Sierra page - updates problem

Has anyone else had problems with Sierra's patches and updates page. When I select a product for updates nothing happens. I'm doing this because, although the auto update feature is good, it doesn't tell you what exactly about these games has been updated. -- Peter Ives - (AKA Ivington) No person's opinions can be said to be more correct than another's, because each is the sole judge of his or her own experience.

I don't use the auto update feature, I typically prefer to go directly to the website's and download any current patches. -- Don Burnette Dburn in N3 and Legends

That rarely works. You can find a patch manually but the auto won't find it. JM

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> Has anyone else had problems with Sierra's patches and updates page. > When I select a product for updates nothing happens. I'm doing this > because, although the auto update feature is good, it doesn't tell you > what exactly about these games has been updated. > -- > Peter Ives - (AKA Ivington) > No person's opinions can be said to be > more correct than another's, because each is > the sole judge of his or her own experience.

I just finished working my way through Driver's Education 98. There's now a 99 version available -- not sure of the differences, but I imagine it will be just as hard to find in stores. I got mine at a liquidation store, where it was bundled with a Thrustmaster Grand Prix 1 steering wheel. This program is actually pretty good for giving driving practice. It doesn't replace in-car practice, but it augments it. There are problems, though. The first problem is the controls. Most steering wheels have four buttons and two levers (or foot pedals) to control brake and gas pedal. For this simulation, the left and right buttons on the steering wheel bring up the side mirror views (which take up the corner of the regular screen), and the two "dash" buttons give rearview mirror view and "quick look" view (glance left and right in reduced screen). This means that for signals and shoulder checking, you have to use the keyboard -- rather difficult, when you have both hands on the steering wheel. What's more, the signal keys (Ctrl = signal left, Alt = signal right) are designed to be operated with the left hand, while the other view keys are mainly located on the right (Insert, Home, Delete, End, Page Up and Page Down). So, while driving, there tends to be a rather unnatural degree of hand activity, as you quickly try to find keys. Things are a bit easier with an eight-button joystick, because four of the buttons are assigned to Look Left, Look Right and signals -- but who wants to practice driving with a joystick?! The software requires the keystrokes so it can determine whether you've checked your mirrors or shoulder before a turn or lane change and deduct points if you didn't, but it makes for a clumsy, unintuitive interface that doesn't feel like a car (after all, in real life you don't have to press a button to glance at a mirror). I would have preferred a system that makes use of the limited number of buttons available. Perhaps have the steering wheel buttons control left & right mirrors when pressed quickly, and do Look Left / Look Right when pressed and held. Or perhaps display mirrors all the time, but have more hazards appearing in them. The roads themselves are realistic, and the car seems to manoeuvre like a real one. I was hoping the amount of traffic would increase as the tests progressed, but even in the "heavy traffic" sections, it seemed pretty light. Keyboard issues aside, the environment is a little too easy to drive, with straight or smoothly curving roads, straightforward intersections, and not many tricky turns. I would have liked to see more one-way streets, hidden driveways, school buses that stop and turn on their signals, and other cars that don't follow the rules, and provide a reason for you to be cautions. For example, the program tells you to check both ways at intersections, but (other than losing points) there are no repercussions if you don't. An odd problem I noticed -- the left turn lanes seem to have their markings backwards. I don't know if it's a US/Canada difference, but here in Canada a left turn lane will have a yellow dashed line on the outside, and a solid line on the inside. In this simulation it's the other way around. Traffic lights change a little too rapidly, and if you pull into an intersection to turn left, then turn when the light changes to orange, you will usually be penalized for running a red. The simulation consists of two parts. One is a series of written tests on typical driving school topics. It seems quite thorough. The other part is the in-car sessions, in which you are accompanied by "Driver Ed", who sounds a bit like one of those leading male cartoon characters (Aladdin, Fred from Scooby Doo... etc.). He will spur you on with sycophantic comments like "Nice driving", and "You keep this up, you're gonna have your license soon!" This, as I am crawling down the highway at 7 mph, while hunting for the Left View key. Unfortunately, you can't turn him off, because he also gives instructions on where you're supposed to go next. If things are going really badly (points deducted for a move that should have been OK) you can at least get your own back by speeding down the highway at top speed, while Driver Ed tells you how dangerous your driving is and threatens to get out. (Please! Get out! Go!) Overall, I found this program to be helpful in practising for my licence (which I have just passed at the tender age of 39!). But the overall approach is strictly To Teach, and it's a little patronising. I think I would feel the same way even if I were one of the 16-year-olds the game is clearly intended for. It's a shame. The simulation could be a much more entertaining game -- particularly if there was more activity to be aware of. A simulation should have more dangers than the real world, not fewer dangers. As I mentioned, there is now a Driver's Education 99. Anybody know what the difference is? Duncan McKenzie Toronto, Canada [email hidden] Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

I have Drivers ED 99, there doesn't seem to be much difference from the description in your review. Perhaps the graphics are better. The BMW driver awareness CD Rom http://www.bized.ac.uk/compfact/bmw/bmwedu.htm might be useful, but the improvements to drivers ed that you suggest would be a good idea.

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> I just finished working my way through Driver's Education 98. There's > now a 99 version available -- not sure of the differences, but I > imagine it will be just as hard to find in stores. I got mine at a > liquidation store, where it was bundled with a Thrustmaster Grand Prix > 1 steering wheel. > This program is actually pretty good for giving driving practice. It > doesn't replace in-car practice, but it augments it. There are > problems, though. > The first problem is the controls. Most steering wheels have four > buttons and two levers (or foot pedals) to control brake and gas

pedal. > For this simulation, the left and right buttons on the steering wheel > bring up the side mirror views (which take up the corner of the regular

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> screen), and the two "dash" buttons give rearview mirror view > and "quick look" view (glance left and right in reduced screen). This > means that for signals and shoulder checking, you have to use the > keyboard -- rather difficult, when you have both hands on the steering > wheel. What's more, the signal keys (Ctrl = signal left, Alt = signal > right) are designed to be operated with the left hand, while the other > view keys are mainly located on the right (Insert, Home, Delete, End, > Page Up and Page Down). So, while driving, there tends to be a rather > unnatural degree of hand activity, as you quickly try to find keys. > Things are a bit easier with an eight-button joystick, because four of > the buttons are assigned to Look Left, Look Right and signals -- but > who wants to practice driving with a joystick?! > The software requires the keystrokes so it can determine whether

you've > checked your mirrors or shoulder before a turn or lane change and > deduct points if you didn't, but it makes for a clumsy, unintuitive > interface that doesn't feel like a car (after all, in real life you > don't have to press a button to glance at a mirror). I would have > preferred a system that makes use of the limited number of buttons > available. Perhaps have the steering wheel buttons control left & right > mirrors when pressed quickly, and do Look Left / Look Right when > pressed and held. Or perhaps display mirrors all the time, but have > more hazards appearing in them. > The roads themselves are realistic, and the car seems to manoeuvre like > a real one. I was hoping the amount of traffic would increase as the > tests progressed, but even in the "heavy traffic" sections, it seemed > pretty light. Keyboard issues aside, the environment is a little too > easy to drive, with straight or smoothly curving roads, straightforward > intersections, and not many tricky turns. I would have liked to see > more one-way streets, hidden driveways, school buses that stop and turn > on their signals, and other cars that don't follow the rules, and > provide a reason for you to be cautions. For example, the program tells > you to check both ways at intersections, but (other than losing points)

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> there are no repercussions if you don't. > An odd problem I noticed -- the left turn lanes seem to have their > markings backwards. I don't know if it's a US/Canada difference, but > here in Canada a left turn lane will have a yellow dashed line on the > outside, and a solid line on the inside. In this simulation it's the > other way around. > Traffic lights change a little too rapidly, and if you pull into an > intersection to turn left, then turn when the light changes to orange, > you will usually be penalized for running a red. > The simulation consists of two parts. One is a series of written tests > on typical driving school topics. It seems quite thorough. The other > part is the in-car sessions, in which you are accompanied by "Driver > Ed", who sounds a bit like one of those leading male cartoon

characters > (Aladdin, Fred from Scooby Doo... etc.). He will spur you on with > sycophantic comments like "Nice driving", and "You keep this up, you're > gonna have your license soon!" This, as I am crawling down the highway > at 7 mph, while hunting for the Left View key. Unfortunately, you can't

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> turn him off, because he also gives instructions on where you're > supposed to go next. > If things are going really badly (points deducted for a move that > should have been OK) you can at least get your own back by speeding > down the highway at top speed, while Driver Ed tells you how dangerous > your driving is and threatens to get out. (Please! Get out! Go!) > Overall, I found this program to be helpful in practising for my > licence (which I have just passed at the tender age of 39!). But the > overall approach is strictly To Teach, and it's a little patronising.

I > think I would feel the same way even if I were one of the 16-year-olds > the game is clearly intended for. It's a shame. The simulation could be > a much more entertaining game -- particularly if there was more > activity to be aware of. A simulation should have more dangers than the > real world, not fewer dangers. > As I mentioned, there is now a Driver's Education 99. Anybody know what

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> the difference is? > Duncan McKenzie > Toronto, Canada > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ > Before you buy.

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Re: Sierra Driver's Education CD There's a feature called Free Drive. If you use that, you can drive wherever you want, and do whatever you want, but the sim stops if you hit anything (see below). It was kind of interesting going top speed the wrong way down the freeway. Although the other cars don't seem to worry much -- eg, they don't take any evasive action. I don't think so. None. As soon as you hit anything, you get a screeching of tires and a THUNK, and then a crane shot zooms out showing your car. Then the simulation ends. You get the same result whether you hit another vehicle head on at 80 mph, or tap the vehicle behind you at 1 mph in the parking lot. Basic damage modeling would be a great addition, actually. If they want to show that speed kills, it'd be neat to see a concertina-ed car and *** on the windshield after a high-speed collision. Or maybe something like in Red Baron, where your vision gets all dark and ***y. Ewwww. We're not far behind here in Ontario. I've read that the world's busiest freeway is the Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles, and number two is the 401 Highway in Toronto. But I'm surprised you guys need a game to take out your aggression. Can't you just go out an buy a handgun or some automatic weapons? Duncan McKenzie Toronto, Canada Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.