🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <38ksg7$6...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, j-h...@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (James Hogan) writes:
>gme...@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au (GM Enierga) writes:
>
>>	Didn't they?  Then could someone please explain why they are under the
>>label of Electronic Arts?  I really don't buy this "we will use their
>>distribution arm" excuse.  Some other company did that previously - could
>>have been U.S.Gold, but I am not sure.  So far as I can tell, there is NO U.S.
>>Gold company around today.
>
>They're a wholly owned subsidiary, but still have their own building 
>where they produce games, handle their own customer support, etc...
>

This is true, but to be honest, the former 'owner' of Origin, Richard
Gariott, AKA Lord British, sold Origin to EA. They gave him a dump truck
full of money and a VP position and equivilent value EA stock, from 
what I understand. He made out like a bandit. Face it, he sold out. He's
lost touch with the public. He wasn't even at the last big Game Developer's
conference, from what I understand. He was at another convention pushing 3DO!
You can see the trend. As he became more and more of an executive a couple of
years ago, the quality of Origin's games has gone down. I hear he's turned most
of the control over U9 to someone else. Wouldn't suprise me a bit!

>>	And besides all that, what would be the point of buying a CD-ROM which
>>ou would only have very few games for?  So far I have yet to see a SINGLE CD
>>game which necessitates the value for buying  a CD-ROM.
>
>Within a year there won't be a whole lot that's _not_ on CD-ROM.
>

True enough. CDs are easier to mass produce and more efficient as far as
installation goes. The only problem is after a while, games will need to
be PLAYED off the CD ROM and thats just too slow for me! :) 
(Hey, multimedia clips are fine off the CD, but game data? No Way!)

>>	WC3 might change that, but I am willing to bet NOT.  Based on the last
>>WC-related games Origin has released (WC Academy, Privateer, WC Armada) it
>>logically seems worth a bet that WC3 will be yet another dud in the footsteps
>>of Pacific Strike and U8.
>
>WC Academy and WC Armada are both designed to basically be simple 
>shoot-em-up games, with no major new features to the game engine or 
>a storyline.  Privateer, well, it wasn't done by Chris Roberts.  
>
>I have faith that WC3 will be a good game.  
>
I want to see how they did it before I make any judgements....


>>	Except for System Shock which is done "ex-house" by Looking Glass
>>is there ANY game Origin has made recently which is NOT crap according to most
>>people's opinion?
>
>Most people think Armada has an excellent multiplayer mode, FWIW.
>
It does have an excellent multiplayer mode. Its the one player mode that stinks!
The artificial intelligence (or lack thereof) is easy to beat for a long time
Wing Commander jockey, such as myself. The strategic game is completely hindered
by this (Make a couple bases, produce heavy fighters and bombers, and go system
by system hunting for the enemy carrier. This 'strategy' has worked for me
everytime so far. There's no fun in that!)

The only thing Origin did right is that Armada WILL work on a 386/40, just fine.
(Ignore that 486/DX2 50 Recommended garbage on the box!)