If I remember correctly, most companies like IGE don't ask you to pay for the items...they are asking you to pay for their TIME.
This is why they are able to stay in buisness...they aren't selling you gold, they are selling you time. There is nothing illegal about trading gold from one toon to another in-game, and since real world money is exchanged out of the game for a commodity that they don't own (unless Blizzard is Father Time), there isn't much Blizzard can do.
You will NEVER see the bare-bones no power-windows model being advertised in a car commercial. You will see the tricked out wipes-your-ass-for-you version. Sure, there is always a little thing in the corner of the screen that says "as shown, $30,000" or whatever...but computers are no different. Microsoft hasn't HIDDEN the requirements for Aero-enabled Vista, they just make you look for it a slight bit more (just like the car companies do)
You wouldn't buy a car without investigating it first, and plenty of non-gearheads buy cars every day.
If they are too stupid to do at least a LITTLE research into making their large purchase (in this case, a computer with Vista or a computer that claimed to be Vista-Capable) then too bad for them.
Granted, the salespeople at your local Best Buy or wherever might give wrong information as to whether or not a machine can run Vista with Aero enabled and run it smoothly, but that falls on the zit-faced salesperson, not microsoft.
...but I post it anytime there is something about violence and videogames on teh/.
----
I decided to finally write this down in response to some people asking me why I enjoy immeasurably violent video games and movies. This explanation is written using the game "Manhunt" as it's primary example, mainly because of it's subject matter (which can best be described as a "snuff video game"). PLEASE read it in it's entirety before responding, it's easy to think i'm making an uninformed point without reading the whole thing; I explain EVERY viewpoint I express.
Think about this, folks.
This "game" is not about sneakin' around, trying to see what the biggest mess you can make is. It's about much more than that. This game is in direct relation to the JTHM (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, for the uninitiated...) in all of us, the little black beast that we keep to ourselves.
Ever say "I wish he were dead", or "he makes me so angry I want to kill him"? Of course you have. Everyone has. This game is the digital manifestation of those thoughts. It's not about suffocating some guy, or creating the pink mist... This game does one thing and one thing only: it asks you a question. A very simple question to state, and frankly a very simple question to answer:
Is your black beast fictional or real?
Do you have a little playground for the demon inside of you, someplace it can go and harmlessly let out it's frustrations and rage? Or are you so jaded and blind that you cannot discern the difference between reality and fantasy?
Frankly, if you enjoy this game (along with ANY violent video game or movie, regardless of it's subject or presentation) you are not sick. You are normal. You are provided an outlet for the most primal emotions that you, as a human, have. Your most carnal instincts. If you don't like this game because the graphics suck, or the control is wonky, fine. BUT. If you despise this game because you say it's "too violent" and "unneccessary", and "too realistic", and whatever else, guess what: YOU are the sick one. That's not to say that you can't see it as being gross, or that you don't like it because you supposidly don't like violence (then why do you slow down to look at car accidents, hmm?) What it means is that if you say that violent things such as this push sane and "normal" people into being murderers in real life...well, I'm sorry, but you are wrong.
The first step anyone takes to becomming a murderer in real life is not being able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. Manhunt is fantasy. Does that mean something similar has not happend/could not happen? No. But your experience and memories of it happening are. It's a video game. It is designed to be a playground for your little black beast.
If you take it as being anything more serious than that...well, turn yourself in now.
You have to allow the little monster to come out every now and then and release it's frustrations. If you don't, you risk becomming a quivering mass of nervous and dangerous flesh. What better place to do this than in a simulated environment with simulated violence where the only things harmed are your eyes for staring at the screen?
I agree with you, but there are definitely people who argue that the controller is superior to the keyboard/mouse combo for FPS playing. Strange but true...
And you will find that a vast majority of those people started playing FPS's on a console as opposed to on a PC (or just don't use a PC for gaming period)
I've been a loyal AMD fanboy since the K6-2 came around...even though the performance is currently lower, I will likely stick with AMD for a while. I've had nothing but fantastic experiences with their products and support, and I will continue buying their stuff.
That said, it's good to hear Intel taking back the crown finally...AMD seemed to be slowing their innovation lately. Hopefully, this move by Intel will light the fire under the pants of AMD enough to get them to some major improvements again.
I've always had a soft spot for both nintendo and sega (owned every console from each company), but this sounds to me like an excuse to capitalize on the franchises.
I know that may seem obvious (and it is), but that kinda bothers me that they are trying to cash in on icons that essentially jump-started the videogame revolution
That's fine that it costs more, but sony is also LOSING more on each PS3 sold.
If sony wants to retain it's console crown, they need to do something, and fast. The 360 has a very large number of titles coming out that have me (and many others) extremely excited...the PS3 only has couple titles that could have me (and many others)saying the same thing.
To me, it would make a LOT more buisness sensefor these major companies to strike up a deal where full-length shows and such are allowed on their website, however a certain number of links on the main page must go to things from their channels.
It's the best form of advertising; people being able to "try" a "full version" of your product.
For all the degrees and everything that are required for a marketing person high on the chain, they sure are fucking stupid.
ah ok, thanks for the clarification...I knew there had to be something similar to that included in the 360, it would be very unmicrosoft-like to exclude it
...but is Microsoft going to have a 360 update in which 360 games can use some of the features that are in DX10?
It seems silly to me Microsoft would come up with something they think will be such a big improvement for games, and yet not try to get the same tech on the 360...or am I just showing my ignorance here...
there is nothing wrong with teaching abstinence...however, the way they teach sex-ed in schools nowadays (if you have sex YOU WILL DIE AND GET PREGNANT OH NOES) is EXTREMELY counter-productive.
If a child honestly knows not much about sex, and you as a parent are giving them "the talk", you should focus more on increasing their UNDERSTANDING, rather than telling them to just not do it outright.
I view it the same way I view weed. If I found weed in my kid's room, but his grades were good and he wasn't a lazy bastard, why should I care? I wouldn't neccessarily INTRODUCE my kids to drugs, but if they can safely and responsably use them (as I did...in the words of bill hicks, "never beat anybody, never robbed anybody, never killed anybody, never lost mmmmmmmmmm one fucking job...laughed my ass off, and went about my day") Then all the power to them.
lord knows I wouldn't have as open of a mind and see the world I do had it not been for drugs...being a drug user (NOT abuser) was actually one of my best decisions I have ever made.
The same goes with sex. If done responsably and safely, there is absolutely ZERO reason why a teenager with a sex drive shouldn't engage in the act...it feels good, it gives them something to do, it's great exercise, and it will help teach them responsability
I turned out great with a lot of knowledge and RESPECT for the act of sex, rather than the common thought of it being an abomination. It can connect people together, is a way to display your affection, and is just plain fun:-)
I can only hope that my kids turn out the same way.
And this is why when i turned 13, my parents bought me a porno mag...they used it as a diagram for "the talk". Instead of telling me NOT to have sex, they encouraged me to have SAFE sex. Teaching abstinance helps no one, teaching safe sex helps everyone.
Seemed to work pretty good to me, I turned out well.
Despite it's many problems (I myself have had to return only one 360...second one is 8 months younga nd going strong) I would MUCH rather take the 360 over the PS3.
It's not because I prefer Microsoft over Sony. It's not because I'm a fanboy loyal to one console or another...it's for one simple reason:
Games. The fucking games. Look at the games slated for the 360 this year...look at the games slated for PS3 this year.
Yeah. I'll be keeping my 360 and use that 600 bucks to help build a solid base for a new comp when Spore comes out.
0 - 100 miles: Test drive at factory, sitting on dealer lot.
No offense or anything, but if you are buying a brand new car with anything more than 6 miles on it (unless it is one that they break-in pre-delivery) then you are an idiot.
You don't know who has test driven it, if they hit potholes, or what they did to the clutch (if you are one of the few that still buys manual transmission vehicles, that is)
Me, I refuse to buy a car with more than 10 miles on it.
Then why would the Democrats want to remove firearms from the hands of individual citizens? I guess they think the National Guard will defend the citizenry against their own government [cough.KentState.cough]
...maybe because the democrats are still a part of government?
Duh.
OK. Now. I have been playing RPG's since the late 80's....also did Paper RPG's. For my entire gaming life (which has been since I was 4...almost 23 now) RPG's have always been my favourite genre.
Now that being said, even though he didn't deliver on many things he said he wanted to do in the first Fable, it still stands out as a favourite game of mine...the atmosphere, the control scheme, the graphics...for it's time, everything was top notch. He has expressed regret in it not being what he originally envisioned multiple times...and frankly, I don't care. I wouldn't call Fable an Achievement in gaming, but it was damn well done.
If they can implement the dog with the same level of training as in Black and White 2, yet can make the dog AI more complicated and intelligent, that alone could make a big difference in the game. I can only imagine how my buddy whose child-hood dog died last year would connect with an intelligent in-game dog that follows you, obeys you, and loves you.
The economy mechanic sounds good, as does the family mechanic. Really, in my opinion, they need to nail the story. Don't get me wrong, the first Fable had an ok story to it, but it didn't really suck you in...to me, that was it's largest shortcoming.
Regardless of how Fable 2 will come out, it's being made by Lionhead. I have yet to play a game from them that I did not like. I don't expect Fable 2 to be any different. If he does deliver as he has announced, however...well, let's just say between Fable 2 and Spore, gaming will have truly taken the "next-gen" leap.
Once again slash dot, you have shown me your true face...soemone "deconstructs" Microsoft in this way, and suddenly every is agreeing and throwing in their own words and laughing at how much of an ass Bill Gates makes himself.
Some little insignificant turd writes his opinion on Linux, and you all react to it like he is the Linux Anti-Christ.
Is Linux so fragile in your mind that the slightest bit of opposition, no matter how uninformed, could endanger your little cocoon of root safety?
Please. You are no better then Microsoft fanboys or Apple fanboys. You are Linux fanboys, and you should beat yourselves like the bad donkeys that you are.
they went to the same place that 30 cent gallons of gas and 10 cent loafs of bread went....nowhere. They are still right where you left them years ago.
Slashdot Mirror
If I remember correctly, most companies like IGE don't ask you to pay for the items...they are asking you to pay for their TIME.
This is why they are able to stay in buisness...they aren't selling you gold, they are selling you time. There is nothing illegal about trading gold from one toon to another in-game, and since real world money is exchanged out of the game for a commodity that they don't own (unless Blizzard is Father Time), there isn't much Blizzard can do.
...but car manufacturers do the exact same thing.
You will NEVER see the bare-bones no power-windows model being advertised in a car commercial. You will see the tricked out wipes-your-ass-for-you version. Sure, there is always a little thing in the corner of the screen that says "as shown, $30,000" or whatever...but computers are no different. Microsoft hasn't HIDDEN the requirements for Aero-enabled Vista, they just make you look for it a slight bit more (just like the car companies do)
You wouldn't buy a car without investigating it first, and plenty of non-gearheads buy cars every day.
If they are too stupid to do at least a LITTLE research into making their large purchase (in this case, a computer with Vista or a computer that claimed to be Vista-Capable) then too bad for them.
Granted, the salespeople at your local Best Buy or wherever might give wrong information as to whether or not a machine can run Vista with Aero enabled and run it smoothly, but that falls on the zit-faced salesperson, not microsoft.
...but I post it anytime there is something about violence and videogames on teh /.
----
I decided to finally write this down in response to some people asking me why I enjoy immeasurably violent video games and movies. This explanation is written using the game "Manhunt" as it's primary example, mainly because of it's subject matter (which can best be described as a "snuff video game"). PLEASE read it in it's entirety before responding, it's easy to think i'm making an uninformed point without reading the whole thing; I explain EVERY viewpoint I express.
Think about this, folks.
This "game" is not about sneakin' around, trying to see what the biggest mess you can make is. It's about much more than that. This game is in direct relation to the JTHM (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, for the uninitiated...) in all of us, the little black beast that we keep to ourselves.
Ever say "I wish he were dead", or "he makes me so angry I want to kill him"? Of course you have. Everyone has. This game is the digital manifestation of those thoughts. It's not about suffocating some guy, or creating the pink mist... This game does one thing and one thing only: it asks you a question. A very simple question to state, and frankly a very simple question to answer:
Is your black beast fictional or real?
Do you have a little playground for the demon inside of you, someplace it can go and harmlessly let out it's frustrations and rage? Or are you so jaded and blind that you cannot discern the difference between reality and fantasy?
Frankly, if you enjoy this game (along with ANY violent video game or movie, regardless of it's subject or presentation) you are not sick. You are normal. You are provided an outlet for the most primal emotions that you, as a human, have. Your most carnal instincts. If you don't like this game because the graphics suck, or the control is wonky, fine. BUT. If you despise this game because you say it's "too violent" and "unneccessary", and "too realistic", and whatever else, guess what: YOU are the sick one. That's not to say that you can't see it as being gross, or that you don't like it because you supposidly don't like violence (then why do you slow down to look at car accidents, hmm?) What it means is that if you say that violent things such as this push sane and "normal" people into being murderers in real life...well, I'm sorry, but you are wrong.
The first step anyone takes to becomming a murderer in real life is not being able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. Manhunt is fantasy. Does that mean something similar has not happend/could not happen? No. But your experience and memories of it happening are. It's a video game. It is designed to be a playground for your little black beast.
If you take it as being anything more serious than that...well, turn yourself in now.
You have to allow the little monster to come out every now and then and release it's frustrations. If you don't, you risk becomming a quivering mass of nervous and dangerous flesh. What better place to do this than in a simulated environment with simulated violence where the only things harmed are your eyes for staring at the screen?
I completely agree with this....unless it was an essay or a test, I never had a problem with someone copying from me.
And you will find that a vast majority of those people started playing FPS's on a console as opposed to on a PC (or just don't use a PC for gaming period)
I've been a loyal AMD fanboy since the K6-2 came around...even though the performance is currently lower, I will likely stick with AMD for a while. I've had nothing but fantastic experiences with their products and support, and I will continue buying their stuff.
That said, it's good to hear Intel taking back the crown finally...AMD seemed to be slowing their innovation lately. Hopefully, this move by Intel will light the fire under the pants of AMD enough to get them to some major improvements again.
I've always had a soft spot for both nintendo and sega (owned every console from each company), but this sounds to me like an excuse to capitalize on the franchises.
I know that may seem obvious (and it is), but that kinda bothers me that they are trying to cash in on icons that essentially jump-started the videogame revolution
My keyboard is now covered in soda, thanks.
That's fine that it costs more, but sony is also LOSING more on each PS3 sold.
If sony wants to retain it's console crown, they need to do something, and fast. The 360 has a very large number of titles coming out that have me (and many others) extremely excited...the PS3 only has couple titles that could have me (and many others)saying the same thing.
At least the iPhone commercials are SLIGHTLY less annoying than the iPod commercials.
I mean, honestly, are they?
To me, it would make a LOT more buisness sensefor these major companies to strike up a deal where full-length shows and such are allowed on their website, however a certain number of links on the main page must go to things from their channels.
It's the best form of advertising; people being able to "try" a "full version" of your product.
For all the degrees and everything that are required for a marketing person high on the chain, they sure are fucking stupid.
ah ok, thanks for the clarification...I knew there had to be something similar to that included in the 360, it would be very unmicrosoft-like to exclude it
...but is Microsoft going to have a 360 update in which 360 games can use some of the features that are in DX10?
It seems silly to me Microsoft would come up with something they think will be such a big improvement for games, and yet not try to get the same tech on the 360...or am I just showing my ignorance here...
there is nothing wrong with teaching abstinence...however, the way they teach sex-ed in schools nowadays (if you have sex YOU WILL DIE AND GET PREGNANT OH NOES) is EXTREMELY counter-productive.
If a child honestly knows not much about sex, and you as a parent are giving them "the talk", you should focus more on increasing their UNDERSTANDING, rather than telling them to just not do it outright.
I view it the same way I view weed. If I found weed in my kid's room, but his grades were good and he wasn't a lazy bastard, why should I care? I wouldn't neccessarily INTRODUCE my kids to drugs, but if they can safely and responsably use them (as I did...in the words of bill hicks, "never beat anybody, never robbed anybody, never killed anybody, never lost mmmmmmmmmm one fucking job...laughed my ass off, and went about my day") Then all the power to them.
lord knows I wouldn't have as open of a mind and see the world I do had it not been for drugs...being a drug user (NOT abuser) was actually one of my best decisions I have ever made.
The same goes with sex. If done responsably and safely, there is absolutely ZERO reason why a teenager with a sex drive shouldn't engage in the act...it feels good, it gives them something to do, it's great exercise, and it will help teach them responsability
Exactly.
I turned out great with a lot of knowledge and RESPECT for the act of sex, rather than the common thought of it being an abomination. It can connect people together, is a way to display your affection, and is just plain fun:-)
I can only hope that my kids turn out the same way.
from the time I was 15, I was my step-dad's porn supplier lol
And this is why when i turned 13, my parents bought me a porno mag...they used it as a diagram for "the talk". Instead of telling me NOT to have sex, they encouraged me to have SAFE sex. Teaching abstinance helps no one, teaching safe sex helps everyone.
Seemed to work pretty good to me, I turned out well.
Despite it's many problems (I myself have had to return only one 360...second one is 8 months younga nd going strong) I would MUCH rather take the 360 over the PS3.
It's not because I prefer Microsoft over Sony. It's not because I'm a fanboy loyal to one console or another...it's for one simple reason:
Games. The fucking games. Look at the games slated for the 360 this year...look at the games slated for PS3 this year.
Yeah. I'll be keeping my 360 and use that 600 bucks to help build a solid base for a new comp when Spore comes out.
I did for a large number of hours and enjoyed it quite a bit.
People should not be afraid of their Government; Governments should be afraid of their people.
First the short stuff:
Mass Effect, GIMME.
Shadowrun...eh.
OK. Now. I have been playing RPG's since the late 80's....also did Paper RPG's. For my entire gaming life (which has been since I was 4...almost 23 now) RPG's have always been my favourite genre.
Now that being said, even though he didn't deliver on many things he said he wanted to do in the first Fable, it still stands out as a favourite game of mine...the atmosphere, the control scheme, the graphics...for it's time, everything was top notch. He has expressed regret in it not being what he originally envisioned multiple times...and frankly, I don't care. I wouldn't call Fable an Achievement in gaming, but it was damn well done.
If they can implement the dog with the same level of training as in Black and White 2, yet can make the dog AI more complicated and intelligent, that alone could make a big difference in the game. I can only imagine how my buddy whose child-hood dog died last year would connect with an intelligent in-game dog that follows you, obeys you, and loves you.
The economy mechanic sounds good, as does the family mechanic. Really, in my opinion, they need to nail the story. Don't get me wrong, the first Fable had an ok story to it, but it didn't really suck you in...to me, that was it's largest shortcoming.
Regardless of how Fable 2 will come out, it's being made by Lionhead. I have yet to play a game from them that I did not like. I don't expect Fable 2 to be any different. If he does deliver as he has announced, however...well, let's just say between Fable 2 and Spore, gaming will have truly taken the "next-gen" leap.
Once again slash dot, you have shown me your true face...soemone "deconstructs" Microsoft in this way, and suddenly every is agreeing and throwing in their own words and laughing at how much of an ass Bill Gates makes himself.
Some little insignificant turd writes his opinion on Linux, and you all react to it like he is the Linux Anti-Christ.
Is Linux so fragile in your mind that the slightest bit of opposition, no matter how uninformed, could endanger your little cocoon of root safety?
Please. You are no better then Microsoft fanboys or Apple fanboys. You are Linux fanboys, and you should beat yourselves like the bad donkeys that you are.
they went to the same place that 30 cent gallons of gas and 10 cent loafs of bread went....nowhere. They are still right where you left them years ago.
Getting old kinda blows, eh?