Author Topic: So I got us a new convert.  (Read 1693 times)

Offline Salamander

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So I got us a new convert.
« on: July 30, 2014, 08:33:34 am »
I was finally able to get one of my older but less internet inclined friends to play some AI War with another friend and myself and after a rough start he quite liked it. We still have to finish the game and I turned most of the options off but I’ve played many of the more complex strategy games with him over the years (World in Flames, Dominions, Empires in Arms, Star Fleet Battles, etc.) so he’ll be a very competent player once he gets into it.

So far everyone I’ve bought the game for goes much further when I host a game to teach them how to play than on their own which is no real surprise as that’s a good way to learn any more complex game, but still amusing. I always tell them that I bought the game not too long after release and had a few false starts before getting into the game myself. Ah the days when the AI had turrets and we had those amusing tugs (I still miss the tugs especially).

I can’t wait for the new expansion pack to pop up on Steam. I will have to buy it for 8 people including myself and will cackle with glee as they feel they have to play and find that there’s a great game at a great price here. And I like having new ships and other things to play with.  >D

I’m not really the best teacher but it’s worked for a few friends already and as long as they are willing to give it a shot, I’ll keep bringing more into the Arcen fold via this flagship product especially. It’s a refreshing change of pace to see how you guys respond to our issues and praise of the game compared to what a large chunk of the game industry has become.

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2014, 09:11:15 am »
Thanks very much for the support, I'm glad you and your friends are enjoying the game :)
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Offline Tankor Smash

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2014, 08:41:23 pm »
I'm trying to get some of my friends into the game, but it's a tough sell apparently. Are there any good Lets Players out there?
Testin Tidalis.

Offline Kahuna

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2014, 04:01:24 am »
Are there any good Lets Players out there?
There are no good videos about AI War.
set /A diff=10
if %diff%==max (
   set /A me=:)
) else (
   set /A me=SadPanda
)
echo Check out my AI War strategy guide and find your inner Super Cat!
echo 2592 hours of AI War and counting!
echo Kahuna matata!

Offline Salamander

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2014, 12:35:49 pm »
I looked as well. There's a few videos but the game isn't 'active' enough for most Youtubers it appears, and a lot of the videos are older and there have been some major changes over the years.

I watch some EU4 videos and that game isn't exactly thrilling to spectators either but it has a lot more videos than AI War. I've been able to directly get friends playing after their initial confusion by doing low difficulty co-op games but I think videos could help immensely, plus could garner more sales if done well.

Offline a7thson

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2014, 09:43:36 am »
first-post n00b here!

I was excited to see what seemed to be some high-level play on a modern version of AI War pop up a couple months ago from a youtuber called 'Malkasphia'...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoPuGP6JMg

But then he went 10/10, all options (including Astro Trains)... and then a few episodes in, he dies horribly.

There is also SeiferKat, playing a 6/6 game but it is definitely not 'high-level' play and it's an older version of the game (7.001?).  It is, however, complete, plus the guy has a delightfully dry sense of humor most of the time.  And almost dies horribly.  That set is over 30 videos, and he eventually wins.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTR5mNvjuzGfw6mnV3eB0sFozR_JZD_sN


Offline Aklyon

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2014, 10:57:21 am »
Mal is a pretty entertaining guy considering how often he plays ridiculous difficulties (He played a game of above-superhuman 'Mal' difficult X-Com UFO Defense some time ago via xcomutil), but not the best AI war player. Certainly not a maxed 10/10 player, lol.

Offline a7thson

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2014, 12:00:54 pm »
Mal is a pretty entertaining guy considering how often he plays ridiculous difficulties (He played a game of above-superhuman 'Mal' difficult X-Com UFO Defense some time ago via xcomutil), but not the best AI war player. Certainly not a maxed 10/10 player, lol.

LOL!  I really enjoyed the tutorial video and the dialog/opening moves in the insane game.  Would be nice to see a return to a high-level non-unwinnable game, w/a full playthrough.  When he turned on ALL the plots... my god... can you even win that against the goldfish?

Offline Kahuna

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2014, 12:11:40 pm »
What would be a good free screen recorder to record gameplay? I'd like to record a playtrough of 10/10. Maybe. At some point.
set /A diff=10
if %diff%==max (
   set /A me=:)
) else (
   set /A me=SadPanda
)
echo Check out my AI War strategy guide and find your inner Super Cat!
echo 2592 hours of AI War and counting!
echo Kahuna matata!

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2014, 01:12:59 pm »
What would be a good free screen recorder to record gameplay? I'd like to record a playtrough of 10/10. Maybe. At some point.
Hmm, I don't know about free ones, but FRAPS ( http://www.fraps.com/ ) is the one I think Chris uses and the one I keep hearing about.  It's $37 which isn't great but it could be worse.  It does have a trial version if you just want to see if it works on your machine, etc.

Looking for alternatives I found a list here: http://www.frapsalternative.com/

Though only a few of these look viable & free.  If I was looking for one I'd probably try ezvid ( http://www.ezvid.com/ ) first.

If anyone has any recommendations from experience I'd also be very interested to know.
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Offline Aklyon

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2014, 05:12:46 pm »
THat list sounds old-ish if its still counting Taksi as 'cannot record audio'. The last time I tried to record something it worked just fine for me.

Though that also was awhile ago, so maybe the devs broke the audio support or something.

Aside from that list, I know there are people who use OBS as recording software, not just streaming software.

Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #11 on: August 14, 2014, 07:48:27 pm »
True, I didn't check the pedigree of the list, it was just one of the first few google results.
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Offline Draco18s

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2014, 11:19:58 pm »
OBS (Open Broadcast Software) is pretty good.  It takes a little fenagling to get it to work as desired, but it is really good and free.

Offline ElOhTeeBee

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2014, 05:18:56 pm »
Can verify that OBS is good - I found it to be pretty easy to use for my amateur Dota 2 casting.

Offline Lavenders2

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Re: So I got us a new convert.
« Reply #14 on: August 15, 2014, 08:09:21 pm »
What would be a good free screen recorder to record gameplay? I'd like to record a playtrough of 10/10. Maybe. At some point.
If you have an nvidia card, shadowplay works quite well. It compresses files far better than fraps and also has really good quality if your PC can handle it. It also doesn't impact performance very much at all. Probably my favorite choice.
FRAPS is also recommended as well if you have no other alternative, it gets the job done for pretty much anything.
I hear OBS is also quite good.