I was thinking about how I remember Maxis fondly, and I got to wondering what other people’s experiences were like!

Is your favorite still around? Are they still the same, or did they “change directions under new management?”

    • SenorBolsa@beehaw.org
      2·
      11 months ago

      Haha, that’s exactly the kind of game I want to make but with graphics and a little less dry. Didn’t even know about that one. Also I should probably actually figure out how to start that once I’m settled in here. It’s amazing how much planning and thought goes into getting one truck across the country. It’s like Oregon trail but you die of stupidity, yours or others, rather than dysentery.

  • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
    25·
    11 months ago

    Westwood studios. Command and conquer tiberian sun was my very first computer game, which I loved dearly (and still have on my computer since it’s freeware now and has been fan patched for modern systems)

    Well and then came EA.

    • Telorand@reddthat.comOP
      6·
      11 months ago

      Yeah… Gotta wonder what the original founders would say if you could tell them what they’d become.

      • averyminya@beehaw.org
        2·
        11 months ago

        I remember going to EA games on a field trip for school and even back then the corporate feeling was strong. I remember this panel about developer freedom and not a single student was interested. Granted, nobody from my school was on track to do any kind of game development

    • Telorand@reddthat.comOP
      8·
      11 months ago

      Are they still around? /j

      Yep, some classic point and click games, like Full Throttle. It’s from games like that that I learned Mark Hamill is an amazing voice actor.

  • gk99@beehaw.org
    17·
    11 months ago

    Valve.

    Not new management, but they definitely changed direction. From Portal 2 to Half-Life Alyx was a dark age of live service titles and hardware. Fortunately, it seems like they’re finally getting back to their old selves?

    Alyx was supposedly their re-entry into releasing games (hopeful that HLX is good), the Steam Deck caused them to go back and fix several of their titles (plus do the huge Half-Life update we just got), and while they’re not exactly making their games as open as they used to, they’re letting the community handle things like TF2 events and L4D2 patches.

    So, I dunno, cautiously optimistic for their future. At least as long as Gabe is running the company.

    • Telorand@reddthat.comOP
      4·
      11 months ago

      Yep, buying a Steam Deck this Christmas. Not played one, myself, but I have been a Steam Controller user for years, and they seem to have nailed their latest offerings.

      There was definitely a period in there when they felt very anticompetitive (apathy-competitive?), though.

      • baconicsynergy@beehaw.org
        5·
        11 months ago

        I just bought the Steam Deck. Its amazing. More and more games keep becoming Deck Compatible and the community has uploaded so many controller configurations.

        Linux is a gaming OS now and its wild

      • averyminya@beehaw.org
        3·
        11 months ago

        I love the Deck and Controller, just a heads up that the Deck “feels” slightly different from the Steam Controller. I’ve had a hard time adjusting to the trackpad on Deck and still haven’t quite gotten it figured out. It may just be a practice thing. Basically the way I’d describe it is it’s like the rotation setting for the Steam Controller is never quite right and the slightly smaller trackpad and different positioning maybe affects whatever muscle memory I’m trying to use or something.

        As an example, I made the top community config for Monster Hunter Rise, but on Steam Deck it just isn’t quite the same and I needed to pretty heavily adjust the settings for the mouse input, even still I can’t quite get it right.

        However that said, it doesn’t actually matter too much, the Steam Deck overall is awesome and I’d take it any day of the week. Luckily, Bluetooth w/ the Steam Controller feels exactly the same as it did on PC w/ dongle and it’s sooo nice.

        • Telorand@reddthat.comOP
          2·
          11 months ago

          Thanks for the heads up! I’m going to be getting a dock, because I will be playing it with family, and my only Bluetooth controller is the SC. 😅

          When I eventually pick up MH:R, I’ll be sure to check out your config, too!

          • averyminya@beehaw.org
            2·
            11 months ago

            Sounds like you’re all set to go then!

            And if you do I hope you enjoy it! I’ve spent a long time in the MH series and so to finally have mouse input alongside the control input… Phenomenal…

  • EssentialCoffee@midwest.socialEnglish
    17·
    11 months ago

    Sierra On-Line

    King’s Quest is still one of my favorite series ever and the one they put out a few years ago was a great retelling. I cried at the end.

  • TimTheEnchanter@beehaw.org
    17·
    11 months ago

    Maxis was the one that came to mind for me, too! I played everything of theirs that I could get my hands on. Still playing The Sims after all these years!

    • Telorand@reddthat.comOP
      3·
      11 months ago

      Will Wright is a genius, and deservedly so, but just did some reading on what he’s been up to, and I’m not sure if this new venture will fly.

      https://www.axios.com/2022/10/20/will-wright-voxverse-gala-gallium-blockchain

      Sounds like SecondLife (another of his creations) with NFTs, or the various failed attempts at a Metaverse, except rich crypto-whales get to be the Lords, and the rest of us are the surfs. Then again, maybe there’s some aspect to it I don’t understand.

  • hascat@programming.devEnglish
    17·
    11 months ago

    Sierra entertainment! I was a big fan of the kings quest games, and Sierra online was my first experience with online gaming.

    • MJBrune@beehaw.orgEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      I was super into Sierra as a publisher. They seemed to back some of the highest quality games no one knew about. Ground Control, Gunman Chronicles, Homeworld, Aliens vs Predators 2, Empire Earth, Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza, and of course Half-Life. They published some quality games.

      • MaggiWuerze@feddit.de
        1·
        11 months ago

        Don’t forget the SWAT series. Really loved the third game and always played the ‘Children of Terrone’ map on lan parties

    • Thelsim@beehaw.org
      1·
      11 months ago

      I loved the Quest games! They were my first real introduction to the English language. Simple phrases like Open Door and feed chickens were a great way to build my basic vocabulary. I kept pestering my dad for translations until he got fed up and taught me how to use a dictionary :)

      I have so many great memories playing those games, on my own and together with my dad. It really was a bonding experience.

  • sculd@beehaw.org
    15·
    11 months ago

    Westwood I had fun with Red Alert 1 & 2 for a long time. Super casual player though.

  • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
    15·
    11 months ago

    Interplay, Microprobe, Sierra On-Line, Bullfrog, Dynamix, Origin, all long gone.

    Activision is still around, but it’s something completely different. Same with Atari (although theres a nostalgia brand now, so maybe back).

    Of them all, I think is have to say I’m most nostalgic for Sierra On-Line, although Origin gives them a run for most nostalgic.

    • anteaters@feddit.de
      5·
      11 months ago

      Dynamix’ Earthsiege was such a magical thing back then. So were Bullfrog’s Syndicate, Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper. Many, many years ago when Peter Molyneux was not a dumbass but gave us gems like Populous and Black&White.

      The list of games that EA has destroyed is long.

      • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
        2·
        11 months ago

        I loved Earthsiege! IIRC I got the game with an expansion card (STI Lightning 128?), and it really was fun playing with my first flight stick, a CH Products flight stick.

    • pbjamm@beehaw.orgEnglish
      5·
      11 months ago

      I worked for Interplay back in the 90s. It was pretty great for me, launching my IT career. Working in QA did temporarily ruin my ability to play games for fun though.

  • memfree@beehaw.orgEnglish
    15·
    11 months ago

    Infocom.

    Zork, Hitchhiker’s Guide, Leather Goddesses of Phobos.

    You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
>
  • root@aussie.zoneEnglish
    14·
    11 months ago

    Origin “We create worlds”. They definitely did with the Wing Commander series. Played a lot of WC 3, 4 as well as Privateer.

    I don’t think anyone mentioned Lionhead Studios. Black and White was fun. Sadly it’s in copyright limbo if I’m not mistaken.

    Also played a lot of Civilization 1 from Microprose back in the day.

      • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
        1·
        11 months ago

        Never finished most of the Ultima Games. Started U4 again a few years ago. Tried picking it back up, and I’ve misplaced that damn balloon again.

  • Kwakigra@beehaw.org
    14·
    11 months ago

    Squaresoft, Bioware, and Bethesda are three companies whose logos I once considered a seal of quality. None of the three really exist anymore, although there are new much larger companies using their names.