Development Info Avernum 6 Released, Overpowers Macs with Graphical Splendor

[Jason]

Tags: Avernum 6; Spiderweb Software

<b><a href="http://www.avernum.com/avernum6/index.html" target="blank">Avernum 6</a></b> saw a Mac release last week. It's apparently selling well, <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-released-new-rpg-for-mac.html" target="blank">according to Jeff Vogel</a>, despite the graphical bells and whistles taxing some lower-end systems.
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<blockquote>My main source of stress for Avernum 6 is system performance. I recently switched to more elaborate graphics that require hardware acceleration. This means that older machines and machines with quirky or flawed video hardware are falling off the back of the train. These people tend to make sure they let me know just how much they hate me and feel betrayed by me before they go. This tends to be accompanied by cheap shots about how graphically undemanding my games should be. Yeah. Right. Because throwing pixels all over your 1900 x 1200 monitor 30 times a second stops taking processor power just because it's not in 3-D. Look, I am a Cool Indie Developer, but I still have to obey the laws of physics.
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On the bright side, Avernum 6 looks so much nicer than any game I've ever released. I went back and rerendered all of the icons, added shadows, and moved to a different system for storing and drawing icons. It does require more power, though I think the results are worth it. I really do need to move forward sometimes to keep engaged in the process. And many of my beta testers used Mac G4s, so I know the game can run on old machines. Not super fast all the time, but it works.</blockquote>
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The PC version is not due out until <a href="http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/images/smiles/codex_rage.gif">Spring of 2010</a>, but at least that means I'll be half way through Avernum 5 by then.
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[DreadMessiah]

That sucks. Guess I will need to upgrade my i7 920, 4850, 8gb ddr3, SSD to something better! That bastard! Money grubbing business owners are all in league on the money making scheme.

 

[OSK]

Holy shit! Is that transparency!?

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

If your computer can't handle a Jeff Vogel game's graphics, GTFO and go play some Tetris.

 

[jazzotron]

Why, for the love of everything that is sacred, is Vogel still using the same character portraits? They were really the only graphical element that required changing from previous Avernum's. They look even worse now when compared to their surrounds.

 

[Melcar]

Why do the portraits look like some crappy anime fanfiction art?

 

[Zeus]

Why, for the love of everything that is sacred, is Vogel still using the same character portraits? They were really the only graphical element that required changing from previous Avernum's. They look even worse now when compared to their surrounds.

Yeah I have to agree here. I mean they're decent, but why upgrade the whole graphics engine and not the portraits? The drawings themselves aren't shabby but the photoshop shading is kind of bad. They stand out from the in-game graphics, which are looking more professional with each game.

He should get Phil Foglio to whip up some new ones. :D

 

[reaven]

yeah, I love that these games get the UI and the overall graphics better in each title, but he keeps these disgusting avatars...

 

[Zeus]

Anyone know if you can replace the graphics files somehow? A lot of RPGs allow that.

 

[Luzur]

Anyone know if you can replace the graphics files somehow? A lot of RPGs allow that.

you can change them in any paint program.

 

[mondblut]

Wow. 10 years, 10 games and two engine iterations more, and he'll reach the Fallout level of graphics.

Srsly, it looks so much better than Avernum 1. Except the character sprites. Rendered sprites suck cock.

As for character portraits, yeah, all his graphics always were in straight bmp files, so you can replace them with whatever you wish, anytime.

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

Why do the furry avatars look way better than the human avatars?

 

[Talby]

Why do the furry avatars look way better than the human avatars?

You're just biased.

 

[Norfleet]

Why do the furry avatars look way better than the human avatars?

Probably because you know what a human looks like, and when something looks not-quite-like-a-human, this stands out. With some kind of non-human critter, there are no real standards.

 

[Gold]

One as a Spiderweb fanboy to hear that people are complaining about the graphics being too much for their rigs... I say get a computer from the 2000s.

Second, The character portraits are horrible, but I love them. So fuck off.

Cant wait for the windows release, I will be talking to his assistant on release day for my code.

 

[thekdawg21]

Don't know much about the Avernum games. Are they any good? Challenging tactical combat?

 

[AlaCarcuss]

Why the fuck does he continue to develop his games on a Mac and then port them to Windows - instead of the other way round? Is he a Mac fanboi or somthing? (pretty sad if so).

Or perhaps he just likes using Mac users as beta testers - which is about the only thing they'd be useful for :wink:

Otherwise, the updated engine's looking pretty good....

 

[GarfunkeL]

Wait, that's a real screenshot? Whoa, I might have to try it then. Seriously, previous games had worse graphics than GB and SNES, which put me off. There's something wrong with your game if I can play Dwaf Fortress, Chrono Trigger and Pool of Radiance but early Spiderweb games turned me off - bad.

 

[St. Toxic]

I personally don't feel the need to maintain an erection while trying a game out.

 

[ElectricOtter]

Why the fuck does he continue to develop his games on a Mac and then port them to Windows - instead of the other way round? Is he a Mac fanboi or somthing? (pretty sad if so).

Or perhaps he just likes using Mac users as beta testers - which is about the only thing they'd be useful for :wink:

Otherwise, the updated engine's looking pretty good....

he uses mac since its a more stable environment for coding

its pretty much the only thing the mac in useful for (besides a handy frisbee)

 

[GarfunkeL]

I personally don't feel the need to maintain an erection while trying a game out.

You're missing out man, you're missing out!

 

[J1M]

Why the fuck does he continue to develop his games on a Mac and then port them to Windows - instead of the other way round? Is he a Mac fanboi or somthing? (pretty sad if so).

Or perhaps he just likes using Mac users as beta testers - which is about the only thing they'd be useful for :wink:

Otherwise, the updated engine's looking pretty good....

he uses mac since its a more stable environment for coding

its pretty much the only thing the mac in useful for (besides a handy frisbee)

Non-programmer detected.

 

[Micmu]

Portraits are shit because they've been drawn using Mac.

 

[Elwro]

Don't know much about the Avernum games. Are they any good? Challenging tactical combat?

At least in the first three games, combat is not very tactical - you can develop just a few tactics which will most likely work anytime. But exploring the detailed world is great fun! Try a demo, they're enormous. Finishing an Avernum title was always very satisfying to me, giving a sense of a gaming accomplishment.

 

[Azrael the cat]

If an offer of anal violation is needed in order to convince Vogel to make more games in the vein of hte Geneforce games (I still rate G2 as one of my favourite games...and yes, that's on a 'it's good for what it is' bias, but I'd still rate it as a fine game withoiut that). Never tried the Avernum games - played the free demo of the first Exile game and loved it back when it first came out, but never bought it - it just seemed too much dungeon crawling and none of the innovative class and summoning mechanics, and all the multi-faction, non-linear, factions-within-factions LARPing faggotry that I loved so much about the Geneforge series. If I'm wrong in thinking it a straight-up dungeon crawl then let me know.

But if it will convince him to take a more Generforge-style focus: my anus is on offer. I'll even fake sounds of 'oh please mister, I'm an innocent boy!' and 'oh my god that will split me in two, but some part of m is strangely drawn to it! if he promises to hire/coopt a better writer, who could lift the standard of the dialogues and specific plot moments to the same standard of the 'overall plot arc' that Vogel nails pretty well.