Yes it is. I was implying that because WolfET is a simpler game, doesn't try to achieve historical accuracy, and focuses more on teamplay, it is in the end more fun than the hyped production known as BF1942.
To give anecdotal evidence, when a team wins a map there's usually about 2 minutes of non-stop cheering.
but BF1942 has definately carried on the 1942 tradition of simple, fast paced games for me
Simple, fast paced? BF1942 has a ton of weapons and vehicles and HUGE maps. The system requirements are higher, network lag is profound, and I have yet to see actual proper teamplay, especially on a public server. Yes, the game is SO simple that most of the time players run around on their own, oblivious to map objectives. BF1942 is meant to be played for the simulation aspect (hence historical maps) NOT playability and simplicity.
For a better WW2 themed team FPS, play Wolfenstein Enemy Territory. Objectives are easily understandable, maps are smaller with less places to wander, and the weapon configurations are less confusing. Teamwork is more essential, and the different classes actually mean something (especially with the introduction of experience-earned skills). In short, it's closer to a sport, not a simulation.
And this is coming from someone who was a die-hard BF1942 fan.
Most modern phones have a camera. Why not just activate it and perform some image processing. Now you can determine how you tilt the phone just by looking through the camera.
Did anyone else read the headline and think that a bunch of segway riders smoked a fat one on top of a mountain?
That said, a segway is *perfect* for your average pot-head. I mean think about it. When the munchies sets in you can hop on your segway for a short cruise to the 7-11. It's a gentle ride. Also it's fast enough that you don't get distracted and forget why you hopped on in the first place, but slow enough that you don't get too bored.
Nick and a female character decide that they have finished work for the day; then the next panel shows the working room empty, with the phone off the hook.
Anyone who could figure out the subversive hidden meaning in the off-hook phone was old enough to not be influenced by it.
Yeah what's wrong with finishing up worth and playing a few rounds of Quake?
As to the ridiculous claim that everyone has to be presented with an interface that's familiar to them, if that were true, Microsoft itself wouldn't revamp the look and feel of Windows with every major revision.
You are making the false assumption that Windows has a stellar UI. It's a pretty good UI, but the lack of visual consistency from release to release has been pointed out as a flaw, just because common users have to re-learn interaction metaphors, etc. Ideally a user interface is designed once to some degree of perfection and changed conservatively. To make a programming analogy, how would you like it if someone shuffled API calls and interfaces every few years. Pain in the ass, right?
Furthermore, if that were true, no invention on the desktop would ever happen! Wildly different approaches (OEone, to name one) must be tried so we can continue to seek the perfect interface, and approaches with minor differences are practically going to be absorbed into the user's mental framework as soon as they're encountered.
Innovation is a good thing, but we shouldn't be drag the general public through "experimentation" at our whim. Things in fact do not get "absorbed int othe user's mental framework as soon as they're encountered". People learn by recognition and repetition, and when something is learned it's typically hard to unlearn.
1939 Dudley, H., "The Vocoder", Bell Labs. Rec., 17, 122-126 (1939). (I,K)
The "auto-tuner" has been around forever and is standard fare in any producer setup. Some audio engineers (as in the article) are using it for live performances, but some producers actually use it with a horde of other tools to build interesting effects. It's almost an instrument in itself especially when fed off a tone generator or synth.
I like your way of thinking. It's much like my approach of defending myself with deadly force when I'm attacked with the deadly weapon of second hand smoke.
Apologies for being offtopic...
Right, because second-hand smoke CAUSES cancer/death. All the hype that ended up bashing smokers was based on a seemingly flawed study. Well, not flawed, but researchers at the time were apparently quite eager to conclude that second-hand smoke == death.
Also, just as a tip, if you are going to use deadly force on a smoker, don't do it on their way out for a smoke break. At that point their nicotine craving is so strong that they'll do anything, including kicking your deadly-force-emitting ass to get their long-awaited drag on their Camel Light.
Ok back on topic. I use SpamBayes and it works pretty well.
MP3 encoding (with blocks of samples) makes it difficult, if not impossible.
This probably states my ignorance of how mp3 compression works, but in one of the versions of Winamp on windows there's a No-gaps setting on the audio out. I'm assuming that the program then does some processing to figure out where the end/start times are. It was close enough for listening purposes and I wish that Apple implemented this in the ipod.
I love my ipod, but I feel like people hype it a little too much. I've found a few shortcomings (at least with my 2nd series 20gb).
Battery life. It's not bad but not exactly great. The advertised battery life is 10 hours, but I've only found it to be 3 or 4. Still not bad, but this gets to be a pain when travelling. Also using the EQ presets, the backlight, and playing large mp3 files causes the battery life to be shorter.
Pauses between songs. This is very obvious when I'm listening to a DJ mix spanned across multiple tracks. One solution is to put all the tracks into one big mp3 file, but this a) reduces battery life and b) is a pain in the ass in general.
Artist/Track/Album indexing. The UI and information architecture is generally very good, but it doesn't handle compilation CDs or DJ mixes very well. You'll have to use the ipod to see the exact problem, but the net effect is that in order to listen to a DJ mix or compilation you'll have to do a lookup by Album, not Artist. So to listen to Sasha and Digweed's Northern Exposure I have to look up Northern Exposure because looking up Sasha or Digweed gives me the few odd tracks that they produced, not their actual mixes. I realize this is a bit of a corner case but I wish that the Browse hierarchy was a little bit more customizable, that's all.
Every example she made had something to do with a woman improving some kind of relationship, whether it be with friends, coworkers, boyfriends or the friends of boyfriends.
Such is life, and to a large extent there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. Furthermore I would add that this is the way people are in general, whether it's about videogames or anything else. Both men and women will do things to include themselves in some social unit. The only difference is that women will generally see the relationship benefits of the activity, whereas guys tend to be oblivious to this sort of thing.
I guess this is just further affirmation that gaming is getting more mainstream, since it's evaluated in contexts other than 13-year-old l33t 1-0wn3rz-j00 circles. We'll probably find that other groups of people will have different motivations for getting into gaming, and this is a good thing. One thing I've observed is that some people that have never played games before have recently gotten into a particular game and have kicked some serious ass (I'm talking console/fighting games and first person shooters). I'm actually quite pleased that being a good gamer does not require a history of geekiness, although this is a theory that is still left to be proven.
Hence, we like Apple for getting the job done with the least invasive DRM possible. It is a lesser of two evils situation.
Except that the original poster was alluding to how DRM is such a black and white issue (in general) on Slashdot. And given the frequency of absolute phrases like Good Thing(tm) and Bad Thing(tm) I honestly don't blame him.
4) compatibility issues. One in twelve DVDs I rent doen't work on my player, in which case I have to watch it on a laptop. (Unless THAT also doesn't work.) Yes VHS tapes get eaten, but not at that high a rate. VHS is more reliable.
5) Skipping. Usually have to endure this once or twice per film on rentals. Lame.
I've rented 6-10 movies a month from Netflix since September 2001. Number of compatibility problems = 0. Number of skipping discs = 0.
I'll have to concur. Right now I'm using a rather cheap DVD player and I've never had any compatibility problems. With region-locked DVDs there inevitably will be problems, but I suggest getting a player that can handle this.
Also keep in mind that although there is no region control in VHS, there is the PAL/NTSC problem. Ordering UK VHS tapes isn't trivial either.
Oh and Netflix kicks ass.
6) Frilly menus. Please less ghay animation, more do-what-I-want.
God I hate those menus. They have to have these huge intros and "cool" references to the film that you won't get until you watch the film. Just have a menu with simple choices: (1) play movie (2) select a scene (3) special features. That's it. No animations in the menu. No intros to the menu. No audio in the menu. Give me the choices and let me watch what I want to.
Unfortunately this is typical of any new media. Since there is extra storage space and interaction capabilities many immature designers do unnecessary stylistic things that in the end detract from the experience. Bad menuing systems on DVDs remind me of (the very typically horrible) desktop themes/skins. Be assured that this sort of thing will get better as designers get more of a clue. If it's that horrible, return it and/or write to the DVD publishing company with complaints. They'll get the idea eventually.
However, if you pay attention to the movie instead of focusing on the defects, you'll never notice them.
My sentiments exactly. I just hope the parent poster doesn't judge women the same way he watches movies. Jeez.
Re:I'd like to take this oppertunity..
on
Head First Java
·
· Score: 1
Cool. That's pretty impressive. I never really looked at Resin under the covers (never really needed to...it just worked) but I always assumed that it used native code to get great performance.
Re:I'd like to take this oppertunity..
on
Head First Java
·
· Score: 1
Really? I didn't know that. Not that I doubt you, but where'd you read this?
Re:I'd like to take this oppertunity..
on
Head First Java
·
· Score: 1
Take a look at the Resin web server/servlet engine, if you're interested in seeing how good server-side Java can be. This thing can serve static content faster than Apache!
Not to be nitpicky, but resin being speedy at delivering static content can most likely be attributed to the developers doing great native code optimizations for each OS platform supported by resion. A better measure would be how well it does with dynamic content, which it happens to do quite well.
Just to get even more offtopic, I actually highly recommend Resin as an application server for both learning JSP/Servlets, development, AND production. It's simple to install, configure, and on top of that is small and blazingly fast.
Now, if you're interested in implementation "correctness" Tomcat is probably a better choice, since it's the standard reference implementation endorsed by Sun for the servlet and jsp spec. Tomcat is a bit of a pain to configure (although much easier nowadays) and is more sluggish. Resin goes very far down the optimization path and is very aggressive on how resources are used. While still supporting the spec, sometimes you'll come across odd behavior, particularly with things like pooled objects.
All in all though, go crazy with Resin.
Re:Java is bad for our industry
on
Head First Java
·
· Score: 1
So what if that's the only language you know? If you're a good Java programmer, what's the problem?
I agree. I've actually noticed a trend between age/experience and the way people write resumes. Developers with less experience tend to put every single language/technology they know on their resume, and when asked, claim expert proficiency even if they have no significant project experience. More mature developers tend to only put a handful of languages that are relevant to the job they seek, even if they know dozens more. Furthermore, they show deep experience with each technology.
Tech recruiter friends of mine also mention how much they HATE it when people put down every single technology in their resume. It's also frustrating when a resume is longer than a page and is way too detailed. Apparently such resumes end up being tossed in a "read later if I have endless amounts of time" pile, which inevitably means it'll get tossed in the trash.
Re:I'd like to take this oppertunity..
on
Head First Java
·
· Score: 1
damn right you're responding to that question. Priorities!!!
Slashdot Mirror
Yes it is. I was implying that because WolfET is a simpler game, doesn't try to achieve historical accuracy, and focuses more on teamplay, it is in the end more fun than the hyped production known as BF1942.
To give anecdotal evidence, when a team wins a map there's usually about 2 minutes of non-stop cheering.
OTOH if anyone's up for Wolf ET action you can catch me on the Austin ET server (www.austinserver.com). I usually go by "spacepussy".
Simple, fast paced? BF1942 has a ton of weapons and vehicles and HUGE maps. The system requirements are higher, network lag is profound, and I have yet to see actual proper teamplay, especially on a public server. Yes, the game is SO simple that most of the time players run around on their own, oblivious to map objectives. BF1942 is meant to be played for the simulation aspect (hence historical maps) NOT playability and simplicity.
For a better WW2 themed team FPS, play Wolfenstein Enemy Territory. Objectives are easily understandable, maps are smaller with less places to wander, and the weapon configurations are less confusing. Teamwork is more essential, and the different classes actually mean something (especially with the introduction of experience-earned skills). In short, it's closer to a sport, not a simulation.
And this is coming from someone who was a die-hard BF1942 fan.
Get back to me when you have a demo.
That said, a segway is *perfect* for your average pot-head. I mean think about it. When the munchies sets in you can hop on your segway for a short cruise to the 7-11. It's a gentle ride. Also it's fast enough that you don't get distracted and forget why you hopped on in the first place, but slow enough that you don't get too bored.
Yeah what's wrong with finishing up worth and playing a few rounds of Quake?
Furthermore, if that were true, no invention on the desktop would ever happen! Wildly different approaches (OEone, to name one) must be tried so we can continue to seek the perfect interface, and approaches with minor differences are practically going to be absorbed into the user's mental framework as soon as they're encountered.
Innovation is a good thing, but we shouldn't be drag the general public through "experimentation" at our whim. Things in fact do not get "absorbed int othe user's mental framework as soon as they're encountered". People learn by recognition and repetition, and when something is learned it's typically hard to unlearn.
A diamond can definitely be shattered by a bullet.
The "auto-tuner" has been around forever and is standard fare in any producer setup. Some audio engineers (as in the article) are using it for live performances, but some producers actually use it with a horde of other tools to build interesting effects. It's almost an instrument in itself especially when fed off a tone generator or synth.
Apologies for being offtopic...
Right, because second-hand smoke CAUSES cancer/death. All the hype that ended up bashing smokers was based on a seemingly flawed study. Well, not flawed, but researchers at the time were apparently quite eager to conclude that second-hand smoke == death.
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/326/7398/1057
Also, just as a tip, if you are going to use deadly force on a smoker, don't do it on their way out for a smoke break. At that point their nicotine craving is so strong that they'll do anything, including kicking your deadly-force-emitting ass to get their long-awaited drag on their Camel Light.
Ok back on topic. I use SpamBayes and it works pretty well.
This probably states my ignorance of how mp3 compression works, but in one of the versions of Winamp on windows there's a No-gaps setting on the audio out. I'm assuming that the program then does some processing to figure out where the end/start times are. It was close enough for listening purposes and I wish that Apple implemented this in the ipod.
On that topic, do you know of any tools for editing ID3 tags, especially across groups of files, etc.?
Battery life. It's not bad but not exactly great. The advertised battery life is 10 hours, but I've only found it to be 3 or 4. Still not bad, but this gets to be a pain when travelling. Also using the EQ presets, the backlight, and playing large mp3 files causes the battery life to be shorter.
Pauses between songs. This is very obvious when I'm listening to a DJ mix spanned across multiple tracks. One solution is to put all the tracks into one big mp3 file, but this a) reduces battery life and b) is a pain in the ass in general.
Artist/Track/Album indexing. The UI and information architecture is generally very good, but it doesn't handle compilation CDs or DJ mixes very well. You'll have to use the ipod to see the exact problem, but the net effect is that in order to listen to a DJ mix or compilation you'll have to do a lookup by Album, not Artist. So to listen to Sasha and Digweed's Northern Exposure I have to look up Northern Exposure because looking up Sasha or Digweed gives me the few odd tracks that they produced, not their actual mixes. I realize this is a bit of a corner case but I wish that the Browse hierarchy was a little bit more customizable, that's all.
You kind of make yourself look ignorant with this statement.
Such is life, and to a large extent there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. Furthermore I would add that this is the way people are in general, whether it's about videogames or anything else. Both men and women will do things to include themselves in some social unit. The only difference is that women will generally see the relationship benefits of the activity, whereas guys tend to be oblivious to this sort of thing.
I guess this is just further affirmation that gaming is getting more mainstream, since it's evaluated in contexts other than 13-year-old l33t 1-0wn3rz-j00 circles. We'll probably find that other groups of people will have different motivations for getting into gaming, and this is a good thing. One thing I've observed is that some people that have never played games before have recently gotten into a particular game and have kicked some serious ass (I'm talking console/fighting games and first person shooters). I'm actually quite pleased that being a good gamer does not require a history of geekiness, although this is a theory that is still left to be proven.
Except that the original poster was alluding to how DRM is such a black and white issue (in general) on Slashdot. And given the frequency of absolute phrases like Good Thing(tm) and Bad Thing(tm) I honestly don't blame him.
I think this whole Ask Slashdot is a troll.
-
4) compatibility issues. One in twelve DVDs I rent doen't work on my player, in which case I have to watch it on a laptop. (Unless THAT also doesn't work.) Yes VHS tapes get eaten, but not at that high a rate. VHS is more reliable.
5) Skipping. Usually have to endure this once or twice per film on rentals. Lame.
I've rented 6-10 movies a month from Netflix since September 2001. Number of compatibility problems = 0. Number of skipping discs = 0.I'll have to concur. Right now I'm using a rather cheap DVD player and I've never had any compatibility problems. With region-locked DVDs there inevitably will be problems, but I suggest getting a player that can handle this.
Also keep in mind that although there is no region control in VHS, there is the PAL/NTSC problem. Ordering UK VHS tapes isn't trivial either.
Oh and Netflix kicks ass.
God I hate those menus. They have to have these huge intros and "cool" references to the film that you won't get until you watch the film. Just have a menu with simple choices: (1) play movie (2) select a scene (3) special features. That's it. No animations in the menu. No intros to the menu. No audio in the menu. Give me the choices and let me watch what I want to.
Unfortunately this is typical of any new media. Since there is extra storage space and interaction capabilities many immature designers do unnecessary stylistic things that in the end detract from the experience. Bad menuing systems on DVDs remind me of (the very typically horrible) desktop themes/skins. Be assured that this sort of thing will get better as designers get more of a clue. If it's that horrible, return it and/or write to the DVD publishing company with complaints. They'll get the idea eventually.
My sentiments exactly. I just hope the parent poster doesn't judge women the same way he watches movies. Jeez.
Cool. That's pretty impressive. I never really looked at Resin under the covers (never really needed to...it just worked) but I always assumed that it used native code to get great performance.
Really? I didn't know that. Not that I doubt you, but where'd you read this?
Not to be nitpicky, but resin being speedy at delivering static content can most likely be attributed to the developers doing great native code optimizations for each OS platform supported by resion. A better measure would be how well it does with dynamic content, which it happens to do quite well.
Just to get even more offtopic, I actually highly recommend Resin as an application server for both learning JSP/Servlets, development, AND production. It's simple to install, configure, and on top of that is small and blazingly fast.
Now, if you're interested in implementation "correctness" Tomcat is probably a better choice, since it's the standard reference implementation endorsed by Sun for the servlet and jsp spec. Tomcat is a bit of a pain to configure (although much easier nowadays) and is more sluggish. Resin goes very far down the optimization path and is very aggressive on how resources are used. While still supporting the spec, sometimes you'll come across odd behavior, particularly with things like pooled objects.
All in all though, go crazy with Resin.
I agree. I've actually noticed a trend between age/experience and the way people write resumes. Developers with less experience tend to put every single language/technology they know on their resume, and when asked, claim expert proficiency even if they have no significant project experience. More mature developers tend to only put a handful of languages that are relevant to the job they seek, even if they know dozens more. Furthermore, they show deep experience with each technology.
Tech recruiter friends of mine also mention how much they HATE it when people put down every single technology in their resume. It's also frustrating when a resume is longer than a page and is way too detailed. Apparently such resumes end up being tossed in a "read later if I have endless amounts of time" pile, which inevitably means it'll get tossed in the trash.
damn right you're responding to that question. Priorities!!!