I recently moved all my assets to a new bank and was issued an AMEX card right away, but then got a call from their issuers of VISA cards. I was missing from their credit bureau ratings lookup, and we rechecked my name and SSN in triplicate. Apparently my credit history expired! I'm very used to the idea of my financial history living in databases wherever, so it was a real shock to discover I'd been erased from one.
The last time I'm certain I had and used a credit card was in 1995. I'm sure I was credit checked a few times in 2000-2002 for college apartment renting, and possibly for a DOE clearance background check.
They said they would talk to the bank for my address and info and would have to send me extra paperwork since the credit bureau couldn't confirm anything. The VISA recently arrived with no extra paper trail.
I guess credit can be use it or lose it. Sprint probably would turn me down for their spiffy phone if I wanted one. Or they would want to issue me some craptastic CC of theirs.
I'm a lousy credit customer anyway, since I would keep everything permanently paid off.
This is most definitely NOT a "tragedy of the commons" scenario. Open Source and Free software are available for unlimited duplication and have no inherent scarcity, unlike the allegorical commons. The fact that they benefit from more widespread usage due to feedback and bugfixing further turns this stupidly misused comparison on its head.
This thing looks like an ergonomic nightmare. The original PSP is already hard to hold for long periods of time, especially if you have to use the analog nub. This sliding screen setup leaves all the controls right at the bottom edge except for the L & R which are still on top. The guy in the image gallery has his thumbs bent in half! WTF Sony?
I think some day we may see an MMO run entirely peer to peer. Take the current staples of MMO design, and do almost exactly the opposite. Here's how it might work.
Each player essentially homesteads their own small chunk of game content. They can put in whatever they want, and are responsible for its rules, persistence, and accessibility to others.
The game world geography matches the network topology of the player base. Friends link their sandboxes together. Popular content becomes replicated rather than crowded.
The gameplay becomes providing the most interesting set of experiences to others, and experiencing others play design in turn. Resources are limited by how much CPU/RAM/network the players dedicate to the simulation.
It's not centralized, pre-authored, static, or formally moderated. Players with specific tastes can coordinate to develop consistent setups. Cheaters can be left to their own devices.
It's less a game than a meta-game. All it really needs is a basic protocol. A system like this is probably quite a ways off, but it could happen.
I really don't care about achievements/trophies/etc at all. At best they are a list of interesting things to try in a game and a way to compare progress in specific titles. At worst they are marketing and false competition.
Importantly, they are not cost-free to developers, and I would always rather have better gameplay or more content or a higher level of polish than a masturbatory checklist.
Goals alone aren't gameplay, and fall in the category of pointless collecting.
Being a completionist is the surest route to ruining your enjoyment of a game.
From what I've gathered, Stardock and GPG made some goofs that they're paying the price for.
Piracy is expected, and that's not really their primary concern. The pirates are not their customers. The lack of DRM shenanigans is applaudable, but a good number of them probably just want to demo the game before buying, so releasing a demo much later (supposedly in a month or so) inflates these numbers.
The retail shipments to GameStop purportedly did not have release dates included, so they were sold early. If that's the case then Stardock shares the blame here, otherwise chalk it up to GS being evil and backstabbing their online competition.
The unexpected early player volume (retail and pirates) bombed their servers because only enough for beta players were online. They expected that volume the next week and spent the weekend ramping up in response.
Launching the game executable immediately checked online for updates, even for pirated copies that cannot get them, since they cannot log in to Stardock's Impulse service! This furthered the multiplayer connectivity problems by severely choking up the NAT-handshaking servers, which should have been restricted to multiplayer matchmaking only, and not hit with every connection.
In this case, they probably should release a tiny patch for the pirates (presumably any unpatched retail copy), because it's the only way to cut down on those connections. They can't otherwise ID the pirates because the default retail versions behave the same way.
Here's how to avoid this in the future:
1) No release/street dates. When it's done and the servers are all online, then you ship.
2) Games that focus on multiplayer shouldn't attempt an update without being logged in.
3) Demo builds should be a proper subset of the full game, so there's no extra work to do when you ship except make one more release for the demo.
I don't know what the sales look like, but paying gamers everywhere wish Stardock the best. Demigod is currently $40 download-only and $50 for a download + boxed copy (collectors edition maybe?) on Impulse from Stardock. Retail copies are already $35 with free shipping on both Amazon and Newegg.
Long story short: things other than cosmic rays can cause memory errors.
I once had a box that wouldn't pass memtest86 if run with 3 DIMMs installed. The sticks all tested fine individually, in any socket or combination, except for when all 3 were installed. It turned out that some cabling in the box was hanging nearby, and when moved away from the RAM the setup became rock solid.
If I worked for US counterintelligence you can bet I would develop and plant fake leaks that sound just like this sort of thing. Then again, I may be giving too much credit. Occam's Razor prevails.
I really hope it has the Gamecube style handle grips, and not the PSX style nubs. I have big hands and found the GC to be a supremely comfortable controller.
The PSX derivations still hurt my middle->pinky fingers if I squeeze one for too long, and Sony should be outright embarrassed for not improving the DS3 design. They retreated when their prototype batarang style was ridiculed, and all we got was a wireless DS2 with mushy shoulder triggers.
This released picture only shows a top view, so I have my fingers crossed. Oval pad devices also bug me, especially the PSP (awful analog nub aside), and I've avoided the current Wii classic controller for this reason.
Seriously, if you ever get pain from gaming, you need a break. Don't play through it or tough it out or try stopgap solutions. The game isn't going anywhere, and your health is far more important than entertainment. Switching controllers to play something different often helps, but even then you can get posture fatigue or eye stress.
I say this as someone who games a lot and has run into nearly as many different repetitive stress injuries as there are ways to control games. This week I've found Street Fighter 4 on the PS3 d-pad is pretty hard on my thumb, and even trying to press lightly and not mash it, you can still overdo it pretty easily. Despite what the manufacturers say, 4 hours seems to be about the longest I can play something continuously before running the risk of problems. I recommend having a water bottle to drink from frequently, as it will also encourage you to take regular bathroom breaks.
I would love to buy a music game done entirely with classic game themes. The music industry is already on very thin ice (or already through and sinking, depending on where you stand). If games left them behind entirely, I wouldn't be disappointed.
The griping and misinformation here is so atrocious that I'm simply embarrassed to be reading Slashdot today.
Digital Mars D is a wonderfully designed language and I'm in the process of giving up a lifetime of C++ for it.
I'm not here to defend D or enumerate it's growing pains or evangelize it, but if you don't take it upon yourselves to be well informed, please don't repeat your biased gibberish to the rest of us.
This is one of the reasons why I refuse to buy LCDs for gaming, both on my desktop and for consoles. Other factors include refresh rates, variable resolution, and numerous quality problems (dead or stuck pixels, color reproduction, viewing angle, brightness uniformity, etc).
Given a choice, nobody would prefer to play on a laggy ISP, so it's really awful that manufacturers don't inform about multiple-frame image processing delays on 60hz monitors.
CRT technology is so mature and LCD so comparatively half baked that I'm totally revolted by the general consensus to throw out completely superior performance in favor of smaller form factor (it's not like they're moved often).
I spent months last year looking for a flat panel to buy that I would want to game on, and came up empty handed, so I simply abstain.
I'm currently using a ViewSonic P220f from a friend after my 8 year old Sony GDM f500r was recently retired, both 21". My consoles are on a 34" Sony WEGA KV-34HS510.
When my tubes finally give out in a few years, I'll be looking for something far better than LCDs to replace them with.
Sins of a Solar Empire (PC): excellent game design in this epic RTS with a great interface, beautiful scalable graphics engine, ongoing expansion-sized patch improvements and developer support, and smart hands-off units.
Shiren the Wanderer (DS): the definitive Japanese roguelike, a tight and inventive game design, structured world with randomized levels and persistent-between-games item storage and quest progress, short but sweet and highly replayable.
Baroque (Wii/PS2): a modern port of this obscure realtime action roguelike, mysterious goals and story unfolding over multiple trips to the tower, great atmosphere, and a truly enormous item list that will surprise you long after you think you've seen everything.
Savage 2 (PC): now free to play, this team FPS/RTS hybrid has much less downtime than its predecessor, much more accessible combat, very helpful in-game player aids, and nicely balanced sides.
Mount & Blade (PC): indie medieval combat on horseback meets open-world adventure sim (Sid Meier's Pirates! style), and it's half price on Steam until this Friday.
Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming by Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi. This is especially recommended if you love SICP. http://www.info.ucl.ac.be/~pvr/book.html
I signed up and bought Hostile Waters on Thursday.
GoG.com is easily the best online buying experience I have ever had.
The selection is quite good but currently limited (I already own 20 of the 40+ titles). Most titles are $6, with a few more recent ones at $10.
The site design itself is excellent, with a global wishlist, ratings, reviews, and forums. Buying was totally painless.
Games are DRM-free downloads, pre-patched, XP/Vista compatible, come with installers, have extra download materials (like manuals), and get game-specific support sections and forums.
Slashdot Mirror
I recently moved all my assets to a new bank and was issued an AMEX card right away, but then got a call from their issuers of VISA cards. I was missing from their credit bureau ratings lookup, and we rechecked my name and SSN in triplicate. Apparently my credit history expired! I'm very used to the idea of my financial history living in databases wherever, so it was a real shock to discover I'd been erased from one.
The last time I'm certain I had and used a credit card was in 1995. I'm sure I was credit checked a few times in 2000-2002 for college apartment renting, and possibly for a DOE clearance background check.
They said they would talk to the bank for my address and info and would have to send me extra paperwork since the credit bureau couldn't confirm anything. The VISA recently arrived with no extra paper trail.
I guess credit can be use it or lose it. Sprint probably would turn me down for their spiffy phone if I wanted one. Or they would want to issue me some craptastic CC of theirs.
I'm a lousy credit customer anyway, since I would keep everything permanently paid off.
It isn't gameplay (or otherwise useful to the gameplay). Thus I'm not interested in paying for it.
Developers should remember that their audience is game buyers. I don't know about you, but I buy games to PLAY them.
Cheats should just be a proper menu item anyway. And sections of games should be openly accessible, so stuck players can just skip to them.
I don't buy promises. I pay for what is delivered.
This is most definitely NOT a "tragedy of the commons" scenario. Open Source and Free software are available for unlimited duplication and have no inherent scarcity, unlike the allegorical commons. The fact that they benefit from more widespread usage due to feedback and bugfixing further turns this stupidly misused comparison on its head.
This thing looks like an ergonomic nightmare. The original PSP is already hard to hold for long periods of time, especially if you have to use the analog nub. This sliding screen setup leaves all the controls right at the bottom edge except for the L & R which are still on top. The guy in the image gallery has his thumbs bent in half! WTF Sony?
The pirates are not your customers (unless you go with DRM which makes your customers pirate).
I'm curious if other programmers like to code at night or any other particular times.
I think some day we may see an MMO run entirely peer to peer. Take the current staples of MMO design, and do almost exactly the opposite. Here's how it might work.
Each player essentially homesteads their own small chunk of game content. They can put in whatever they want, and are responsible for its rules, persistence, and accessibility to others.
The game world geography matches the network topology of the player base. Friends link their sandboxes together. Popular content becomes replicated rather than crowded.
The gameplay becomes providing the most interesting set of experiences to others, and experiencing others play design in turn. Resources are limited by how much CPU/RAM/network the players dedicate to the simulation.
It's not centralized, pre-authored, static, or formally moderated. Players with specific tastes can coordinate to develop consistent setups. Cheaters can be left to their own devices.
It's less a game than a meta-game. All it really needs is a basic protocol. A system like this is probably quite a ways off, but it could happen.
I really don't care about achievements/trophies/etc at all. At best they are a list of interesting things to try in a game and a way to compare progress in specific titles. At worst they are marketing and false competition.
Importantly, they are not cost-free to developers, and I would always rather have better gameplay or more content or a higher level of polish than a masturbatory checklist.
Goals alone aren't gameplay, and fall in the category of pointless collecting.
Being a completionist is the surest route to ruining your enjoyment of a game.
From what I've gathered, Stardock and GPG made some goofs that they're paying the price for.
Piracy is expected, and that's not really their primary concern. The pirates are not their customers. The lack of DRM shenanigans is applaudable, but a good number of them probably just want to demo the game before buying, so releasing a demo much later (supposedly in a month or so) inflates these numbers.
The retail shipments to GameStop purportedly did not have release dates included, so they were sold early. If that's the case then Stardock shares the blame here, otherwise chalk it up to GS being evil and backstabbing their online competition.
The unexpected early player volume (retail and pirates) bombed their servers because only enough for beta players were online. They expected that volume the next week and spent the weekend ramping up in response.
Launching the game executable immediately checked online for updates, even for pirated copies that cannot get them, since they cannot log in to Stardock's Impulse service! This furthered the multiplayer connectivity problems by severely choking up the NAT-handshaking servers, which should have been restricted to multiplayer matchmaking only, and not hit with every connection.
In this case, they probably should release a tiny patch for the pirates (presumably any unpatched retail copy), because it's the only way to cut down on those connections. They can't otherwise ID the pirates because the default retail versions behave the same way.
Here's how to avoid this in the future:
1) No release/street dates. When it's done and the servers are all online, then you ship.
2) Games that focus on multiplayer shouldn't attempt an update without being logged in.
3) Demo builds should be a proper subset of the full game, so there's no extra work to do when you ship except make one more release for the demo.
I don't know what the sales look like, but paying gamers everywhere wish Stardock the best. Demigod is currently $40 download-only and $50 for a download + boxed copy (collectors edition maybe?) on Impulse from Stardock. Retail copies are already $35 with free shipping on both Amazon and Newegg.
Just because it's a video game doesn't mean anyone should assume it can't be a serious, respectful work of art.
The only thing that's been announced is the game's setting.
Maybe they beached just to get away from the awful noise?
Long story short: things other than cosmic rays can cause memory errors.
I once had a box that wouldn't pass memtest86 if run with 3 DIMMs installed. The sticks all tested fine individually, in any socket or combination, except for when all 3 were installed. It turned out that some cabling in the box was hanging nearby, and when moved away from the RAM the setup became rock solid.
If I worked for US counterintelligence you can bet I would develop and plant fake leaks that sound just like this sort of thing. Then again, I may be giving too much credit. Occam's Razor prevails.
I really hope it has the Gamecube style handle grips, and not the PSX style nubs. I have big hands and found the GC to be a supremely comfortable controller.
The PSX derivations still hurt my middle->pinky fingers if I squeeze one for too long, and Sony should be outright embarrassed for not improving the DS3 design. They retreated when their prototype batarang style was ridiculed, and all we got was a wireless DS2 with mushy shoulder triggers.
This released picture only shows a top view, so I have my fingers crossed. Oval pad devices also bug me, especially the PSP (awful analog nub aside), and I've avoided the current Wii classic controller for this reason.
Seriously, if you ever get pain from gaming, you need a break. Don't play through it or tough it out or try stopgap solutions. The game isn't going anywhere, and your health is far more important than entertainment. Switching controllers to play something different often helps, but even then you can get posture fatigue or eye stress.
I say this as someone who games a lot and has run into nearly as many different repetitive stress injuries as there are ways to control games. This week I've found Street Fighter 4 on the PS3 d-pad is pretty hard on my thumb, and even trying to press lightly and not mash it, you can still overdo it pretty easily. Despite what the manufacturers say, 4 hours seems to be about the longest I can play something continuously before running the risk of problems. I recommend having a water bottle to drink from frequently, as it will also encourage you to take regular bathroom breaks.
If it hurts, just stop.
I would love to buy a music game done entirely with classic game themes. The music industry is already on very thin ice (or already through and sinking, depending on where you stand). If games left them behind entirely, I wouldn't be disappointed.
The griping and misinformation here is so atrocious that I'm simply embarrassed to be reading Slashdot today.
Digital Mars D is a wonderfully designed language and I'm in the process of giving up a lifetime of C++ for it.
I'm not here to defend D or enumerate it's growing pains or evangelize it, but if you don't take it upon yourselves to be well informed, please don't repeat your biased gibberish to the rest of us.
This is one of the reasons why I refuse to buy LCDs for gaming, both on my desktop and for consoles. Other factors include refresh rates, variable resolution, and numerous quality problems (dead or stuck pixels, color reproduction, viewing angle, brightness uniformity, etc).
Given a choice, nobody would prefer to play on a laggy ISP, so it's really awful that manufacturers don't inform about multiple-frame image processing delays on 60hz monitors.
CRT technology is so mature and LCD so comparatively half baked that I'm totally revolted by the general consensus to throw out completely superior performance in favor of smaller form factor (it's not like they're moved often).
I spent months last year looking for a flat panel to buy that I would want to game on, and came up empty handed, so I simply abstain.
I'm currently using a ViewSonic P220f from a friend after my 8 year old Sony GDM f500r was recently retired, both 21". My consoles are on a 34" Sony WEGA KV-34HS510.
When my tubes finally give out in a few years, I'll be looking for something far better than LCDs to replace them with.
This summer I had to ask two passengers in my car to buckle their seat belts.
"Oh, you're that kind of driver?" one asked.
I told them I'm not the driver they should be worried about.
Sins of a Solar Empire (PC): excellent game design in this epic RTS with a great interface, beautiful scalable graphics engine, ongoing expansion-sized patch improvements and developer support, and smart hands-off units.
Shiren the Wanderer (DS): the definitive Japanese roguelike, a tight and inventive game design, structured world with randomized levels and persistent-between-games item storage and quest progress, short but sweet and highly replayable.
Baroque (Wii/PS2): a modern port of this obscure realtime action roguelike, mysterious goals and story unfolding over multiple trips to the tower, great atmosphere, and a truly enormous item list that will surprise you long after you think you've seen everything.
Savage 2 (PC): now free to play, this team FPS/RTS hybrid has much less downtime than its predecessor, much more accessible combat, very helpful in-game player aids, and nicely balanced sides.
Mount & Blade (PC): indie medieval combat on horseback meets open-world adventure sim (Sid Meier's Pirates! style), and it's half price on Steam until this Friday.
The game console business models are very well understood. How is this news?
Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming by Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi. This is especially recommended if you love SICP. http://www.info.ucl.ac.be/~pvr/book.html
This is completely the wrong problem to solve.
How about playing games that don't suck instead?
I signed up and bought Hostile Waters on Thursday.
GoG.com is easily the best online buying experience I have ever had.
The selection is quite good but currently limited (I already own 20 of the 40+ titles). Most titles are $6, with a few more recent ones at $10.
The site design itself is excellent, with a global wishlist, ratings, reviews, and forums. Buying was totally painless.
Games are DRM-free downloads, pre-patched, XP/Vista compatible, come with installers, have extra download materials (like manuals), and get game-specific support sections and forums.
I'll definitely be shopping there again.