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Topic: Major update at Sonic VR website< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Olivier Offline




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Posted: Feb. 02 2001, 15:11

The Sonic VR website has been redesigned and updated, and contains much more information about the project. An aditionnal minor update has been made on Feb 9.
(Thanks, Tubular World SE)
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TimHighfield Offline




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Posted: Feb. 02 2001, 19:36

So Mike's now become the "Lord of the Rings" then?

Much more information on the site doesn't mean it's all useful. There is still no given date of when the First Episode is likely to be released. Plus, if you expected new pictures/VRML files/sounds/video clips in a "major site update" then you will have been disappointed.

But it does look like Mike is either:

a) having to change the page on more occasions because they are getting into the final stages of the project
b) fiddling with the page because he's just learnt JAVA
or
c) bored out of his mind and changing the page because there is nothing else to do.

Rant over. Reality commences. Not virtually. Definitely not in a sonic form. Yet.

-Tim-
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Feb. 02 2001, 20:54

It seems a bit rushed as well - "DevelopPer infomaton"? It would look more professional if things were spelt correctly...a few things miss capital letters where they'd be quite welcome...

Dear me, I'm going all schoolteacher...sorry Mike, I can only give you a C+ this time around...try harder next time wink
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Fox Offline




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Posted: Feb. 03 2001, 13:42

You know, sometimes I wonder if everyone is being too critical of this.

I agree that I'd like to know the release date, too, but the extra information posted on the site is worth it in my book. I enjoyed reading the new information! For one, it told me what kind of game this would be: exploration with a purpose (finding those rings!).

To me, that updated text information gave me more insight into what SVR will be than the sound/movie introductions. With what this game has to offer, I greatly look forward to it!

If we could put nitty-gritty criticism aside for an instant and look at what Mike is doing! He's making a game! A musician making a game.... I just can't wait for this thing to be released!
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TimHighfield Offline




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Posted: Feb. 03 2001, 20:46

I am looking forward to this being released, just so I can see what Mike's actually created. (Although I don't know how I'll get it, but still...)

I'm just wondering, how many children (the target audience, probably all people under 12/13) would actually know about this or want to buy this? If I wasn't a Mike Oldfield fan I probably wouldn't get this (I'm 15), but I'm not a good example because I generally don't buy computer games/software/VR projects anyway.

-Tim-
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a2d Offline




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Posted: Feb. 05 2001, 00:36

Urk. Unprofessional, sloppy, and poorly designed. That's what I think of the new (and old as well) website. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in me that Mike can do anything with computers that a 13 year old can't do better.

Cutting edge? Has he seen what sort of 3D environments are being rendered on PCs and game consoles these days?

It is, in a word, terrible. Of course (and here it comes) I'm still going to get SVR because I'm a sucker for his music. But I expect I will go through the thing, get the music I want, capture it, mp3 it, and NEVER touch the actual "game" again.

I can already hear those who say, "but Mike even says that the quality isn't the same as SVR will be". I'm so glad you can be optimistic. But even taking that into account - this stuff looks sort of weak by 1996 standards; and a lot has changed since then. It doesn't look like a rough draft - it looks like an amateur's work.

In addition, as Tim pointed out, who is going to buy this outside of the already dwindling fan base? Mike's name isn't the draw it once was. Even if he called it Tubular Bells Reality it wouldn't sell. I love his music so much... but he seems totally unable to capture a wider audience. He keeps on trying - TB3 is a prime example - but he continues to fail. He COULD succeed! I believe he could grab more people's ears. But the way to do it is to do what he does best, and don't do a halfassed job of it. He's got to put time, effort, and heart into it... and he should stick to the medium that he has competence in - music.

A full hearted, full out music project, promoted with strategic marketing and a REAL tour could save this fledgling career. Sonic VR will go unnoticed execpt to the few thousand of us who know about it and care enough, and I suspect it will disappoint most of us in the end.

Sad, Mike, that it comes to this. When it comes to believing that something is cutting edge when it is actually old hat. For crying out loud, the number of polygons your pushing can be beaten by the old PlayStation, and that came out 6 years ago!

Ack... I should shut up. This is getting too long. But it has been brimming in me for months and this new update pushed me over the edge.

Sorry all.
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TimHighfield Offline




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Posted: Feb. 09 2001, 10:13

Hang on a minute or so.

-Tim-
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TimHighfield Offline




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Posted: Feb. 09 2001, 10:15

Now:

How long did it take someone to realise the SVR site had been updated. It's been like that for a year and 7 days now wink.

-Tim-
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Fox Offline




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Posted: Feb. 10 2001, 19:17

Seems to me that everyone is obsessed by Mike's claim that it's cutting edge graphics, and the only reason anyone thinks of it as terrible is b/c of the graphics level may not be cutting edge.

You know, you can have a good, sucessful game without cutting edge graphics...but it can't be the other way around (a bad game with cutting edge graphics never does well).

Even the pictures look beautiful to me. Who cares if they're not super cutting edge? What matters is that it looks good in the first place, and that the music is good to go with the images. Not if it's a leading edge game, but if the play is good! That's what matters most to me.

I don't expect Mike to do what he does best all the time. If you don't try, you'll never know. I presonally don't think these are attempts to save a carieer, but just him wanting to break away from what he's always done best and try something new.

Seems that all we can do is criticize him whenever he does something different. Perhaps we should all wait until the real thing comes out before we fancy ourselves critics and start ripping the SVR project apart. Yes, actually use the real thing before we criticize it!
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