Spore!

[deepdweller]

Has anyone else heard about this new "sim-evolution" game by Will Wright?

If you have what do you think about it so far?

If you havent go to spore.com or google search spore, It's very cool.

P.S., I CANT WAIT UNTILL IT COMES OUT!!!!!

[NEO|Phyte]

Aye, there's been threads about it before.
Looks to be good times when it comes out, whenever that is.

[deepdweller]

Yeah, it's suppoused to come out this year in the third quarter.

[wolfwithnofangs]

Where are the other threads about it?

[Arlanthe]

I agree. There was a thread running on it a few months ago, but the fact the devs have been eerily silent about it lately doesn't give us much to talk about. I eagerly await its release, and hope it is everything it is cracked up to be.

I surmise we will not see it until 2008 at this point.

[Foucault]

In fact, there has been some considerable news, but not where you might look for it. Rather than the normal gaming press, its been coming out through outlets like The Long Now Foundation and South By South West.

If you go to http://www.fora.tv (http://www.fora.tv/) and search "Will Wright" you'll find a keynote by him and Brian Eno thats pretty enlightening.

For something more recent try this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-NOHyWE2x8&mode=related&search=). It is a keynote address from March 13 by Wright at SXSW that includes a good portion of gameplay footage. It shows some changes in the interface and some other neat tidbits. From that the game really looks finished, so I'd say Q3 looks about right. There goes my fall semester.

[lumberofdabeast]

You know, Terry Pratchet says multiple exclamation points are a sure sign of a diseased mind...

Anyway, yeah, we're getting it the day it comes out. Whenever that is. Of course, the computer will probably need substancial upgrades, but hey, that just means I can pick up SupCom as well.

[Om]

Meh. It'll be a god game that will let you do anything. Ergo you'll be bored after an hour or two.

[Foucault]

From what I've read and watched they are well aware of that problem. For the first several stages of the game there are definite objectives, mainly evolve your creature or society to achieve the next stage. The only truly open ended stage is the final one where you have the UFO. Evidently in development they made if completely free form, and got the response from testers that they were a little overwhelmed and not sure what to do. So they wrote in optional missions to the endgame to alleviate the "I can do anything so what do I do" problem.

On a similar note, I fully expect to be spending half my time just in the Editors, not playing the game. They just look too powerful not to fool around with and create some crazy stuff.

[1dominator]

The editor is what I am most impressed about, the fact that you can design anything from a carebear to a weird chicken thing is just amazing.
-Dom

[wolfwithnofangs]

On sporewiki (http://www.sporewiki.com/Main_Page) it says there are about 135 days until Spore's release.

[deepdweller]

I'm just wondering, does anyone have any ideas about creatures they will try to create? I have about 5 diffrent ideas.

[lumberofdabeast]

I'm gonna see just how closely I can replicate the Tau.

[Dragor]

A land-hogging octopus with vast intelligence but very arrogant and slooow. Sort of like the Daleks but without the crazy armour.

Hehe, I can't wait for this.

[Morrandir]

I'm making a kobold-like creature, then abandoning them at the Tribal stage to be little annoying beasts on planets.

Good times.

[averagejoe]

I want to go into the space game (where you supposedly can "genetically engineer" new creatures with the creature editor, then set aside a planet to populate with dinosaurs.

[Icewalker]

I have been looking forward to this game for SO LONG!

Definitely going to be an AMAZING game. I wonder if you don't have to go up onto land....that'd be awesome.

This game will be soooo fun, but they keep moving the release date back :smallfrown:

It was originally 3rd quarter LAST year :smallfurious:

I can't wait though, gonna be amazing
Cept my computer will probably suck too much to run it :smallfrown:

[The Orange Zergling]

Going to populate an entire planet with Zerg critters. If not possible, Scrin/Zerg. If still not possible, whatever pops into my head.

[Ranis]

Keep in mind you must have Vista to play Spore.

[Icewalker]

Keep in mind you must have Vista to play Spore.

When did that happen?


OOOOOH Zerg, nice idea. I dunno if it's possible to make them as your race, as there are loads of different zerg, but I'm totally populating some random planet with zerg/terran/protoss and see if they'll duke it out.

[Morrandir]

Last I checked, yes, you can develop an underwater civilization.

[Icewalker]

Niiiiiice, this'll be fun....

Man, I can't wait.

Also, I found no confirmation on the "Vista only" thing, other than someone saying they heard a rumour and about 100 people saying that if they did so it'd be the dumbest thing ever.

[turtleant120]

I think I just had an evo-gasm.:smallbiggrin:
Heh, you should write these down.:smalltongue:

[Gralamin]

Niiiiiice, this'll be fun....

Man, I can't wait.

Also, I found no confirmation on the "Vista only" thing, other than someone saying they heard a rumour and about 100 people saying that if they did so it'd be the dumbest thing ever.

Thats because It would be.

[Icewalker]

Thats because It would be.

Yeah basically. I hope that doesn't happen, I don't want Vista on this comp. But I'd do it for Spore I think.

[Inyssius Tor]

sigh

spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34981) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17375) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17546) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37886) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3694)
spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34981&page=2) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099&page=2)
spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34981&page=3) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099&page=3)
spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34981&page=4) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099&page=4)
spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34981&page=5) spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099&page=5)
spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099&page=6)
spore (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17099&page=7)

[Icewalker]

Wow, thats impressive. Except most of them are on the same 2-3 threads.

[Foucault]

Hehe, yea there are a lot of Spore threads here.

On Vista, that would be extraordinarily dumb. But seeing as the demos have been run on machines without vista, I doubt it will happen. Also Maxis is not a vassal of Microsoft, as Bungie is, which is why Halo 2 is Vista only.

For creatures I'm going to make a Illithid/Cthulu race, and possibly Dagons too. Then I'm going to try to make a building set that fits them. The real question is if I can make things that conform to Non-Euclidean geometries in their Euclidean construction set. But that's why I'm taking Introduction to Topology next fall.

Then I'm making the Cylon vehicles from the new Battlestar Galatica. Sadly I don't think the creature editor would let me make the Centurions, being robots and all. But I want a Basestar as my UFO.

[Icewalker]

Ooh Illithid, I need to start writing down ideas, damn...

and CYLONS, definitely...

Yeah, it might be possible to make them as I doubt you can make flat shiny surfaces. Too bad really.

[Ranis]

Okay, I revoke what was said above. I do distinctly remember that a few months ago, it was Vista only. I remember that for a fact.

But no longer.

http://www.sporerevolution.com/system_requirements/index.html

Apparently, they dumbed down the graphics enough to not include DirectX10, or there will be two different versions. Still somewhat RAM requirements, but overall not all too bad. Says it won't be any more graphically demanding than World of Warcraft, which surprises me.

[ufo]

I'm not really sure.

I would love it, but the automatic creature download...

I'm sure there's thousands out there making comepletely realistic spiders, just to bother the arachnophobics.

[Foucault]

I wouldn't say the dumbed down the graphics at all. The current generation of DX10 games are things like Crysis and Halo 2. They are much more detailed than Spore; which I think does have graphics on the level of WoW, given I've played the latter and watched every video I could find of the former. Besides, as it stands Vista doesn't have the market penetration to make only supporting it a good idea. Add to that the heft price tag of a DX10 capable graphics card, and the idea just get worse and worse.

In any case, it has been suggested that the graphics card won't be the limiting factor for Spore. Because everything is procedurally generated the game may be limited by the CPU and RAM rather than the GPU.

And for pollinated content, it generates them based on preferences. If you keep telling the game you don't like eight-legged furry creatures it will stop importing them. You can evidently even go so far as to request that it preferentially download content from you friends, so its not just random content.

[Dr._Weird]

It's not going to be Vista-exclusive. Will Wright is a benevolent master.

[deepdweller]

I think I just had an evo-gasm.:smallbiggrin:



ha, nice.


but anyway, one of my creature ideas was something along the lines of a scorpian mixed with an elephant.

[Dr._Weird]

Hmm, does anyone know if one can make plants in the space-stage? I just had an idea for a tree that grows babies instead of fruit.

[Foucault]

There is a flora editor once you get the technology. Making it spawn creatures might be a problem, but then again you might be able to make it have fruit that looks like babies. Thats the one of the few editor's they haven't put video up anywhere.

[Dr._Weird]

They don't have to drop and grow into human beings, I just want fruit that looks exactly like a baby. Woo.

[turtleant120]

They don't have to drop and grow into human beings, I just want fruit that looks exactly like a baby. Woo.

It keeps people from eating its fruit by appealing to their sense of humanity. I like it!

[geez3r]

When this game come out, its going to be roughly around the time I got back to college. All 5 of my room mates have said that they will get the game and I will too. We camped out for Wii and we will camp out for spore, we probably won't need to, but it was so fun the first time, we'll do it again.

We'll all be racing to get to the space exploration stage so we can find each other's planets and blow them to smithereens, just for bragging rights. I doubt I'll win the race though, I'm a little to exact when it comes to customization and the like.

[averagejoe]

I do know this: in the civ stage, all my viehicles, bar none, including the ones that fly and submarines, will be walkers. Mecha FTW.

[ufo]

And for pollinated content, it generates them based on preferences. If you keep telling the game you don't like eight-legged furry creatures it will stop importing them. You can evidently even go so far as to request that it preferentially download content from you friends, so its not just random content.

HaHAH! Nice, thanks for that piece of info!

And I can't wait 'till vehicle creation stage! Hehehe..

[Flying Elephant]

I'm not really sure.

I would love it, but the automatic creature download...

I'm sure there's thousands out there making comepletely realistic spiders, just to bother the arachnophobics.
I am, as other people have said, afraid of some people making... inapropriate things. I don't want my little creature to be eaten by one just as my parents walk into the room!

[Murongo]

This game is gonna be awesome. Anyone who downloads my vicious industrio-militaristic space dragons is gonna be pissed.

They said late-game you can creature edit any time you want and make any creature. How cool would it be if you exterminated a race down to the last guy, abducted the last guy, changed his creature very slightly (give it a brand of some kind) and re-created it as a slave race to reoccupy their cities? Then you could add the same "brand" to every race you exterminate and start a legion of mind-slave races to do all the industrial work!

Oh its gonna be so sweet.

[blackout]

I will first make a completely original race. Following that, I will make a collection of bio-engineered slave-races, including by not limited to:

The Tau(40K).
The Kroot(40K).
The Vespid(40K).
The Sangheili, AKA The Elites(Halo).
The Unggoy, AKA The Grunts(Halo).
The Lekgolo, AKA The Hunters(Halo).
The Jiralhanae, AKA The Brutes(Halo 2).
The Kig-Yar, AKA The Jackals(Halo).
The Zerg(Starcraft).
The Protoss(Starcraft).
And, of course, Humans.

:) ALL WILL HAIL THE FORERUNNER EMPIRE!

[Dihan]

I want to make swarms of tiny ninja squirrels...

[Foucault]

I'll have to add to my list, blackout reminded me that the Skaven from Warhammer Fantasy need to be included. Then just for kicks I want to make a race who's spine is a helix. Also, if its possible, the blue ball-lightning Martians from Bradbury's The Fire Balloons should be made. But they have telekinetic powers and no corporeal bodies, so I doubt it.

And I second the mecha, but my airforce is going to be Vipers from Battlestar Galactica. An I might try to make a Mechanical Hound from Fahrenheit 451, who knows. I might even have enough time to go to classes and work.

I can't wait for this game.

[Dr._Weird]

The Zerg(Starcraft).

:) ALL WILL HAIL THE FORERUNNER EMPIRE!

I dunno how you're planning on doing Zerg. Too many different strains, and, well, Zerg as a slave race? Pshhhhh.

Also, Halo/Halo 2 spoilers

The Forerunners have been heavily hinted to be humans- in fact if you pay attention they're almost definitely humans. So I think you've got that covered, you don't need a unique race to be the Forerunners.

[blackout]

I dunno how you're planning on doing Zerg. Too many different strains, and, well, Zerg as a slave race? Pshhhhh.

Also, Halo/Halo 2 spoilers

The Forerunners have been heavily hinted to be humans- in fact if you pay attention they're almost definitely humans. So I think you've got that covered, you don't need a unique race to be the Forerunners.

Yes. Zerg as a slave race. Also, I was just gonna use Zerglin's for the Zerg.

Who says it's gonna be the same Forerunners? :smallcool:

[wolfwithnofangs]

I am, as other people have said, afraid of some people making... inapropriate things. I don't want my little creature to be eaten by one just as my parents walk into the room!
I read somewhere that they are going to allow players to flag inapropriate creatures to be removed.

[Foucault]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just saw this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6638771.stm) on the BBC's website. Apparently EA no longer thinks it can count on Spore to be sold during the 2007 financial year, which then pushes the release date back to after March 2008. However, I have not been able to confirm it on any spore-related websites. ARG! I really need to find something to play in the interim.

[blackout]

.......nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Dr._Weird]

That just means the final game will be more polished. We don't want another game rushed to meet some deadline. We want Spore.

[deepdweller]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just saw this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6638771.stm) on the BBC's website. Apparently EA no longer thinks it can count on Spore to be sold during the 2007 financial year, which then pushes the release date back to after March 2008. However, I have not been able to confirm it on any spore-related websites. ARG! I really need to find something to play in the interim.

That sucks, but then again Dr. weird has a point

[blackout]

I still wish they'd post a demo, or something. Y'know, let us drool over THAT to keep us satiated until the finished product is released.

[Icewalker]

Man, I hope I can run it on my computer. It isn't massively new, and this is gonna be huge, huh. I heard that it isn't because the entire thing is procedural, although I honestly don't really know what that'd do.

[Dr._Weird]

The whole procedural thing is amazing really. Entire worlds will take up a few KBs in the Spore folder. :smallcool:

[Foucault]

Yea, the procedural content is an amazing idea. It's what allows the insanely powerful Editors and such. I do Computer Science and may be TAing a course on the effects of digital technology on art and literature, and we brought up Spore's algorithm based content in the course. It leads into the question of whether computers can produce 'art'; given a sufficiently sophisticated algorithm they can certainly produce objects that are visually appealing. But some people balk at calling that 'art' because it lacks emotional investment, or something similar.

In other news I was browsing Sporewiki (http://www.sporewiki.com/Main_Page) and found something interesting. Apparently (http://www.sporewiki.com/Technology) Wright said that once you get the UFO you will be able to add robotic parts to your and other races, or create entirely new robotic races. There was no link to 'proof' though.

Can you tell I have far too much free time and am far to interested in this game?

[averagejoe]

That's another thing; it isn't just spore I'm excited about, but what may come after. What this means for games in general. This could, potentially, change everything.

[Foucault]

Yea, thats one of the things we talked about. Theres a comparison between early film and games. Early films were usually just adventures or mysteries, pure entertainment. Then came Citizen Kane and everything changes. Film became an artform that you could legitimately make a political point with, an accepted form of social commentary. We talked about how gaming is awaiting its "version of Citizen Kane", that makes gaming both mainstream and socially relevant. I think, personally, Spore has a lot of potential to be that game.

[Pagz]

Delayed?

Nooooooo....

Oh well... at least we know we'll get quality. I cant wait untill it comes out though, we should make a Gitp universe, make sure we all have eachother's races in our universe.

that'd be so awesom!

I cant wait for this game, its probably good that its comming out later though, cause i'd probably fail my exams due to lack of sleep.

[Om]

We talked about how gaming is awaiting its "version of Citizen Kane", that makes gaming both mainstream and socially relevant. I think, personally, Spore has a lot of potential to be that game.Wouldn't that be the Sims?:smallwink:

Personally I'm more skeptical. I've seen all this hype before (Black & White anyone?) and I don't give it much credit. In the end, and regardless of the tech used, Spore will stand or fall by how it plays as a game.

[Foucault]

Wouldn't that be the SimsThere are arguments for all sorts of games to be "it", it's a very much discussed topic among people study digital technology and its social ramifications. If theres is one game that does it it will be easier to look back and say that was "it" than try and predict it.

As for it's life and death by its how it plays I think thats true on some levels, certainly sales, market penetration, and "fun". But to beat a dead horse with the Citizen Kane comparison, a lot of people don't like the movie. They think its too long, too slow, too confusing. However, I'd be very surprised if you could find someone who studies film that says its not important.

All right, I'm done with the academia now. Sorry to bore you all with my little obsession with digital art and social impact. I'll shut up and return you to your normal Spore conversation.

What are going to make?:smallbiggrin:

[Tekar]

Personally I'm more skeptical. I've seen all this hype before (Black & White anyone?) and I don't give it much credit. In the end, and regardless of the tech used, Spore will stand or fall by how it plays as a game.
Yeah, I'm also getting a B&W vibe out of this game and it's hype. Let's hope the result will be better tough. I'm going to wait for the player reviews before buying it in any case.

[Dr._Weird]

So, I get the feeling I'm alone in liking B&W. I thought it was fun.

I think I'll make Cthulhu. Or at least a small version, since the upper limit is elephant-size.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Seeing as Cthulhu can change his size at will there is no 'small Cthulhu'

[Om]

There are arguments for all sorts of games to be "it", it's a very much discussed topic among people study digital technology and its social ramifications. If theres is one game that does it it will be easier to look back and say that was "it" than try and predict it.The problem with this is that you are assuming the existence of an "it". Sure we can acknowledge that there are seminal games/films out there but I don't see how you can pinpoint the one game that changes everything. Let's not forget that Kane was preceded by Potemkin

Of course to my mind the whole film-movie comparison is horribly flawed in the first place. These are two different mediums, two different industries, and any comparison is going to be tenuous at best. At least every since the interactive movie craze thankfully died.

This has inspired me though. I'll start drawing up plans for my race of sleigh riding magnates :smalltongue:

[Jarelk]

I just read this thread and I am already completely hypnotized by the wonder that is Spore.

I already have tons of ideas for races. Preferably some sort of two-legged rhino that attacks by charging in a square formation. And when the front row gets wounded they break and gather at the back.

Ooh, and a mind-controlling hybrid.

Say, reading all this, I have a question.
Is the game going to have a campaign or is it more of a "start and make the story your own"?

Oh, and since you can apparantly edit everything, can you make some sort of campaign all yourself?

[Erloas]

Spore might be an interesting and great game, it might even have some long term impact on computer gaming, but it is not going to be a mainstream game that changes the way people look at games. The type of game Spore is is not the type of game for most people. I also don't see much of the game being "socially relivent" in any major way.

In terms of being "socially relivent" and appeal to the mainstream population that isn't gamers, it is more of games like the Sims, Second Life, and MMOs. WoW for instance, while not being statistically as big as many single player games, seems to have drawn a lot of people into gaming that didn't play before. The social interaction in MMOs are also what starts to make them more socially relivent, its also what makes them attractive to non-gamers. I don't see in what way Spore is going to be a mainstream draw or how it is going to redefine what people think of games.

As far as procedurely generated content, its actually been in place in small amounts for a while now, ragedoll and any major physics engines are all run-time procedurely oriented content and animiation. What Spore is doing is bring it to a new level and doing everything procedurely instead of based on animation for most things. While its interesting, the real reason it hasn't been done a lot before is because its not very practical. When you have thousands of different models that need to be animated in different ways it makes a lot of sense to do them procedurely, but seeing as how most games only use at most a hundred different models that need their own animation sets it isn't worth the time and processing needs to do them procedurely. Spore can also get away with it because it seems to be a relatively slow paced game, and not one that is going to have major issues if it takes a little while to generate and run new procedures.

Its not so much that no other game has or could do procedurely oriented animation, its just that no other game has had a huge need and could get away with the huge increase in system preformance that heavy procedurely generated content will demand.

[Foucault]

The problem with this is that you are assuming the existence of an "it". Sure we can acknowledge that there are seminal games/films out there but I don't see how you can pinpoint the one game that changes everything. Let's not forget that Kane was preceded by Potemkin

Of course to my mind the whole film-movie comparison is horribly flawed in the first place. These are two different mediums, two different industries, and any comparison is going to be tenuous at best. At least every since the interactive movie craze thankfully died. I never claimed it was a good comparison, just that its been made. There are numerous fallacies with it; besides the fact that it can be almost entirely subjective. I supposes it's telling that my class on this subject was unable to even come up with a definition of "Art" that we agreed on, much less get a solid conclusion on this subject. I guess that's a reason I study Physics rather than English. There's no "right" answer in this.

And you're magnate race should be aquatic. Otherwise how are you going to get your domed cities to look like snow globes?

[Dr._Weird]

Seeing as Cthulhu can change his size at will there is no 'small Cthulhu'

Ah, really? I'm no Lovecraft scholar, I was under the impression that he was several stories tall.

[Foucault]

I was under the impression that he was several stories tall.

He can be several stories tall. He walks out of the ocean in The Call of Cthulhu and destroys a cargo ship, but in other stories his size also deliberately ambiguous. He doesn't conform to the normal Euclidean Geometry of our existence, so the Great Old One is impossible to define in our terms.