I'm guessing that EV1 cut a deal and paid a relatively small amount for their licenses. It gives SCO the ability to say that they sold "7 figures" worth of licenses to a big-name ISP, and EV1 gets immunity (for a good price) in the (very unlikely) event that SCO somehow manages to win their court cases. And if SCO loses, EV1 might have a case against SCO for selling them something that they didn't own. Who knows...
I read the Economist article the other day, and I agree with it. One point that it did make, although not strongly enough IMO, is that there needs to be some sort of safety net for people whose jobs get shipped overseas. Yes, we have unemployment compensation, but it is very little and will usually only barely make ends meet, and that's after you cut out all the extra stuff you're used to having. The main issue is the need for retraining. The person needs to find a new career, and that will probably involve learning new skills. How are they supposed to do that when they have no job and very little income? We need to have some system in place for getting people trained for the jobs that are supposedly being created in the wake of these outsourcings.
If the law against murder got sunsetted because some congressperson wanted to attach a rider for increased tollbooth maintenance funding, I think we'd see the legislation drafting process undergo some much-needed reform very quickly.
I guess PC gaming will be doomed to lame console ports and the few cool games that small developers manage to put out. Much like the old days. I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing, but it is kind of sad that truly good games don't get the attention or sales that they really deserve, and yet so many console games that are complete crap manage to sell so many copies. Guess it's the same reason there's so much crap on TV.
Ok, you make some good points. But how are PC game sales going to improve when companies like Ion Storm take games that should be instant classics like their predecessors, and turn them into console-ish abortions that no self-respecting PC gamer would soil his hard drive with? Looks like Thief is heading in the same direction, and not because of the 3rd person view addition. I'm betting that the interface will suck as bad as DX2, and the level sizes will be tiny compared to the previous Thief games.
If it's just a gang, why not call it the Latin Kings or something? Or base the name off a real gang anyways.. I mean really what if it was "Kill the Blacks!!" and gangs of "Blacks" walked around and were labeled as such..
Umm... ALL the haitians aren't gang members. The gang happens to be called the Haitians, because its members are Haitian. This is what most gangs are like. They consist primarily of a single ethnic group. Again, its people who make moronic leaps of "logic" that are the problem. Just because there is a Haitian gang in the game doesn't mean that the developers are trying to portray all Haitians as gang members. That's just plain stupid and people like the jackasses that are causing all the trouble over this are just trying to get attention with their stupidity.
IRL, people don't run at 40mph and jump around like crackhead kangaroos. Sniping is pretty tough to do well in most games. Games should always be balanced though. There needs to be ways to take out snipers, or at least prevent them from hitting you. Counterstrike gives you smoke and flashbangs, which help quite a bit. Every game should include methods like that to deal with snipers.
Does this mean that someone can search for a hide-a-key, and threaten to use one if found?
No, nobody is saying that extortion is ok. Everyone has agreed that what the guy did was bad. We're talking now about normal "white hat" practices of finding a hole and notifiying the company about it. No extortion involved. Should they be considered criminals? I don't think so.
Personally, I've yet to see anything on PC that eclipses the strinking visuals in titles like Viewtiful Joe, or Zelda, ICO, or Panzeer Dragoon Orta.
I've played Viewtiful Joe and Zelda, and seen a trailer for ICO. I don't think Joe or Zelda are anything special in the graphics department. ICO looked pretty nice though. But IMO, games like X2: The Threat, Lock-On Modern Air Combat, and Morrowind are far beyond anything you see on a console.
Lag is typically better, as every player on XBL and in most PS2 games are required to have broadband.
Most online PC gamers have broadband by now too, and even if some don't, it doesn't cause you to lag. That's mainly dependent upon the server.
Basically, the mainstream consumer is on the side of console onling gaming if they're on either side at all.
As I've said in some other threads here, that's the difference between console gamers and PC gamers. Both sides are looking for a different experience. PC gamers aren't bothered by the relative complexity of a PC versus a console. Most of us have been playing PC games for years, and it has only gotten easier over time. Console gamers are casual gamers. They like to sit on the couch and play games with their friends. It's more of a social thing than PC gaming. PC games aren't trying to provide that same experience. PC games tend to have more depth, complexity, and customizability.
The important thing to remember is that both sides have their strengths, and some people (myself included) play both. I love PC games. They are the most interesting and entertaining games out there for my tastes. But I still enjoy playing sports games or fighting games and such with friends on my PS2. Nothing like whooping someone's butt in Soul Calibur 2. So, in the end, I don't think either one will win over the other. PCs will always be around because they have many uses and are extremely flexible. Consoles are becoming more PC-like all the time, but will probably never quite get there because the console makers like having control over things. Even if fewer PC games were made in the future, I wouldn't even consider it a bad thing. It might result in a higher percentage of good games. Maybe all the crappy movie-based games and stuff would just go to the consoles.
Easier than some PC games, but a lot of them either have autoupdate features that work pretty much as you described for the XBox, or you just download and run a single file. Easy.
AND, most of these expansions are free, whereas the majority of PC expansions cost you $19.99.
Actually, most extra content and even expansions are free on the PC too. You tend to only get charged for the really major ones.
The combination of friends lists, voice chat, easy patches and constant expansions, and all the other great (and mostly lag-free) perks of console online gaming absolutely trounces its big brother.
Again, it depends on what you're playing and what software you use. Games like Tribes2 have the features you're referring to, with the exception of voice chat, but there are several good voice chat apps out there to make up for that. Then we have apps like All-Seeing-Eye that give us the friends lists and the ability to see who's playing what games and then go join them. As for the "constant expansions", I think the PC still has the console beat in that department. We not only get expansions from the developers, but all the user-created expansions as well (which far outnumber those of the devs). Even if only a fraction of those are good, that's a ton of content.
Keyboards have a lot of buttons, but their controls have very few degrees of freedom. Not every game can come with a custome gamepad, and one that has to bow to the lowest common denominator will invariably need to leave things out.
IMO, that's why console games tend to be oversimplified. PC keyboards do have a lot of buttons, and I think that gives me quite a bit of freedom. I can remap them to my flight stick and rudder pedals, or pretty much any of the hundreds of other controllers out there and play the game in a way that is comfortable for me. Can't do that with a console.
I can definately buy a future where the fun must have games are for consoles, because your friends have them and play them. Not being part of that is like not seeing the latest in movie, or hearing the latest it song.
I can see such a future as well. I simply see console games as a casual semi-social activity. PC games aren't trying to provide the same experience. They go for depth and customizability. They are intended to be played by yourself, even if you're playing against others online. They allow you to have more freedom. They even allow you to create your own content in the form of mods and new levels and such. They're so much different than consoles, and have such different goals, that I'm not even sure it makes sense to really compare them. Apples and oranges and all that.
And maybe not too far off it's two cakes for the hometheater crowd and one for the PC.
You do realize why you believe that don't you? Have you noticed that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs with each new generation? Pretty soon it will be just a PC in front of your TV, albeit with crappy controllers. PCs have many other uses besides gaming, so games will always exist for them. People like me who enjoy both console and PC games will demand it. Consoles have their place, but it's for a different kind of game and a different kind of experience.
PCs allow incredible amounts of customizeability. Windows knows what kinds of controllers I have. It shows me little pictures of them. I can program every button to do what I want. Then when I'm playing a game, I tell the game how I want it to work and it remembers that and CAN remind me what button does what if I forget. Many PC games do this.
What if I want to introduce a game feature that only conveys in force feedback? It would be great for multiplayer games on the same display - it can signal player1 about something without clueing in player2.
Well, first of all, you're not usually playing side-by-side with someone else as you are on a console. Even at LAN parties you generally have some space and you aren't watching the same screen, so it's a non-issue. Even if you must have it though, there are plenty of force-feedback mice, gamepads, and joysticks out there for the PC.
Hell, they might even QA the thing before they publish, because patching would be harder.
We do lots of things we otherwise wouldn't when we're forced to.
So your argument is that you can't even compare the console to the PC really since they are focused on entirely different experiences. Consoles are meant to be social and casual, and the games reflect that. PCs are meant to be precisely suited to the user, and only the user. They are not social in the same sense as consoles. And since some people don't really get into tv and movies much they don't want to drop thousands of dollars on a home theater. They could by the ultimate computer for that kind of cash.
Easy. Deus Ex 2. They took a game that won tons of Game of the Year awards and dumbed it down to the point that it was playable on a console. Then they take the console version and slap it in a PC game box. The interface is horrible and clunky requiring far too many keypresses to do things like equiping a weapon mod or rearranging inventory. On the PC you just drag the mod onto the gun. Done. Then they botched the AI. Maybe because the XBox processor couldn't handle the load of a better AI. Who knows, but it was worse than the first game (after patches). Aiming is annoying with little thumb knobbies. It doesn't give you anywhere near the speed or accuracy of a good mouse. Maybe that's another reason they didn't bother with the AI, console players can't aim and shoot nearly as fast as PC gamers as a rule. Nor is it anywhere nearly as customizeable as almost all PC games are. I could use a gamepad if I wished on my PC, or a joystick, or countless other controllers. So even if you like the controller for playing this kind of game, you could have it on the PC.
I think it was a pretty damn good movie. A lot of people got kinda lost and didn't really understand what was going on, or at least didn't until the very end. It made sense though if you paid attention.
If you can define the 'last person in the chain', they can still prove they have no idea what is in the file bit they sent you.
If you intentionally install a program that transfers files through your computer to others, then I doubt ignorance would be an acceptable defense if you're caught uploading copyrighted material. At least not in the US.
Well, unless you have common carrier status (like an ISP), then you can probably be held accountable for the files you pass on. If you choose to participate in some sort of P2P network and are caught uploading copyrighted material, whether you knew what you were uploading or not, you can be sued, and you'll probably even lose.
Slashdot Mirror
If you can't play Solitaire on it, it's not an OS.
I'm guessing that EV1 cut a deal and paid a relatively small amount for their licenses. It gives SCO the ability to say that they sold "7 figures" worth of licenses to a big-name ISP, and EV1 gets immunity (for a good price) in the (very unlikely) event that SCO somehow manages to win their court cases. And if SCO loses, EV1 might have a case against SCO for selling them something that they didn't own. Who knows...
I read the Economist article the other day, and I agree with it. One point that it did make, although not strongly enough IMO, is that there needs to be some sort of safety net for people whose jobs get shipped overseas. Yes, we have unemployment compensation, but it is very little and will usually only barely make ends meet, and that's after you cut out all the extra stuff you're used to having. The main issue is the need for retraining. The person needs to find a new career, and that will probably involve learning new skills. How are they supposed to do that when they have no job and very little income? We need to have some system in place for getting people trained for the jobs that are supposedly being created in the wake of these outsourcings.
If the law against murder got sunsetted because some congressperson wanted to attach a rider for increased tollbooth maintenance funding, I think we'd see the legislation drafting process undergo some much-needed reform very quickly.
:)
I think we'd see a lot of dead congresscritters
but seem completely indifferent to the legal distinctions among theft, robbery, burglary, and conversion?
Probably because we don't get too many stories about those things around here.
I guess PC gaming will be doomed to lame console ports and the few cool games that small developers manage to put out. Much like the old days. I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing, but it is kind of sad that truly good games don't get the attention or sales that they really deserve, and yet so many console games that are complete crap manage to sell so many copies. Guess it's the same reason there's so much crap on TV.
Ok, you make some good points. But how are PC game sales going to improve when companies like Ion Storm take games that should be instant classics like their predecessors, and turn them into console-ish abortions that no self-respecting PC gamer would soil his hard drive with? Looks like Thief is heading in the same direction, and not because of the 3rd person view addition. I'm betting that the interface will suck as bad as DX2, and the level sizes will be tiny compared to the previous Thief games.
If it's just a gang, why not call it the Latin Kings or something? Or base the name off a real gang anyways.. I mean really what if it was "Kill the Blacks!!" and gangs of "Blacks" walked around and were labeled as such..
Because the game takes place in MIAMI!!
Umm... ALL the haitians aren't gang members. The gang happens to be called the Haitians, because its members are Haitian. This is what most gangs are like. They consist primarily of a single ethnic group. Again, its people who make moronic leaps of "logic" that are the problem. Just because there is a Haitian gang in the game doesn't mean that the developers are trying to portray all Haitians as gang members. That's just plain stupid and people like the jackasses that are causing all the trouble over this are just trying to get attention with their stupidity.
I find it hard to believe that even the Finnish would let a one-year old join an infantry regiment.
:) Always have thought that infantry was a strange term.
Why not? He's an infant after all
IRL, people don't run at 40mph and jump around like crackhead kangaroos. Sniping is pretty tough to do well in most games. Games should always be balanced though. There needs to be ways to take out snipers, or at least prevent them from hitting you. Counterstrike gives you smoke and flashbangs, which help quite a bit. Every game should include methods like that to deal with snipers.
Does this mean that someone can search for a hide-a-key, and threaten to use one if found?
No, nobody is saying that extortion is ok. Everyone has agreed that what the guy did was bad. We're talking now about normal "white hat" practices of finding a hole and notifiying the company about it. No extortion involved. Should they be considered criminals? I don't think so.
Personally, I've yet to see anything on PC that eclipses the strinking visuals in titles like Viewtiful Joe, or Zelda, ICO, or Panzeer Dragoon Orta.
I've played Viewtiful Joe and Zelda, and seen a trailer for ICO. I don't think Joe or Zelda are anything special in the graphics department. ICO looked pretty nice though. But IMO, games like X2: The Threat, Lock-On Modern Air Combat, and Morrowind are far beyond anything you see on a console.
Lag is typically better, as every player on XBL and in most PS2 games are required to have broadband.
Most online PC gamers have broadband by now too, and even if some don't, it doesn't cause you to lag. That's mainly dependent upon the server.
Basically, the mainstream consumer is on the side of console onling gaming if they're on either side at all.
As I've said in some other threads here, that's the difference between console gamers and PC gamers. Both sides are looking for a different experience. PC gamers aren't bothered by the relative complexity of a PC versus a console. Most of us have been playing PC games for years, and it has only gotten easier over time. Console gamers are casual gamers. They like to sit on the couch and play games with their friends. It's more of a social thing than PC gaming. PC games aren't trying to provide that same experience. PC games tend to have more depth, complexity, and customizability.
The important thing to remember is that both sides have their strengths, and some people (myself included) play both. I love PC games. They are the most interesting and entertaining games out there for my tastes. But I still enjoy playing sports games or fighting games and such with friends on my PS2. Nothing like whooping someone's butt in Soul Calibur 2. So, in the end, I don't think either one will win over the other. PCs will always be around because they have many uses and are extremely flexible. Consoles are becoming more PC-like all the time, but will probably never quite get there because the console makers like having control over things. Even if fewer PC games were made in the future, I wouldn't even consider it a bad thing. It might result in a higher percentage of good games. Maybe all the crappy movie-based games and stuff would just go to the consoles.
Patches, but 100 times easier than on a PC.
Easier than some PC games, but a lot of them either have autoupdate features that work pretty much as you described for the XBox, or you just download and run a single file. Easy.
AND, most of these expansions are free, whereas the majority of PC expansions cost you $19.99.
Actually, most extra content and even expansions are free on the PC too. You tend to only get charged for the really major ones.
The combination of friends lists, voice chat, easy patches and constant expansions, and all the other great (and mostly lag-free) perks of console online gaming absolutely trounces its big brother.
Again, it depends on what you're playing and what software you use. Games like Tribes2 have the features you're referring to, with the exception of voice chat, but there are several good voice chat apps out there to make up for that. Then we have apps like All-Seeing-Eye that give us the friends lists and the ability to see who's playing what games and then go join them. As for the "constant expansions", I think the PC still has the console beat in that department. We not only get expansions from the developers, but all the user-created expansions as well (which far outnumber those of the devs). Even if only a fraction of those are good, that's a ton of content.
Keyboards have a lot of buttons, but their controls have very few degrees of freedom. Not every game can come with a custome gamepad, and one that has to bow to the lowest common denominator will invariably need to leave things out.
IMO, that's why console games tend to be oversimplified. PC keyboards do have a lot of buttons, and I think that gives me quite a bit of freedom. I can remap them to my flight stick and rudder pedals, or pretty much any of the hundreds of other controllers out there and play the game in a way that is comfortable for me. Can't do that with a console.
I can definately buy a future where the fun must have games are for consoles, because your friends have them and play them. Not being part of that is like not seeing the latest in movie, or hearing the latest it song.
I can see such a future as well. I simply see console games as a casual semi-social activity. PC games aren't trying to provide the same experience. They go for depth and customizability. They are intended to be played by yourself, even if you're playing against others online. They allow you to have more freedom. They even allow you to create your own content in the form of mods and new levels and such. They're so much different than consoles, and have such different goals, that I'm not even sure it makes sense to really compare them. Apples and oranges and all that.
I consider it an advantage that PC games let me control the game the way I want to. Consoles don't.
Actually those cards are pretty useful for 3D modeling. I have a couple friends that are really into that.
And maybe not too far off it's two cakes for the hometheater crowd and one for the PC.
You do realize why you believe that don't you? Have you noticed that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs with each new generation? Pretty soon it will be just a PC in front of your TV, albeit with crappy controllers. PCs have many other uses besides gaming, so games will always exist for them. People like me who enjoy both console and PC games will demand it. Consoles have their place, but it's for a different kind of game and a different kind of experience.
PCs allow incredible amounts of customizeability. Windows knows what kinds of controllers I have. It shows me little pictures of them. I can program every button to do what I want. Then when I'm playing a game, I tell the game how I want it to work and it remembers that and CAN remind me what button does what if I forget. Many PC games do this.
What if I want to introduce a game feature that only conveys in force feedback? It would be great for multiplayer games on the same display - it can signal player1 about something without clueing in player2.
Well, first of all, you're not usually playing side-by-side with someone else as you are on a console. Even at LAN parties you generally have some space and you aren't watching the same screen, so it's a non-issue. Even if you must have it though, there are plenty of force-feedback mice, gamepads, and joysticks out there for the PC.
Hell, they might even QA the thing before they publish, because patching would be harder.
We do lots of things we otherwise wouldn't when we're forced to.
So your argument is that you can't even compare the console to the PC really since they are focused on entirely different experiences. Consoles are meant to be social and casual, and the games reflect that. PCs are meant to be precisely suited to the user, and only the user. They are not social in the same sense as consoles. And since some people don't really get into tv and movies much they don't want to drop thousands of dollars on a home theater. They could by the ultimate computer for that kind of cash.
Easy. Deus Ex 2. They took a game that won tons of Game of the Year awards and dumbed it down to the point that it was playable on a console. Then they take the console version and slap it in a PC game box. The interface is horrible and clunky requiring far too many keypresses to do things like equiping a weapon mod or rearranging inventory. On the PC you just drag the mod onto the gun. Done. Then they botched the AI. Maybe because the XBox processor couldn't handle the load of a better AI. Who knows, but it was worse than the first game (after patches). Aiming is annoying with little thumb knobbies. It doesn't give you anywhere near the speed or accuracy of a good mouse. Maybe that's another reason they didn't bother with the AI, console players can't aim and shoot nearly as fast as PC gamers as a rule. Nor is it anywhere nearly as customizeable as almost all PC games are. I could use a gamepad if I wished on my PC, or a joystick, or countless other controllers. So even if you like the controller for playing this kind of game, you could have it on the PC.
I consider that an advantage of the PC since I can use whatever kind of controller best suits the game when I'm playing on my PC.
I think it was a pretty damn good movie. A lot of people got kinda lost and didn't really understand what was going on, or at least didn't until the very end. It made sense though if you paid attention.
If you can define the 'last person in the chain', they can still prove they have no idea what is in the file bit they sent you.
If you intentionally install a program that transfers files through your computer to others, then I doubt ignorance would be an acceptable defense if you're caught uploading copyrighted material. At least not in the US.
Well, unless you have common carrier status (like an ISP), then you can probably be held accountable for the files you pass on. If you choose to participate in some sort of P2P network and are caught uploading copyrighted material, whether you knew what you were uploading or not, you can be sued, and you'll probably even lose.