Feeling cyberwheels rumble on the track
Article Abstract:
The new computer game from Microsoft, Monster Truck Madness, sold separately or bundled with Microsoft's Sidewinder racing wheel, demonstrates the improvements in the 'force feedback' features of new game interface hardware and the software that is written for it. The purpose of force feedback is to give the game player a more realistic experience by adding tactile resistance and vibration to the controls that correspond to the visual simulation on the screen. When the game user drives over a trestle, he feels the bumping of the wheels over the ties transmitted through the steering wheel. If the road surface changes, the user feels and hears the difference. Force feedback is also a feature of Electronic Arts's Need for Speed III but it is used to suggest to the user the different handling of the cars simulated in the game rather than features in the terrain.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1999
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On 2067 battleground, 1999 political passions
Article Abstract:
Sid Meier, creator of such well known strategy games as 'Civilization' and 'Gettysburg,' has released his first science fiction strategy game, 'Alpha Centauri.' The premise of the game is that survivors of environmental catastrophe on Earth seek to colonize a different solar system. The colonists are unable to agree to a common form of governance, so they break up into factions, each seeking dominance or survival according to its agenda. Participants can play against each other, the computer, or both, and the game can be played online. The structure of the game allows players to make and break agreements, to form alliances, cooperate, or make war. The goal in the game is not confined within parameters of economic or military supremacy. Players can even agree to continue a contest past the point at which a more traditional game would be ended.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1999
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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