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Dcubed

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Posts posted by Dcubed

  1. @Dcubed

     

    I guess if direct Wi-Fi speeds are too slow, connecting the Gamepad to the Wii U via a network, which should allow for online if I'm reading you correctly, would be even more out of the question. Also, since I'm asking stupid questions, would there be any benefit in sending button input data via Bluetooth when the Gamepad isn't required viewing and the screen updates not entirely esssential. I guess it's irrelevant really but when it comes to tech and Nintendo, no amount of strange combinations of hardware would surprise me.

     

    I seem to recall reading something about UWB when NFC started making a bit of noise a few years ago but one day tech is the next big thing and the day after it's dead and burried again - you can't blame a guy if it slips his mind :)

     

    Ooh that's an interesting idea! Having the game inputs being sent via Bluetooth and the video sent by UWB is a possibility IMO. It increases the total bandwidth available to the video stream (since it means that the total UWB signal could be dedicated to just the video stream alone) and Bluetooth is capable of accepting 7 unique inputs (meaning that there are just enough Bluetooth slots for 4 remotes, 2 Upads and a Balance Board to be used at the same time!). Plus since they're on completely different frequencies, the two different signals shouldn't interfere with each other either!

     

    Of course it does add a bit of extra cost to the Upad, but they may well have gone for that kind of solution. I just wish they actually went into detail about this in the actual Iwata Asks! ::shrug:

  2. Yeah, I was a hoping for a bit more than what they gave us.

     

    I was under the impression it would be using a form of Wi-Fi Direct. The transfer speeds are pretty quick after all and coupled with Nintendo's own custom algos, wouldn't that be enough?

     

    Also, I'm kinda curious as to the thing about how Wi-Fi would disable online access. I know PSV remote play prevents internet access from the handheld when connected directly to the PS3 but then I also understand Remote Play to be a bit of a laughing stock all round to the point that no one would judge and limit Nintendo's capabilities based upon Sony's unfinihsed work.

     

    Is possible for a device to be connected to a Direct access point and a regular network. It is hardware specific, but it can be done and so I don't see how it can be completely ruled out.

     

    I'm no expert mind so fell free to enlighten me here. I'm more of a software kinda guy :p

     

    WiFi can't do two way connection. It can only be an access point or a client that connects to an access point (which in of itself must be wired to a DSL line). So it has to choose between one or the other, meaning that if it's being used as an access point for the Upad, it can't connect to your WiFi router to connect online at the same time.

     

    It's a fundamental hardware limitation. Also, WiFi latency is generally too high for this kind of low latency video transfer. Nintendo use their own custom wireless protocol for local DS/3DS multiplayer using standard 802.11B/G hardware (nicknamed NiFi in the homebrew community) that uses up less battery life and enables much lower latency than the standard WiFi protocol (sub 16ms latency even!) but the packet size is too small for real time video transfer to work and it would stop the console from being able to connect online to boot.

     

    Bluetooth is obviously not up to the task and neither is HSDPA or LTE based tech. There is also a standard Wireless HDMI protocol (wHDMI and wHD), but the latency is terrible so I really doubt that it's based on either of those.

     

    Ultra Wide Band tech however seems to tick all the boxes. It's extremely low latency, runs on a completely different frequency band to all other commercial wireless devices (meaning that they wont interfere with the Upad connection!) but only works from a comparatively short range compared to other wireless tech (sound familiar? ;) )

     

    So UWB is what I'd put my money on.

  3. The fuck? I knew it was low latency but didn't think it was faster than the TV.

    Could it be a difference caused by the TV itself though?

     

    Today's LG HDTVs are notorious for having horrendous input lag, but 7 frames of input lag is sadly not uncommon.

     

    The average HDTV has between 50-150ms of input lag (even in the eye seering Game Mode) and that only worsens when you start dealing with legacy upscaling from 480i (don't even think about playing a SNES game on most modern HDTVs, a lot of them render games nigh on unplayable)

     

    The best you can get out of a HDTV is >=16ms (1 frame), but that's a rarity that is pretty much relegated to select Panasonic HDTVs (particularily their Plasma sets) or sets that have been largely discontinued.

     

    For the record, I'm using a Samsung D5000 that has 16ms input lag and gameplay is flawless with all sources :awesome:

  4. The big A button was nice when it was the primary input button but playing a 6 button fighter with that face layout, those shoulder buttons, and the D-Pad is simply not fun. You can hit A and another face button but you can't really hit two face buttons that don't include A (so B & Y, Y & X or B and X) which is a bit limiting.

     

    Actually, Y&X was fine, but yeah... the other two combos were not really feasible...

     

    Good thing that Soul Calibur 2 never really needed you to press any of the "problem" button combos together! (funnily enough, that game just so happens to play best with a GCN controller too :D)

     

    But then again, the GCN never got any other good fighters (and probably partially for that very reason)

     

    One controller doesn't fit all games. That's part of why I'm looking forward to the Wii U so much. The console is basically the swiss army knife of controller schemes! :)

  5. This game seems to be pretty fucking popular, quite a lot of people I've encountered in the main town area have it as their last played title. Most of the people I see playing their 3DS's in my university though are playing the new Medabot game.

     

    That'll be because it has sold 141.529 (mediacreate) this week ;)

     

    Apparently if you start a new game file, you'll lose all of your purchased DLC...

    I don't know how much DLC was released or the prices for the DLC, but that's pretty disastrous.

     

    Really!? I don't see how that's possible :confused: The DLC is stored in a separate file on the SD Card - and even if it did somehow get deleted, you would surely be able to redownload it for free as normal anyway.

  6. Yeah I miss the the GCN controller too (especially those awesome analog/digital click shoulder buttons)

     

    I hope they've got a proper solution in the works for when they put GCN games up on the VC...

  7. A noob question: what does DMC stand for? Is it Devil May Cry of also something else?::shrug:

     

    Sorry, yeah it's Devil May Cry (I got lazy with my typing :p - plus I have a bad habit of repeatedly editing posts/fixing mistakes only after I've already made them... ;) )

  8. I know Nintendo did it first with the Super NES and the button layout had the B button at the bottom and the A button on the right, but I've really got used to, and now prefer the Xbox layout of having the A button at the bottom, which I assume they copied the PlayStation pad of having the X button at the bottom.

     

    So why do I now struggle with the 3DS and Wii U layout? Every time I go to press the Y button, I press the top one and end up hitting X instead. Grrr!

     

    Does anybody else have this problem or is it just my sausage fingers?

     

    I have the opposite problem myself. Keep thinking the A button is where B should be on the 360 controller.

     

    Funnily enough, I have no problem with X being the main confirm button on the PS controller though ::shrug: (except for Japanese games which are all wrong wrong wrong and reverse X and circle! - yeah I get why they do it, but it just feels wrong)

     

    Maybe it's just down to the way you hold it in the default position? I never have my thumb over X and Square on a PS controller or a 360 one (usually holding it above all 4 buttons), but I always have my thumb over B and Y (or B and A with a small rightward shift) at all times with a typical Nintendo controller.

     

    In the case where you use multiple buttons held simultaneously, the Nintendo layout is generally the most comfortable for me. You can rest your thumb on B to hit A and Y much more easily than the other controllers! :) (which have the buttons further apart and are either too mushy or are those horrible Jewel type buttons which murder your thumbs!)

     

    For other games where you just hit different buttons independently (most Devil May Cry style action games for instance), I generally prefer the PS controller design.

     

    It's also why I prefer playing Mega drive games with a Classic Controller Pro, while I prefer SNES games with the original Classic Controller - since the CC Pro's grips better enable you to hold it like a PS or MD controller, where you don't always hold your thumb over two buttons as the default position.

     

    But for general confirmation selection (where A is typically yes and B is generally no), I prefer the Nintendo design. I like how reaching for A requires your hand/thumb to move in a different way than any other button - making a specific mark in your muscle memory and generally making a larger impact in said memory when you do decide to confirm something than it would otherwise do (i.e, if you just pressed it like you would any other button from the default position)

  9. Iwata As Nintendo, we say that it will be fine using it within the same living room where the console is in, but a lot of people ask what about through a wall?

     

    Yamashita Yeah. The other day, someone in a different department asked if he could use it in his bathroom at his house! (laughs)...

     

    Yamashita Using the Wii U GamePad with a television is one of the ways that you can use it, but a good thing about the Wii U is that you can also play without the TV*. Because of the way Wii U is used it becomes easier to forget about the console, so it's possible that some people might wonder why it doesn't work when they're away from the TV. By the way, my living room and bathroom are separated by a single wall and I was able to use it. (laughs)

     

    Even they know that playing games on the crapper is what everyone wants :laughing:

     

    Iwata Where else did you expend a lot of energy?

     

    Ibuki Making it lighter was also important. The Engineering group took the lead in making it lighter. With Wii U GamePad we put in a lot of effort in reducing its weight. There is a part called a chassis to protect the screen, and at first we were planning on using materials like aluminum and magnesium. But ultimately we decided against those and used what's called a resin chassis to further reduce its weight. In that way, we chipped away one or two grams here and there.

     

    Iwata We made it as light as possible without causing durability problems. There may be some that would think 500 grams is heavy for a controller, but the result of pecking away at it like that was something much lighter than at first.

     

    Ibuki Yes. Any suggestions for a change in the design had to come with how many grams it would increase the weight. It was like: "I want a design like this." "How many grams will that increase the weight?" "Five grams." "Request denied!!" Everyone (laughs)

     

    Ibuki Five grams is about how much a 100-yen coin weighs! (laughs) (Editor's note: A US Nickel weighs five grams) We wanted the Wii U GamePad to weigh about 500 grams, so when we were approaching 500 and some grams, all suggestions that may put more weight on it were refused.

     

    500 grams is heavier than I was hoping for... :hmm: It's still a fair bit lighter than the iPad (which is between 600-650 grams depending on the model), but I find them to be a bit heavy for my liking - even when holding it horizontally :blank: Hopefully, the grips will help alleviate the issue...

     

    I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't go more into the actual wireless tech they're using, even though Iwata himself mentioned that "it must not have been any typical wireless technology". They're obviously not using WiFi (and couldn't anyway, since it would prevent the console from going online when the Gamepad is used), so what is it!? UW Band tech? Sigh, I'm gonna have to wait till it launches and gets torn down aren't I? :(

     

    Also no extra prototype pics? I was hoping for another round of ridiculous prototype models ALA the Revolution controller...

     

    wii_prototypes_1.jpg

  10. The only way I could see them interconnecting is if they share leaderboards. From my understanding the Wii U version is just a HD version of the e-shop game.

     

    Wrong. The Wii U game is a sequel to the 3DS one. Not just another version of the same game.

     

    Now if this can connect in some way to the WiiU version, that would be awesome, and worth buying both. ATM I don't know which one to get.

     

    No word on connectivity and I wouldn't count on it, since it's not just another "version" - it's a sequel.

  11. Ok so I'm on the way to Victory Road and... THAT just happened.

     

    Man, they really make you wait until the story finally kicks in! (And boy does it kick in!! :o )

     

    Still some questions left unanswered, but I feel satisfied after waiting so long since B&W came along to leave them! :D

     

    Game Freak. You done good :cool:

     

     

    Pokémon Black Version 2 is in da house!... My house. :D

    Just about to take on the first gym.

     

    60fps battle scenes almost blew my socks off! :o I take it that was also the case on the original Black/White games? Anyway, it looks lovely. Seriously slick. icon14.gif

     

    Yeah it was like that in B&W. It's an enormous improvement all around and so much faster than before. The game engine and battle system has changed very little in general since the first game (mainly just the removal of poison damage outside of battles, the auto repel prompts, some new abilities given to different Pokemon and some small changes made to certain moves - it is the same generation and a direct sequel after all)

     

    The areas and gameplay features have changed a lot though, so if you do ever want to go back and play the first B&W games at some point, it'll still be a very different experience. B&W2 doesn't make B&W redundant in the same way that the typical 3rd version (Yellow/Crystal/Emerald/Platinum) does to their respective predecessors.

     

    I also love how you can animate your signature on the back of the trainer card. :love:

     

    Yeah, there's tons of neat little touches like that. You can also play little tunes using the different badges by touching them on the badge screen as they make differently pitched sounds (I did an almost perfect rendition of the Tetris main theme using them :D )

     

    Oh yeah also, you can change your trainer card details by touching the different parts, like your favourite hobby, saying etc (I WANT TO HAPPY WITH YOU is my current one :laughing: )

     

    Edit: Just caught a wild Pokemon with Pokerus!!! (You even get a medal for it :) )

     

    Today is my lucky day it seems :D

  12. Hmm... I think he means Bilocyte - the thing you face on the back of Levias. Skyward Strikes also work but being slower and having a shorter range means you have to be up close and personal for it to work or it will dodge them.

     

    It's a good job they fixed that freeze glitch pronto or it seems we'd have a few unhappy gamers here.

     

    Whoops! You're right. Wrong one! :blush:

     

    BTW, just as an aside. I think that Faron Woods in Skyward Sword is my favourite overworld "area" music in all of Zelda history...

     

     

    I could happily listen to it forever :heart:

  13. So I've now completed Hana Samurai, my Backlog is also well and truly under control and I'm looking for a new game to play in the run-up to Wii U, was thinking this could be it, but have a few questions first...

     

    1. Are there areas/aspects of this game that aren't accessible if you haven't played Black/White? And if so, how much content are we talking?

     

    2. Can you transfer over Pokémon from Diamond/HeartGold, and is it required in order to "catch 'em all"?

     

    3. How's the story in the game, is it funny? In other words (and anyone that has played both Red/Blue/FireRed/LeafGreen & HeartGold/SoulSilver will know what I'm on about) does the old man outside the gym love it because it's full of women? :laughing:icon14.gif or because it's full of strong trainers? :zzz:icon13.gif

     

    1: You'll only miss out on a few non-essential encounters, so you don't have to really play B&W beforehand, but really you should play Black/White first anyway because they're damn awesome! (Probably my favourite in the series; at least tied with Gold/Silver)

     

    2: You will need to trade across the other GBA and DS games to nab each and every one, or just ask around to trade with other people online/locally. Pokemon is all about communication after all! (But just getting the specific ones you want isn't really that hard if you just ask around online or use the GTS)

     

    3: 51941_3294472859777_1576014799_o.jpg

     

    Don't worry. The dialogue is as hilarious as ever.

  14. Speaking of beating Gohma in multiple ways... How did you guys beat Tentalus in Skyward Sword on your first play through?

     

    Did you guys know that you could just shoot him in the eye with the bow? :) (rather than hitting his energy balls back at him)

     

    There's also quite a few ways to beat Demise as well... (I did it by sheathing my sword - the one sword movement that he couldn't copy :laughing:)

     

    I'm also proud to admit that I figured out the quick way to beat The Imprisoned on my first encounter with him (my jaw literally dropped when I discovered that that trick actually worked! - thought for sure that the game would stop you from cheating him :laughing: )

  15. Surely if any games does that then it's MM?

     

    True. That does a fantastic job at that too; and think how long it takes to get to the first dungeon in that game! (Going by that kind of logic that those guys hold to be truth, MM's tutorial doesn't stop until about 3-4 hours in - hell there isn't even any real combat for around 2 hours!)

     

    SS' intro isn't that dissimilar from MM's really in terms of tutorial design, it's just that MM's is much longer; and you don't really see people complaining about MM being overly handholdy...

  16. I knew exactly where to go in Skyward Sword as well, which means if I didn't, again it would take much longer. :D

     

    Fair enough. I could argue that Skyward Sword offers a more obvious path to follow for those who bought the game just to kill the first Keese they saw and then never touch the game again (but that would be a pretty flimsy argument :laughing:)

     

    It's still much faster than any other 3D Zelda aside from OoT though (I was actually thinking of MM, TWW and TP when I made that claim TBH) and my other points still stand. Skyward Sword does a better job of showing that there's more to the series than just dungeons.

     

    Plus OoT's 1st "dungeon" is just a glorified tutorial anyway, so the first "real" dungeon you go to in that game is Dodongo's Cavern - which you dont get to for at least an hour, so nerr! :p

  17. Just tested this by timing the game as soon as you get to control Link and doing what the story wanted me to do, such as talking to Zelda, then Groose and then getting my sword. It took 15 mins to get to the point where I could get the sword and then get into the cave and kill some Keese.

     

    I fired up OOT and did exactly he same, not starting the stopwatch until I had control of Link and it took me 5 mins to get the sword and shield and kill a Deku plant.

     

    Difference here though is that you know exactly where to go to get those rupees and the sword. If you didn't know where they were by heart, it would take much longer.

     

    And all the other 3D Zeldas take much longer than that to get to your first real enemy (especially Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess)

  18. There was a topic on Neogaf the other week that got on about the hand holding and tutorials of the newer Zelda games. I can see why Nintendo do it, they want to try and get more people to play the games and make it easy as possible for them to learn how to play. By doing this though they are just annoying fans who grew up with the series.

     

    I don't understand why you can't skip such segments or have an option at the start of the game to knock off hints, tips and tutorials.

     

    If you look back at the start of LTTP, that is how a Zelda game should start. You have a little introduction, great atmosphere and within 5 mins you have a sword in your hand and are exploring a dungeon. Even OOT is a good example, as you enter the Deku Tree pretty much straight away as well.

     

    The problem with their way of thinking though is that they assume that a Zelda game doesn't start until you get to the first dungeon; and that's just patently false.

     

    What's great about Twilight Princess and (especially) Skyward Sword's intro is that they do a great job of introducing the game and its mechanics/story through simply showcasing the world and allowing you to explore the first couple of areas/talking to NPCs/carrying out tasks on your own - giving you a feel for all the different non dungeon mechanics that the game has to offer (indeed, half the point of Skyward Sword was to take the emphasis away from the dungeons and bring more of those elements out into the overworld environments themselves)

     

    Technically speaking, if you discount the FMV intro, you actually come into contact with enemies faster in Skyward Sword than you do in any other 3D Zelda game (the first cave where you encounter the Keese. That's a combat tutorial, and it's done with absolutely no dialogue or explanation at all - which I suppose isn't really needed since the combat requires no button presses)

     

    If you listened to those guys, Zelda would have no gameplay outside of dungeons and any form of backtracking (even when the environment has been completely terraformed like in Skyward Sword) would be considered as filler. Zelda is much more than a simple dungeon crawler!

  19. By the way, I discovered the last time I played this, that if you press A while inside a village, you perform a greeting.

    If you stand next to an NPC and do it, they respond with their own little sound.

     

    This character...

     

    Vs13R.png

    ...makes the most amusing sound. :hehe:

    I spent a few minutes repeatedly pressing the A button one time just to hear it. :laughing:

     

    Oh cool! I knew about the greeting, but I didn't know they actually respond to you!

     

    Will have to try that out next time I play the game :)

  20. I was wondering the other night, if you caught Pokemon in your first ever game of red and blue, is it possible that they could have been transferred all the way through to black and white 2 using trading and so forth. It would be pretty cool if so, imagine having that same charizard in your team that you picked way back in '96

     

    You can start from Fire Red/Leaf Green (the remakes of Red/Blue) and transfer them across every generation of Pokemon game (FR/LG-R/S/E-HG/SS-D/P/P-B&W-B&W2) but not from the original GB/GBC games sadly.

     

    BTW, is it me or is the game rather story light in comparison to all the other games? (Just got the 4th badge)

     

    I was hoping to see more of N's backstory and what he's up to. I hope that they shed some further light on him and Ghestis' story later on...

     

    BTW, the gym leaders certainly don't screw around this time! I thought I was over levelled at this point - turns out that the 4th gym leader was 6 levels above my highest level Pokemon!

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