So Kingdom Come: Deliverance has managed to reach its target goal of roughly 300K Sterling Pounds and yet it still has 26 days to go (as of writing). Recently, stretch goals have been published and so far we managed to reach the first one at 400k Sterling Pounds (sorry, I don't have the currency sign on my keyboard). We need to keep funding this game if we want to reach the loftier of stretch goals (Ryse-quality performance motion capture? Sign me up!).

Hey guys, recently I've been toying a little bit with the graphics options of F.E.A.R. and I asked myself: why aren't developers using FSAA/SSAA (full-scene anti-aliasing/super sampling anti-aliasing, same thing, different names) these days? Now obviously it's because FSAA is mind-numbingly expensive as an AA solution and it can bring a PC to its knees performance-wise, making it rather inefficient. But I feel that FSAA is the "purest" form of AA that you can use should the option be available. Other methods such as MSAA, FXAA, SMAA, TXAA and MLAA are all fine and dandy, but each one of them has a catch (blurring in FXAA, MLAA being ineffective with single-pixel objects, MSAA's inability to smooth the internal areas of polygons, etc...). So personally, I prefer FSAA, even if it's REALLY slow. It simply produces a better image and doesn't feel as cheap as the aforementioned "modern" AA solutions, some of which correspond to post-process AA (something I personally abhor since it has a tendency of blurring the entire image).

Anyway, what's your favorite AA method? Do you think we should stick to quality over performance? Or do you think that there should be a balance between quality and performance?

@Randolph:

It's okay: different gamers have different tastes. But as someone who completed the game several times, I can assure you with all honesty that F.E.A.R. still trumps every other game in the market when it comes to enemy AI. Have you read the articles I posted? They provide good insight on my argument and I can't recommend them enough, but you're free to ignore them if you want.

Want a single-player FPS that'll blow your socks off with its incredible AI and heart-pounding combat? Play F.E.A.R.. It's only $10 on Steam AND it includes the two expansion packs, Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate.

Recently I restarted playing the original F.E.A.R. and I gotta say, the combat in this game is still peerless, mostly thanks to the INSANELY impressive enemy AI that puts up a REALLY tough fight. But what depresses me lately is the fact that during the seventh generation of consoles, we had few if any games that demonstrated the same level of intelligence that F.E.A.R. managed to pull off. To prove my point, here are a few links to some articles discussing what makes the game so good as well as how developers must harness next-gen tech to make the enemy AI more believable and human (not just in interaction, but also in ACTION. Seriously, how many games featured AI kicking tables and tipping shelves to create cover?):

http://www.gamesradar.com/why-next-gen-horsepower-needs-power-ai-not-scripted-spectacle/

http://www.gamesradar.com/the-classic-game-appreciation-section-fear/

Don't get me wrong: some of the greatest games of the seventh generation such as The Last of Us, BioShock, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect 2 are excellent in their own right, but when you look at the advancements they've made, you start to see that they focus more on things such as graphics, animation, story, "games as art" aspect, sound, production values, big and atmospheric worlds and the like (one or more of these aspects applying to the games I've just mentioned. They don't necessarily do ALL of these things). You know, the kinds of things you'd expect when jumping from one generation to another. But the games I've just mentioned don't feature the same kind of intelligence I witnessed when playing F.E.A.R.. When I face an enemy in that game, I am SCARED of accidently leaving one alive since it means the difference between progress and failure. When playing the aforementioned 7th gen games, I don't feel scared. And you can't reproduce that same level of tension by artificially augmenting the enemies (i.e. one-kill enemies like the Clickers in TLoU). No, what AI needs is flexibility, efficiency and unpredictability. That's why F.E.A.R. doesn't need menial things such as XP, collectibles or any material incentives to be highly replayable. The problem with F.E.A.R. isn't that it has the best AI ever conceived at the time of its release. The problem is that it STILL has the best AI ever conceived, right to this very day.

So what's your take on enemy AI? Do you think we should start improving it and perhaps using F.E.A.R. as a template for developing great AI? Or do you think today's AI is good enough?

I think the game is niche.

So I just found out about that Ultimate Gay Fighting game that has likely caught the attention of all GameSpot users and visitors. Some find it funny, some find it weird and others find it disgusting if not blasphemous. Obviously that kind of game warrants some kind of discussion. But apparently it seems that GS was all too happy to block the ability to add comments on the Gay Fighter article for unknown reasons (Protection of someone else's interest/agenda? Fear of butthurt?). I find it offensive that We The People (i.e. Gamers) aren't allowed to voice our opinion on such a game. We have a right to express ourselves freely and we all know what happens when you remove that freedom ("cough" YouTube Content ID "cough"). So please GS, remove that restriction and let freedom of speech prevail. Respect the First Amendment and we'll respect you.

Hey guys, I've been recently looking back at the seventh generation of consoles now that the eighth generation kicked off and I realized something: when I first bought the PS3 and 360, I really liked the look of both consoles. The PS3 looked like an imposing and hulking beast of a machine that had both style on the outside and substance on the inside (the glossy finish made it really attractive), while the 360 had a sleek and smooth look that made it classy in character (IMO). But as time went on, both consoles would undergo "slim" revisions that changed their appearances and frankly, they lacked something: they didn't have the character or the soul that made them alluring in the first place. I know this sounds weird, but I simply had a dash of nostalgia when I looked back at how the 360 and PS3 originally looked. Sure, the original 360 had lots of RROD and sure, the PS3 was really heavy. But you know what: for all their flaws, they still looked sexy to me. Now, it seems that we're aiming for something safer when it comes to designing the look of consoles. The PS4 and Xbox One look nice, but that's about it. For me, the early years of the 7th generation of consoles were the best because not only did we get games that would define gaming in the following years (Bioshock, Elder Scrolls, AC, Mass Effect...), but we still had cool-looking consoles that retained their unique traits. What about you guys? Do you miss the old looks of the PS3 and 360 (assuming you judged purely them by their looks, not their reliability)?

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/pictures/ps3xbox360-1l.jpg

This is it, folks: after eight long years, we are finally entering the next generation of consoles. It's been a long and interesting ride, to be honest: the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii paved the way for some really great and legendary games amidst all the DLC, casualization and grey-brown shooter shenanigans that had defined this generation, whose impact is made even more potent by the fact that it's one of the longest console generations ever (as I said before, eight years!). Not surprising considering that the 360 and PS3 (sorry Wii) heralded the age of HD gaming, an age that would last a long time and make developers squeeze every last droplet of power from these beastly machines.

It seems only fitting, then, that we discuss which game defined our lives the most during the seventh generation of consoles. Such a game must have changed the way we perceived gaming for the better, whether it had amazing and/or innovative gameplay, a great story, jaw-dropping graphics, a beautifully-rendered world, an incredible soundtrack, loads of cool features and so on...

So what is YOUR favorite game of this generation? Personally, I would have to go with Oblivion. Its rich and detailed world, enchanting atmosphere, deep gameplay, superb tone, outstanding soundtrack, 'next-gen feel' (at the time) and massive repay value changed the way I perceived RPGs forever. Although subsequent Bethesda games were excellent in their own rights (and GOTY-worthy), Oblivion was the game that resonated with me the most. Even though it was released WAY BACK during the Xbox 360 launch window (March 2006), I still play Oblivion to this day simply because of how INCREDIBLE it is. If you never had the chance of playing this gem during this past generation, then do yourself a favor and play this amazing masterpiece.

Hi, I'm having a big problem right now. I'm trying to launch Renpy on my Windows 8 laptop, but I every time I do so, the Renpy window temporarily pops up before crashing and exiting due to an error. I tried to download and re-download Renpy from other sources, but that didn't solve the problem. This is a fact that constantly frustrates me as I need to access the tutorials in order to answer a few questions that were given to me for homework (I'm a college freshman majoring in game design). Here are the questions:

-how are labels used in Renpy?

-what's the difference between a music channel and a sound channel?