This wasnt what he said at all, what was said was that if you follow the natural flow of the quests when you start the game, the mobs you kill will be at a level so to give you a challenge always.
The mobs are not magically changing levels when you attack them, ala Oblivion.
If you want, you can just run to higher level areas, and get your behind handed to you on a silver platter, or, if higher level, run to a lowbie area and kick the everliving crap outta the little orcsies
How come that crafting in LotRO is so simple, and, lets be honest, completely useless?
Generally, what could be described as the major professions (weapon/armor smithing) produces items that, at the level they are designated, are pretty much useless when compared to quest loot you get at the same level.
Why is it that no MMOs (other than Eve Online), seems to take crafting more seriously, ie, make crafting a class akin to fighter, magician etc, and not just something that people can do on the side, a true time/gold sink if there ever was one.
Just the thought of a game where you can actually build a character around crafting, and, be able to create and sell items that other players will actually use, are making me all warm and fuzzy.
And the world-events that could be spun on this, which Horizons tried a couple of years ago (and which was actually one of the things in the game that worked exceptionally well, getting large parts of the serverpopulation to work together in completing massive structures that would benefit a lot of players on the server)
So, in short, why is crafting so sorely neglected in almost all modern MMOs?
Here in Denmark, its only been a little more than a month since XBox release (initial price 4000 dkr), and now on the 26th the price drops to 2500 dkr.
If I had bough at box at the launch price, i'd be pretty pissed, so I guess thats why MS has instigated a compensation gift for the people that where so "unlucky" as to go out and buy an XBox fast.
You get 2 games (own choice, I think), and an extra controller, if you react before 1st of July.
Reading about your latest book-signing tour, reading about your appearances just in general, and knowing that you never just do send-autographs-by-email (which I really think is great, demanding that there be at least some Bruce->Fan interaction:), when will we see you in Europe?
I, personally, have never seen anything like a book-signing tour here in Europe, not from local writers, and definately not from american ones.
I know I would run a couple or hundred so miles if there was a chance to get you to scribble in my copy of your book.
This only applies to smaller at-home LAN parties, as I have never been involved in organizing a large 20+ persons LAN party.
Anyway, my experience is that you shouldn't overplan what activities/games should take place/be played when you are throwing a LAN party.
Mostly, just going with the flow is a really good idea, as pressuring people into playing a game they might or might not want to play, most often leads to a lot of bitching, and generally unsatisfied players.
Another thing you should consider (when hosting at home), is to offer other activities than LAN gaming.
Ofcourse, if you only have a weekend, then this mig ht not be all that important, but when we do LAN'ing, most of the participants take a week of from work, and then we do a 10-day stretch, and THEN its important to offer other activities, such as DVD movies (if you can get a projector, its a BIG thumbs up, ditto for a decent 5.1 surround system), if its summer, setup a barbeque, take an afternoon on the beach, etc.
I've found that this is a really great idea, which makes participants happy, and gives a generally much better ambiance at the LAN party.
According to the site The International Day of Peace is observed each year on the third Tuesday of September., and will not be until next Tuesday (the 18th).
My guess is that this has been done to avoid further spreading of the Code Red I/II worm, but I was thinking, why haven't anyone made a PatchUp worm yet?
With CR2, you wouldn't even need to make it a worm, couldn't you just make some sort of script that uses the cmd.exe file to patch the server, and remove the remnants of the worm?
I know that this could possibly be considered a hostile move, and deemed not much different from the worm itself, but, it could be a good move to stop the worm, and do all the "#% lazy sysadms a great big favour.
I have previously customized 2 Playstation consoles, one I painted metallic blue, with a metallic red lid, and ditto buttons. It looked really snassy when you brought the PSX to a LAN party / get-together.
BUT, I have also done this with my mobile phone cover (Nokia 3210), and the daily wear and tear are beginning to show, as the paint is peeling of in the most touched areas.
My point being, it is most likely very possible to do a tremendous hack-job on a GBA, but be sure to get some paint that really binds to plastic, as your daily use could wear the paint off, which would make an excellent modification look really cheap.
But, if and when I get a GBA, i'll be sure to look into this type of modding, mostly because its fun to own a unique looking device, instead of a generic looking one. After all, lots'a people make casemods for their PC cases, which does nothing but enchance the look with see-through plexiglass plates and LEDs. (Granted, some put extra fans in, which ofcourse helps airflow, but mainly people casemod just for the hell of it, and to impress their friends:-)
What the #"#% are people whining about? As a big fan of online comics (I religiously follow 12 each day, and browse around sampling lots) I wouldn't mind paying for the content, if what we are looking at is 25c each month. (adding up to a grand total of 3$, for around 360 individual strips.. I cant even get 1/3 of a printed comic for that kind of money)
I dont understand why people, and most of all, other online comic-publishers, are flaming Mr. McCloud for bringing this subject up for debate. If anything, they should cheer him on, and encourage him to get cracking on some sort of scheme that ultimately will allow for easy transfer of funds from us (the readers) to them (the publishers), so that they can continue to deliver content to us.
And come on, people that say that Mr. McCloud is an idiot, just because they are not interested in paying for content, in the everything-on-the-internet-should-be-free mentality, why dont you sit down and use 2 hours every day, creating something original, and then posting it online. My guess is that when the fun and excitement of doing something new wears off, you will probably really like to receive some sort of compensentation, other than emails stating that you are cool, and the comic is great etc.
I think that KeenSpot, Big Panda and their ilk should look into implementing some sort of payment gateway, possible using your creditcard for starters (seeing as they both serve a lot of comics, and a transfer to them could be distributed among a lot of comics with only 1 creditcard transfer).
I know I would use it.
I went around today to a couple of different stores, and while noone actually had any PS2s on the shelves, they all said that they had only received a couple for launch day, and was expection a bigger shipment due on monday.
It was no problem preordering one of these, as the demand surprisingly hadn't been that big, at least not in those stores, which admittedly is not placed in the most populated area of Denmark (no 5 mile queues or any riot-like happenings;-)
And, the fact that Denmark only got 8000 PS2s for the rest of the year just plain sucks.
United Kingdom : One PS2 for every 363 citizens
Denmark : One PS2 for every 662 citizens
I wonder when just being online is enough to be sued by the MPAA or RIA? I mean, you are on the internet, files are available, you could potentially download something they own.. Or what about being an ISP? Packets from MP3s/AVIs/MPGs are flowing through your router equipment, aiding the pirates doint their dirty deeds. Where's it going to stop?
If a search on the name Leonardo has started all this, why not just strike back with more of the same? If you just add "Leonardo da Vinci" or "Leonardo di Caprio" to your your HTML pages MetaTags, and then submit them to all kinds of search engines, it would be interesting to see just how many sites will pop up the NEXT time they do a search on Leonardo. Will they sue the owners of all these websites too then?
I must say, this really makes me wonder, because I have been shopping online for more tha a year (I would guess that i have bought more than 25 items online) and I have NEVER had an experience where i received the wrong goods, or anything like this (thats not entirely true, i've had one incident, but the vendor was not to blame, the problems there were caused entirely by the shipping company, and in fact, the vendor was extremely fast to remedy the situation) And, I have bought not only from major vendors, but from all kinds, both in the US, UK, Germany, Denmark and the far east. So, all in all, no bad experiences for me, and a 100% succes ratio.
First, you dont have to actively encrypt your MPEG2 files for them to be usable in a DVD player (at least, not in any way that i know off)
You take your videomaterial, and then run it through an MPEG2 encoder (Ligos, for example, or Darim Vision) and then you master your DVD in some authoring software, the only one i know of i Daikins Scenarist NT, which by the pictures i've seen from it should be very graphical, and thus very easy to work with.
You use Scenarist to create your fancy-schmanzy menu system (based on TIFF/TGA images, which you can create in eg. Photoshop, 3DS Max, Lightwave, Paintshop Pro or wherever), and then finally write it down to VOB files. (It might be that Scenarist actually encodes the files at this point, using the CSS algorithm, but to be honest, i dont really know)
Then you ship it to your DVD printing facility, and let them make your final glass master, and press a couple'o these babies out, and youre good to go.:-)
Slashdot Mirror
This wasnt what he said at all, what was said was that if you follow the natural flow of the quests when you start the game, the mobs you kill will be at a level so to give you a challenge always.
The mobs are not magically changing levels when you attack them, ala Oblivion.
If you want, you can just run to higher level areas, and get your behind handed to you on a silver platter, or, if higher level, run to a lowbie area and kick the everliving crap outta the little orcsies
How come that crafting in LotRO is so simple, and, lets be honest, completely useless?
Generally, what could be described as the major professions (weapon/armor smithing) produces items that, at the level they are designated, are pretty much useless when compared to quest loot you get at the same level.
Why is it that no MMOs (other than Eve Online), seems to take crafting more seriously, ie, make crafting a class akin to fighter, magician etc, and not just something that people can do on the side, a true time/gold sink if there ever was one.
Just the thought of a game where you can actually build a character around crafting, and, be able to create and sell items that other players will actually use, are making me all warm and fuzzy.
And the world-events that could be spun on this, which Horizons tried a couple of years ago (and which was actually one of the things in the game that worked exceptionally well, getting large parts of the serverpopulation to work together in completing massive structures that would benefit a lot of players on the server)
So, in short, why is crafting so sorely neglected in almost all modern MMOs?
Here in Denmark, its only been a little more than a month since XBox release (initial price 4000 dkr), and now on the 26th the price drops to 2500 dkr.
If I had bough at box at the launch price, i'd be pretty pissed, so I guess thats why MS has instigated a compensation gift for the people that where so "unlucky" as to go out and buy an XBox fast.
You get 2 games (own choice, I think), and an extra controller, if you react before 1st of July.
Reading about your latest book-signing tour, reading about your appearances just in general, and knowing that you never just do send-autographs-by-email (which I really think is great, demanding that there be at least some Bruce->Fan interaction :), when will we see you in Europe?
I, personally, have never seen anything like a book-signing tour here in Europe, not from local writers, and definately not from american ones.
I know I would run a couple or hundred so miles if there was a chance to get you to scribble in my copy of your book.
This only applies to smaller at-home LAN parties, as I have never been involved in organizing a large 20+ persons LAN party.
Anyway, my experience is that you shouldn't overplan what activities/games should take place/be played when you are throwing a LAN party.
Mostly, just going with the flow is a really good idea, as pressuring people into playing a game they might or might not want to play, most often leads to a lot of bitching, and generally unsatisfied players.
Another thing you should consider (when hosting at home), is to offer other activities than LAN gaming.
Ofcourse, if you only have a weekend, then this mig ht not be all that important, but when we do LAN'ing, most of the participants take a week of from work, and then we do a 10-day stretch, and THEN its important to offer other activities, such as DVD movies (if you can get a projector, its a BIG thumbs up, ditto for a decent 5.1 surround system), if its summer, setup a barbeque, take an afternoon on the beach, etc.
I've found that this is a really great idea, which makes participants happy, and gives a generally much better ambiance at the LAN party.
Come on now .. exactly when is it time to move on then?
Are you seriously saying that all fun activity all over the world should stop, "just" because of what happened in NYC?
Its not, in any way, that I dont think this was a terrible terrible thing, but hey, life DOES go on, even after a tragedy like this.
According to the site The International Day of Peace is observed each year on the third Tuesday of September., and will not be until next Tuesday (the 18th).
With CR2, you wouldn't even need to make it a worm, couldn't you just make some sort of script that uses the cmd.exe file to patch the server, and remove the remnants of the worm?
I know that this could possibly be considered a hostile move, and deemed not much different from the worm itself, but, it could be a good move to stop the worm, and do all the "#% lazy sysadms a great big favour.
Go here and sign
http://www.petitiononline.com/aotc/petition.html
BUT, I have also done this with my mobile phone cover (Nokia 3210), and the daily wear and tear are beginning to show, as the paint is peeling of in the most touched areas.
My point being, it is most likely very possible to do a tremendous hack-job on a GBA, but be sure to get some paint that really binds to plastic, as your daily use could wear the paint off, which would make an excellent modification look really cheap.
But, if and when I get a GBA, i'll be sure to look into this type of modding, mostly because its fun to own a unique looking device, instead of a generic looking one. After all, lots'a people make casemods for their PC cases, which does nothing but enchance the look with see-through plexiglass plates and LEDs. (Granted, some put extra fans in, which ofcourse helps airflow, but mainly people casemod just for the hell of it, and to impress their friends :-)
I dont understand why people, and most of all, other online comic-publishers, are flaming Mr. McCloud for bringing this subject up for debate. If anything, they should cheer him on, and encourage him to get cracking on some sort of scheme that ultimately will allow for easy transfer of funds from us (the readers) to them (the publishers), so that they can continue to deliver content to us.
And come on, people that say that Mr. McCloud is an idiot, just because they are not interested in paying for content, in the everything-on-the-internet-should-be-free mentality, why dont you sit down and use 2 hours every day, creating something original, and then posting it online. My guess is that when the fun and excitement of doing something new wears off, you will probably really like to receive some sort of compensentation, other than emails stating that you are cool, and the comic is great etc.
I think that KeenSpot, Big Panda and their ilk should look into implementing some sort of payment gateway, possible using your creditcard for starters (seeing as they both serve a lot of comics, and a transfer to them could be distributed among a lot of comics with only 1 creditcard transfer).
I know I would use it.
I think that the lack of female gamers leads to downloading excessive amounts of pr0n on a 56k line.
It was no problem preordering one of these, as the demand surprisingly hadn't been that big, at least not in those stores, which admittedly is not placed in the most populated area of Denmark (no 5 mile queues or any riot-like happenings
And, the fact that Denmark only got 8000 PS2s for the rest of the year just plain sucks.
United Kingdom : One PS2 for every 363 citizens
Denmark : One PS2 for every 662 citizens
Thats unfair, I should think :-(
I wonder when just being online is enough to be sued by the MPAA or RIA? I mean, you are on the internet, files are available, you could potentially download something they own .. Or what about being an ISP? Packets from MP3s/AVIs/MPGs are flowing through your router equipment, aiding the pirates doint their dirty deeds. Where's it going to stop?
If a search on the name Leonardo has started all this, why not just strike back with more of the same?
If you just add "Leonardo da Vinci" or "Leonardo di Caprio" to your your HTML pages MetaTags, and then submit them to all kinds of search engines, it would be interesting to see just how many sites will pop up the NEXT time they do a search on Leonardo.
Will they sue the owners of all these websites too then?
I must say, this really makes me wonder, because I have been shopping online for more tha a year (I would guess that i have bought more than 25 items online) and I have NEVER had an experience where i received the wrong goods, or anything like this (thats not entirely true, i've had one incident, but the vendor was not to blame, the problems there were caused entirely by the shipping company, and in fact, the vendor was extremely fast to remedy the situation)
And, I have bought not only from major vendors, but from all kinds, both in the US, UK, Germany, Denmark and the far east.
So, all in all, no bad experiences for me, and a 100% succes ratio.
First, you dont have to actively encrypt your MPEG2 files for them to be usable in a DVD player (at least, not in any way that i know off)
:-)
You take your videomaterial, and then run it through an MPEG2 encoder (Ligos, for example, or Darim Vision) and then you master your DVD in some authoring software, the only one i know of i Daikins Scenarist NT, which by the pictures i've seen from it should be very graphical, and thus very easy to work with.
You use Scenarist to create your fancy-schmanzy menu system (based on TIFF/TGA images, which you can create in eg. Photoshop, 3DS Max, Lightwave, Paintshop Pro or wherever), and then finally write it down to VOB files. (It might be that Scenarist actually encodes the files at this point, using the CSS algorithm, but to be honest, i dont really know)
Then you ship it to your DVD printing facility, and let them make your final glass master, and press a couple'o these babies out, and youre good to go.
http://come.to/freezy3000 has a interesting article about creating a MiniDVD (DVD on a CDR).