Your reasoning makes sense, but this how most MMOs are financed. No problem if you don't want to pay a subscription - I don't, either - but there's not really an alternative if the game is going to make money. Yes, there are some "free to play" MMOs, but practically speaking they cost, as well, since if you want to do anything of value in the game it will require purchases.
2) Demo.
I understand your reasoning, but you need to understand that demos, for the most part, don't return much value to the time put in to making them. If there is a demo, the company is going to get out the bare minimum just to give you a glimpse of the game potential. That's really all you should expect. Don't expect it to be optimized, don't expect it to be customizable, and don't expect it to stay current with whatever the current version of the game is. There's just no profit incentive in it for the developer. Look at demos like you look at movie trailers: simple, short, and the bare minimum necessary to market the film.
3) Value.
Your points are valid, so long as you understand this will be subjective. For example, if I have an AMAZING experience with a game which only lasts 6 hours, is that not more value than having a mediocre experience with a game that lasts for dozens? I say yes, others will say no, and the conflicting perspectives will make it very difficult for a developer to find a one size fits all standard to this. Another comparison may be valid here: a movie ticket costs around $10, and a movie lasts around 2 hours. So, extrapolating that, if a game costs $50 yet provides 10 hours of gameplay, it could be worth it. Again, subjective.
4) System requirements.
This is just silly. New games are going to require more power. Or do you also complain that you can't play 360/PS3 games on your Xbox/PS2? There is some validity in complaining that many games are horribly unoptimized and can barely run on even the best of systems - I'm looking at you Crysis - but you just have to accept that as technology progresses, so will game requirements. And it's unrealistic to make comparisons between games, since you don't know what's going on behind the scenes with the code. Simply saying "FPS #2234 runs just fine, why doesn't FPS #4887?!?" is a specious position to take.
Windows XP is a decade old, it's time to upgrade. I'm sorry if that's not acceptable to you, but technology's not going to wait just because you think your system is "good enough". Also, as far as service pack requirements go, often that requirement is there because differences within an operating system between service packs are substantial enough to make it far simpler, and cheaper, for a developer to only support the latest version. This goes for the games, too. If a patch is available, and you refuse to get it, don't expect much support from the developer if something doesn't work right.
5) DRM.
This one I think we all can agree with. DRM will always be cracked, and only hurts the paying customer. Any developer with respect for their customers will either not include DRM, or at least use some form that gives back added value to the customer - such as Steam. I've never bought Crysis for this reason, even on the recent dirt cheap sales. When I buy a game, I expect to own that copy. Telling me I can only install 5 times, with no guarantee of being able to activate in the future, and you've lost my purchase.
6) Playing nice.
Although, again, you make some good points, I think you're expecting too much. Each executable is going to require a firewall exemption. The Half-Life series, for example, is like this because each game is a different executable. The fact that they are named the same is irrelevant. Also, while I wish there was an easy standard for developers to keep their settings and saved games in one location, differences between systems make this difficult. The latest versions of
There's only one emulator out there which does it right, in my opinion, and that's MAME. Their goal is preservation, not playability, which they still maintain is a nice "side effect" of the code.
Most emulators have it the other way around, and use whatever code hacks or tweaks they can to get the most popular games up and running, replete with all of the glitches and inaccurate emulation which inevitably follow. Instead, they should follow MAME's example, and code for 100% perfect emulation relying solely on hardware guaranteed to be consistent (meaning the CPU). The tradeoff is that more technically advanced games take extremely powerful hardware to run - see Gauntlet Legends or similar games - but when they do they run perfectly, preserving the experience for future generations.
If you're looking for plug and play, this, or similar fight sticks, could work nicely as they are plug and play with Windows: http://www.amazon.com/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-Xbox-360/dp/B000V02P6Q
If you're wanting a bit more genuine experience, though, and are willing to put some time in to build your own panel (it's easier than it sounds), Ultimarc makes some of the nicest controls around. The owner, Andy, is one of the greatest guys to deal with when it comes to support, as well.
~Someone whose built his own arcade specifically for the purpose of reliving the classic.
Really, when was the last time Carmack's games were relevant? Doom 3, maybe? Even that was overshadowed by other, better, games at the time.
If anything is a leftover remnant of the 90s, it's id Software.
If the PC market has "receded in terms of significance" it is due solely to developers abandoning the platform. If developers like id or Valve (with their recent Left 4 Dead 2 fiasco) would remember the platform that made them what they are, then the platform itself would still be doing just fine, thank you very much.
PCs haven't changed. Developers have.
They should have included the 4850 x2 in the $170 to $250 range. The 1gb version can be had for around $240 (the 2gb for $260 or so) and regularly beats even the GTX 280.
It's on the upper edges of that budget, to be sure, but as long as you're looking in that price range it's worth considering.
I've been a player of Left 4 Dead since its release, and the fun factor has been slowly declining since that time, as each subsequent patch has seemed to cause detrimental changes to the gameplay, while removing many fun elements.
For example, Valve, please fix these most blatant problems: the magic Boomer bug where often bile goes through survivors completely; the glitching Hunter pounce where you'll often fly right through survivors; finally get the Smoker grab working correctly this time; and get rid of the 360-degree radius of a survivor's punch!
I'm really hoping this pack recreates how fun the game was when it was first released.
When the game first came out there was a popular physics glitch whereby punching the Gatling gun repeatedly and then jumping on it would send your player flying.
This was quite effective for skipping certain "horde" zones, and for ensuing hilarity, in general. It was sad when that was patched.:(
You are 100% correct. I worked for a newspaper once and my editor would constantly hammer into us that we had to "quote, quote, quote!" If somebody said something, we were to write it as "somebody said something".
Anything not attributed as a quote is viewed as fact in the news, so quoting is of utmost importance when reporting anything that has not been proven to have occurred; if not for accuracy's sake, at least for liability protection. People will sue, and win, over the smallest details that were reported as fact when they were not verified as such.
As a side point, any journalist who uses an online post as a source without further research is nothing short of a shoddy reporter.
I'll admit I paused after "ID" and had to google it. Only when I saw it as "id" did I recognize the company.
Yeah...I just got home from a 10-hour workday...
Slashdot Mirror
1) No subscription.
Your reasoning makes sense, but this how most MMOs are financed. No problem if you don't want to pay a subscription - I don't, either - but there's not really an alternative if the game is going to make money. Yes, there are some "free to play" MMOs, but practically speaking they cost, as well, since if you want to do anything of value in the game it will require purchases.
2) Demo.
I understand your reasoning, but you need to understand that demos, for the most part, don't return much value to the time put in to making them. If there is a demo, the company is going to get out the bare minimum just to give you a glimpse of the game potential. That's really all you should expect. Don't expect it to be optimized, don't expect it to be customizable, and don't expect it to stay current with whatever the current version of the game is. There's just no profit incentive in it for the developer. Look at demos like you look at movie trailers: simple, short, and the bare minimum necessary to market the film.
3) Value.
Your points are valid, so long as you understand this will be subjective. For example, if I have an AMAZING experience with a game which only lasts 6 hours, is that not more value than having a mediocre experience with a game that lasts for dozens? I say yes, others will say no, and the conflicting perspectives will make it very difficult for a developer to find a one size fits all standard to this. Another comparison may be valid here: a movie ticket costs around $10, and a movie lasts around 2 hours. So, extrapolating that, if a game costs $50 yet provides 10 hours of gameplay, it could be worth it. Again, subjective.
4) System requirements.
This is just silly. New games are going to require more power. Or do you also complain that you can't play 360/PS3 games on your Xbox/PS2? There is some validity in complaining that many games are horribly unoptimized and can barely run on even the best of systems - I'm looking at you Crysis - but you just have to accept that as technology progresses, so will game requirements. And it's unrealistic to make comparisons between games, since you don't know what's going on behind the scenes with the code. Simply saying "FPS #2234 runs just fine, why doesn't FPS #4887?!?" is a specious position to take.
Windows XP is a decade old, it's time to upgrade. I'm sorry if that's not acceptable to you, but technology's not going to wait just because you think your system is "good enough". Also, as far as service pack requirements go, often that requirement is there because differences within an operating system between service packs are substantial enough to make it far simpler, and cheaper, for a developer to only support the latest version. This goes for the games, too. If a patch is available, and you refuse to get it, don't expect much support from the developer if something doesn't work right.
5) DRM.
This one I think we all can agree with. DRM will always be cracked, and only hurts the paying customer. Any developer with respect for their customers will either not include DRM, or at least use some form that gives back added value to the customer - such as Steam. I've never bought Crysis for this reason, even on the recent dirt cheap sales. When I buy a game, I expect to own that copy. Telling me I can only install 5 times, with no guarantee of being able to activate in the future, and you've lost my purchase.
6) Playing nice.
Although, again, you make some good points, I think you're expecting too much. Each executable is going to require a firewall exemption. The Half-Life series, for example, is like this because each game is a different executable. The fact that they are named the same is irrelevant. Also, while I wish there was an easy standard for developers to keep their settings and saved games in one location, differences between systems make this difficult. The latest versions of
There's only one emulator out there which does it right, in my opinion, and that's MAME. Their goal is preservation, not playability, which they still maintain is a nice "side effect" of the code.
Most emulators have it the other way around, and use whatever code hacks or tweaks they can to get the most popular games up and running, replete with all of the glitches and inaccurate emulation which inevitably follow. Instead, they should follow MAME's example, and code for 100% perfect emulation relying solely on hardware guaranteed to be consistent (meaning the CPU). The tradeoff is that more technically advanced games take extremely powerful hardware to run - see Gauntlet Legends or similar games - but when they do they run perfectly, preserving the experience for future generations.
Preservation first, playability second.
If you're looking for plug and play, this, or similar fight sticks, could work nicely as they are plug and play with Windows: http://www.amazon.com/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-Xbox-360/dp/B000V02P6Q
If you're wanting a bit more genuine experience, though, and are willing to put some time in to build your own panel (it's easier than it sounds), Ultimarc makes some of the nicest controls around. The owner, Andy, is one of the greatest guys to deal with when it comes to support, as well.
~Someone whose built his own arcade specifically for the purpose of reliving the classic.
Really, when was the last time Carmack's games were relevant? Doom 3, maybe? Even that was overshadowed by other, better, games at the time. If anything is a leftover remnant of the 90s, it's id Software.
If the PC market has "receded in terms of significance" it is due solely to developers abandoning the platform. If developers like id or Valve (with their recent Left 4 Dead 2 fiasco) would remember the platform that made them what they are, then the platform itself would still be doing just fine, thank you very much. PCs haven't changed. Developers have.
They should have included the 4850 x2 in the $170 to $250 range. The 1gb version can be had for around $240 (the 2gb for $260 or so) and regularly beats even the GTX 280.
It's on the upper edges of that budget, to be sure, but as long as you're looking in that price range it's worth considering.
I've been a player of Left 4 Dead since its release, and the fun factor has been slowly declining since that time, as each subsequent patch has seemed to cause detrimental changes to the gameplay, while removing many fun elements.
For example, Valve, please fix these most blatant problems: the magic Boomer bug where often bile goes through survivors completely; the glitching Hunter pounce where you'll often fly right through survivors; finally get the Smoker grab working correctly this time; and get rid of the 360-degree radius of a survivor's punch!
I'm really hoping this pack recreates how fun the game was when it was first released.
When the game first came out there was a popular physics glitch whereby punching the Gatling gun repeatedly and then jumping on it would send your player flying. This was quite effective for skipping certain "horde" zones, and for ensuing hilarity, in general. It was sad when that was patched. :(
"If they said...that's libel/defamation."
You are 100% correct. I worked for a newspaper once and my editor would constantly hammer into us that we had to "quote, quote, quote!" If somebody said something, we were to write it as "somebody said something".
Anything not attributed as a quote is viewed as fact in the news, so quoting is of utmost importance when reporting anything that has not been proven to have occurred; if not for accuracy's sake, at least for liability protection. People will sue, and win, over the smallest details that were reported as fact when they were not verified as such.
As a side point, any journalist who uses an online post as a source without further research is nothing short of a shoddy reporter.
I'll admit I paused after "ID" and had to google it. Only when I saw it as "id" did I recognize the company. Yeah...I just got home from a 10-hour workday...