The Official Spore Thread

[Sil3nt]

Anyone watched that documentary about spore on the discovery channel? I'm really tempted to buy it now, its crazy the game literally never ends

[Minifig]

Just got my copy. :)

[alphaomegainfinity]

My desktop PC is P4 2.8Ghz (Northwood), 1Gb, 256Mb 7600GT, Windows XP machine and it runs smoothly with everything at max except the shadows which are at medium. Providing your laptop graphics are supported, it should run fine.

Oh that is great. :) I will definitely be getting my copy then.

[Fourjays Veteran]

Awww, I got blown up at the center of the universe. I got to it and thought I had done it when it went to "cinematic mode" but was blown up instead. :( I guess I needed to "zoom in" like you do with planets.

[Minifig]

I'm really excited because my copy of spore pulled in my own Arachnarhystin as a creature to populate my worlds with .. :D

[Fugi]

I meant to post this last night but didn't get around to it... So what do you guys think about the game? Heres a place to post opinions, screens ect... Enjoy.

[digitalsoft]

I think its a bit boring, just feels like you have to do the same things over and over again. The space age has to be the only stage i like really, discovering new species and creating war with a species. UFO attacks do my head in though.

[gigapixels Veteran]

Just realized this should belong in Games for Windows :)

Thread Moved

[+longgonebn Subscriber²]

I think its a bit boring, just feels like you have to do the same things over and over again. The space age has to be the only stage i like really, discovering new species and creating war with a species. UFO attacks do my head in though.

I sorta feel the same way. Enjoying either way, but gets repetitive at times. Though the really bad thing is that it came out the same time as the open beta for Warhammer, and very close to Mercs2, and soon STALKER Clear Sky, so giving it all the attention might be a problem lol

[TruckWEB]

Just realized this should belong in Games for Windows :)

Thread Moved

On the same DVD, you also have the version for Mac OS. So Spore is not only for Windows.

[crazzy88ss]

So from what I gather, the game is repetitive and boring?

[Sam Symons Veteran]

Just bought this off EA...downloading via the EA downloader. Really should have been saving my money but I haven't bought any games for years now, and this is the only one I'm really excited for :p

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

News by Tom Bramwell

Will Wright has said that Maxis wanted to emulate the critical and commercial success of The Sims 2 with new game Spore, rather than making something to rival the highest-ranked games ever released in the eyes of reviewers.

"We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players," Wright, who is Maxis' chief engineer and one of its co-founders, told MTV Multiplayer.

"Spore has more depth than, let's say, The Sims did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for Sims 2, which was around 90, and something like Half-Life, which was 97, and we decided - quite a while back - that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of Sims 2 than the Metacritic and sales of Half-Life."

Spore's current Metacritic average is 87 based on 20 reviews, the lowest of which is Wired's 7/10, which concluded that "Spore tries to be all things to all people - a strategy that never quite works out the way it's supposed to", arguing that behind the "occasionally mind-boggling tricks that Spore pulls", "you're left with very simplistic gameplay".

For our part, we gave Spore 9/10 in our review, pointing out that the relentlessly comic, surprisingly deep space-exploration game at its heart overwhelmed our early disappointment with the first four stages, and that the interaction with other players' online worlds enlivens the game in a way that not much else can match.

As for Wright, he also said that he currently plays the space stage as several different species using different saved games, and enjoys the way they interact.

However, he did not comment on whether he's got a Flapyak in Viva Pi?ata: Trouble in Paradise yet, or whether he renames his Sprinkling woman or just hits her with a spade for being totally useless all the time like we do.

Source: Eurogamer>

[Sam Symons Veteran]

Hmm. Spore is meant to be Spore, not the Sims...and it nothing like Half-Life :p

[lucko]

It's a fair comment from Mr. Wright. I was dissapointed with the game at first but I quickly warmed up to it on my second playthrough, space is where it really comes together! I like all the preceding stages but the depth obviously begins at the space stage.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

All of the cheats & codes available here

[Fourjays Veteran]

So from what I gather, the game is repetitive and boring?

I've been playing it since Friday nearly none stop. I like new ideas/innovations though and hate the way a lot of games have gone these days - same games, sorta new storylines. Same reason I like the look of LittleBigPlanet - it is a totally new idea.

Whether you'll think the same depends on the type of gamer you are and your interests on a whole.

Try it if:

- You liked making creatures in the creature creator.

- Like playing around with the prototypes on the Spore site.

- Like the Sims.

- Have a good imagination.

- Like to create stuff.

- Like trying something truly new.

I think we are going to get some expansions - people on the Spore forums are saying there are quite a few things previously mentioned or shown that aren't there now. Makes sense as there are certainly areas where it feels like there was supposed to be something extra there.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Jim Sterling

Customers feeling burned by the anti-piracy measures in the long-awaited PC game Spore have decided to take out their frustrations on Amazon, utilizing the review feature to tear the game to shreds for its "draconian" DRM and "dumbed down" gameplay.

Spore's DRM has been accused of eating up too much RAM, causing slowdown. Consumers are also outraged that they can only install the game three times before having to deal with EA's customer support. One reviewer called Spore a rental, pointing out that EA had total control over the title's use:

EA, of course, is not obligated to grant you that extra activation or even provide that service. In a couple of years they might very well even shut down the general activation servers, because "it's not financially feasible" to keep them running. What you will be left with is a nice, colorful $50 coaster. And you will be required to pay for another copy/license if you want to continue playing.

This basically means that you are actually RENTING the game, instead of owning it. The game WILL stop to function in the future. That's inevitable, because even if EA keeps the activation servers going, there IS going to be a time when EA will simply cease to exist because of financial issues or federal laws (like most business eventually do).

At the time of writing, Spore has an average Amazon review score of 1.5 out of 5. Of the forty people who reviewed it, thirty-three have given it one star, compared to the two who gave it five. Those five-star reviews, for reference, were posted in 2006 before the game was even out. Looks like Electronic Arts has a revolt on its hands, and not even Will Wright's charming little face can smooth this one over.

Source: Destructoid

[alphaomegainfinity]

Really frightening situation over there. EA's use of DRM is actually frustrating the genuine customers.

[Sam Symons Veteran]

I keep feeling regret of buying it, watching it download. I hope once I start playing that'll all go away, heh.

[bobbytomorow]

haha good

EA can burn

They only hurt gaming, they do nothing but hurt it. I can't believe gamers actually still shell out for their crap after all we know. For 10 years we get sequel after sequel, rehash after rehash, they support in game advertising etc....zero creativity. They even took sports away from PC gamers, and yet people still pay for their garbage.

[Intersect]

easy way to solve the 3 time only thing would be for customers to register there copy with EA and set up some sort of password system, so when the customer wants to install for a 4th time, some time later on in life, EA know that they are genuine.

this system would be much better than that stupid system MS have inplace when you call up to activate XP/Vista etc....

[Xerxes]

Well as frustrating as DRM is to legit users...as long as people keep pirating software, developers will continue to adopt newer DRM methods to protect their livelihood. The ultimate irony is, all the DRM does is annoy the legit customers and pirates aren't really bother by it (just another challenge) :/ I can totally understand why developers do it, just there has to be a better way that doesn't "punish" people for doing the right thing :unsure: Well that is my 2 cents take with a grain of salt.

[zfsodZJ5jKXD]

Way to go ea ...

frustrate the hell out of genuine PAYING customers ...

while the downloaders laugh and play their cracked games without any problem

Like Xerxes said they shouldn't "punish" the genuine good willing customer. I agree with making it hard for downloaders etc but this isn't the way to go!

[C++]

haha good

EA can burn

They only hurt gaming, they do nothing but hurt it. I can't believe gamers actually still shell out for their crap after all we know. For 10 years we get sequel after sequel, rehash after rehash, they support in game advertising etc....zero creativity. They even took sports away from PC gamers, and yet people still pay for their garbage.

Is there a retarded comment of the day feature on Neowin? Where would I nominate this post?

EA has done plenty for gaming. Some of the best games out there would never have been possible if EA had not bought their publishers and provided them with the additional funding they were struggling for. And even if you do not like a single publisher that is owned by EA, the mere existence of such a big competitor in the field encourages other publishers, who you do like, to make better games. Competition is good for the consumer.

If no one else, then I'm sure that EA has done more than you have for gaming.