Here's a little screenshot featuring some of the graphics from the upcoming EV3 using the new graphics engine. No release date has been announced as of yet, and these are preliminary graphics, but they do illustrate the differences between the two graphics engines well (though the transparency effect isn't immediately apparent). Here's the screenshot:

(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/news/upcoming/images/ev3_graphics_engine.jpg")http://www.AmbrosiaS...hics_engine.jpg(/url)

The same models were used to render the ships -- on the left side you see the models as they'd appear in EV/EVO: 8 bit system palette graphics, no transparency, no glowing thrusters/beam weapons (when active).

On the right side, you see the models as they'd appear in the new EV3 graphics engine: 16 bit color, transparent effects (the explosions, thrusters and weapons look especially cool transparent), glowing thrusters.

Of course, we're not tipping our hand; we have plenty of graphical goodness up our sleeves for EV3 -- but this screenshot illustrates the graphical engine differences between EV/EVO and EV3. We'll have a more in-depth preview of EV3 (with more screenshots) when the time is right, in The Ambrosia Times:

(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/news/newsletter/")http://www.AmbrosiaS...ews/newsletter/(/url)

Please tell me EV3 is going to be networkable

I saw the poll on making ev/o multiplayer and this post about an ev3. If ambrosia does make a multiplayer version of escape velocity they should make it a massively multiplayer game.

What massively multiplayer IS:

Where the actual game world is held on the server, client apps just hold graphics.

Where hundreds of people can be in the same world (universe) at the same time.

Where you can communicate/interact/buy/sell/fight with other players and involve them in whatever plots/battles you are taking part in.

Where the world is persistant and changing, i.e. if player/s makes a change to the world/universe (liberate a planet, conquer a planet, fullfill plot requirement for new outfit/ship) it affects ALL players and the effect is saved when the game/server shuts off for a while. This allows for continuosly evolving plots.

massive multiplayer pros:

Spend lots of time playing the game and not lose progress when you have to quit for a while.

Interaction with other characters allows for more substantial plots not to mention the best and cheapest Artificial Intelegence in the world: Real Intelegence.

Feel less like you are playing a video game alone in your house and more like you are doing something "real"

massively multiplayer cons:

obvious con is that it costs money to run a game server. different ways to deal this problem. 1st charge monthly fees rather than single charge for game purchase, AUGH! (I hate that system but already do it for a different game). 2nd designate a small portion of the screen to advertisements which pays for game in addition to client single purchase fee (unpleasant but luckily EV has HUGE screenspace on 1024 by 768 resolution, most of which is usually blank.) 3rd ambrosia selling clients it sells the server software and let individual servers decide how they want to pay for their operating cost (this would mean many different universes with different plots and different graphics, you might like that idea or hate it.)

Anyhow there are only two massively multiplayer games for the mac out that I know of. (url="http://"http://www.deltatao.com")www.deltatao.com(/url) (clanlord, it costs money to play but there is a demo section. I'm there under name Sentient)
(url="http://"http://www.alchera.com")www.alchera.com(/url) (german version of clanlord called Alchera, in beta so free! dont worry 1/3 people there speak english and you don't need any special software to run a german program, and most search sites have forms to translate german sites to english)

There is a free java massively multiplayer game. (url="http://"http://www.mugu.org")www.mugu.org(/url) (it isn't really playable yet and you need to download several things to get it to work since macs won't totally support java until macos x comes out)

There are TONS of muds (multi-user-dungeons) they are almost Always free and you can get free software to run them, or even use telnet or java clients. Drawback? they are TOTALLY text based, which is more fun then you think but.... not as fun as EV.

Thanks for listening to my two cents.

Since Escape Velocity's beginning, I have been a huge fan of its entertaining gameplay, decent graphics, and plug-in capabilities. When EV: Override came out, I was bit disappointed by it's lack of its intertwined story and sharp and fast gameplay, as well as its artwork, which reused many of the graphics used in Escape Velocity. Now that Ambrosia is finally upgrading the graphics engine, I can only hope that the story and gameplay work as good together as the first EV. If it does, EV3 will almost certainly be as successful as it's original ancestor.
As for a multiplayer option, I think the idea is great but a little ahead of its time. When Ambrosia is more committed to totally recoding EV, instead of just upgrading it, then we'll probably see some incredible things come out of it. But until then, being happy with what we're getting seems like a pretty good idea...at least to me.

Quote

lazermog@aol.com wrote:
Please tell me EV3 is going to be networkable

EV3 will NOT be newworkable.

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Hornet
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Brotherly love is when two brothers kill each other. - Me

I think it should be the color pink, so thet everyone will laugh at it. - Chris Boyland, commenting on my website.
(url="http://"HTTP://WWW.v-west.in2home.co.uk/zac/zac.html")My cool EV/O website(/url)
Email:
(url="http://"mailto:zac@v-west.in2home.co.uk")mailto:zac@v-west.in2home.co.uk(/url)zac@v-west.in2home.co.uk