Slashdot Mirror

Gabe and Tycho over at Penny-Arcade had this to say about the production of Fantastic 4... Pretty darn funny.

Oh My God. And the monkey! Where does the monkey fit in?

Penny Arcade

I think this comic sums it up quite nicely.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2001-12- 14&res=l
As for Nintendo's supposed failure to grow up, playing a game where you can slaughter people with a chainsaw isn't necessarily a sign of maturity.
Sure GTA:San Andreas is great but there are alot of other games that focus on the violence instead of the gameplay.

This particular theory was first applied to Unreal Tournament 2004, but I believe it can be generalized for much of the IntarwebNet.

There are TONS of things that paying a penny or two for would be really useful, and could make your online browsing experience much better.

For instance, imagine paying a penny to read a webcomic on a site (like, say http://penny-arcade.com/). It's a pittance to you, assuming all you have to do is click one button to make the payment. If 10,000 people pay one penny to read that comic, the author has made $100. This is a great way to support online content-based sites, and also to rid them of ads. Something that can get the darn ads off the Internet would be great!

Yes. I have a Divx player. I picked it up secondhand together with a used VCR, for $35 and half a bottle of mediocre Bourbon. =)

Divx wasn't supposed to replace DVD in general, but replace DVD rentals. You also exagerate its popularity with the studios. And yes, that was a flop for MANY reasons-- the original relatively high price of the unit being one of them. However, the unit also plays standard DVDs just fine. In fact, I can play DVD+R and DVD-R disks on it as well... which is more than I can say for most other players of the time. I haven't been able to find a DVD-RAM disk to test it with, but I'd give even money that would work too. The main part about it that sucks is that the remote has an unwholesome appetite for batteries; they last about 2 months, compared with about a year for most of my other remotes. But, aside from that, I'm absolutely delighted at the money (and booze) I invested in getting it.

I'd agree, it's a question of marginal benefits: Blu Ray isn't worth it, especially while Modern Hollywood Sucks (and Bujold, Brust, SR Donaldson, LK Hamilton, GRR Martin, Pratchett, and V Vinge do not). But the content industry didn't understand that in Eldred v. Ashcroft, and they still don't get it. How anyone can get that rich without understanding marginal value, whether elastic or time-value, is beyond me.

Except it Nintendo doesn't really use lame "leaks" they go straight for your balls. Sony and MS use all the hype and obfuscation and viral marketing and leaks. Nintendo just walks softly and carries a big stick when they want to.

I can't think of any Nintendo leaks off the top of my head, but ... don't imply they don't use hype, obfuscation, or "viral marketing". What do you think E3 was? The Revolution so far as we know is: A black box. It has some blue light or something. It will play games. It will play old games. It has some new funkotastic controller.

How many rumors, how much hype, how much viral marketing has there been just about the controller? That's all the Revolution is at this point: hype. Vapor. Speculation. It reminds me of this comic about another vaporous console.

Of course, I don't think it will end up vapor: this is Nintendo! But I'm not entirely convinced even Nintendo knows what they're doing, yet.

There's a prime-time television programme in the UK called 'It's Me or the Dog' - one of the never-ending succession of formats involving things like unruly children and the taming thereof, unhygienic students and the fumigation thereof, infectious kitchens and the incineration thereof, ad nauseam...

It's sponsored by 'Nintendogs'. I've no idea if the game's even available in the UK yet - but I still couldn't help but think of Penny Arcade's approach... ;-)

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

This and this are the important ones.

Honourable, if somewhat out of date, mention: This.

And, of course, this and this and this and this and this.

here

Penny Arcade, as always, has something funny to say about this.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2005-08- 29&res=l

I really agree with you on this one. I know people use arguments like 'playing games improves hand eye co-ordination' and 'playing games teaches you about software' to defend video games against the barrage of undue criticism the media sling at it, but I feel these are fairly weak arguments.

The benefits they have in this area true only to a limited extent and there are certainly far better ways of improving hand eye co-ordination (such as sports, which incorporates exercise) and learning about software (though I do think the level to which gaming can act as a doorway to software development and/or a career working with computers is often underestimated - if someone can learn the ins and outs of a more complex MMO that's certainly a positive indicator in my book).

However, one thing that games - specifically multiplayer games and MMO's - are superb at doing is teaching people skills - how to get along with very difficult people, how to manage people and groups ranging from small 6 man teams (in games like Battle Field) to large raid parties of over a hundred people (in games such as Lineage 2, EVE and PlanetSide).

It's particularly challenging given you often have no control over the people you have on your team (who are there primarily to have fun and typically care far more about that than whether their team 'wins' or not), and the only tool you have to make them perform as needed to win, is your ability to persuade them through sheer force of personality.

As an example, the vast majority of the time, the commander in any game of Battle Field 2 doesn't help the teams achieve victory, doesn't give orders or support the team and just joins in the melee fighting (to the frustration of the squad leaders usually).

Though I'm much happier on the ground driving around and shooting things in game (like most people), I took over a game as commander on a 64 player map after everyone getting sick of this happening every round (and our side losing massively to a much more co-rdinated side who were playing tactically). I spent the entire time staring at the map and hiding back at our starting point guarding the radar and UAV trailer in case they were damaged (so I could repair them for team myself, rather than pulling someone else out of the fight to do it). I was constantly on voice comms talking to and re-assuring the squad leaders, letting them know when supply drops were available, when the enemy were moving in on their position (according to the commander map) and giving appropriate orders to secure as many points as possible as quickly as possible (rather than "everyone charge towards the most heavily defended flag" which is exactly what happens if people are left to their own devices, not least because it's fun).

I had some tactical knowledge of how to play that map well which helped a bit, but it was primarily by being supportive and staying in constant contact the squad leaders warmed up quickly and we smashed home to an overwhelming victory (after a couple of ours or so of continuous rounds of massive defeats). Although I don't regard myself as good people manager I learned some important lessons about the importance of effective communication. I also got some fantastic feedback, just because people were so happy to have someone deliver what they needed (supply drops, enemy activity reports, meaningful orders and most importantly feedback and co-ordination via voice comms - much underused IMO).

It's true I've seen teams and alliances run primarily by ego's or by the very inexperienced (who are trying to run before they can walk), but I've been really impressed by some of the squad / team leaders I've seen in games, it's not easy to get 32, 64 or even 300+ people (in games like PlanetSide) to do what you want them to and persuade them it's in their best interest.

One of the great problems with the Internet currently is that there are so many anonymous cowards, who troll, spam and lie. There is very little consequence to such actions so people aren't inhibited.

Well, you see, there is actually a theory for this.

But on a serious note, no, it does not matter if there are anonymous cowards who "troll, spam and lie." That happens in real life, too. Intelligent people should be able to know where to get reliable information from. Anyone looking for reliable information on a certain product by reading comments in a blog is not really helping himself.

IS one of Saturn's moons an ancient space station? Let's ask psuedo-science crackpot Richard Hoagland!

http://www.enterprisemission.com/moon2.htm

Whoa! Who could have guessed that it actually IS a space station?! Especially without this insightful analysis. Modelled on a buckyball, no less!

As for the Bothans:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2004-08- 15&res=l

Clan Walrus. Started around Quake1 era, it grew to 50+ members and became involved in Quake2, Starcraft, Tribes, and a bunch of other games. Gabe and Tycho were the leaders When it was first created, they had to make up 3 other members to get on id's list of official clans, but then people started joining them. Eventually, Tycho and Gabe caught on to the fact that several other members of the clan were not, in fact, figments of their imagination, but rather real people, and that they were in charge of a real clan, and not the anti-clan they had set out to build and upset the establishment. Upon realizing this, and given their nature ( they shirk responsibility: http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2001-10- 15 ) they decided to step down as leaders of the clan, but keep the moniker, so as to subvert the clan that was meant to subvert clans themselves, without having to do all the work associated with subversion.

Atari Combat on the 2600. More info on their forums here, including pictures.

...in case any other n00bs like myself were wondering.

This post from their interview a while back points to their Clan's site.

There's a great forum thread going on at the Penny-Arcade site about what lameasses the concert crowd was. Apparently every time anyone tried to rock out, they were given a big ol' social beatdown by the crowd, who just wanted to play their game boys and nod in time.

What blows my mind is that the guy who calls them on it is getting chewed out, by and large, by the other members of the forum. I mean, far be it from me to tell you how to enjoy a concert, but wow. It's like these people have never been to a concert or something.

I was contemplating a PAX trip next year, but if this is the kind of crowd PAX is attracting, I can't say I'm particularly enthused about attending. I mean, I know it's nerdcore, but it just strikes me as impolite to sit there and play Nintendogs while someone's performing on stage for you.

What was the final battle?

HOW DID IT FEEL?

Yeah, easy enough to go to the main page and go to "current comic", but a direct link is always nice...

You should apply at Nintendo.

And don't forget the voice interaction : Also another important part in immersing the player on an emotional front.

Tycho's own words (from today's news post):

PAX is sort of funny. You make a convention because you are obsessed enough with something to create an event dedicated to it, and then it hoards all the time you used to invest in that thing. And then you think, if I'm not really playing games, doesn't throwing a convention expressly devoted to them make me a fucking liar? And then a voice like oiled leather says, "Yes, yesss."

I'm finding that the (CW)TB posts are funnier than the strip lately. Perhaps they were always funnier and I just didn't notice until recently.

This is a far more realistic interpretation of tube warfare.

But car can be taken to pick a tube of propper strength. You than score it on style and/or a fencing type system, and a broken tube is a loss.

I'm sure you've read the CTS strips but I'm not sure you realize the damage those things can cause. Do you think they want to be responsible when someone gets a little zealous and splits their opponent in two? Think of the carnage!

And you obviously didn't see the latest Penny Arcade. ;)

http://penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2005-01-26

Nuff said...

"I'm not trying to push you into the high cost option ... I'm saying the lower cost option doesn't exist." Link

A cloud of fairies brings you golden coins. Make sure you have enough to pay the billy goats gruff!

Enter CTS

Really, reinventing comics, is that what's going on here? Or is it just putting a comic up on the interweb?
Let's ask Penny Arcade what they think about this.

Because this is just another step towards The Visa Crucible.

Um, yeah, I can really see a "family-friendly" magazine carrying strips like this, or this, or even this (one of my favorites). Even the Washington Post got flack back when For Better or Worse ran a storyline with about a gay character. Can you imagine the uproar generated from just a *week* of Gabe and Tycho's standard fare?

Don't get me wrong, PA makes me laugh more than any other gaming comic out there, but it's not something that I would want my baby daughter reading on the Sunday comics page.

Um, yeah, I can really see a "family-friendly" magazine carrying strips like this, or this, or even this (one of my favorites). Even the Washington Post got flack back when For Better or Worse ran a storyline with about a gay character. Can you imagine the uproar generated from just a *week* of Gabe and Tycho's standard fare?

Don't get me wrong, PA makes me laugh more than any other gaming comic out there, but it's not something that I would want my baby daughter reading on the Sunday comics page.

Um, yeah, I can really see a "family-friendly" magazine carrying strips like this, or this, or even this (one of my favorites). Even the Washington Post got flack back when For Better or Worse ran a storyline with about a gay character. Can you imagine the uproar generated from just a *week* of Gabe and Tycho's standard fare?

Don't get me wrong, PA makes me laugh more than any other gaming comic out there, but it's not something that I would want my baby daughter reading on the Sunday comics page.

Obligatory, on-topic Penny Arcade response.

Your star burns! Welcome to Matrimony Theatre I'm sure a lot of us need a UV forecast.

http://www.questionablecontent.net/
http://www.dieselsweeties.com/
http://www.catandgirl.com/

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php
http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=631
http://www.bobandgeorge.com/Archive/Apr04.php?date =1

There must be a way to just "slip" these into the discussion, but why bother? What's the good of an article ranting about webcomics without finding new, good web comics?

I was under the impression that most of us never go outside. Why the hell would we need to know what the weather's like? ;-)

'Nuff said: http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2005-06- 01

From Penny Arcade, one of those comics that actually, you know, pays a living wage to its creators.

If you want to do webcomics as art, then sure, do it the Scott McCloud way, and suffer for your art. If you want to actually make a living at it, i.e. a full time job that allows you the time to do it professionally, then sticking to formats that actually lend themselves to serialisation, syndication or page-by-page paying adverts is probably a better idea than relying on the cloud of fairies to pay your rent.

From Penny Arcade, one of those comics that actually, you know, pays a living wage to its creators.

If you want to do webcomics as art, then sure, do it the Scott McCloud way, and suffer for your art. If you want to actually make a living at it, i.e. a full time job that allows you the time to do it professionally, then sticking to formats that actually lend themselves to serialisation, syndication or page-by-page paying adverts is probably a better idea than relying on the cloud of fairies to pay your rent.