Koki on 25/6/2011 at 18:51
A game that is contained on an USB and doesn't install on your hard drive, it would be like a super hard roguelike or something with permadeath and of course you can't even savescum because it's all in the encrypted game files. Also the world would be persistent so you could find dead bodies in various stages of degradation when you play it again and again, and when you get bored you could give the USB to someone else and he would see all your failures when playing. If there was a limited amount of the USBs with the game made that would be some rad shit mang.
Briareos H on 25/6/2011 at 19:03
They tried it (
http://chainworld.swio.ws/) with a Minecraft world and it flunked even more disastrously than the TTLG gnome, being ruined by the first idiot who received it.
OTOH, I could totally see a version of DF adapted to this idea.
Bjossi on 25/6/2011 at 19:23
Wtth a fast enough USB bus any game that is programmed to be tidy (Doesn't integrate itself into the host system and stores all variables and other user data locally.) could be kept on a USB stick. In the mainstream world that makes probably less than 0.5% of all games in recent years.
They were simple times when all we had to worry about were disk checks and CD keys, and when every single game didn't make a new pile of mess in the Users area and the registry.
There is one thing to keep in mind though, the frequent reads and writes may wear out the USB sticks pretty quickly.
doctorfrog on 25/6/2011 at 20:18
Capcom has borrowed a few notes from this idea, shoved them in a sock, and flung the sock at a nearby wall:
(
http://tinycartridge.com/post/6878321151/no-save-data-reset-for-resident-evil-the)
"There’s speculation that Capcom deliberately made it impossible for users to delete their save data to discourage used game sales — since those who buy Mercenaries 3D used can’t wipe the save and start over from the beginning, some Japanese shops will only pay very low prices (as low as $6!) for pre-played copies."
demagogue on 25/6/2011 at 20:48
I mentioned this idea a few months ago on a thread somewhere around here, but Search isn't letting me find it. I mean I mentioned distributing a game on a flash drive since they're just now getting to be big & cheap enough to make it workable, and yeah they can carry the saves & world state with them; instead of a disk that can scratch and you still have to install, as opposed to plug & play.
And I mentioned at least one game IIRC that does distribute on a USB drive (Steel Beasts Gold). Also I've been playing a lot of games off an external HD lately, all the plug & play kind like Doom3/Dark Mod, and that's like running them off a flash drive.
But so many games are downloadable that it's almost already behind the curve. But it still has the advantage of saving on HD space, being able to plug and play right off the drive, and it's not a full external HD drive. Also being able to let friends play. I've done that with Dark Mod, letting others play right off my external HD, and if I ever get a flash drive ~5 GB I think I'll start playing off that.
Nameless Voice on 25/6/2011 at 21:19
The Starcraft 2 collector's edition came with a special USB key with Starcraft Brood War installed on it, IIRC.
The problem I see with that is that flash drives are still not very reliable. They wear out very fast compared to conventional magnetic hard disks.
inselaffe on 25/6/2011 at 22:29
Quote Posted by doctorfrog
"There’s speculation that Capcom deliberately made it impossible for users to delete their save data to discourage used game sales — since those who buy Mercenaries 3D used can’t wipe the save and start over from the beginning, some Japanese shops will only pay very low prices (as low as $6!) for pre-played copies."
Wow erm, so once you complete the game you can't even replay it yourself?
Or imagine if you got yourself into a screwed situation that made it impossible to continue.
lost_soul on 26/6/2011 at 01:21
Prediction: "You only bought a license to play through that game once." Maybe they want to make games like rides at some theme parks where you have to pay to go again.
Back on topic, the idea of having games on a USB stick is slightly better than the current system of bundling malicious software on CD versions to stop me from playing them on my Netbook or palm-sized PC which I will no doubt have in less than ten years.
I think I'll stick to buying everything used or from dirt-cheap sales and giving the game devs/publishers the finger though, because most of them treet me like a used hanky anyway.
As for encryption, earlier today, I was holding and going through the contents of my Shadow Warrior CD. They had tools on there to unpack the resources of the game and instructions for doing so, along with level editors, art editors, and a copy of every sound and music track used in the game. Remember back when games weren't just encrypted blobs?
june gloom on 26/6/2011 at 02:32
Remember back when you didn't post here?
