Don't Blame Rare, Blame Rambus

[Ice Mario]

It's good to see that sensible discussion can still be had regarding this matter.

I remember when the Commodore 64 was released and software houses were already developing games for it. It was time for a new batch to be produced and they wanted to fix a nasty bug with the SID chip (audio), but by doing so they discovered that the music in the games already made and in the shops sounded bloody awful with the fixed SID chip, so they never fixed the bug.

Nice topic Slaphappy

[Ghouly Boy]

That's pretty good slaphappy - some of it may even be true! But Project Dream was not SNS - Dream was something else completely. It didn't even have a bear in it at the start!

[slaphappy]

I'm not sure about that.

The scope of the Project Dream was to create a game that pushed the limits of what had been accomplished before. SNS was clearly just one ingredient in the overall scheme. The graphics, the textures, the music, and the gameplay of the final product were to surpass all that came before it.

The end result of this effort was Banjo Kazooie. Through all it's development iterations, from first character model, to the Giant, to the final Bear and Bird, it was all part of the same cycle. Now how this project came into being, we'll have to wait for a history article from Rare itself. Was the transfer items concept incorporated into a pre-existing Project Dream design, or was the game designed around the Project Dream transfer concept? You state it was the first. I speculate it was the second. It's possible they were two separate efforts merged into one. We may never know, but in the grand scheme, I suppose it doesn't really matter.

[Gold Jinjo]

Originally Posted by slaphappy

Was the transfer items concept incorporated into a pre-existing Project Dream design, or was the game designed around the Project Dream transfer concept?

I think the latter is the more likely case. You could even assume that Banjo-Tooie (well, not BT per se, but a sequel just the same) was planned since the very beginning as well. It's not common that a game has a project name (or at least you don't hear about it that often), so it was definitely something big. I imagine Rare had an idea for game and its sequel all elaborately planned out, and something came along and threw a wrench in the whole thing.

Now, the Banjo series might be a lost cause as far as data transferring goes. But Rare clearly had a goal, and it's strange that an idealistic and motivated company like Rare would drop such a concept. Or maybe they are re-working the idea for something else? Who knows what goes on in that development house

[cyberen]

Well what I wonder is if the X-box has any hardware that could make such stop n' swopping possible. and if Rare is able to make two more 3-D sequels to accomplish this!

[Hakey Wake]

Originally Posted by cyberen

Well what I wonder is if the X-box has any hardware that could make such stop n' swopping possible. and if Rare is able to make two more 3-D sequels to accomplish this!

Well I would think it'd be very easy to do using the disk based media, I mean, how do games that span more than one disk operate?

Wouldn't it be similar?

[Gold Jinjo]

Originally Posted by Hakey Wake

Well I would think it'd be very easy to do using the disk based media, I mean, how do games that span more than one disk operate?

Wouldn't it be similar?

No, it couldn't happen on the current XBox.... at least, not in a "Stop and Swap" sort of manner. Once you pop out the disk, it reverts to the XBox BIOS.

Then again, if a Windows-like "Hibernate" feature were programmed, the contents of the RAM would be stored on the hard drive, and then restored upon inserting the next disc.

Then again, who knows what the XBox 2 will be like

[Icy Guy]

Actually, I've heard that the "go-to-the-BIOS-when-you-pop-out-the-disc" trick is actually not part of the hardware, but, rather, something that's been programmed into most of the games (or at least every one I've played). I'm betting the developers do that so you don't have the same problem as the PS2 when you pop a disc out while the game's on - skippy audio (and other possible glitches).

'Course, we get companies making games (like EA and Shiny) who don't test their games thoroughly enough (*coughEverythingOrNothing&EnterTheMatrixcough*), and we end up with games that crash if you perform a certain action.

[Gold Jinjo]

Originally Posted by Icy Guy

Actually, I've heard that the "go-to-the-BIOS-when-you-pop-out-the-disc" trick is actually not part of the hardware, but, rather, something that's been programmed into most of the games (or at least every one I've played). I'm betting the developers do that so you don't have the same problem as the PS2 when you pop a disc out while the game's on - skippy audio (and other possible glitches).

Well, I guess Nintendo's the only one who's gotten it right then

A GameCube game is loaded into memory (well, things like the current level and stuff) so that when you pop out the disc, you can still play the game until it needs to load a different area. I played a good bit of the Ocarina of Time bonus disc with the lid open and the disc pulled out before it yelled at me

[Hakey Wake]

Originally Posted by Gold Jinjo

Then again, who knows what the XBox 2 will be like

Well if it's true that it won't have a hard-drive then that makes it even less likely for a swap method methinks.

[Icy Guy]

Originally Posted by Gold Jinjo

Well, I guess Nintendo's the only one who's gotten it right then

A GameCube game is loaded into memory (well, things like the current level and stuff) so that when you pop out the disc, you can still play the game until it needs to load a different area. I played a good bit of the Ocarina of Time bonus disc with the lid open and the disc pulled out before it yelled at me

*thinks up defense of Sony*

The only games I tried this one were games that may have used streamed audio files, which could explain the skipping.

Maybe I'll try it with something that might not use streamed audio files.

[Hakey Wake]

Originally Posted by Icy Guy

*thinks up defense of Sony*

-chases Icy out of thread-

[Gold Jinjo]

Originally Posted by Hakey Wake

-chases Icy out of thread-

*does the same*

Icy's defending Sony? He's a witch! Let's burn him!

...

This site's title has "Witch" in it! Let's burn it too!!

*screams a battle cry and runs off*

</spam>

[Hakey Wake]

The only defense Sony would have would be to catapult all of their broken machines at us.

[SubDrag]

I really think Stop N Swop was dropped way before the switch by Rambus.