Oh Fun, Fun Times...
So my history with console games is VERY scattered (why do you think this blog focuses mostly on computer-based games?). I had all the Ataris up to the 5200, as well as the Vectrex and so on, but when I got my first PC in the mid 1980s, all of that stopped…
Until maybe 2002, when I made my first foray back into consoles for nearly 20 years with the purchase of a used Sega Dreamcast, and I purchased it for only one game…
If You Have Some Extra of This, Help Some Space Games Out...
Hey y’all, I wanted to just remind y’all that several spacey Kickstarters are ending soon — or off to a really slow start — so they could use some funding to help meet their goals. These include:
So if any of these look interesting to ya, please kick ‘em some funds if you can. Also, if there are any computer space games not listed here that I should be aware of, please let me know. Thanks!
Damn Plugins!
Thanks to reader Josh for contacting me and letting me know that the game list isn’t working. I’m trying to fix it right now, just FYI. Thanks y’all!
Edit: Sheesus that was a pain in the ass. I’m guessing that Google’s switch to Google Drive gummed up the inline spreadsheet viewer plugin I was using. After playing with some others, I found the CSV to Webpage Pearlbells plugin, which allows me to upload a local copy of CSV files and embed them. Sadly, this is just a band-aid.
I essentially will need to somehow make this list fully HTML so I can edit it within the site as well as add links and such, but that’ll take time and work. I’ll get to it, but I can’t rush to it. ;) Anyway, thanks for your patience folks, and I apologize for any inconvenience.
Isn't It What We All Want, Really? ;)
So y’all might’ve noticed that I put up a scenic spacey background image up behind the content, and there were a couple of reasons I’ve done this. First, I thought it looked pretty — which it does, adds a touch of flair I think — but second was to see if I could do it in the first place.
Working Together to Make the Perfect Bundle
So the other day, I got an email from the developer of Dangerous, Linh Ngo, about the possibility of a space game specific indie bundle. Here’s what he said in his email:
After a flash of insight, I’m trying to get the Space Bundle off the ground seeing as there’s never been anything like it. I’m in the process of putting together the spacebundle.com website and am contacting various space game developers to see if they’d like be in on the first one. Obviously, our game Dangerous will be included. :) I’m trying for diversity in the types of space games: RPG, 4X, RTS, etc., trying to pick non-mainstreamed titles opting for the less known developers, and I’m following the interface and pricing as in bundles past, like the Humble Bundle. We’ll also pick a charity or two as is the norm.
So I said I’d help get the word out, of course. :) Therefore, if any indie space game developers read this, and would like to get in on this action, pleas email Linh and express your interest. I know there are a lot of bundles out there right now, but having a genre-specific one I think would be an awesome thing. :) Thanks folks!
Adding to This List...
Hey y’all, just chiming in because — thanks to Space Sector and SpaceSimCentral — I’ve been learning about new space games I’d never heard of before, and wanted to give credit where credit was due. I also wanted to keep y’all in the loop, in case you missed the mention of these on the other sites. These include:
These have also been added to the list. Now, I try to find all the games I can on my own, but since I’m one guy, I’m asking for help as well. ;)
If you’re a developer of a computer-based space game (i.e. not for mobile or consoles, sorry), and your game isn’t on my list, I invite you to contact me so I can help promote your game. I also have a forum thread dedicated solely to new game announcements and news updates for your use. I’m all about spreading the spacey game love here, and while I’d like to think do a fair job on my own of finding new games to cover, I’d do a better one with some help. ;)
Thanks guys, for visiting and reading! :)
What else needs to be said, really?
Today is the Old Girl's Last Day. :(
As you may recall from my obituary, Jumpgate is closing its doors today forever. One of the most unique and special MMORPGs ever made will be no more, and I just wanted to ask for a moment of silence in tribute of this much beloved game. You’ll be missed, old girl, and you’ll never be forgotten.
Edit: So on a lark, I emailed the Gazillion folks to see if they would reactivate my account so I could fly around one last time…and they DID. However, I then found out that the server is closing at 5:00 PST…and there’s no way I’ll be home by then. I am just totally crushed right now. :/
You Guys are Represented by This Dog, and I Wanna Give Y'all a Hug! ;)
Hey y’all, I just wanted to chime in and personally thank everyone for their patience this week. I didn’t release any major content while running that integrated forum experiment because I didn’t want to lose any valuable comments. Rest assured that I’ve got several great articles coming in the pipelines for next week, including the conclusion of my Distant Worlds – Legends review series, the continuation of my Weird Worlds review series and more, so thanks again for visiting, and please stay tuned. :)
One More Time...
Update: Hey y’all, the now new forums are now up. I still need to play around with the look of it, but it’s fully functional! Just click the link above or right here to head over and register. The good news, this forum has Tapatalk support, yay! The bad news, I wasn’t able to migrate posts and users over, so for that I apologize. You can see the old forums here for the time being, if you want to copy your posts over. Now you don’t have to register on the blog to post comments — though can if you still want to, if you want a custom avatar and such — so please head over to the forums and let me know what you think. Thanks!
Hey guys, how are you? First off, you may notice that we’re using WordPress comments for this post, and I’ll explain why in a moment. First, I want to thank everyone who signed up to help me with this experiment. It was fun, and I’m glad I tried it, but it opened my eyes to a few things.
First, the forum plugin, bbpress, is nice and simple, but honestly I think it’s TOO simple. I want this place to grow and expand and not just be a blog, but an even bigger community of awesome people than it already is. With its lack of search functionality and forum/thread granularity, for example, I think bbpress would get too unwieldy as it got bigger, making posts harder to find and providing a less-than-fun experience overall.
Secondly, I’ve realized throughout this I’ve always said I want this place to be a blog first, and…that can’t really happen in the forums are intertwined with the comments. I’ve been doing some research and a lot of thinking, and realize that it’s best if users have the option of both quickly commenting on a post and, if they choose, visiting the forums as well. That way the blog can be a gateway to the forums, but not dependent upon them. That way they don’t even have to go through a sign up process if they don’t want to, as WordPress’ comments system works pretty well as is.
Therefore, over the next day or two, I’ll be installing MyBB as our forum. I’ve done a lot of research on free forum software and played with some, and MyBB just clicked in terms of usability and feature set. I want to again thank you all for helping me with this experiment, it gave me a lot of insight. I’m hoping the new forum will be even more fun to use once it’s all set up. I also thank you for your patience in this. My site is growing faster than any blog I’ve ever had, and I’m trying to grow along with it, so it’s a big learning experience for me, and I thank you all for making it as awesome an experience as it’s been thus far. :)
