Originally Posted By Mr Innocent. (1 SEP 2012 3:21pm)

Originally Posted By Caroline (29 AUG 2012 10:05am)
Dead DeerHunters Hotel which seemed to die without an English release.

If you mean Dead Mountaineer's Hotel, it has been released in English, exclusively through Steam... it had very mediocre reviews, mainly due to the very poor voice acting.

ooops...... yes indeed I did mean that game.  I take after my mother where names are concerned: near enough is good enough.

It was the pretty graphics that attracted me - those snow scenes looked like Syberia but the reviews slammed the game and I don't have steam.  To be honest, for the enjoyment of a gorgeous environment, I would be prepared to accept inferior story and puzzles.

Caroline: The Five Cores better be good or else...

Recent update at the Five Cores Web site...

The Five Cores launches 12th September 2012
 The Five Cores will be available for download via Paypal.

 Five Core Launches 

Doesn't mention yet where though but they have set up a PayPal page at the games web site.

the five cores is available now in the JustAdventure Shop - http://justadventure.com/shop/290/the-five-cores

We should have Five Cores soon, tested it yesterday. Absolutly beautifl. didn't know the Unreal engine could pull that off

Okay guys- post yesterday says it's available for download while the one today says it should be available soon. If you order now, is it available or not?

Okay, now I'm a seriously unhappy camper. I decided to pay for ($9.99) and d/l the JA Store The Five Cores download.

Installation was a disaster from the start. Thank heaven I followed my usual practice of making a C-drive image backup and setting a Restore Point first before installating major games. If you are someone who wants control over what is installed and where it is installed on your computer read the following. I don't know who is to blame for this type of installation- people at the JA Store or Neebla Games, but suffice it to say that it makes assumptions that I haven't seen for years in game installations.

In the name of full disclosure, let me say upfront that I understood that the game might not run optimally from the get-go since this is a laptop, not a desktop. However, it has the required CPU power and has Nvidia graphics that have worked fine with games that in the past have been the most demanding when it comes to graphics (eg. shaders etc), including URU, Sentinal and Outcry.

So on to the installation:

First and foremost, there is no Custom Installation. The only choice is to install on the C-Drive. I haven't seen this restriction on a game since the early 1990s. I decided to give it a try anyway to at least see how well the game runs on this system. Next, the installation hits you with installing MS .Net Framework 4 as part of the main installation. This is something that should be mentioned upfront before the main installation so that one has the choice of making this major update to one's computer. Every game I've ever installed that required a .Net Framework update has given you the chance of doing this on your own before installing the game. But, I decide to go ahead and install it and it is no minor update.

The installation proceeds and then the installation wants to update my WinXP OS, or so it says, but the installation that I am about to click on says that it has to do with AMD CPU drivers. The problem is that the CPU I have is Intel so I click on Cancel or I try to, but apparently something has overwritten my Mouse driver or screwed it up because now I have no control over my mouse and the keyboard isn't responding normally so I have to do a hard reset. When the system comes backup, I give the Five Cores shortcut a try and am informed that my video board has been found wanting and so I'm, well, done...well done.

Just to recap my main gripes here: Forced C-Drive installation is simply inappropriate on any level for a game this size, or a game of any size come to think of it. Things like MS .Net Framework updates should be allowed to be done by the user at their own discretion before the main game installation- perhaps the user doesn't want to update on that system and chooses to use another computer if such an update is necessary. Also, Windows & CPU updates should not be part of a game installation. I am very careful about my Windows updates- sophisicated computer users do not necessarily install every single Windows update that comes out. Finally, I am willing to accept that on one level my laptop didn't have all that was necessary to run this game, but on another level, I think the restrictions are unfortunate for an adventure game. It's not as if this is Crysis or something. It's tough enough to sell adventure games these days without limiting the game to a smaller fraction of computer systems out there.

My final act was to restore my C-drive image. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to install The Five Cores at all. I don't like to hunch over desktops to play my adventure games anymore and I'm not sure that my video cards would work anyway. One thing is certain, I won't be installing it to any of my C-drives so that pretty much leaves me with no joy for the moment.

SirDave,

Thank you for your report. We are looking into this matter. I'm sorry you had these problems and I hope to have a solution soon.

Update: I must apologize for the forced C: drive installation. That was a mistake on our part and has been corrected. The .Net update can be cancelled and performed at a later time if desired. I tested the original build on a clean XP install (SP2) and didn't encounter any of the other issues you describe. There shouldn't be any reason to update your OS or CPU. The video requirements are on the high end for an adventure game, but The Five Cores has nice visuals.

I will PM you with a new download link so that you can install the game to the drive of your choice. We would like to work with you to find a solution to your other issues. Please open a Helpdesk ticket and our support staff will be happy to assist you.

Glad I bought this one straight from the developer. One click on the site directs me to my paypal account and the D/L is easy as pie. As for the installation I just let it install where it wanted and let it create its own directory on my C drive, no real harm I figure, my laptop specs should be good enough for this game. I then promptly moved it to my games directory. Saved a buck and perhaps more...

Originally Posted By CB (15 SEP 2012 11:26pm)

 As for the installation I just let it install where it wanted and let it create its own directory on my C drive, no real harm I figure, my laptop specs should be good enough for this game.

I'm not following the 'should be good enough'. Was it ie. does it run the game well? And if so, I'd appreciate knowing what laptop you're using and what the video installed is. Thanks.

You might want to read my post before you download the Five Cores.:s

http://www.justadventure.com/forums/goto.asp?p=352237 

Windows XP came out in 2001...10 blooming years ago. In fact Microsoft stopped supposting SP2 2 years ago. It's a dead parrot.

I think it is fairly reasonable to release a game that is compatible with fairly recent specs. Especially one that is using a 3D engine.

I always hate this argument, it just continues the evidence that most of the adventure gaming fans are stuck in a time loop somewhere in the 1990's refusing to move with the times. No wonder it's dying.

---------------------------

On happier notes. The game works fine on my 3 year old PC with it's low end graphics card

However is there are way to remap the keys without fannying around in the .ini files. I don't like WASD or the Arrows.

P.S Played it for 30 mins and have NO CLUE what i'm doing. Went into a cave there was 4 buttons randomly clicked them in various orders and was teleported to a bigger cave with a mine car. WTF is going on

P.P.S Caroline you can pick yourself off the floor with the news i'm actually playing it. No spitting involved

I never said it wasn't reasonable, on the contrary, I'm pleased that adventure gaming has progressed.  But potential purchasers do have a right to have all the relevant info before they decide to proceed with the purchase.  Then they are in a position to make an informed decision - that's a basic consumer right (at least in this country it is).  And surely, you must agree that is reasonable.  

As for XP being ten years old, I would point out that most of us didn't upgrade to Vista because it was such a terrible operating system (and I've got it on my laptop, so I know what I'm talking about).  And the upgrade to Windows 7 is not straightforward, or cheap (I figure it would cost me about $450, assuming I don't upgrade any hardware).  If you've got the cash to go out and buy a new computer, well that's great, good luck to you.  But not everyone has that amount of cash on hand.  

And, if reading my post gives someone an excuse to go out and buy a new system, then some people will be excited by that thought.  I would myself if had the money.

And, by the way, you may be interested to know that Guild Wars 2, which is pretty much state of the art, is compatible with Service Pack 2.

Originally Posted By SirDave (15 SEP 2012 4:06pm)

...The only choice is to install on the C-Drive....

Was problem this corrented? I NEVER install games to C:

What's humorous is while this topic was being discussed I spent the day setting up a fresh W7 install on a new 256gb SSD [man it is fast], with a 30gb boot partition. W7 is fairly compact for a "new" OS, weighing in at just under 10gb [no hibernation or restore]plus a 8gb page file]. Other than OS the only other stuff installed in C: are critical system &  maintenance apps, Antivirus & malware hunters, OpenOffice/Nitro PDF PDFlite and Acronis Image. This completed, I uninstall junk. scan, defrag, and make a backup image, which is about 5gb. I update the image as games and progs get installed to ensure there is a backup with the latest stuff initialized in registry etc.. I ususally keep the first clean image and 2 or 3 of the most recent ones. They are stored in aonther drive, and backed up externally as well. When something bad happens the backup image restores C: in a matter of minutes. I sometimes don't even bother to figure out what the problem is - I just roll back...

The actual game/prog installs themselves are regularly backed up to external drive - the time consuming but necessary step everyone skips until they get nailed with a bad virus or hardware failure.

Glad to hear Five Cores it's out but will wait until this is resloved...

Originally Posted By Lucien21 (16 SEP 2012 5:05am)
 

I always hate this argument, it just continues the evidence that most of the adventure gaming fans are stuck in a time loop somewhere in the 1990's refusing to move with the times. No wonder it's dying.

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. One can make a very good argument that if it weren't for the fact that very good adventure games can be made using relatively simple audio/video and thus, more cheaply by small indie operations, the adventure game situation would be even worse than it is. Not to mention the fact that users running the latest tricked out hardware does not exactly fit the typical adventure game playing demographic.

Originally Posted By tincup2 (16 SEP 2012 10:39am)

Originally Posted By SirDave (15 SEP 2012 4:06pm)

...The only choice is to install on the C-Drive....

 

Was problem this corrented? I NEVER install games to C:

 

What's humorous is while this topic was being discussed I spent the day setting up a fresh W7 install on a new 256gb SSD [man it is fast], with a 30gb boot partition. W7 is fairly compact for a "new" OS, weighing in at just under 10gb [no hibernation or restore]plus a 8gb page file]. Other than OS the only other stuff installed in C: are critical system &  maintenance apps, Antivirus & malware hunters, OpenOffice/Nitro PDF and Acronis Image. This completed, I uninstall junk. scan, defrag, and make a backup image, which is about 5gb. I update the image as games and progs get installed to ensure there is a backup with the latest stuff initialized in registry etc.. I ususally keep the first clean image and 2 or 3 of the most recent ones. They are stored in aonther drive, and backed up externally as well. When something bad happens the backup image restores C: in a matter of minutes. I sometimes don't even bother to figure out what the problem is - I just roll back...

 

The actual game/prog installs themselves are regularly backed up to external drive - the time consuming but necessary step everyone skips until they get nailed with a bad virus or hardware failure.

 

Glad to hear Five Cores it's out but will wait until this is resloved...

Hey Tincup, you stole my patented backup process! I know we talked about this before- we follow exactly the same routine. As you mentioned, that last step is particularly important for more than one reason. One is that, obviously, you need to have a backup of the actual game installs that you've placed on a drive separate from the C-drive. But, as well, if you don't have a backup of the game installs that is in sync (ie. contemporary) with the C-drive backup, you could be in a situation where you restore the C-drive with a registry that thinks there is a game installed that isn't. (I know you know this, but I mention it for the uninformed masses

The Five Cores 'mandatory' C-drive install has apparently been fixed. I'm going to wait a bit to retry the whole thing. I spent too much time on it yesterday and I have a feeling that my laptop's graphics do not have Shader 3. Bummer!

Originally Posted By SirDave (16 SEP 2012 11:34am)

Originally Posted By Lucien21 (16 SEP 2012 5:05am)
 

I always hate this argument, it just continues the evidence that most of the adventure gaming fans are stuck in a time loop somewhere in the 1990's refusing to move with the times. No wonder it's dying.

 

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. One can make a very good argument that if it weren't for the fact that very good adventure games can be made using relatively simple audio/video and thus, more cheaply by small indie operations, the adventure game situation would be even worse than it is. Not to mention the fact that users running the latest tricked out hardware does not exactly fit the typical adventure game playing demographic.

Didn't say anything about a tricked out system. Mine is far from being state of the art, but is more than suitable for most games (I use my consoles for my non adventure gaming.)

Originally Posted By SirDave (16 SEP 2012 12:10am)

I'm not following the 'should be good enough'. Was it ie. does it run the game well? And if so, I'd appreciate knowing what laptop you're using and what the video installed is. Thanks.

Acer Aspire 7741G-6426
i5-480M 2.66GHz w/ TB up to 2.93GHz

AMD Radeon HD 6550M 1 GB
8 GB DDR3

Does it run well? Hell no. I turned on Fraps and see that it struggles to maintain 20 FPS. Anistropic filtering settings don't seem to have any effect. It's playable, just have to tap down DPI on the mouse. This is the same machine that rarely drops below 35 FPS running Skyrim on high minus shadow detail set to low. I have to presume this Unreal Engine 3 is far more demanding compared with other adventure applications. A good laptop cooler is a MUST!

Since I had already backed up the DL to a DVD I thought it might be of interest to try it out on my PC

Vista 64 SP2

E8400 3.0GHz (I fully realize this needs an upgrade but it's still on hold due to its lack of use)

Radeon HD 6870 1 GB GDDR5

4 GB RAM

1650x1050 LCD

As before the install doesn't typically default to 32 bit program files so I clicked browse. Ah, now I DO have to d/l and install that framework thingie. (Huh, as for Win7 I have no idea as to what circumstances are responsible for its prior existence, included with the OS or perhaps an update?) I agree it's no minor update as it automatically forces a Windows re-start. Keeping my digits crossed I had high hopes of seeing the game run more smoothly, had being the operative expectation but unfortunately not. Although static views are quite impressive, any type of motion induces (for lack of a better term) sort of a scrolling flicker on the bottom half of the screen thats still persists, although to a lesser degree, at even the lowest possible settings.  

Originally Posted By Lucien21 (16 SEP 2012 12:16pm)

Originally Posted By SirDave (16 SEP 2012 11:34am)

Originally Posted By Lucien21 (16 SEP 2012 5:05am)
 

I always hate this argument, it just continues the evidence that most of the adventure gaming fans are stuck in a time loop somewhere in the 1990's refusing to move with the times. No wonder it's dying.

 

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. One can make a very good argument that if it weren't for the fact that very good adventure games can be made using relatively simple audio/video and thus, more cheaply by small indie operations, the adventure game situation would be even worse than it is. Not to mention the fact that users running the latest tricked out hardware does not exactly fit the typical adventure game playing demographic.

 

Didn't say anything about a tricked out system. Mine is far from being state of the art, but is more than suitable for most games (I use my consoles for my non adventure gaming.)

At the very least, my experience and CB's above indicates that getting The Five Cores running may end up being a hit-or-miss prospect for many people. IMO, developing a game like this without making sure that it will run on a reasonable number of systems that adventure gamers are likely to have is pretty much like shooting one's self in the financial foot. It will be interesting to see whether this initial experience is just an aberration or....not.

@ SireDave --- Haha I know we've talked about this before but it never hurts to spread the "word" - even when a tad off topic... 

I'm confused by your post.  You say that you tested the original build on a XP with SP2, but I attempted to install the game onto my system over the weekend (running XP with SP2) and the installer flatly refused to proceed and quit.  Could you clarify that?

I had a rather terse email exchange with the game designer in which he was very clear that the game would not run on SP2 and when I asked if there was any workaround he did not offer any suggestions.

Yes, I agree that the game designer has shot himself in the proverbial foot.  It is such a shame, as the graphics are so beautiful that I really got excited at the prospect of playing T5C.  

There are many gamers who do have Windows 7 systems and they should have no problems, so I think the game will still find a significant market, but I have to say that I am genuinely surprised that the game has been designed to exclude people running SP2.  A bit of market research would have indicated that a lot of people are holding off switching to Windows 7 for various reasons.  Many of us refused to install Vista because it was so problematic, and its a fact that many who've tried to install SP3 have had a frustrating time and have ended up giving up.    For many less techie types, if you're going to try something as challenging as going from SP2 to Windows 7, you might as well buy a new machine.  People like this will likely wait until the old machine is no longer doing the job, and then invest in a whole new system.  For some, a game like T5C will be an excuse to do just that, but a lot of people just can't afford to do that.  That's a significant chunk of your potential market gone, at least in the short term.  

:\

As for the argument that the adventure game genre is being killed by gamers being somehow backward looking in our willingness to embrace new technological advances well, I think that's just nonsense.  What has been damaging adventure gaming is the tendency for a large proportion of gamers to prefer games which involved shooting and fighting.  That's where the big bucks are, so that's where the investment goes.  It's not rocket science.  Frustrates the hell out of me.  

I mention it for the uninformed masses

Thank you so much for thinking of me, SirDave. 

However, the installation problems being discussed here mean it's unlikely I will get to play this game as I run an older XP system.  The suggestion that adventure game players are backwood looking and not interested in upgrading our systems is utter bunkum.  Each of my new computers has been purchased to play the latest Myst games. 

I preferred the old days (W95 & W98 ) when you put a disc into the drive and it installed itself and played with no probs - and if that's backwood looking then so be it.  

I am now curious about the game's performance. While on paper the minimum requirements aren't really that steep, CB's experience with his fairly modern desktop (it easily surpasses even the recommended specs, especially the GPU) is troubling. I'll get the game later this evening, will have a full performance report on a powerful desktop and a modest laptop by tomorrow.

Since I now have both Win7 and XP SP3 both on the same machine I'll be able to test both installs when I get Five Cores, and report back.