
Posted by LNL (coldshock) at 9:05PM, Friday March 30 2007
You should go with windows Vista, if your planning on playing any new games, because direct x 10 is vista only so plan on vista........
What is MINERVA based on anyways...........
68. NOOOOO
Posted by vecima at 10:12PM, Friday March 30 2007
not vista.
there are how many dx10 cards out so far anyway?
a few versions of 1. the 8800. that's it.
and how many dx10 games? is there even one yet?
sure you may like dx10, but dx9 games take a reported 20% performance hit running on vista. until you've actually got a dx10 card and a processor, ram, and hdd that can circumvent that dx9 slow-down, i'd stay with xp.
69. hmm
Posted by LNL (coldshock) at 10:53PM, Friday March 30 2007
well yea but thats wat i meant for the new DX10 only games which you would need vista for..
i maen i think vista is pretty gay, its like a knockoff of a mac but untill i need vista im gonna stick with XP.................yea
70. DX10, Games, and damn Vista
Posted by _Wizard_ at 11:29PM, Friday March 30 2007
Sure ... Vista is "gay" ... no real new features, just more cosmetics (mac like) ....
@DX10
I don't think that we will see a lot of DX10 Games in the near future (approx. 9 months). Most people got Windows XP on their machines and as XP supports DX9 only there is no reason to worry .... by now.
@ S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Haven't played it yet.
Oh ... before I forget: I don't care, whether the MINERVA package has 50 MB, 200 MB or more. I just want to play it; comment it; like it; and worship it's creator ;-)
71. Godspeed Adam
Posted by Semiloki at 11:42PM, Friday March 30 2007
Lurking here since the beginning, I watched as kast and the others cried out for more. Witnessed the birth of the new transmission. Watched as the forums appeared and vanished, then were reborn., yet I said nothing. No more!
As the end of March approaches I have checked every day (several times a day lately) awaiting for the next transmission. Alas, nothing yet. Dear master, when will you give us a sign?
*Really, Minerva is the best - I can't hardly wait.*
72. Vista? Not yet
Posted by Elyscape at 12:33AM, Saturday March 31 2007
I personally would recommend waiting until you build a new machine to install Vista. Even then, I'd only do it if you're building a machine with a DX10-capable videocard.
73. No more culture?
Posted by M_Gargantua at 7:16AM, Saturday March 31 2007
Seems me and adam are the only readers of SciFi in the croud. Of which I can be fairly confident of since none of you spoke of anything about the culture novels.
And if you consider yourself a scifi reader and don't know what im talking about. Put down the damn starwars fan fic and pick up "Consider Phlebas"
74. Culture Ships
Posted by Yar Kramer at 7:39AM, Saturday March 31 2007
Here's a website that's got a whole list of ship names: http://qntm.org/culture
And I really ought to read those novels.
76. sf
Posted by Mr Happy at 11:20AM, Saturday March 31 2007
My favorite sci-fi author is William Gibson,
everyone knows Neuromancer but his other books are *really* good too
77. Deus Ex
Posted by Au-heppa at 12:17PM, Saturday March 31 2007
Already finished playing Stalker, but luckily they started selling Deus Ex (which I have never played before) on Steam, so that's next on the line...
78. more Culture
Posted by fuzz at 1:50PM, Saturday March 31 2007
I just have a short attention span is all,
so after Look to Windward, Use of Weapons and Consider Phlebas, what others should I pick up next?
and as for vista, I always turn off the windows 'Themes' service, which gives you back the good ole' grey and blue. Apart from DX10 and *pretty*, what else has vista got that I want?
Favourite ship name:
"Necessary Evil (but still cool)"
from mr Banks' mate Ken Macleod
79. Vista
Posted by Elyscape at 9:15PM, Saturday March 31 2007
You only get DX10 if you've a compatible video card. If you do, go ahead, but otherwise, avoid. Under its current incarnation, Vista has been known to have a decreased framerate compared to XP.
The good stuff, though?
-It's got a way revamped start menu that includes:
-A search feature that doesn't suck!
-A sidebar thingamabob
-Built-in backup stuff
-Other fun stuff
Check Wikipedia for more information.
80. Frank Miller
Posted by Dracko55 at 11:37PM, Saturday March 31 2007
Anyone who says Frank Miller is a neo-con doesn't know their head from their arsehole. Or haven't actually bothered to read a single thing he's written and instead go on media-frenzy and wild assumptions from middle-brow critics.
Just saying, is all.
81. Vista
Posted by Anonymous at 6:07AM, Sunday April 1 2007
"Sure ... Vista is "gay" ... no real new features, just more cosmetics (mac like) .... "
You are either uninformed or a liar. Please don't spread this nonsense anywhere else.
82. Durandal <> Minerva related?
Posted by Kerath at 10:12AM, Sunday April 1 2007
@What is MINERVA based on anyways...........
seems to me like minerva is based (or "inspired") heavily on Bungie's Marathon games, with the whole rampant AI thing and you as a player being controlled by it.
@sci-fi
I love sci-fi, I just never really have too much time to read, I read: Dune, Alien, some Jack Vance books, the Dark Tower (if thats considered sci-fi, or fantasy, or whatever)
Never heard of any Iain M Banks though, maybe I'll look it up sometime.
@semiloki
That exactly the same as me! lurking here from the beginning and now with metastasis 3 I just started posting here.
(hmm, pretty long post, not very interesting >.>)
So, lord Cargo Cult, am I right about the "inspired by Marathon" thing?
83. Marathon inspired
Posted by rb_lestr at 11:49AM, Sunday April 1 2007
Parts of MINERVA are indeed inspired by the marathon games, with the AI and whatnot.
But the other day i was playing Halo for some reson and i was on "The Silent Cartographer" level and i couldn't help noticing how similar it and MINERVA are. I mean, MINERVA is pretty much a Half Life 2 version of The Silent Cartographer. Even the design of the island seems very close to that of the one in Halo, and the missions are almost identical. I know Adam has said in interviews that The Silent Cartographer inspired the island setting of MINERVA, i just didn't realise just how much of it.
I'm not ragging on MINERVA in any way, i'm like, a MINERVA fanboy and i check these pages everyday for updates on metastasis 3. Its just an interesting observation. If you have a copy of Halo go play that level now, you will see what i mean.
Good luck with the next installment Adam, i'm really looking forward to it.
Oh and, I've read Iain Banks, but not Iain M. Banks, is his sci fi stuff any good?
84. No Release
Posted by Semiloki at 2:45PM, Sunday April 1 2007
A had at least hoped for some foolish prank today just to keep us hooked - but no word from the leader. Perhaps it is the final compile that consumes his time...
85. "no mod is an island" (not the John Donne meditation)
Posted by locworks at 6:01PM, Sunday April 1 2007
For more info on the inspiration:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=144068
http://www.halflife2.net/2005/05/29/interview-with-adam-foster-of-minerva-part-1/
(search for "Flatulent")
86. Bioshock and Metropolis
Posted by Au-heppa at 9:12PM, Sunday April 1 2007
Hmm, doesn't this Bioshock wallpaper http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/_media/_img/downloads/wallpapers/1600x1200d.jpg remind you of Metropolis?
87. Can we get a rough estimate?
Posted by Aurynn at 10:55PM, Sunday April 1 2007
Since the March deadline just slid by, and there's still no sign of Metastasis 3.. could we get at least a small indication of where things stand?
We are all quite.. edgy here, frantic. Minerva has become.. precious, to me. I fear waiting but a single day more..
88. Minerva
Posted by LNL (coldshock) at 11:36PM, Sunday April 1 2007
Im surpised that so many people are actually hyped up about the next minerva transmission since the other two were short and you didnt get too much out of it, but im still waitin for the next.....
And.... STALKER: SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL
looks awesome i might get it heres the site...........http://www.stalker-videogame.com/......
89. "When it's done"
Posted by Cargo Cult at 11:56PM, Sunday April 1 2007
That enough for you? ;-)
It's absolutely not dead, rather it's more alive than it's ever been. I'm really sorry for it taking so long - but it's definitely being worked on. So much so, that I hadn't even time to *think* about some kind of April 1st prank.
Although I was rather ... flushed with excitement at the prospect of Google's new venture:
http://www.google.com/tisp/
90. o
Posted by Siman at 3:23AM, Monday April 2 2007
well thats nice of google but instead of like looking at useless stuff why don't you look at the game please and the maps them selfs arnt that big its jest the way there used in the game its self and 100mb isnt much since im on a t1 line 6mbps up and back but please don't have a ending like halo 2.
91. Went is't done
Posted by Semiloki at 3:52AM, Monday April 2 2007
Adam is not dead - check.
He's been busy - check.
A few days more - ???
92. Patience
Posted by Elyscape at 3:56AM, Monday April 2 2007
Oh, come on, Siman. It's not like he's getting paid for this or anything. He's doing it for us, in his free time. You can't expect him to focus his entire life around it.
93. I can wait
Posted by Mr. Happy at 5:08AM, Monday April 2 2007
I just realized something,
The longer it takes to finish, the longer we have to wait to play it,
and the longer we have to wait, the more quaiity time I have to spend with Hammer before Minerva is AWAKENED, and I stop making any progress.
So I guess, oddly enough, I'm all for delays.... you go ahead and give yourself a nice long month to polish it off Adam :D
94. G00gl TiSP RoxxxxOrss (not a quote from any randomly chosen gaming forum )
Posted by locworks at 10:03AM, Monday April 2 2007
OMG LOL i checked it out and it rulezzzz!!!
(Happy poisson d'avril!)
95. yes, mr. happy, delays....
Posted by vecima at 8:30PM, Monday April 2 2007
you make a good point there, mr. happy. except that with stalker out, i haven't touched hammer in a week anyway.
this is not a good time for development of my mod. oh well, i hope these things wear off by mid april at least. this friday i move into my condo, then sometime after that, i'll play through minerva, and in the mean time more stalker...ahh stalker, she wraps me up, and blinds me from the rest of the world for as long as i can keep her running. she's not the most butiful gal at the dance, running at minimum graphics settings, but for now, she is the most complex, and my infatuation with her involved, and yet remains... mysterious.
sorry. i haven't been myself lately. all i can think about is ensuring i have enough food and ammo to carry me to strelok. i could make it a week on money from my artifacts alone, but even then, these bandits seem like they're getting desparate, and no less dangerous.
96. I AM ENTITLED TO HAVE THE MOD NOW
Posted by Vague Deductor at 12:15AM, Tuesday April 3 2007
(because... uh... I'm just that awesome).
Just kidding. Anyway, I certainly don't have the right to demand anything, but I would really enjoy a progress update (not a release date, just... what's going on?)
97. I AM ENTITLED TO HAVE A GIRLFRIEND NOW
Posted by Elyscape at 12:54AM, Tuesday April 3 2007
What? It's true. I just fail it.
98. ETA yet?
Posted by xbskid at 4:03AM, Tuesday April 3 2007
Am I entitled to have the mod now too? :(
99. After some carefully Vague Detective work, and very Vague Deduction.....
Posted by Mr. Happy at 4:36AM, Tuesday April 3 2007
I have determined that he posted a progress update less than two days ago (just look up!)
What do you want, minute by minute? Let me help....
(/me climbs inside Adam's head. It's gooey in here!)
He just moved a vertex!
OMG, a light has been brightened by five units!
A test compile...
45 minutes later....
Perfect, just five more brightness!
Ok, now, jesus did you see that??? He delayed a soldiers script by ten seconds!!!!
Hmmm....this hallway could use another pipe....
Making it up, but get my drift? ;-)
100. TiSP
Posted by Yar Kramer at 9:58AM, Wednesday April 4 2007
*slow, sarcastic applause*
Okay, seriously though. I will simply await the next installment of Minerva with not only baited breath, I've actually set the trap this time.
101. TiSP actually works!
Posted by Sortie at 2:40PM, Wednesday April 4 2007
Well, I ordered TiSP today, and I'm very confused. It actually works, I'm writing from my PSP 3 right now using TiSP.
Thanks Adam!
103. A little too quiet
Posted by Semiloki at 3:54AM, Friday April 6 2007
Yep, a little too quiet. Methinks Adam is either at the pub or finishing MINERVA. My hope is for the latter, but since I bought Supreme Commander, I can wait a bit longer.
104. The Quiet Before The Storm
Posted by Sirc at 8:29PM, Friday April 6 2007
Hopefully 'The Storm' will be a flurry of updates and not another string of complaints from fellow 'Waiters.'
105. The Breaking of the Storm
Posted by M_Gargantua at 3:27AM, Sunday April 8 2007
Will actually be the unvieling of some shiny thing for us to think is a storm while adam thinks up another way to prevent violent mobs instead of working on finishing this.
106. Whoa...
Posted by Nesretep at 8:53AM, Sunday April 8 2007
That seems a little rash to say that he isn't working on the mod. I'm sure that like most people he actually has a life outside of the MINERVA mod. We might like to think otherwise at times, but I'm guessing that he has other interests and obligations which may at times trump work on the mod (believe it or not!).
108. Understanding Patience
Posted by Sirc at 8:43PM, Sunday April 8 2007
I'm a little glad that MINERVA is like Half Life. It will be worked upon till it's flawless and ready. It might be annoying to wait, but when it comes we can savor it all the better.
109. Teasers?
Posted by xbskid at 6:16AM, Monday April 9 2007
Would be nice for Adam to tease us with the splash screen glamor shot for one of the new maps.
110. Re: teasers
Posted by Yar Kramer at 6:23AM, Monday April 9 2007
Nice, yes.
In-character for him ... not so much, I don't think.
111. Teaser
Posted by Sortie at 10:25AM, Monday April 9 2007
Well, he already gave us a shot long time ago. :P
112. Patience?
Posted by Evan at 5:17AM, Wednesday April 11 2007
I appreciate the fact that MINERVA is going to be so worked on. The last thing I want is a mediocre map with poor gameplay and little to no engaging storyline. That's just not how Adam works.
However, there is a definite difference between 'teaching us patience' and just... well... Torturing us.
D:
113. ZOMG SPAM!!!
Posted by Sirc at 7:28AM, Wednesday April 11 2007
THE SPAM IS BACK!!! IT HAS BREACHED THE WEST WALL!!!
(The kind not related to MINERVA...)
I wish people would put their talents to a more constructive use. Like making mods like MINERVA or solving world hunger.
While it is a 'torturous' wait till MINERVA, it helps us reflect on things we already have... Like MINERVA Part 1... and MINERVA Part 2... GAHH!! I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!!!
What ways do you suggest coping with the wait?
114. Fire and Forget
Posted by Elyscape at 7:45AM, Wednesday April 11 2007
I highly recommend this game: http://files.filefront.com/6698650
It's short, but awesome.
115. *sigh*
Posted by rb_lestr at 11:54AM, Wednesday April 11 2007
I had a dream.
A dream where Adam announced the release of Metastasis 3.
But sadly,
It was not to be.
116. PSST
Posted by pietro at 1:13PM, Wednesday April 11 2007
guys, what if adam is listiening to us RIGHT NOW and HOLDING OFF MINERVA until we stop complaining about the wait?
........................what? just a thought!
117. to adam
Posted by vecima at 3:41PM, Wednesday April 11 2007
please do NOT release this mod ever.
i know it sounds crazy, but i got some insider information that someone has hacked your computer and attached some sort of listening program and a virus...
118. to adam
Posted by vecima at 3:41PM, Wednesday April 11 2007
if players kill the third ######### in 'D##th Charg#' with the ### ma##ine gun (the one that ####s like ### mp7), they'll le# #oose a vir## call#d ###### that's bou#d to #rash ##e i#ter#et!
i t##nk #####e tryi## to sto# me #ro# g#ttin# t#e ##rd out. i #hould p##babl# li# low #or a ##il#.
119. to vecima
Posted by DarkLord7854 at 4:34AM, Thursday April 12 2007
please do Not release your posts ever.
i know this sounds crazy, but I got some insider information that someone has hacked your computer and attached some sort of listening program and a virus
if surfers read the third #### on t##s w#####e with the b#####r fi##fox (the one that like ### use) they'll le# #oose a vir## call#d #### hat's bou#l to #rash ##e i#ter#et!
i t##ink #####e tryi## to sto# me #ro# g#ttin# t#e ##rd out. i #ould p##babl# gro# u# for # ##il# if I w### y#o
:p
124. ...
Posted by The Internet at 4:44AM, Friday April 13 2007
I walked up to two of my friends today, and told them Vonnegut was dead.
The response I got was "Who?"
One of them hadn't even heard of Slaughterhouse-Five.
So it goes, indeed.
125. ...
Posted by Sirc at 6:39AM, Friday April 13 2007
(Continuing the '...' for the Moment of Silence)
They were running all kinds of specials on his life today.
Made me Reminisce...
128. ...
Posted by Esvandiary at 3:29PM, Saturday April 14 2007
Ok, enough silence. Surely soon it must be time for more blowing stuff up? Adam? Please? :P
129. And, on an altogether unrelated note...
Posted by Esvandiary at 4:15PM, Saturday April 14 2007
... I seem to have posted that before I've posted it. o_0
Aren't you from the UK, Adam? It seems your webhosting isn't :P (it's 3:14 here now... let's see if your server can cook up a similarly elegant time for me to have posted this... ;D)
130. Uk? Ireland?
Posted by Sortie at 9:57AM, Sunday April 15 2007
I somehow got the uncomfirmed impression that Adam is from Ireland.
Anyways, hope Minerva is evolving to a closer release date, as always.
131. on Adam being from the UK...
Posted by Nesretep at 3:55PM, Sunday April 15 2007
Well that's true that Adam is from the UK, but he currently resides in Brussels if I remember correctly. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this one, OK?
132. Aha...
Posted by Esvandiary at 8:01PM, Sunday April 15 2007
... perhaps you're right Nesretep (is that a Frawd Der reference I see there? I do hope so :P), and he's subtlely reminding us of it ;)
OT again - my gravatar works! Huzzah! Although you can't see much of it.. :(
And again, because i've got a week's holiday left and not much to do in it..... We want Metastasis 3! Adam, I'll take the Eurostar and poke you with a big stick if you don't release it soon! :P
133. on an unrelated note about adam not being not from the UK
Posted by vecima at 4:49PM, Monday April 16 2007
adam foster
uncle fester
coincidence? i think not.
134. Good observation
Posted by MrHappy at 8:42PM, Monday April 16 2007
That certainly explains ALOT
135. The guy who postes this...
Posted by Sortie at 8:52AM, Tuesday April 17 2007
Hmm. Garry newMAN!
136. Farewell Nightwatch
Posted by xbskid at 4:35PM, Tuesday April 17 2007
It's sad to hear that Nightwatch got canned. What's worse is that I didn't figure it out until I came across an old bookmark for it while spring-cleaning my hard drives.
137. Adam use Valve Time...
Posted by Julian at 6:08PM, Tuesday April 17 2007
definitely Adam use Valve Time http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time
lol
:D
139. It's...
Posted by Jumbles at 1:46AM, Wednesday April 18 2007
an ex mod.
http://www.hl-nightwatch.net/
140. Now...
Posted by geekofalltrades at 2:07AM, Wednesday April 18 2007
Now we just have to find out whatever happened to Coil.
142. Coil
Posted by M_Gargantua at 6:09AM, Wednesday April 18 2007
I talk to kol daily.
Coil will be in Re-issues
143. Lost Mods
Posted by Lewk at 4:42AM, Thursday April 19 2007
In the same taste as the last few comments, I'd like to find out what happened to the mod 'HL2 Insurrection'.
It was in the same boat as minerva; No new fancy models or textures, but sorta like extra levels and story for the HL2 universe. It looked so promising too. Their last news update showed that they reworked the maps in HDR and then weeks later, BooM! There website dissapeared and I haven't found anything on this mod since.
The weblinks still there though: http://www.hl2-insurrection.net/
144. Mods
Posted by Holy Socks at 6:41PM, Thursday April 19 2007
I'm not really keeping track of many mods other than MINERVA and Nightfall, the problem is telling the ones that are going to fail and never be released from the ones that are actually going to be finished.
Perhaps more mod teams would benefit from taking Adams approach of concentrating on something small such as a single map rather than trying to make a full length game straight away.
145. Yeah the Adam way..
Posted by Sortie at 10:21AM, Friday April 20 2007
Yeah, I'm making a SP mod, and I try to do it somewhat the Adam way, building one map at the time, and releasing what I've done so far. And in the end I'll have a full SP mod. I guess. :P
146. updates?
Posted by rb_lestr at 7:22PM, Friday April 20 2007
Just wondering how things are coming along?
Any updates for us Adam?
147. 'Episodic Updates'
Posted by Sirc at 8:04PM, Friday April 20 2007
Whether people consider it blasphemy or not, for a mod, 'Episodic Updates' seem to be the best working for single player games. (MINVERA, Half Life) It gives the developer time to perfect the next stage and ensure that the 'feeling' of the maps are never lost. I'll admit that in some cases their may be 'huge' gaps between episodes, but if the project still runs even if there are holes, I'll take the wait over nothing.
148. Ballad Of Black Mesa
Posted by Jumbles at 10:27AM, Saturday April 21 2007
I wish I could say I had the talent to make something like this...
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/466894/ballad_of_black_mesa/
149. pink writing
Posted by boff at 12:02AM, Sunday April 22 2007
Okay I've been staring at to much web code and
things looking weird again.....or I've just started to pay attention to small details.....
Is it me or is the text on the main page......pink?
151. .........
Posted by LNL(coldshock) at 2:12AM, Sunday April 22 2007
well havent checked up in awhile so..................has any1 even heard from adam, are we sure hes still alive lol
152. state of affairs
Posted by Vague Deductor at 2:46AM, Sunday April 22 2007
He yet lives. No word on the state of the mod, though.
153. Adam Lives!
Posted by Evan at 2:30AM, Monday April 23 2007
I like to imagine Adam constantly sitting over his computer, slaving away at making us an utterly perfect mod.
In reality, he's probably sitting somewhere with a cup of tea in hand.
154. Re: if(('Episodic Updates' )&&(pimp_my_mod))
Posted by vecima at 2:58AM, Monday April 23 2007
{
my small team is taking a similar approach (an episodic one);
the damnedest part of it is that I'm doing almost every job myself now. of all the people in the communities we can't seem to attract a dedicated mapper. i know how to map, but for me to reach something of real quality takes a long, long time. plus i'm busy contributing models & code;
anyway, with any luck (or with any help) our mods first two chapters should be out sometime this summer.
if you're interested:
http://www.phillymod.type3studios.com
(may the hand of adam strike me down for spamming his blog for my own needs).
}
155. Shame on you
Posted by MrHappy at 4:10AM, Monday April 23 2007
thou shalt not take glory away from adam.
that said, I've been checking on your project here and there for quite some time now, glad to see there's somthing coming out of it soon :D
there seems to have been an onslaught of small sp packs released lately
156. I saw nothing...
Posted by Nesretep at 3:32PM, Monday April 23 2007
I visited your mods' site yesterday as well, vecima. The screenshots look great. I also think that it is awesome that you are introducing some new "main characters" into the Half-life universe. Anybody making a decent SP mod for HL2 deserves my appreciation. I have always found it kinda hard to play multiplayer games over dialup. :-) I hope that you are able to stay on schedule and get your mod out as planned. Then it should come out about the time I finish MINERVA's third installment!
157. vecima
Posted by LNL(coldshock) at 10:09PM, Tuesday April 24 2007
hey vecima i checked out ur site and ur mod looks awesome and when do you think you'll be done with the first couple chapters?
158. @LNL(coldshock)
Posted by vecima at 10:29PM, Friday April 27 2007
we're currently aiming for 2 - 4 months from now for the first release (6 or so maps)
159. PreobrajenskySuka
Posted by PreobrajenskySuka at 2:51PM, Saturday April 28 2007
Sorry, but topic starter, you are sure?
prof.Preobrajensky.
Good luck!
161. PreobrajenskySuka1
Posted by PreobrajenskySuka1 at 2:15AM, Friday May 4 2007
Hallo, but colleague, <b>you are sure?</b>
prof.Preobrajensky.
Bye
162. PreobrajenskySuka2
Posted by PreobrajenskySuka2 at 6:15AM, Sunday May 6 2007
Sorry, but colleague, <b>you are sure?</b>
prof.Preobrajensky.
Bye
163. What.
Posted by Elyscape at 6:47AM, Sunday May 6 2007
What the hell is up with this PreobrajenskySuka person?
164. I hope I'm Wrong...
Posted by Sirc at 9:27AM, Sunday May 6 2007
Judging by the randomness and lack of creativity...
Either a troll or a spam bot.
In both cases a rather agrovating waste of our time better spent waiting for MINERVA...
165. whoa. like you guys said that in 2 boards!
Posted by vecima at 11:28PM, Tuesday May 8 2007
prof.Preobrajensky.
are you sure? surely not! the very nature of being sure is incapable of proving itself, correct? how can you be sure that you are sure?
167. any news
Posted by LNL(coldshock) at 1:12AM, Sunday May 20 2007
well i finally got my computer back so im checkin up............seems like theres nothin new
wats goin on man
Article is now closed for commenting.
1. Russian!
Posted by kast at 10:26PM, Friday March 16 2007
Excellent. Russian language pack will make an interest compliment to playing STALKER. Perhaps round it off with a nice evening with Hunt For Red October and a bottle of vodka.