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You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Gaming > Spore!

Spore!
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Peter
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Sep 4, 2008, 04:31 AM
 
From the mind of Will Wright comes SPORE, a journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space. Begin your odyssey at the dawn of life as a simple microbe just trying to survive, then use the fun, intuitive Editors to evolve the creature from its microscopic origins into an intelligent, tool-using race.
Guide your species as it builds (and the player designs) villages, buildings, cities, and vehicles. Along the way to becoming a global civilization you can choose whether to hunt or forage, attack or trade, be nice or play rough. All the action takes place in a huge, lush world populated with creatures evolved by other players and shared over SPORE's central servers.
Handy Links
http://forums.macnn.com/77/gaming/37...ighlight=Spore
http://forums.macnn.com/77/gaming/28...ighlight=Spore

Downloads
Character Creator

Videos
YouTube - Robin Williams Plays Spore
YouTube - Spore 35min Demonstration from the GDCe
YouTube - Spore: Overview Video

Reviews
Review: Spore reviewed - ComputerAndVideoGames.com
IGN: Spore Review
Spore Review - Page 1 // PC /// Eurogamer - Games Reviews, News and More

Metacritic = 92


Anyone got it early? excited? hyped? let down by specs?
we don't have time to stop for gas
     
Dakar V
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Sep 4, 2008, 08:12 AM
 
Enjoy making your penis monsters.
     
moep
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Sep 5, 2008, 09:19 AM
 
I’m not quite buying into the whole hype around the game but I’m definitely looking forward to passing some time with it.

Apparently it’s out there already — for both Mac and PC. I’ll wait for the legit download link in my inbox.
"The road to success is dotted with the most tempting parking spaces."
     
@pplejaxkz
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Sep 5, 2008, 01:20 PM
 
I see a lot of people using the Creature Creator at work. It looks pretty interesting and it's a possibility that I may buy the game when it comes out.
     
Maflynn
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Sep 5, 2008, 02:45 PM
 
I haven't bought a game for my computer in years. This will change next week when spore is available. I'm not into the hype but what I have seen, it looks pretty good.
~Mike
     
-Q-
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Sep 5, 2008, 03:03 PM
 
I'll stroll into Fry's when I have a moment and pick it up. Looks like a fun way to kill some time.
     
Eug
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Sep 5, 2008, 09:53 PM
 
I may get it for the iPhone. Not the same gameplay, but that's OK.

Spore!
     
turtle777
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Sep 6, 2008, 12:02 AM
 
Just pre-ordered the Galactic edition, runs on PC and Mac.

-t
     
idykenano
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Sep 6, 2008, 12:41 AM
 
I'm pretty excited, but I'm going to be waiting for my early-October birthday to receive it.
No penis monsters for me, just strong, successful, and smart critters bound for galactic domination.

I too have been playing the creature creator for a while now, it's a nice break from ridiculous comp sci and chemistry homework.
     
mattyb
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Sep 7, 2008, 06:19 AM
 
Isn't the next incarnation of Dakar going to be Spore developed?
     
Cipher13
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Sep 7, 2008, 06:41 AM
 
I planned on buying this game since I first heard about it - then I read about their dial-home business.

No thanks.

Epic fail EA.
     
ajprice
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Sep 7, 2008, 07:19 AM
 
Is this going to be PC/Mac only or will it be on other platforms (ie consoles)? I'll probably give the iPhone version a go. I tried the creature demo but it told me my MacBook's graphics wasn't good enough (2.16GHz C2D, 2GB RAM, GMA 950).

It'll be much easier if you just comply.
     
moep
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Sep 7, 2008, 01:02 PM
 
The activation key just arrived in my inbox: Spore is unplayable on my MBP.

I don’t know if the port is just extremely bad or it’s my machine.
My framerate is around 1-3 FPS, even with the graphic settings and resolution set to lowest.

Some sources reported that there’s a bug with the X1600 chipset with Cider but I couldn’t find any hard facts yet.

17"/2.33 C2D/2GB/X1600 256MB (late '06)
"The road to success is dotted with the most tempting parking spaces."
     
tooki
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Sep 7, 2008, 11:02 PM
 
That's peculiar to your machine or that model, because I just got Spore and it runs decently on my brand new base-model MacBook, which only has the crappy X3100 integrated graphics.


As for the game... so far so good! The cell and creature stages are pretty intuitive, for the tribal stage I found that I need to read the manual (which is what I'm currently taking a break from).

FWIW, I got the Galactic Edition of the game and the limited edition Strategy Guide, since I suck at games and need all the help I can get!
     
sek929
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Sep 7, 2008, 11:03 PM
 
I just messed around with the free creature creator for a half hour and ended up chuckling at what I had created. So I'll probably end up buying the game soon.
     
klb5090
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Sep 7, 2008, 11:28 PM
 
I was seriously contemplating buying it but was waiting to see how it ran on some other peoples macs, i'm unsure how my Macbook Pro 2.2Ghz/2GBRAM/128MB GeForce 8600M GT would handle it.
     
tooki
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Sep 7, 2008, 11:39 PM
 
Considering how well it runs on my aforementioned MacBook, you should be just fine on the MBP. (On the MacBook's integrated graphics, it runs reduced-quality graphics that didn't impede gameplay even one bit. I enjoyed playing on both machines equally.)
     
klb5090
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Sep 7, 2008, 11:46 PM
 
well it looks like i'll have to purchase it, anyone find any good deals? or a quick pickup/shipping?
     
moep
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Sep 8, 2008, 03:00 AM
 
A friend of mine happens to have the same machine and is also experiencing the same issues. I’d wager it’s a bug with the X1600 GPU under Mac OS X.

Anyway, after installing Bootcamp and Spore the game runs perfectly fine. I haven’t played a lot yet — I only just completed tribal — but so far Spore is a bit of a let down to me.
The different stages feel desperately stitched together, almost like a compilation of shallow minigames (ok, that’s a bit extreme but you get the idea).
Creature designs seem to have little to no effect in the game, et cetera… i guess I just expected too much.
"The road to success is dotted with the most tempting parking spaces."
     
Peter  (op)
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Sep 8, 2008, 05:29 AM
 
bit lame really, so much hype for this game.

designs have no effect on what you do. You could create a building with no doors and they jsut walk through the walls, if you create a door they just ignore it.

there isnt any RTS elements in the galatic thingy. There are the same amount of buildings (4) and thats it.

Basically go play Sim City 4.
we don't have time to stop for gas
     
moep
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Sep 8, 2008, 08:40 AM
 
“Finished” the game now, it’s really just a mix of Sim Ants and The Sims with fancy graphics.

I guess EA is looking for a new cashcow to milk casual gamers with. (prepare for Spore: More Limbs, Spore: Even More Limbs and Spore: Limbs galore)
"The road to success is dotted with the most tempting parking spaces."
     
Chuckit
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Sep 8, 2008, 11:06 AM
 
Ah, it's a shame no one seems to like it that much. It looked good, and Wright's previous games have always been quality work.
Chuck
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dogzilla
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Sep 8, 2008, 11:45 AM
 
Hmmm....looks like there's a prob with MBPs. I can't even get the thing to launch - I keep getting "Critical Section <<gibberish>> failed at address <<more gibberish>>. Do you want to debug it?" errors. Clicking either yes or no has no discernible effect.

Installing the game on my wife's MacBook worked. Won't run on any of the other 4 macs in our house. I wrote up the whole thing and sent it to TransGaming, since I can't seem to find an EA support address/forum. I knew this game wasn't a real port but rather ran under cider - should have paid attention to my doubts. Lame.
     
Peter  (op)
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Sep 8, 2008, 11:48 AM
 
works fine on my 15" MBP
we don't have time to stop for gas
     
sek929
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Sep 8, 2008, 12:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by Chuckit View Post
Ah, it's a shame no one seems to like it that much. It looked good, and Wright's previous games have always been quality work.
I am also surprised at the lackluster reviews in this thread so far. Maybe I should hold off getting it...
     
Chuckit
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Sep 8, 2008, 01:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by dogzilla View Post
Hmmm....looks like there's a prob with MBPs. I can't even get the thing to launch - I keep getting "Critical Section <<gibberish>> failed at address <<more gibberish>>. Do you want to debug it?" errors. Clicking either yes or no has no discernible effect.

Installing the game on my wife's MacBook worked. Won't run on any of the other 4 macs in our house. I wrote up the whole thing and sent it to TransGaming, since I can't seem to find an EA support address/forum. I knew this game wasn't a real port but rather ran under cider - should have paid attention to my doubts. Lame.
Which video card is in your MacBook Pro?
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dogzilla
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Sep 8, 2008, 01:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by Chuckit View Post
Which video card is in your MacBook Pro?
NVidia GeForce 8600M GT 128mb. It's a 2.2ghz Core 2 Duo with 2GB RAM. I've reinstalled the game, created a new Spore-only user, started up in single-user mode (shift key held down) and installed game on an external USB drive, all with same result. Well, not exactly - when I started up in single-user mode it said it couldn't find my graphics hardware, but otherwise same result as above.

As I said, I was able to install and run the game on my Wife's MacBook with no prob. BTW - this machine has a new install of OSX as of 5 days ago - I did bring over my previous user settings.

Not sure if this is a conflict with the Cisco VPN client (that install a kext), but if it is, there's no question which one I'm keeping.
     
klb5090
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Sep 8, 2008, 03:36 PM
 
sounds like i'm holding off on a purchase, looks like MBP's are having trouble
     
MattJeff
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Sep 8, 2008, 09:37 PM
 
! sad reviews!! nooo
I ordered mine on amazon already... damn.
     
MattJeff
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Sep 8, 2008, 09:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by Peter View Post
bit lame really, so much hype for this game.

designs have no effect on what you do. You could create a building with no doors and they jsut walk through the walls, if you create a door they just ignore it.

there isnt any RTS elements in the galatic thingy. There are the same amount of buildings (4) and thats it.

Basically go play Sim City 4.
Have you said that before?.... I just had crazy dejevu! I swear I have seen that exact thing said before...
     
- - e r i k - -
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Sep 8, 2008, 11:12 PM
 
Reading the reviews it seems the Galactic phase has quite a lot of depth in it. Not true?

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mr. burns
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Sep 9, 2008, 12:39 AM
 
all the people i've talked to have breezed through the different stages of the game in a matter of hours and become bored. that's on easy mode though.

not all who wander are lost.
     
legacyb4
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Sep 9, 2008, 12:53 AM
 
Wow, I thought it would get raves and cheers. Having said that, I just gave the DS version a spin and it's pretty lame.

Big Little Planet (PS3), here I come!
Macbook (Black) C2D/250GB/3GB | G5/1.6 250GBx2/2.0GB
Free Mobile Ringtone & Games Uploader | Flickr | Twitter
     
moep
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Sep 9, 2008, 02:00 AM
 
In case someone missed it, Spore is getting trashed big time on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product...owViewpoints=1

Not only for the DRM but also for the disappointing gameplay and variety. ATTOW it has 1,139 1-star reviews out of 1,224. I’m unsure how long that is going to last as people have reported that amazon.co.uk is deleting 1-star reviews without a comment.
"The road to success is dotted with the most tempting parking spaces."
     
ajprice
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Sep 9, 2008, 07:31 AM
 
The iPhone version is on the app store now. I've played the first couple of levels and its a nice looking game, tilt control is fine for me.

It'll be much easier if you just comply.
     
zombie punk
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Sep 9, 2008, 07:43 AM
 
DRM is lame.
     
- - e r i k - -
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Sep 9, 2008, 09:08 AM
 
Well, I've played it with my girlfriend for four hours and we had immense fun

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stwf
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Sep 9, 2008, 10:57 AM
 
I also don't understand alot of the negative reviews. I am sitting here bleary eyed through another day of work because I was up until 3 last night Sporing about!

But of course it is a 1.0 version of a ground breaking project, so there are lots of issues. I think people have become jaded with the whole creature thing because they've seen it so much in demos. But it is amazing and really fun to watch your creations fend for themselves.

I do think there will be add-ons galore to make the creature phase more into a Warcraft clone, and so on, so if that sort of thing makes you mad then maybe you should wait. But I wonder now hard many of the reviewers looked for the 'missing' depth.

I spent all of yesterday in the creature phase and while it does get repetitive there are hidden long term missions. Besides finding all the parts you can earn badges for eliminating 20 species as well as getting a max rating in 4 categories.
But even more fun there are many monsters that are huge, like this nasty giant squid. I was finally able to take him down by allying with other powerful animals and attacking him right after he had battled someone else, it was exhilarating!

As noted earlier its also a game that the wife likes, she can just be friendly to every one, its also cute enough to be fun to watch. So color me a fan! But also really looking forward to where this goes. And I haven't even gotten to the Space phase yet!
     
dogzilla
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Sep 9, 2008, 11:33 AM
 
Personally, I don't understand the negative reviews based on gameplay. The bit I could play seemed pretty much what I had expected, and from what I've read, the Space phase (which I've yet to attain) sounds like the real payoff. Compared to grinding in World of Warcraft, this is great, and my kids throughly enjoy it as well.

Being on a Mac, the DRM issues don't appear to have bothered me either. Unless the issue I describe above is related to DRM.

The real problem seems to be using cider to "port" the game. This would have been a wonderful game if Maxis would have taken the time to actually develop it for the Mac. Sadly, they didn't, and the results show.
     
::maroma::
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Sep 9, 2008, 12:05 PM
 
I have only played it for about 2 hours, but I really enjoyed it. I got myself out of the primordial phase and am now on land milling about. I love the creature creator. I didn't play with it at all up until now.

It runs pretty well on my 24" white iMac.

With only about 2 hours of exposure, I like this game a lot. We'll see how it pans out.
     
sek929
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Sep 9, 2008, 12:22 PM
 
......aaaaand now I'm officially back on the fence.

Maybe I'll wait for GOW 2 and my lust for new gaming will subside.
     
klb5090
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Sep 9, 2008, 02:39 PM
 
GOW 2 will definitely ruin my senior year of college, (we'll have to get some online play sek)
BTW i finally got to elite in RSV2 (sorry for the thread jack)
     
moonmonkey
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Sep 13, 2008, 03:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - View Post
Well, I've played it with my girlfriend for four hours and we had immense fun
I missed the word "it" on first reading.
     
jokell82
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Sep 13, 2008, 10:12 PM
 
I've been playing for the past week or so. It's a fine game, but I think once I pick up Rock Band 2 tonight I won't be touching it anymore.

All glory to the hypnotoad.
     
Drakino
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Sep 14, 2008, 10:30 PM
 
So far, the splash screen is awesome. Seems that is all I get to see of the game though, as there isn't much to do beyond dig around for Activity monitor and force quit two Spore entries. For all the hype, I had expected more. I guess maybe Spore 2 might actually add something beyond a splash screen.

*waits for EA support to send me a bunch of worthless steps to try, like standing on my left foot while option clicking something*
<This space under renovation>
     
Maflynn
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Sep 15, 2008, 07:33 AM
 
From what I read EA placed some rather restrictive DRM technology in the game - you only get three activations for the game. That seems kind of over kill. That leaves a rather sour taste in my mouth, if that turns out to be true.

While I was going to get it last week, I'm holding off until I see some more feedback. Speaking of feedback, amazon user reviews has it pretty bad. 2,133 1 stars
~Mike
     
jokell82
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Sep 15, 2008, 07:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by Maflynn View Post
From what I read EA placed some rather restrictive DRM technology in the game - you only get three activations for the game. That seems kind of over kill. That leaves a rather sour taste in my mouth, if that turns out to be true.

While I was going to get it last week, I'm holding off until I see some more feedback. Speaking of feedback, amazon user reviews has it pretty bad. 2,133 1 stars
All of those reviews are due to the DRM. Which is overly restrictive IMO. Three installs and then you're done - you either have to call and beg EA for another or buy another copy. Only one account per install. So if your computer has more than one user you all need to share an account. For a game that's marketed to the "family audience" it's not very family friendly.

If given the option I would pirate the game - you don't have to put up with any of that BS.

All glory to the hypnotoad.
     
Maflynn
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Sep 15, 2008, 10:59 AM
 
Originally Posted by jokell82 View Post
All of those reviews are due to the DRM. Which is overly restrictive IMO. Three installs and then you're done - you either have to call and beg EA for another or buy another copy. Only one account per install. So if your computer has more than one user you all need to share an account. For a game that's marketed to the "family audience" it's not very family friendly.

If given the option I would pirate the game - you don't have to put up with any of that BS.
Not all of the single star reviews are about the DRM. Yes the majority of them are about how restrictive it is, but there's enough bad reviews about the game play to give me pause.
~Mike
     
jokell82
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Sep 15, 2008, 04:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by Maflynn View Post
Not all of the single star reviews are about the DRM. Yes the majority of them are about how restrictive it is, but there's enough bad reviews about the game play to give me pause.
I'd trust this before trusting the Amazon.com reviews:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore

Amazon was bombarded by a few groups pissed about the DRM. Their reviews are extremely skewed because of it.

All glory to the hypnotoad.
     
P
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Sep 15, 2008, 04:50 PM
 
I don't like the DRM either, but think one step further and you'll see who this is aimed at. No, not you: Gamestop and other retailers selling previously owned games. If you cannot get installs back, you can't really sell it on, can you? EA and other publishers hate Gamestop for pushing the previously owned games over new sales, and this is their way of fighting back.
     
 
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