Now that I have a GeForce 6 in my spanky new PC (3.2GHz P4, 512mb RAM, 160mb HD), I finally was able to play the Darwinia demo I donwloaded via Steam. (Yeah, yeah, I know, Steam am the Devil's bidniss! Oh well, it was there, I was bored ...) Well, I could already play the demo, provided I was happy with 2 frames per second. Suffice it to say I was not.

The game itself is quite an interesting affair. Or rather, not so interesting, being far too long-winded to get into. I am sure it will pick up later, but the demo itself hasn't really done anything more than show me a pretty game, with nothing to really make it stand out from an already over-saturated genre. Particularly on the PC, RTS games are ten-a-penny. Now, you may have played further in Darwinia, and may be able to tell me "It's not just a simple RTS, it's really cool and OMFGHSJGHJHASGDJHGBISH!" However, it starts out like an RTS, with the annoying addition of nerdy science guy's head telling me exactly what to do and nattering on about how great his Darwinian's are, because they are curious and they learned to mine the ocean floor, and map the internet, and OMFGHSJGHJHASGDJHGBISH!

Seriously, it's not so much a tutorial as a device to NOT LET YOU PLAY THE FUCKING GAME IN THE SLIGHTEST. I know they have made a very pretty game, and they are proud of all the AI routines, and stuff. But, to not let me explore it? Seems like Professor John Frink not letting the kids play with his cool toy because "You won't enjoy it on as many levels as I can!"

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	Halon - April 07, 2006 (08:23 AM) I haven't played it yet but you must've had a really shitty video card. My friend is able to play it on his P3 Geforce 3 computer and says it runs fine. You must've had a Geforce 1 or something. EDIT: I just checked the minimum requirements and it says you need a Geforce 2 minimum.
	cheekylee - April 07, 2006 (11:32 AM) I don't know what card was in my machine, other than it is an on-board card. The computer itself is a Philips iQon, and it came into the warehouse I run as part of a load of electrical returns. Thing is, the computer itself was listed as faulty, and incomplete, so we were not charged for it. It had never been taken out of it's box. The missing part was the printer! So, knowing it would work perfectly, I decided to take it home. Darwinia is like .... Cannon Fodder viewed through Rez-tinted spectacles. Were it not for the hugely annoying tutorial, I may have really enjoyed it. I'll definitely give it another go, though.