RGCD Review of Transcendence

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.

M27

M27 was once a red giant star that ran out of fuel. The core of the star collapsed into a white dwarf, while the outer layers of the star blew out into space.

I took this image more than a year ago, but I didn't have a chance to process it until now.

The Astrotourist: M27

Reprocessed M51

M51 is a pleasure to process. It is bright enough and has enough detail that you can push the contrast and the sharpness pretty far.

I recently reprocessed an image of M51 that I took back in February 2006. I have learned a lot more about processing since then, and I think the new version is a significant improvement.

The Astrotourist: M51

The New Transcendence Web Site

The first public version of Transcendence (0.7) was released four years ago this month. Today, working on version 0.99, I wish that I had started numbering the versions at 0.1. I guess I was much more optimistic back then.

Nevertheless, I am extremely happy with the progress of the game. The basic game mechanics of Transcendence have held up very well over these past four years, and there is still room for more depth and much more content.

One thing that has not held up as well is the Transcendence web site. The original design feels dated to me and I found it difficult to add more content.

For the last several weeks I've been working on a redesign and I'm finally ready to publish it. There are still many unfinished parts to it, but I think that the structure will last for many years.

I'm also hoping that this new design (particularly the Explore section) will give players a peek at some of the interesting ships and stations in the game. It takes a while to progress in the game enough to see some of the cooler enemies. Perhaps highlighting some of them on the web site will incent players to keep playing.

What will Transcendence be like four years from now? I certainly don't know, but I'm eager to find out.

Transcendence 0.98d

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.

Transcendence 0.98c

Transcendence 0.98c is a minor update that introduces a couple of new features. I've finally increased the number of rotations for player ships. Instead of twenty different rotations (18 degree turns) all player ships now have forty different rotations (9 degree turns). The turning smoothness is definitely noticeable, and you will enjoy the ability to aim your weapons with more precision.

Another minor feature introduced in this version is the ability to zoom the system map in and out. Not only does this make it easier to see stations that are clumped closely together, but it also allows the game to have larger system.

Download Transcendence 0.98c. 

Introducing Luminous

It's a program that only a programmer could love because, well, you need to write programs to use it. As with many of my creations (I'm looking at you, Penumbra) it will appeal to a very small audience, mostly because of its steep learning curve, and also because it is slower than you can possibly imagine.

But other than that, I hope you enjoy it.

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Rainier and Clouds

I took this photo on a February morning on a flight out of Seattle. Just as I got above one cloud layer, I saw the beautiful morning light hitting Mount Rainier.

Transcendence 0.98b

Another week, another bug fix. Transcendence 0.98b fixes a nasty crash bug that happens intermittently. As always, a big thanks to all the people who wrote to me about problems. If you have a bug to report, please post it to the official forums or write to [email protected].

For a complete list of fixes, please consult the version history page.

Transcendence 0.98a

Transcendence 0.98a fixes several bugs, including an intermittent crash that happened on entering a system (or loading a game). In addition, this version fixes the problem with Drake-class missileships not attacking the Korolov station in the Charon system. Thank you to all the players in the forums who reported bugs!

For a complete list of fixes, please consult the version history page.

Transcendence 0.98

The latest version of Transcendence is ready!

Read about the changes to this version or go to the downloads section and start playing.

Above the Clouds

I took this picture a little bit after take-off from Sea-Tac. It is a composite of two photos taken less than a minute apart. There is a seam running down the middle of the picture where the cloud patterns blend, but it's hard to tell.

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NGC 891

NGC 891 is one of the best edge-on galaxies in the sky and the first galaxy that I captured. Though this image is far from perfect, it is much better than my previous attempt.

The Astrotourist: NGC 891

Photography

I've uploaded more of my photos and organized them in a new way.

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Two Versions of M1

The image on the left was taken with the Meade DSI in December 2004. The image on the right was taken last week with the Meade DSI Pro II.

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