Spore Prototypes Put Up By Maxis For Free Download

azuredrake writes "According to GameDaily, EA today released a free download of a Spore prototype known as 'BIOME.' The download site describes BIOME as a program that 'uses a language based on chemical stoichiometry.' It goes on to note that 'cells in a BIOME simulation change state the same way that chemicals change when exposed to other chemicals. Systems such as this can be used to simulate phenomena such as forest fires, disease epidemics, animal migration patterns and crystallization.' Note that the link provided in the article is, in fact, incorrect. Here is the correct link. Apparently, many more prototypes giving insight into the dev process of one of the PC world's most-hyped games will be posted in the future, so keep an eye on it."

Wow

Im Glad i Pre Ordered Spore, but WOW, the stuff they are relasesing for free is amazing, i cant wait for the game, if this is a small part of the massive game OMFG!

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There is no 'OMGMYEYES' mod :(

Or... maybe they'll just release it all separately

Perhaps they're releasing everything, bit by bit, so that when they do release it all entirely, they won't have to worry about piracy - they'll have given it all away... and in the process, everyone will have securom installed, so it'll be impossible to pirate another one of their games!

Its a covert, secret plan, known only to the EA ninjas...

Another SecuROM install?

Will this thing also install SecuROM like their creature editor?

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There are just ziped dirs with the exe files in them no installers.

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And a virus is an .exe disguised as pretty much anything else. Your point? Yes, it would be incredibly sneaky and unethical (and quite possibly illegal), but definitely not impossible or even improbable.

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I sure would like to BUY this game when it comes out. But due to the draconian DRM, it looks like something I would be getting from the torrents instead.

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I don't get it. Are you boycotting because of the anti-piracy DRM, or are you just assuming that you will have problems with it?

It seems like if you think a game is worth paying for, you should buy it, and then download a cracked copy IF you had problems. And report the problems to customer support, loudly, so that the company learns in a *TRACEABLE* way that DRM is bad.

A boycott is much less effective than escalated customer service traffic. A company like EA can't measure or even notice copies that are

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Thats my plan. I'm buying it the moment I see it on a shelf, but If I can't bust out the DRM myself, I'll download and install a version that is fixed. I then plan on pursuing every possibility of complaining about the DRM. I don't want to think that Will Wright would endorse Securom based on his past history, so i can't see ripping him off. But the more overtime I can cause EA tech support, the better. It's too bad there is not a semi-official way you could get the fixed download and donate money to the ga

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If you pirate Spore instead of buying it, you'll be missing out on the "massive" function of the game, where creatures on the planets you visit are populated by the creations of other players. IMO, that's one of the game's coolest ideas and something I'd definitely want to have in.

If only so I can make a planet full of my buddy's creations, and then nuke them into the stone age. Muahahahah! :P

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Question - what about SecuROM is "installed"?

DRM software is not malware just because you don't like what it does. AFAIK, SecuROM is just a wrapper that goes around a game EXE. When the game isn't running, SecuROM isn't running.

If it is integrated into the game EXE, and it doesn't hide executable content on your hard drive, I don't see how you can claim that it's "installed".

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SecuROM [wikipedia.org]:

The use of SecuROM is very controversial. It installs a shell extension that prevents Windows Explorer from deleting 16-bit executables. [...] It can cause computer problems and people sometimes use cracked (cleaned up) executables on their original and legally purchased software that use SecuROM to avoid its effects.

SecuROM 7.x, if run under a non-admin user account, installs its own service called UAService7.exe, which works in ring 3 of the computer's operating system

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Wikipedia is all well and good, but I don't see any citation for the shell extension information, and can't find any information on it other than "it's in Wikipedia". And I've installed both Mass Effect and Spore Creature Creator, which use SecuROM protection, and I do not have any such services or extensions installed on my PC.

Perhaps there are specific versions of SecuROM that can do these things, but a blanket statement that SecuROM is bad for your computer is not borne out by my own experience. I've n

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I've read anecdotal stories from other slashdot members about SecuROM screwing their systems, they couldn't rip music CDs with iTunes, others couldn't burn DVDs correctly, etc.

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*whoosh*

Smooth,

you can download the prototype without agreeing to EA's terms by clicking the picture instead of the text on the prototype page. Nice work.

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That didn't work for me, but I did enjoy counting the number of times the terms said "Tools & Materials" (22).

But, I'm always cautious of downloading something with EA's name attached. http://www.simprograms.com/?p=692 [simprograms.com]

Underlying mechanics?

I'm confused, these things appear to be the software that underlies and makes spore work, not really a prototype, a lot of them are just modified (or maybe not ever) scientific software from what I can gather. Seems interesting, but prototype seems severely misleading.

Re:Underlying mechanics?

Prototyping in games does not mean what it means in say, mechanical engineering. In the games industry, we build apps to test out and see how systems work and what would be fun to play. What you're seeing here is basic applications that were developed in order to see what might be fun to put in Spore.

That's the reason I submitted it - because it's a cool window into the development process that can rarely be found in the game industry.

Another Protoype

There's already a second prototype called ParticleMan. From the same page linked in the article: 'ParticleMan simulates gravitational attraction between particles in a cloud. This system was used to study such gravitational dynamics as orbits, nebula formation, star formation and particle streams from sources like pulsars and black holes.' Interesting? You bet.

CA

MCell [chelm.pl] is a great cellular automaton simulator (like Biome) that's highly customizable. You can even write your own DLLs to link into it if their extensive rules customization options aren't enough for you. More fun and more accessible than Biome.

One thing that Biome's got that MCell doesn't are these spiral CAs. What is the Spore team trying to do here? Graphics effects for space?

trade files

Is there a place to trade files that you have made? reply if you wanna trade.

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As a Second Rate First post that is really just a Second Post, Thus being lower on the food chain

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How does this not make them evil? Just because Will Wright designed it well, doesn't mean a thing about EA. They're still the evil capitalists they've always been.

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AC, if you come back, post with your real name so I can talk to you about this. That's a serious problem that deserves a serious solution.

What country are you in, out of curiosity?