John, for most of us it's not about the information you're retreiving. It's about the fact that it was done behind our backs. Personally, I couldn't care less if you have information about my video card (preferably without host info attached) but I abhore the idea of that information being taken without my consent.
At the very least, the first time Q3 is started up, it should display a message informing the user that vidcard information is uploaded for support reasons. A simple "Q3A, in the process of retreiving the message of the day, will send id much needed information regarding your video subsystem and operating system; and no other information. This information will be used solely for the purposes of support. If this bothers you, use cl_motd 0 to disable this feature." would suffice.
That's all most of us ask. It's about informing us the data will be sent, not the sending itself. I fully appreciate your need of this information, but please tell me first.
You're certainly right. Most games do feel the same these days. The problem, I think, is the money at stake. There are huge amounts of money to be made in the game market, so whenever there's a good idea, or a new twist, it's mimicked across the board.
Take Warcraft (I'd say DuneII, but I've never played it). It made it big. Then there was the inevitable Warcraft 2, Warcraft 3^H^H^H^H^HStarcraft, Command & Conquer, and so on. But it was a fresh (but not completely original) idea at the time.
That said, I think Q3A does have something to it, but you can't be sure until the full thing is out. It's the first FPS (or was at conception, I could be wrong now?) game to focus completely on head-to-head play. It also has a unique feel to it, at least to me. No, it's certainly not the never-been-seen-before that Wolf3D was, but it has some merits. Oh, and those graphics sure are purdy.:) Carmack's taken the FPS genre quite far aesthetically (sp?). I'm just hoping with id's next project, he'll take it in a new direction.
(Hey CmdrTaco, how come a preview translates my & to a plain old & in the edit window?)
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John, for most of us it's not about the information you're retreiving. It's about the fact that it was done behind our backs. Personally, I couldn't care less if you have information about my video card (preferably without host info attached) but I abhore the idea of that information being taken without my consent.
At the very least, the first time Q3 is started up, it should display a message informing the user that vidcard information is uploaded for support reasons. A simple "Q3A, in the process of retreiving the message of the day, will send id much needed information regarding your video subsystem and operating system; and no other information. This information will be used solely for the purposes of support. If this bothers you, use cl_motd 0 to disable this feature." would suffice.
That's all most of us ask. It's about informing us the data will be sent, not the sending itself. I fully appreciate your need of this information, but please tell me first.
Thank you.
You're certainly right. Most games do feel the same these days. The problem, I think, is the money at stake. There are huge amounts of money to be made in the game market, so whenever there's a good idea, or a new twist, it's mimicked across the board.
:) Carmack's taken the FPS genre quite far aesthetically (sp?). I'm just hoping with id's next project, he'll take it in a new direction.
Take Warcraft (I'd say DuneII, but I've never played it). It made it big. Then there was the inevitable Warcraft 2, Warcraft 3^H^H^H^H^HStarcraft, Command & Conquer, and so on. But it was a fresh (but not completely original) idea at the time.
That said, I think Q3A does have something to it, but you can't be sure until the full thing is out. It's the first FPS (or was at conception, I could be wrong now?) game to focus completely on head-to-head play. It also has a unique feel to it, at least to me. No, it's certainly not the never-been-seen-before that Wolf3D was, but it has some merits. Oh, and those graphics sure are purdy.
(Hey CmdrTaco, how come a preview translates my & to a plain old & in the edit window?)
We've also got Q3A and others. But there's something to be said for the games many of us grew up on.