in all the games I play(except the really new ones) the install screns are exactly the same. the console when you start TC:E is fine IMO. the only variations I have seen between ET and Jedi knight: JEdi academy are the colours are different. I'd like to see an install screen like that of the Splinter Cell series and a few other games (the one that looks like silver XP) for TC:E but I don't plan on uninstalling it, so it won't affect me.

Just a bit of reminders there. This game runs on the Quake3 Engine. All games that run on that engine load up the quake3 console first. The box that you see loading all those files is the Quake3 console. So far, I dont think you can get rid of that. All engines from IdSoftware, so far the msot current ones, have this. With exceptions of the Doom3 engine which after the console it shows another loading screen like most games of 2002 onwards.

To minimize the game, you need to use a program called ET minimizer, but I dont think it is still used or supported by the current version of the game or the mod.

Automatic updates requires a world/master srver strong enough to distribute hudreds of thousands of patches to the players around the owrld. That isnt affordable for a low budget, not to mention free, game. Instead they could have a built in news ticker that announces new patches. THe ET game source does have an automatic update notification, but you have to download and install manually. This is one of the reasons why XFire kicks Qtracker in the behind.

You know, TCE doesnt look amateur at all. No offense to the ETF team, but that is what amateur looks like. They excessively over cartoonized (I dont think this is a word) the game. Plus they even lack a well organized community. TCE however has two official communities, the installer doesnt matter even though it uses the traditional windows installer. If the kind of installer your looking is like the old Command and Conquer style installers, well that isnt as easy to make as it looks.

Last, the only way to get rid of these problems is to purchase engine lisences for other engines that dont have the start up console. Then purchase a really big and really powerful server to handle the auto patch download and install or every player in the world. The price? Well, its not something you or anyone of us can make in a year.

I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that with a lot of elbow grease you CAN customise teh console at startup...

then again, it could be a thing you do with the engine...

Not really.. The engine uses the console to load things up. And its much faster than a conventional loadup screen which actually does the same but has all the additional loading screen graphics and animations that take more time to load. So, the plain underskeleton loading console of Quake3 is actually more effective and much faster than the standard eyecandy load screens.

if the devs added automatic update features, we dont have to wait ages again for 1 version,

it also come in handy if there are allot of bugs that needs to be fix,
and slight bit of map improvement, and new map updates,
so instead waiting 3 freaking years for 1 version,
they could update evry slight bit of improvements,
0.50,
0.50.001, in the next month
0.50.015 in the next two months,
ect ect,

same thing like an mmorpg game... auto update
all i have to say is when this auto update is available, you will see less people whining about the release,
and this not a request, but a concept idea,

maybe its possible if you try to associate with k2 networks:
http://www.k2network.net/contact.php
http://www.k2network.net

theyre providing an update network for games such as warrock, knight online, MU online. ect. ect.
i doub that TT have to pay for it, because if K2 notice how the new version looks like, with all the professional stuff like HDR, and all those other features,
i think K2 wont charge TT anything, because the only thing they probably want is theyre company name in the game,
all i have to say that this auto update feature will bring TT to another step closer to the professional gaming scene,


REMEMBER ITS A CONCEPT IDEA

TT would have to buy a highbandwith server to have an autoupdater that downloaded patches for everyone. Besides how hard is it to just go it yourself. Also, when you join a server with an outdated game it will tell you. As far as I know, ET has an autoupdater, but you need to use idsoftware's ftp to use it

auto updaters suck. I tried tribes, I tried a trillion others, and they NEVER work. and it'd be too hard to put in.


hmmm... join OoC forums, dragon baned from TC:E main forums, inducted into OoC, dragon comes back, pattern pl0x?

and frankly, I'd rather manually patch, watch what happens, and even be able to downgrade if I want, than to have it fast.

The only game swith autoupdates that i find really usefull was Command and Conquer and every game in that franchise. The update works fast from the Westwood ftp really quick. Other than that I use Xfire to get patches for me automatically in such way I dont even notice it downloading patches. Plus there comes steam, it patches its games automatically saves you from having to sort through the hundreds of patches (v.1.0.1.0.1.0 which kinda looks like that) for a single game.