I was about to post the same thing. Every article I've found so far about this has referenced the Telegraph's story. It really sounds like someone across the pond heard something from a guy who heard something and then just ran with it.
From the NY Times' take on it: "Thousands of people have outlined their strategies to the president over the last 48 months, and if a junior staff member at the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis asks you for a few ideas about branch banking, then you too can truthfully say that you have been âoeapproachedâ by the American government." (Full article: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/bulldozing-americas-shrinking-cities/ )
I can't trust anything associated with Peter Molyneux anymore. The man has over-hyped some of his games as a mighty revolution in gaming; the released product then falls far short(Black and White, Fable). This article is just a part of that hype machine rolling on.
I'd love to be proven wrong, but I'll believe this when I see it.
Yeah...Age of Conan supposedly had an older player base, but people still seemed to think "mature" meant "Be a dick all the time. Also, and nipples and blood."
The most disconcerting reality checks came in groups where based on the player's chat and performance I'm -positive- they're a kid...Then they say they need to go afk "cuz my kid's crying."
I've tried almost a dozen different Asian MMOs. They're all Lineage. They all have elves/dark elves, and they all run the same anime leaning forward crouch run thing. Gameplay feels the same for almost all of them. In the West it's the WoW-clones, in the East it's the Lineage clones.
No kidding. When a game releases with its BASIC CHARACTER STATS not implemented, you know something has gone horribly wrong.
I tried the game again a couple months ago and they have come a long way since release. Of course the 4.0 students aren't the ones who get 'most improved' awards...
Well, there are dozens of fantasy-themed MMOs out there. Each new one doesn't necessarily hurt the ones before it too badly.
I'm sure after DC Universe and Champions Online come out we'll start seeing fanboys of all 3 superhero games frothing at the mouth and crying heretic when a game other than their chosen one is mentioned.
Look at any story here about an MMO. It'll be that, with names changed.
The system isn't perfect - the community representative for faction warfare is intentionally filtering out player suggestions so she can help her own Alliance - but it's created a stronger game. The skill queue system means that my friends and I can log in when it suits us, log off to do other things, and not have to babysit the game every time a game finishes. That's directly due to the CSM system.
So it's -already- being abused, and your main example of how this system has improved the game is that you don't actually have to play the game now?
A 'rush' is not Zerg-specific, but a 'Zerg rush' in a game actually involving Zerg, definitely is. The term has become gamer slang for any kind of mindless rush in other games, but in Starcraft rushing with Zealots is not a Zerg.
Problem with leaving in disgust is that in some areas there are no alternatives. At all. That's what is pissing some people off so much about this story--TWC is trying to have the government get rid of the only competition in that area. They want the government to -enforce- the monopoly.
Looks like you got too close to a rabid fanboy there. There's no reasoning with them. Just back away slowly and avoid eye contact, they'll get distracted by some other perceived slight and run off.
I learned something as a result of your post, so I'd say that's a win in your column.
"Everything consensual should be legal" opens the doors to all kinds of zaniness. But hey, this is Slashdot so I guess I'll just keep getting modded down for trying to actually debate the topic while vague comments about "freedom=good" get 5's.
You're -trying- to make an argument that copyright is about civil rights, but you're really not saying why. You're just arguing really. Explain, how is it your civil right to get free stuff? If the authors want you to read their works for free, they'll make it available for that. If not, they're trying to make a living off it.
He uses Lost as an example, but you could replace that with just about anything you -do- like. If people can't make the money to support themselves, they're going to do something else.
How is copying someone's work to enjoy it for yourself free speech? I don't understand why people feel so compelled to morally justify theft. Is it because it's so easy with computers? Surely if it becomes easy to do it shouldn't be illegal, right?
What examples do you have of countries with copyright laws acknowledging that free speech is infringed by it? Are you talking about official acknowledgements, or nutjobs on the internet?
I just realized you're the same guy I replied to earlier in this thread. Looks like you're just going through making vague statements and insulting anyone who disagrees.
Right, and many of them would not devote their lives to create such works if they thought their ability to profit from it wasn't there. Sure, some people would still write or compose, but many artists are relying on income from their art to pay the bills. If you want to rip them off by downloading stuff for free fine, but don't act like it's right, or your right, to do so.
You called bigstrat naive and asked him to show "legal history skills" but then didn't bother making any valid counterpoints yourself.
Not to mention that druids start with an attack spell (Nature's Wrath, I think). That's pretty much what you're intended to use at early levels, not bopping things with your staff.
He didn't think to try that spell? Not even once? I didn't think the tutorial needed to say HEY PUSH THIS BUTTON DOWN HERE AND SEE WHAT IT DOES but hey, guess I was wrong.
That's a hell of an opinion on the game's current state for a guy who hasn't even played the game in years.
A lot of people confuse 'ease' with 'less time-consuming.' I like the changes that have been made to the game(in the past few years since you played). It takes less time to get around to actually playing instead of travel time, farming, etc. I work at work. I play games for fun.
Well, for what it's worth I agree with you Dripdry. I tried out Linux on an extra computer at home and it really just felt like I was going out of my way to make a computer incompatible with the majority of what I want to run on it. Setting it up as a media server was such a frustrating experience that I ended up putting XP back on. Bam, done in under 10 min.
I don't like the idea of having to sift through internet forums to find features that should be documented more accessibly within the OS itself. You can't expect a layman to make the switch to some abstract ideal like "freedom" when they're going to lose convenience and functionality in the process.
Well, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. Probably not much point responding, but here we go anyway.
You hate the way the main character looks in Mass Effect, even though that is a totally customizable asset (even hair). You obviously didn't play it, but you saw a baldish guy on the cover so oh, it must be terrible right?
"Bending" in Force Unleashed wasn't predefined. I was with friends playing the demo and we were having a good time with the physics engine. It was pretty obvious that it registered point of impact and material type when rendering changes to the environment. You could Force push/pull things in some pretty creative ways. I watched a buddy after he got the full game as he bent a piece of metal away from the ceiling, straightened it, then ripped it off. He threw it sideways and cleared an entire hallway with a massive metal clothesline. There's your dynamic physics. But hey, you played the demo for 30 seconds so it must be terrible right?
I really don't know what you're expecting to see. You don't like sequels or games "doing the same thing last years games already did." Going back to your Guybrush example: Every Monkey Island was the same thing. Every graphic adventure game of that era was the same thing. 2D sidescrollers were largely the same thing. Take off your sepia-toned goggles and realize that things -have- advanced, and quite a bit. Similarities in style are what we group as genres, and taking a generic sweeping look at examples from ANY genre, in ANY medium, will show what you're calling "the same thing".
You're really just the guy I was talking about in my first post, waving your cane at modern times and bleating about how much better things used to be.
Slashdot Mirror
and poorly. Braid lets you rewind time, and correct your mistakes.
*cough*PrinceofPersiaSandsofTime*cough*
I was about to post the same thing. Every article I've found so far about this has referenced the Telegraph's story. It really sounds like someone across the pond heard something from a guy who heard something and then just ran with it.
From the NY Times' take on it: "Thousands of people have outlined their strategies to the president over the last 48 months, and if a junior staff member at the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis asks you for a few ideas about branch banking, then you too can truthfully say that you have been âoeapproachedâ by the American government."
(Full article: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/bulldozing-americas-shrinking-cities/ )
I can't trust anything associated with Peter Molyneux anymore. The man has over-hyped some of his games as a mighty revolution in gaming; the released product then falls far short(Black and White, Fable). This article is just a part of that hype machine rolling on.
I'd love to be proven wrong, but I'll believe this when I see it.
Been around here for over a year, and that's the first mention of them that I've seen. You've heard of them before, good for you. Cookie?
Wow. Warning: That link is -very- NSFW unless you work for the Klan. Had to clear my cache and history after viewing that one.
Also, and nipples and blood.
O_o Eeeeewww!
I was going to reply to this with, "Not at the same time!"
But in Age of Conan...yeah.
Yeah...Age of Conan supposedly had an older player base, but people still seemed to think "mature" meant "Be a dick all the time. Also, and nipples and blood."
The most disconcerting reality checks came in groups where based on the player's chat and performance I'm -positive- they're a kid...Then they say they need to go afk "cuz my kid's crying."
You use Asian MMOs as an example of originality.
Seriously?
I've tried almost a dozen different Asian MMOs. They're all Lineage. They all have elves/dark elves, and they all run the same anime leaning forward crouch run thing. Gameplay feels the same for almost all of them. In the West it's the WoW-clones, in the East it's the Lineage clones.
No kidding. When a game releases with its BASIC CHARACTER STATS not implemented, you know something has gone horribly wrong.
I tried the game again a couple months ago and they have come a long way since release. Of course the 4.0 students aren't the ones who get 'most improved' awards...
And don't forget the most important part, a DVD collection of every movie or TV show Bruce Campbell ever made.
Hah, so true. I think the real reason for delays was the lack of a new Army of Darkness for them to quote.
Well, there are dozens of fantasy-themed MMOs out there. Each new one doesn't necessarily hurt the ones before it too badly.
I'm sure after DC Universe and Champions Online come out we'll start seeing fanboys of all 3 superhero games frothing at the mouth and crying heretic when a game other than their chosen one is mentioned.
Look at any story here about an MMO. It'll be that, with names changed.
The system isn't perfect - the community representative for faction warfare is intentionally filtering out player suggestions so she can help her own Alliance - but it's created a stronger game. The skill queue system means that my friends and I can log in when it suits us, log off to do other things, and not have to babysit the game every time a game finishes. That's directly due to the CSM system.
So it's -already- being abused, and your main example of how this system has improved the game is that you don't actually have to play the game now?
A 'rush' is not Zerg-specific, but a 'Zerg rush' in a game actually involving Zerg, definitely is. The term has become gamer slang for any kind of mindless rush in other games, but in Starcraft rushing with Zealots is not a Zerg.
Problem with leaving in disgust is that in some areas there are no alternatives. At all. That's what is pissing some people off so much about this story--TWC is trying to have the government get rid of the only competition in that area. They want the government to -enforce- the monopoly.
They're only getting to use the cars for 6 months, so I don't think ownership will actually be transferred. As a result, no tax hit.
Looks like you got too close to a rabid fanboy there. There's no reasoning with them. Just back away slowly and avoid eye contact, they'll get distracted by some other perceived slight and run off.
I learned something as a result of your post, so I'd say that's a win in your column.
"Everything consensual should be legal" opens the doors to all kinds of zaniness. But hey, this is Slashdot so I guess I'll just keep getting modded down for trying to actually debate the topic while vague comments about "freedom=good" get 5's.
You're -trying- to make an argument that copyright is about civil rights, but you're really not saying why. You're just arguing really. Explain, how is it your civil right to get free stuff? If the authors want you to read their works for free, they'll make it available for that. If not, they're trying to make a living off it.
He uses Lost as an example, but you could replace that with just about anything you -do- like. If people can't make the money to support themselves, they're going to do something else.
How is copying someone's work to enjoy it for yourself free speech? I don't understand why people feel so compelled to morally justify theft. Is it because it's so easy with computers? Surely if it becomes easy to do it shouldn't be illegal, right?
What examples do you have of countries with copyright laws acknowledging that free speech is infringed by it? Are you talking about official acknowledgements, or nutjobs on the internet?
I just realized you're the same guy I replied to earlier in this thread. Looks like you're just going through making vague statements and insulting anyone who disagrees.
Right, and many of them would not devote their lives to create such works if they thought their ability to profit from it wasn't there. Sure, some people would still write or compose, but many artists are relying on income from their art to pay the bills. If you want to rip them off by downloading stuff for free fine, but don't act like it's right, or your right, to do so.
You called bigstrat naive and asked him to show "legal history skills" but then didn't bother making any valid counterpoints yourself.
Not to mention that druids start with an attack spell (Nature's Wrath, I think). That's pretty much what you're intended to use at early levels, not bopping things with your staff.
He didn't think to try that spell? Not even once? I didn't think the tutorial needed to say HEY PUSH THIS BUTTON DOWN HERE AND SEE WHAT IT DOES but hey, guess I was wrong.
That's a hell of an opinion on the game's current state for a guy who hasn't even played the game in years.
A lot of people confuse 'ease' with 'less time-consuming.' I like the changes that have been made to the game(in the past few years since you played). It takes less time to get around to actually playing instead of travel time, farming, etc. I work at work. I play games for fun.
Well, for what it's worth I agree with you Dripdry. I tried out Linux on an extra computer at home and it really just felt like I was going out of my way to make a computer incompatible with the majority of what I want to run on it. Setting it up as a media server was such a frustrating experience that I ended up putting XP back on. Bam, done in under 10 min.
I don't like the idea of having to sift through internet forums to find features that should be documented more accessibly within the OS itself. You can't expect a layman to make the switch to some abstract ideal like "freedom" when they're going to lose convenience and functionality in the process.
Yeah, they're really running it into the ground. Wish I had mod points to undo that 'flamebaid' mod he got.
Leave that poor dead horse alone!
Well, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. Probably not much point responding, but here we go anyway.
You hate the way the main character looks in Mass Effect, even though that is a totally customizable asset (even hair). You obviously didn't play it, but you saw a baldish guy on the cover so oh, it must be terrible right?
"Bending" in Force Unleashed wasn't predefined. I was with friends playing the demo and we were having a good time with the physics engine. It was pretty obvious that it registered point of impact and material type when rendering changes to the environment. You could Force push/pull things in some pretty creative ways. I watched a buddy after he got the full game as he bent a piece of metal away from the ceiling, straightened it, then ripped it off. He threw it sideways and cleared an entire hallway with a massive metal clothesline. There's your dynamic physics. But hey, you played the demo for 30 seconds so it must be terrible right?
I really don't know what you're expecting to see. You don't like sequels or games "doing the same thing last years games already did." Going back to your Guybrush example: Every Monkey Island was the same thing. Every graphic adventure game of that era was the same thing. 2D sidescrollers were largely the same thing. Take off your sepia-toned goggles and realize that things -have- advanced, and quite a bit. Similarities in style are what we group as genres, and taking a generic sweeping look at examples from ANY genre, in ANY medium, will show what you're calling "the same thing".
You're really just the guy I was talking about in my first post, waving your cane at modern times and bleating about how much better things used to be.