🚀 go-pugleaf

radiospace wrote... 


> Hey y'all...
> 
> I just saw that I-War is out in the US.  I recall reading some positive
> things about it a few months ago but wanted to get my memory refreshed


Its an import of the UK release.


> before buying.  How is the game?  Has it held your interest over time? 


I couldn't stop playing it until it was finished!


> The box was so vague that I don't even have a good feel for what
> gameplay is going to be like, so I'm interested in just about anything
> you've got to add.


Check out the Particle web site (see below). I don't think it has a
huge replay value, as it's scripted (same as most games out there at
the moment), but the main plus points are:

 - Great, fast graphics, even though there is no 3DFX yet.

 - Realistic Newtonian flight model, with computer correction and
   autopilots.

 - Imaginative and clever mission design that tells a storyline.

 - Innovative and extremely effective use of FMV.

 - Four ship stations to play from (command, pilot, weapons,
   engineering).

 - you pilot a big (150 metre) corvette, not a small fighter, so the
   feel of the game is very different.


I have to say that its the best spacesim I've played in a few years,
though some parts of it are quite hard (there will be an "arcade" mode
in the US version to make it easier).


> 
> I'm also curious about whether it is 3dfx accelerated, and if not, how
> good are the graphics?  I noticed the box had a system requirement of a


The UK version isn't accelerated. The US version (and a patch) will be
available in June which will have 3DFX support. Pictures can be seen
at http://www.particle-systems.com


> paltry P-90 (I've got a p233) so I assume it would run well on my
> machine, but I wonder if the graphics are all that impressive?
> 

They are very good indeed - dark, moody, well animated. Its the best
software engine I've ever seen, and the pictures of the 3DFX version
look absolutely amazing. With the use of very short cutscenes during
the missions, Particle managed to create a real atmosphere for the
game. 

For me, I-War goes way up there with Jedi Knight and Malice for the
last year's "Most Fun" game.  A really great gaming experience.


-- 
 
 John - 

I heard that you poked fun at sexy chickens. Shame on you.

radiospace wrote in message <3542718...@news.mindspring.com>...
>Hey y'all...
>
>I just saw that I-War is out in the US.  I recall reading some
>positive things about it a few months ago but wanted to get my memory
>refreshed before buying.  How is the game?  Has it held your interest
>over time?  The box was so vague that I don't even have a good feel
>for what gameplay is going to be like, so I'm interested in just about
>anything you've got to add.


The UK version is very hard.  It'll take a little practice before you can
really enjoy it, like a good flight sim.  It's a great game, not like any
other space sim I've seen.  You fly a corvette class ship instead of a fighter
so it's a completely different type of game than Wing Commander or XvT.  No
resource management, just missions.   No bugs to speak of.

-Krud

Thanks for your replies to the question.  I think I'm going to wait
for the US version, and 3dfx, before buying it, now that I understand
what I saw was an import.  No sense in buying it twice a month apart.
It sounds (and looks, from Rod's screenshots on his site) pretty
great.  

Patrick
--

*remove the extra consonants when replying by email*

It's not out in the US yet. I'll be doing a hands on beta
preview before mid-next week. It looks REALLY good.
We did a first-look preview of it about a month ago. You can check it
out by looking here...

http://www.pcme.com/strike/i-warshots/i-warpre.htm


-- 
Rod White
PC Multimedia & Entertainment Magazine
http://www.pcme.com

radiospace <radio...@MINDmindSPRINGspring.com> wrote in article
<3542718...@news.mindspring.com>...
> Hey y'all...
> 
> I just saw that I-War is out in the US.  I recall reading some
> positive things about it a few months ago but wanted to get my memory
> refreshed before buying.  How is the game?  Has it held your interest
> over time?  The box was so vague that I don't even have a good feel
> for what gameplay is going to be like, so I'm interested in just about
> anything you've got to add.
> 
> I'm also curious about whether it is 3dfx accelerated, and if not, how
> good are the graphics?  I noticed the box had a system requirement of
> a paltry P-90 (I've got a p233) so I assume it would run well on my
> machine, but I wonder if the graphics are all that impressive?
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
> Patrick
> 
> 

Rod White wrote in message <6i4v93$keh$0...@207.18.94.11>...
>It's not out in the US yet. I'll be doing a hands on beta
>preview before mid-next week. It looks REALLY good.
>We did a first-look preview of it about a month ago. You can check it
>out by looking here...


Did they add difficulty settings?   It would be great if you could compare the
US version to the UK version, to let us see what the differences are.

-Krud

Krud wrote in message <6i78po$8pq$1...@camel19.mindspring.com>...
>Rod White wrote in message <6i4v93$keh$0...@207.18.94.11>...
>>It's not out in the US yet. I'll be doing a hands on beta
>>preview before mid-next week. It looks REALLY good.
>>We did a first-look preview of it about a month ago. You can check it
>>out by looking here...
>
>
>Did they add difficulty settings?   It would be great if you could compare
the
>US version to the UK version, to let us see what the differences are.
>
>-Krud


On our website are some more screenshots, plus a list of enhancements for
Independence War/I-War 3Dfx upgrade, so you can find out what the
differences are between the original and 3Dfx versions.

As for difficulty there is an optional 'arcade' mode, with easier flight
dynamics (less inertia) and some other enhancements that make piloting and
combat easier, but the original simulation mode is still the best way to
play it.

In addition to the enhancements there'll be numerous fixes and tweaks to the
game.

--- Steve
Stephen Robertson
st...@particle-systems.com
Website: http://www.particle-systems.com

Stephen Robertson wrote in message <893871176.2029.0.nnrp-
>
>As for difficulty there is an optional 'arcade' mode, with easier flight
>dynamics (less inertia) and some other enhancements that make piloting and
>combat easier, but the original simulation mode is still the best way to
>play it.
>
>In addition to the enhancements there'll be numerous fixes and tweaks to the
>game.

Thanks for the info.  I liked the inertial flight model, I just had a problem
staying alive :)

-Krud

I'll have another hands on preview up soon too.
-- 
Rod White
PC Multimedia & Entertainment Magazine
http://www.pcme.com

radiospace <rradi...@mmindspring.com> wrote in article
<354753ef...@news.mindspring.com>...
> Thanks for your replies to the question.  I think I'm going to wait
> for the US version, and 3dfx, before buying it, now that I understand
> what I saw was an import.  No sense in buying it twice a month apart.
> It sounds (and looks, from Rod's screenshots on his site) pretty
> great.  
> 
> Patrick
> --
> 
> *remove the extra consonants when replying by email*
> 

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, <3549324f.49534480@news.datas
ync.com>, S Eugene Baker <eba...@datasync.com> babbled something along
the lines of (Although I think it's some sort of conspiracy):
>On Wed, 29 Apr 1998 14:05:39 -0400, "Krud"
><au...@nospam.mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>>Stephen Robertson wrote in message <893871176.2029.0.nnrp-
>>>
>>>As for difficulty there is an optional 'arcade' mode, with easier flight
>>>dynamics (less inertia) and some other enhancements that make piloting and
>>>combat easier, but the original simulation mode is still the best way to
>>>play it.
>>>
>>>In addition to the enhancements there'll be numerous fixes and tweaks to the
>>>game.
>>
>>Thanks for the info.  I liked the inertial flight model, I just had a problem
>>staying alive :)
>>
>>-Krud
>>
>Hey Krud I've always enjoyed your posts.  Esp when somebody called you
>a gaming giant an you ended up grazing in space.  Very funny.  Whats
>your take somebody who hasn't ever played a flight sim before and
>doesn't do acades (hell I've got a borrowed joystick).  Would they
>have a chance?  Complex doesn't bother me being as I mainly do
>wargames.
>
God, I would love to see I-War 2 being a 'net game. Then just think of
the world created!
-- 
                                The Starglider
                    E-Mail:s...@thespian.demon.co.uk 
        WORLDS LARGEST I-WAR SITE HERE :http://www.thespian.demon.co.uk
          ICQ Number:1773852 WWPAGER:http://wwp.mirabilis.com/1773852
         REPLACE D.C.U WITH demon.co.uk TO REPLY TO POSTINGS MADE HERE

S Eugene Baker wrote in message <3549324f...@news.datasync.com>...
>
>Hey Krud I've always enjoyed your posts.  Esp when somebody called you
>a gaming giant an you ended up grazing in space.  Very funny.

Thanks :)   It's a gift (or a curse....)

>Whats your take somebody who hasn't ever played a flight sim before and
>doesn't do acades (hell I've got a borrowed joystick).  Would they
>have a chance?  Complex doesn't bother me being as I mainly do
>wargames.

I don't think I could recommend I-War for a first-timer, it's a fairly tough
flight model to get used to.  Plus it's a very difficult game.   If you like
realistic flight sims or you think the X-Wing and Wing Commander games are too
arcadish then you'll probably like I-War.    I've been playing flight sims for
years and it took me a few days of practice to get the hang of I-War, but once
I did I had a blast with it.  Very cool game.


-Krud

On 28 Apr 1998 16:14:27 GMT, "Rod White" <r...@pcme.com> wrote:

>It's not out in the US yet. I'll be doing a hands on beta
>preview before mid-next week. It looks REALLY good.
>We did a first-look preview of it about a month ago. You can check it
>out by looking here...
>
>http://www.pcme.com/strike/i-warshots/i-warpre.htm

In article <6icgdh$2ep$1...@camel20.mindspring.com>, Krud
<au...@nospam.mindspring.com> writes
>I don't think I could recommend I-War for a first-timer, it's a fairly tough
>flight model to get used to.  Plus it's a very difficult game.   If you like
>realistic flight sims or you think the X-Wing and Wing Commander games are too
>arcadish then you'll probably like I-War.    I've been playing flight sims for
>years and it took me a few days of practice to get the hang of I-War, but once
>I did I had a blast with it.  Very cool game.
>
>
>-Krud
        What flight mode are you using? I bought this recently in the
UK, and downloaded the 1.11 patch. There are two flight modes, Standard
(assisted) and Free flight (advanced). The default is Standard, in which
your ship goes where you point it - the rationale is that the on-board
computers use the attitude jets to eliminate sideslip (inertia) in order
to make the ship easier to fly, especially in battle. This sounds very
credible to me, given the state of avionics even today (1998) in terms
of helping a pilot control his machine. In the Free mode you get full
inertia, which makes it MUCH harder to control, and certainly messes up
your situational awareness. The manual describes this mode as mostly
useful for rare special manouvres.
        I would guess that you were using Free mode, if it took you, a
flight sim expert, several days to get the hang of it. I am no expert,
but I found it easy to get into Standard flight in a few minutes (with a
joystick - keyboard control is hopeless). Beyond that, I am still
exploring the campaign possibilities, which are what will make or break
this sim for me (I preferred Red Baron II to Flying Corps Gold - it's
not the flight model I care about, it's the immersion in a campaign
world). So far it's looking very good, particularly the four different
in the cockpit (Command, Navigation, Weapons, Engineer) with their
different possibilities. I also like the idea that the missions are not
all 'kill everything in sight' sessions. If this sort of game attracts
you, you should certainly not be put off by fears of difficulty in
flying it.
-- 
John Secker

John Secker wrote in message ...
>
>        I would guess that you were using Free mode, if it took you, a
>flight sim expert, several days to get the hang of it. I am no expert,
>but I found it easy to get into Standard flight in a few minutes (with a
>joystick - keyboard control is hopeless). Beyond that, I am still
>exploring the campaign possibilities, which are what will make or break
>this sim for me (I preferred Red Baron II to Flying Corps Gold - it's
>not the flight model I care about, it's the immersion in a campaign
>world).

Standard mode is fine, but you'll need free-flight to get through some of the
missions.  The lateral thrusters are life savers :)

-Krud

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, <6ik7j7$8l$1@camel25.mindspri
ng.com>, Krud <au...@nospam.mindspring.com> babbled something along the
lines of (Although I think it's some sort of conspiracy):
>John Secker wrote in message ...
>>
>>        I would guess that you were using Free mode, if it took you, a
>>flight sim expert, several days to get the hang of it. I am no expert,
>>but I found it easy to get into Standard flight in a few minutes (with a
>>joystick - keyboard control is hopeless). Beyond that, I am still
>>exploring the campaign possibilities, which are what will make or break
>>this sim for me (I preferred Red Baron II to Flying Corps Gold - it's
>>not the flight model I care about, it's the immersion in a campaign
>>world).
>
>Standard mode is fine, but you'll need free-flight to get through some of the
>missions.  The lateral thrusters are life savers :)
>
>-Krud
No you don't. I never used them (except for some nifty moves when I was
bored), and I completed it.
-- 
                                The Starglider
                    E-Mail:s...@thespian.demon.co.uk 
        WORLDS LARGEST I-WAR SITE HERE :http://www.thespian.demon.co.uk
          ICQ Number:1773852 WWPAGER:http://wwp.mirabilis.com/1773852
         REPLACE D.C.U WITH demon.co.uk TO REPLY TO POSTINGS MADE HERE

On Mon, 4 May 1998 18:28:03 +0100, The Starglider
<starg...@thespian.demon.co.uk> scribbled with the virtual quill:


>>
>>Standard mode is fine, but you'll need free-flight to get through some of the
>>missions.  The lateral thrusters are life savers :)
>>
>>-Krud
>No you don't. I never used them (except for some nifty moves when I was
>bored), and I completed it.

Well, I completed all the missions without even handling my joystick
at all.  See if you can top that...;->

Patrick

--

*remove the extra consonants when replying by email*

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, <355172cb.1435382@news.mindsp
ring.com>, radiospace <rradi...@mmindspring.com> babbled something
along the lines of (Although I think it's some sort of conspiracy):
>On Mon, 4 May 1998 18:28:03 +0100, The Starglider
><starg...@thespian.demon.co.uk> scribbled with the virtual quill:
>
>
>>>
>>>Standard mode is fine, but you'll need free-flight to get through some of the
>>>missions.  The lateral thrusters are life savers :)
>>>
>>>-Krud
>>No you don't. I never used them (except for some nifty moves when I was
>>bored), and I completed it.
>
>Well, I completed all the missions without even handling my joystick
>at all.  See if you can top that...;->
>
I completed it by getting my computer-illiterate girlfriend to sit in
front of the computer and be the pilot while I shout commands from the
comfort of my comfy chair! >:-Þ
-- 
                                The Starglider
                    E-Mail:s...@thespian.demon.co.uk 
        WORLDS LARGEST I-WAR SITE HERE :http://www.thespian.demon.co.uk
          ICQ Number:1773852 WWPAGER:http://wwp.mirabilis.com/1773852
         REPLACE D.C.U WITH demon.co.uk TO REPLY TO POSTINGS MADE HERE

On Tue, 5 May 1998 08:29:51 +0100, The Starglider
<starg...@thespian.demon.co.uk> scribbled with the virtual quill:


>>>>
>>>>Standard mode is fine, but you'll need free-flight to get through some of the
>>>>missions.  The lateral thrusters are life savers :)
>>>>
>>>>-Krud
>>>No you don't. I never used them (except for some nifty moves when I was
>>>bored), and I completed it.
>>
>>Well, I completed all the missions without even handling my joystick
>>at all.  See if you can top that...;->
>>
>I completed it by getting my computer-illiterate girlfriend to sit in
>front of the computer and be the pilot while I shout commands from the
>comfort of my comfy chair! >:-Þ

The comfy chair?!?  Oh, no, not the comfy chair!!!

Patrick

--

*remove the extra consonants when replying by email*

radiospace wrote in message <355172cb...@news.mindspring.com>...
>
>Well, I completed all the missions without even handling my joystick
>at all.  See if you can top that...;->


You mean you used the keyboard or the cheat code?  :)

-Krud

On Tue, 5 May 1998 07:27:31 -0400, "Krud" <au...@nospam.mindspring.com>
scribbled with the virtual quill:

>radiospace wrote in message <355172cb...@news.mindspring.com>...
>>
>>Well, I completed all the missions without even handling my joystick
>>at all.  See if you can top that...;->
>
>
>You mean you used the keyboard or the cheat code?  :)
>
>-Krud
>

Telepathy ;-P

Patrick

--

*remove the extra consonants when replying by email*

radiospace wrote in message <3550c8a5...@news.mindspring.com>...
>
>>I completed it by getting my computer-illiterate girlfriend to sit in
>>front of the computer and be the pilot while I shout commands from the
>>comfort of my comfy chair! >:-�
>
>The comfy chair?!?  Oh, no, not the comfy chair!!!


Uh-oh, it's the SPANISH INQUISITION!

-Krud

radiospace wrote in message <3550879d...@news.mindspring.com>...
>On Tue, 5 May 1998 07:27:31 -0400, "Krud" <au...@nospam.mindspring.com>
>scribbled with the virtual quill:
>>
>>You mean you used the keyboard or the cheat code?  :)
>>
>>-Krud
>
>Telepathy ;-P

Oh yeah?  Well let's see if you can tell me what I'm thinking right now.
I'll give you a hint.  I'm in my office eating lunch and I'm watching a
gorgeous Minolta Copier repair person working on our copier.  Wait a
minute......................... she just dropped her screwdriver.  Gotta
go....

-Krud

In article <6iq4ii$vss$1...@camel21.mindspring.com>, Krud
<au...@nospam.mindspring.com> writes
>radiospace wrote in message <3550879d...@news.mindspring.com>...
>>On Tue, 5 May 1998 07:27:31 -0400, "Krud" <au...@nospam.mindspring.com>
>>scribbled with the virtual quill:
>>>
>>>You mean you used the keyboard or the cheat code?  :)
>>>
>>>-Krud
>>
>>Telepathy ;-P
>
>Oh yeah?  Well let's see if you can tell me what I'm thinking right now.
>I'll give you a hint.  I'm in my office eating lunch and I'm watching a
>gorgeous Minolta Copier repair person working on our copier.  Wait a
>minute......................... she just dropped her screwdriver.  Gotta
>go....
>
>-Krud
Don't you love those Minoltans? - that's one lovely island.
-- 
John Secker