RGCD, the UK-based retro gaming discmag has just published a review of Transcendence.
"Since those halcyon days of home computing I've been fruitlessly searching for a game that successfully combines the free-roaming rogue-like nature of Frontier with the simple, lively and enjoyable 2D universe of [Star Control II]. Finally, and thanks to the efforts of George Moromisato, I think I've found it in Transcendence."
Transcendence Review at RGCD.
Transcendence 0.98d adds a couple of minor fixes. I've fixed the crash when opening contraband ammo boxes (thanks to "the wanderer") and I believe this also fixes a bug when dropping items into the Teraton fabricator pit.
More importantly, this version moves away from DirectX and uses normal GDI calls to blt each frame to the screen. The main advantage is that Transcendence will no longer switch resolution to run, but an added advantage is that the game will work better with Vista and (hopefully) WINE on Linux.
There is a small disadvantage, however: since GDI is a bit slower than DirectX, some computers may run Transcendence slower. If you have this problem, run Transcendence with the /dx switch to use DirectX. But most modern processors and graphic cards will show no difference.
As always, a complete list of fixes appears on the version history page. Thanks to all the players who posted bugs in the forums.
Nethack is still one of my favorite games. Depth and detail, along with playability and the illusion of simplicity, combine to make Nethack one of the best games of all time. I have always wanted to create a space adventure game with similar properties. The variety of enemies, weapons, and wondrous devices will hopefully provide some of the same depth to Transcendence, and the simple format should make it easy to learn and play.
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