I'm sorry Ernest, but I don't know what you mean by "funny replies". There may have been one somewhere, but most of the time they have been very gracious in their supply of information. We've always known what the status of the software was (not complete). It's not like every time someone asked for the status of 1.1, rob was there with a "wink wink". Not at all.

Maybe you missed them by not being on this board very often, but there have been so many posts on the 1.1 delay that all we can do now is use humor to keep from yelling at people for their impatience!!

Sorry, had to vent there, couldn't think of a joke

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

Actually, I think what we are seeing is becoming a fairly common occurance:
A relatively few people get interested in a great product (before it's even out!), begin forming a group to support the creators, discuss the project, etc.
The product comes out, many people start getting interested, yet don't know the entire history or culture behind the product. Demands start being made, people mistake normal (to old timers) developement time for extraordinary (to them) delays. My goodness, how long did it take for the Mk 1 to become a reality?

Anyway, remember that there is a large unspoken, lurking mass of people who understand that these delays are normal, they're expected, and (most importantly) worth it! Unfortunately it's the new, vocal few who are speaking up and being noticed; one of the problems with the internet in my opinion.

Off topic: Thank goodness for distributed.net, otherwise I would have never found out about the empeg, and become number 703 on the waiting list! See, I have been lurking awhile! I've just found that others are able to answer questions better, and there's always some idiot willing to ask the questions I can't be bothered to.

I disagree. I had two reasons I replaced my Mk1 with a Mk2. One was Ethernet, and the other was VR.

VR is still not even close. Now, I'm still pretty happy with the unit, but I'm getting sick of people saying "be happy with what you've got". Hey, I'd be happy with my Mk1 still if it weren't for VR, which was what tipped the balance and made me decide to go ahead and purchase another empeg. I mean, criminy.

Fly me to the moon...

Wow, This question really sparked a flame from other BBS users, Well guys I do read the BBS every day. All I wanted from Empeg was a time frame on when the software will be ready, I was at the Woodside Empeg meeting and was vocally told that a software release would come in about 2 weeks, it's been a month or two since then.

Yes, I can live with ver 1.02 but I've seen the future and now I want that. I'm very happy in showing off my Empeg player to anyone who sits in my "EMPEG RIO 600 AWARD WINNING" automobile. But I would like it more showing them ver 1.1.

Questions was asked what I do for a living: I work for Conexant Systems (now Mindspeed Systems) I am an Design Engineer working on our Network IC's(i.e T3/E3,Sonet,T1/E1,Fibre,Mappers,ADM,etc). I have written software before and I know that projects take longer than what you planned, That's okay just give a ballpark figure if it's going to take until June/July then fine I can wait (Well what choice do I have)

Thanks for taking it easy on me and the many responses on the topic.

Ernest



Black Infiniti I-30, 1 OVR 0
MkII Serial # 080000457, 60gigs
Over 1400 Music Cd's

Well guys I do read the BBS every day

Well, that's good at least. But it's strange that you would still raise this issue, especially since it was raised in a thread only a few days ago, then another a few days before that, then a few... you get the idea. Asking again most likely will not make it happen any sooner.

Oh well, at least 1.1 won't take as long as a certain game by Lionhead studios

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

I'll Take Aug 1. in the release date pool.

I hope "All the usual suspects" are excluded.

Glenn

The two week thing at Woodside was a joke - someone said "the software will ready in two weeks but who knows when that two weeks will start" or words to that effect. I don't think it was even anyone from empeg that said it.

Rob

If communication has improved it's probably because we now have twice as many staff, and we don't have to work past midnight most days. In the old days practically all customer communication was my responsibility - support email, pre sales enquiries, news letters, the web site, the BBS and trade shows all had me stretched a little thin. If I had to organise something like a CES booth it would take almost all of my time for two solid months.

At times it was hard to keep everyone happy. That's the startup challenge!

Now we have a support team in Cambridge, a sizeable marketing communications division in Vancouver, a web team etc etc. That said there still don't seem to be enough hours in the day

Rob

Oh well, at least 1.1 won't take as long as a certain game by Lionhead studios

Yeah, but damn, wasn't it SO worth the wait?

___________
Tony Fabris

I thought the "Two Weeks" joke was a reference to an old joke from id Software. That was their pat answer to every time-estimate question.

___________
Tony Fabris

Oh well, at least 1.1 won't take as long as a certain game by Lionhead studios

Yeah, but damn, wasn't it SO worth the wait?

True, true

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

Gotta ask, what game was that?

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

Black and White.

Go buy it now. You won't be disappointed.

Just don't go onto level 5.

Paul.

Paul Haigh, Reg. 4120
(mk1) 6GB, Blue, 00254
(mk2) 12GB, Red, 00357

Black and White? Does that mean I can use my 286 with CGA graphics? :)

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

Black and White? Does that mean I can use my 286 with CGA graphics? :)

Heh, even my 450 with a 64mb GeForce2 chugs along kinda slow on Black and White. It's very graphically intensive.

And I didn't have any problems on level 5. Finished the game and my creature is fine now. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

I'm going through the game again from the beginning with a fresh creature, trying to play all-evil instead of all-good, and trying to finish all of the side quests.

___________
Tony Fabris

Go buy it now. You won't be disappointed.

...unless you've been anticipating the game for over a year, and then grew tired of it after 3 days...

"Your worshippers are hungry! Your worshippers need food! Your worshippers are starving and dying!"

My response "Go get yourself some damn food, I'm BUSY!"

Ugh. Talk about a disappointing game. Amazing graphics, amazing AI, poor execution. I would have returned it had that been possible. :)

(O|||||O)

"Your worshippers are hungry! Your worshippers need food! Your worshippers are starving and dying!"

If that's happening to you too much, you're missing something about the game mechanics. Your towns should, if you've done things properly, be self-governing for most of their needs.

I was about to launch into a discussion of how to handle the worshippers without micromanaging them, but this thread is already too far off-topic. Instead, I'll just point you to a couple of good web guides on how to handle the worshippers and the creature:

http://www.wischik.com/lu/senses/bwhints.html
http://www.wischik.com/lu/senses/bwcreature.html

Reading those guides significantly increased my appreciation for the game and made the gameplay much more fun and interesting. Once you understand these nuances, the game really starts to show its brilliance and depth. Check them out!

___________
Tony Fabris

..unless you've been anticipating the game for over a year, and then grew tired of it after 3 days...

Here's an excerpt from a review of the game by Computer Games Online that would seem to support your view...

Black & White feels like the best game in the world—at least for the first
week or so. After the initial buzz wears off it's impossible not to respect
the obvious skill and talent that went into the game's creation, but you also
realize that it may be the most mediocre game you've ever played
obsessively for weeks on end. It's a brilliant toy but also a jumbled
mishmash of original ideas and mundane gameplay that fails to deliver a
cohesive single- or multiplayer experience. The overall experience never
quite matches the dizzying heights of its individual elements.

I tend to prefer simpler games in any case -- DOOM is still my favorite. Not much of a learning curve, the strategy is simple: if it moves, you shoot it.

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

I tend to prefer simpler games in any case -- DOOM is still my favorite. Not much of a learning curve, the strategy is simple: if it moves, you shoot it.

Yeah... gotta love classics like that. I actually grabbed Serious Sam which is basically going back to the Doom mentality. Very little plot, lots of weapons, and lots and LOTS of monsters to frag. Very fun in co-op mode with some of your friends. You should check it out if you liked Doom. ;)

Anyway, enough off topic for me. :)

(O|||||O)

In reply to:

---

In the old days practically all customer communication was my responsibility - support email, pre sales enquiries, news letters, the web site, the BBS and trade shows all had me stretched a little thin.

---

Come now Rob, you weren't stretched THAT thin :0

-m

...proud to have owned an Empeg since 00287

Come now Rob, you weren't stretched THAT thin :0

I certainly remember him doing a heck of alot though. He replied to everyone.

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

OK, not in any physical sense I will admit.

Rob

Come now Rob, you weren't stretched THAT thin :0

Well, see the "other" project that isn't car-related that empeg has been secretly working on is the perfection of human cloning. So in actuality there is an army of Robs running around Cambridge doing support work for empeg. (Now THERE is a scary thought! ;) )

(O|||||O)

Sorry I can't comment on the Rio Person project.

Rob