Only documentaries and parodies in the CONTEST. CONTEST--as in the CONTEST. That is to say, the rules of the CONTEST will be allowing in the CONTEST only parodies and documentaries.
Why is this? Probably because yes, Lucas doesn't want people telling a serious alternative to his Star Wars universe. I say his because it is his. He created it. He made the original movies. Hie company authorizes all official fiction and technical supplements. It is his creation.
Now, I will address all the comments I've been reading.
This does not equal a crackdown on fan fiction. This means that in said CONTEST fan fiction-esque films may not be submitted. No, you will not be arrested for shooting your own film about *your* version of Star Wars. Just don't expect official sanction for it.
Those of you who expect more: I ask on what grounds do you expect this. George Lucas is under absolutely no obligation to do anything for you. Just as you are under no obligation to do anything for him.
He is the artist. He is the owner and the creator of the material. Yes, he based it off Hidden Fortress and B-movie serials. However, his story was about some droids, not some Japanese, therefore it is PARODY and not "fan fiction."
I see many people comparing Lucas to Vader, twisting story dialogue to demonize him...etc. First, I find it quietly funny that you parody Star Wars to attack him, but I digress. Personal attacks, while always modded up on this site, don't accomplish much of anything. Bill Clinton, an expert on personal attacks, said he welcomed them in campaings since that meant his opponents had nothing left.
All this is a long way of saying RTFS. This is a contest in which certain types of films will be allowed an other types will not. You might as well flame the Obfuscated C contest for not allowing your "elite" Visual Basic program.
I will then simply cease filing a tax return. I might even write a letter explaining my reason for doing so. Go ahead, try and collect, and watch it turn into a media circus as I scream about it on Slashdot (thereby transmitting it across the globe). Come on, I DARE you.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned, but Civ2 is easily one of the MOST modded games ever. Six/seven years after the game was released, and after numerous clones/sequels, the game is still going strong (hell, I still play it on weekends).
The reason it was modded so often was that Microprose made all the data files open (hmm, almost Open Source, in a way). While the engine was still closed, players could edit plaintext files to control it's behavior, as well as that of the units. The graphics files, for units, terrain, cities, even leaders, were simple GIF's that could be easily modified. Later, Microprose even added a rudimentary macro language for scenario builders.
I have seen many truly remarkable Civ2 mods. Some people overhauled the ENTIRE game, replacing everything. Forget scenario editors, this goes way beyond.
I couldn't agree more. All I ever listen to anymore is National Public Radio or an occasional oldies station. The music is good, the music is creative, and the music was not created on the demand of money-hungry executives (unless, in the case of classical music, you want to count Emperor Joseph II of Austria, whom comissioned Mozart).
Myst was an impressive achievement for its day (1993), in terms of graphics and gameplay. It was fun, it was nice to look at, and it was, at times, quite challenging. Anyone else slave away trying to match tones on the rocket ship?
I notice lots of people are saying "games don't turn into movies, this will suck," and I would have to disagree. Myst isn't a game in the traditional sense. It bears as much resemblence to Tomb Raider or Resident Evil as a water pistol to Kalashnikov. Myst is a story, an interactive story, and thus ought to move better to the big/small screen. There were Myst novels, after all.
As I see, the difficulty will be in creating true character interaction when the game had practically none. Unless, of course, you just want to have interplay between Artus and the main character, but then it would feel like some sorry fantasy Charlie's Angels rehash (so what did the voice in the book say this week?)
This is not truly offtopic--did anyone else notice the italics in the story title? I've never noticed this capability before, is it something that's been around and simply ignored or is it a new feature? I'm quite curious, anyone who knows, if they could respond here.
Moderators--Offtopic would be a waste of time and resources. The italicizing occured for this story, so it is on-topic.
Thank you,
~Chazzf
Re:Western "great powers" shown to be fools yet ag
on
Soviet Moon Rocket
·
· Score: 1
Interesting that the US is the only country that has never been successfully invaded....
Technically you're correct, but the British did raise considerable havoc during the War of 1812.
If you stand alone, they will monitor every aspect of your lives, from email to web surfing, to drug use. The actions in this article are only the beginning.
Pure and utter FUD. No one forces you to work for them. Email uses company resources, esp. time and bandwidth. That is a legitimate concern. Drug testing is not unusual, and can be justified. Suppose the company doesn't want a drug-user working for them? Entirely their right. As it is your right to leave if you don't like the policy.
Funny, the communists (your name suggests an affiliation thereof) aren't known for the opportunity to choose.
I have to agree with the above posters that companies have a legitimate point here. Flash animations, greeting cards, personal email, pr0n...all this stuff takes bandwith folks. Moreover, all this stuff will travel over the COMPANY's network on COMPANY time.
Worse, let's say Dumb Secretary #1 opens up an ILOVEYOU-type virus (I saw such a case on the evening news at the time.) Boom-infected machines that will have to be cleaned up. This is most certainly a BAD THING.
Now, before I'm flamed by the personal freedoms crowd, let me point out that work is a privilege. You have been hired by said company to perform said tasks. You have not been hired to bid on eBay, manage your stocks, or visit the Hamsterdance. Those people who need access, like developers, will likely be granted it. The article means companies in general, some tech firms probably won't mess with it.
We'll have to see where this goes, but I say let's wait and see.
There is a fallacy in your reasoning here. These concepts are of that vintage, but the actual implementations are far more elegant.
Penicillin - People still take drugs, but those drugs are magnitudes more powerful and complicated than penicillin
Iowa/Yamato class battleships - The battleship as a ship-of-the-line was rendered obsolete in the 1940's. Those that serve today carry helos and guided missiles.
Apollo moonrockets - They have not been utilized since 1974, with the Apollo-Soyuz test project. I will grant that NASA has lagged behind in space delivery systems.
Polio vaccine - If it isn't broke don't fix it. However, new vaccines are coming along all the time.
Transistor - Has been superceded by better technologies.
Bulk transport system, rail - The main difference here is that the engines of today are vastly more powerful than those in the 1860's. There is no comparison between a 4-4-0 American-C and a Dash D9. None at all.
Bulk transport system, car/truck - Same with above, plus the interstate system, created between the 1950's and the 1990's (yes, it was based on 1930's German tech, but it is better than the Autobahn).
Airplane - Once again, the concept is there, but a whole host of innovations have been ignored. The airplane of 1910 bears little resemblance to the airplane of 2002.
Fast airplane - Once again, vastly more advanced today. Try telling me that an F-86 Sabre has anything on an F-22 Raptor. Better avionics, superior engines, stealth....
Personally, I would say we're making plenty of progress on these fronts.
The site looks fine in Mozilla, but it isn't possible to click any of the menu bar links. That is, to put it mildly, a pain in the ass. You'd think they could have bothered to test it with multiple browsers.
I do some web design for high schools, student organizations, little stuff like that. I ALWAYS check compatibility, because a lot of schools still use Netscape over IE, believe it or not.
Irrelevant. The purpose of Slashdot, as I see it, is to provide a forum for people to debate and discuss technical issues. Slashdot is not a news magazine or site like Register or Wired.
Besides, I read the Register first, and then vent on/.
At the risk of losing any karma that I might have, let me make a few points here:
Freeciv is a very nice game, and very fun to play. However, all things considered, it is nothing more than a souped-up version of Civilization II-minus the graphics, sound, and impressive documentation. Building queues and simultaneous turns are great, but really don't represent evolution.
As far as the eye-candy goes, I consider it to be PART of the gameplay experience. I have played the Heroes of Might and Magic series for a long time not just because the gameplay is good but because the game is visually pleasing.
Finally, I have to ask why the Linux/GNU/FreeBSD/Open Source/Free Software community is so obsessed with trumping the "closed" community by producing open source replicas of hard work. Don't you think that Sid Meier, Brian Reynolds, or Jeff Briggs are geeks, hobbyists, innovaters. They created this game. You've reverse-engineered. The open community ought to dedicate itself to creating something original, something that it can call its own.
Be this as it may, Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition also featured trading cities for technology, and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri featured production queues. These ideas are nothing new.
Was I the only one here who thought that the trailer boded well for Episode II? Grow up, people, and consider that what you saw made some sense. If Anakin is truly in love with Amidala and Obi-Wan nails him with Jedi rhetoric it is entirely understandable that he'd be pissed. We KNOW that the Skywalkers are an unstable family anyway...
As for the complaints about acting, I think we all forget the wonderfully talented Oscar-level performance of Mark Hamill has whiny-boy, er, Luke Skywalker. Saying that "you've grown" seems entirely appropriate for the situation. Similarly, "I'll be the greatest Jedi ever" is exactly the sort of thing an angry unstable twenty-something whose mad at the galaxy would say in a moment of duress.
Finally, the action scenes are looking reasonably decent. Anyone else notice Boba Fett? Christopher Lee? If Lee does his usual good turn it should be a lot fun. Finally, NO Jar-Jar anywhere in the trailer. This is a Good Thing. More than anything, I think it suggests that Lucas listened to the public outcry about said abomination.
Reading through the lists of important authors, am I surprised as to who gets left out. In order to further confuse the debate, I offer these (not necessarily Sci-Fi) authors:
Arthur C. Clarke-Find me somebody who hasn't been exposed to his work. He was Asimov's contemporary and just as good. 2001, Rama, so many others, I can't believe that he'd be forgotten. Also, lest ye forget, he postulated the communications satellite.
Salman Rushdie-If for no other reason, he'll be remembered for angering the entire Islamic world and then spending several years in London under British protection.
Sir John Keegan-Like Stephen Ambrose, a gifted historian with a knack for making his writing accessible to the public. Even if you're not a history buff, read Face of Battle sometime. It was published 25 years ago and is still popular.
Carl Sagan-He wrote, in addition to being an astronomer, and is well known outside the academic community.
Finally, I'd like to point something out. Most authors that stand the test of time are remembered because they accomplished something outside the literary realm or had some distinguishing characterisitc. For example: Sir Benjamin Disraeli was a 19th century British politician, but also an accomplished author. Yet, his works might not be known today had he not also been a successful politician.
Ugh, long post, sorry.
Re:Will Civ III be a better game?
on
Sid Meier on Civ III
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
I've been following the development of Civ III rather closely and I would like to offer some counterpoint here:
Special gimmick units that are only available to a specific civilisation? Yuck, no thanks. Relatively heavily-classed players may have worked quite well in Alpha Centauri (which I haven't played much), but I'd rather Civ kept giving players the ability to choose their strengths and weaknesses "in-band" and to change those trade-offs over time as circumstances dictate, rather than locking them into one optimal style of play at the start of the game.
What they're trying to do here, I think, is improve the historical realism in the game. Players can then take the civ that fits their playing style. When fighting the AI, the AI will act according to its historical advantages/disadvantages. They did this in Civ2, just not as greatly.
I don't see why the tech tree needs to be bodged with "ages", either. Yes, in Civs past you can, for example, specialise relentlessly to get a particular technology. If you keep it up too long, however, the dependencies bite hard and you have a huge amount of "filling in" to do before you can progress. (RPM fans will recognise this as the Gnucash effect.:) ) The way old Civ calculates the cost of new technologies mades the effect even stronger, perhaps in fact too strong. The ability to skew your technological progress quite strongly is fun, and probably relatively realistic by Civ standards - look at all the pretty advanced preliterate civilisations that existed. "Ages" don't seem the solution to me.
Again, I think the issue is historial realism. How could a civ surge towards a goal when realistically they wouldn't even know that they existed. Science is relatively incremental.
I'm also not sold on the changes to Wonders. Doesn't a reproducible Small Wonder defeat the idea of a Wonder somewhat? More fundamentally, in Civ I-II, Wonders were too good to be ignored, but not so powerful that they dominated the game: a nice balance. I wouldn't like to see them become more central to the game. They're mostly candy-floss. Too much bonus-grabbing candyfloss and not enough civilisation-building meat and potatoes is very un-nourishing and will make you feel sick before long.
The key here is again realism. The Manhattan Project must now be built by ANY civ before that civ can have nukes. Much more realisitic. Far better. In reference to the previous point, this can allow, at times, for a scientific leap.
I may be wrong too, but that's just my take on the issues.
807 South University Avenue
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
September 8, 2001
The Honorable Senator Carl Levin
SR-269, Russell Senate Office Building
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Honorable Senator Carl Levin,
It has come to my attention that your colleague Senator Fritz Hollings (D-North Carolina), in conjunction with Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), intends to introduce a bill entitled the "Security Systems Standards and Certification Act." This bill would, in theory, make it a crime to utilize the Linux operating system. Linux, originally written by a Finnish college student in 1991, is based upon the venerable UNIX operating system, and has become the operating system of choice for the professional technical community.
Perhaps even more importantly, this bill would further restrict my already hamstrung digital rights. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, passed in 1998, dealt a serious blow to digital rights by prohibiting, in some cases, "fair use," something clearly protected by law. If I can record a television program with my VCR, shouldn't I also be able to load it on to my computer. Also, since making a backup copy is protected by law (i.e. making a tape recording of a compact disc), shouldn't I be allowed to make a digital backup instead? Logically, I should be able to, but the DMCA has criminalized this by allowing record companies to disable on the CD my ability to make such a copy and by then making in a crime for me to bypass this.
I am concerned that the federal government has ceased to represent me and has instead begun to represent the corporations. We met, Sir, at a Democrat fundraiser last year in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. There, I expressed my admiration for your years of tireless service to the people of my state. I read with pleasure this very morning your decision to curtail spending for the overly expensive and strategically unbalancing National Missile Defense system. I voted for your colleague Debbie Stabenow last year, and I voted for Albert Gore. I have been a lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party. I am fearful, however, that the Democratic Party has ceased to represent me. Programmers are afraid to enter the United States. Indeed, we risk losing our place as the world leader in computer development because our ever-restrictive copyright and technological laws will frighten away all the best talent. I ask you, Sir, to please consider this when debating the SSSCA and other technology laws. Thank you for your time.
...is that George Lucas isn't fit to direct or be otherwise associated with any Star Wars film. Of the four that have been released, which one would most fans say had the best script, the best directing, the best overall tone, and the best all around story-telling? The Empire Strikes Back. Coincidentally, this is the film that Lucas had the least involvement with.
Who else was disappointed by the last two films, ROTJ and TPM? Hands up, I know you were. Ewoks? Jar Jar? With the three prequels ROTJ just doesn't hold up as the finisher. It took the novels (i.e., Zahn), to to that. Fire Lucas and put some Sci-Fi folks in charge, someone who hasn't tackled Star Wars. I fear George simply doesn't have it.
I agree entirely. It was not my intention to be "informative" but to have some fun with the series. It was my honorable intention to make some people laugh and recall the cheesiness of BG. "Nitpicking?" Darn straight it was, and the other posters got that I was having some fun. Lighten up. Three of four moderation points were for being funny.
Slashdot Mirror
Only documentaries and parodies in the CONTEST. CONTEST--as in the CONTEST. That is to say, the rules of the CONTEST will be allowing in the CONTEST only parodies and documentaries.
Why is this? Probably because yes, Lucas doesn't want people telling a serious alternative to his Star Wars universe. I say his because it is his. He created it. He made the original movies. Hie company authorizes all official fiction and technical supplements. It is his creation.
Now, I will address all the comments I've been reading.
This does not equal a crackdown on fan fiction. This means that in said CONTEST fan fiction-esque films may not be submitted. No, you will not be arrested for shooting your own film about *your* version of Star Wars. Just don't expect official sanction for it.
Those of you who expect more: I ask on what grounds do you expect this. George Lucas is under absolutely no obligation to do anything for you. Just as you are under no obligation to do anything for him.
He is the artist. He is the owner and the creator of the material. Yes, he based it off Hidden Fortress and B-movie serials. However, his story was about some droids, not some Japanese, therefore it is PARODY and not "fan fiction."
I see many people comparing Lucas to Vader, twisting story dialogue to demonize him...etc. First, I find it quietly funny that you parody Star Wars to attack him, but I digress. Personal attacks, while always modded up on this site, don't accomplish much of anything. Bill Clinton, an expert on personal attacks, said he welcomed them in campaings since that meant his opponents had nothing left.
All this is a long way of saying RTFS. This is a contest in which certain types of films will be allowed an other types will not. You might as well flame the Obfuscated C contest for not allowing your "elite" Visual Basic program.
Thank you and good day, ~Chazzf
Go ahead Uncle Sam, enact this.
I will then simply cease filing a tax return. I might even write a letter explaining my reason for doing so. Go ahead, try and collect, and watch it turn into a media circus as I scream about it on Slashdot (thereby transmitting it across the globe). Come on, I DARE you.
~Chazzf
I'm surprised no one has mentioned, but Civ2 is easily one of the MOST modded games ever. Six/seven years after the game was released, and after numerous clones/sequels, the game is still going strong (hell, I still play it on weekends).
The reason it was modded so often was that Microprose made all the data files open (hmm, almost Open Source, in a way). While the engine was still closed, players could edit plaintext files to control it's behavior, as well as that of the units. The graphics files, for units, terrain, cities, even leaders, were simple GIF's that could be easily modified. Later, Microprose even added a rudimentary macro language for scenario builders.
I have seen many truly remarkable Civ2 mods. Some people overhauled the ENTIRE game, replacing everything. Forget scenario editors, this goes way beyond.
~Chazzf
I couldn't agree more. All I ever listen to anymore is National Public Radio or an occasional oldies station. The music is good, the music is creative, and the music was not created on the demand of money-hungry executives (unless, in the case of classical music, you want to count Emperor Joseph II of Austria, whom comissioned Mozart).
You are comparing apples and oranges. The Internet is a medium of communication, like the telephone system or the post.
If the government tried to regulate the decency of what was sent through the mail we'd have a valid comparison here. My two cents...
~Chazzf
May it please the readers, I have summarized the above story and all attendant comments.
1. Story is posted noting that $company had implemented $copy_protection on the newest CD of $artist.
2. Someone points out that $copy_protection has a certain $bad_thing associated with it.
3. Users bemoan this heinous $copy_protection and associated $bad_thing.
4. Users bash $company and suggest boycott. Other users note that boycotts never work. Flamewar ensues.
5. Users bash $artist, say it wouldn't be worth ripping anyway.
6. Other users take the high moral ground about the sanctity of fair use.
7. Still other users suggest that $artist go independent. Other users defend $artist, stating that $company controls $artist.
8. There will be a smattering of posts flaming RIAA and other evil organizations.
9. Some users will suggest possible hardware/software workarounds.
10. Finally, in the background, the trolls continue on, oblivious to the actual content of the story.
There you have it, the story in a nutshell.
~Chazzf
Myst was an impressive achievement for its day (1993), in terms of graphics and gameplay. It was fun, it was nice to look at, and it was, at times, quite challenging. Anyone else slave away trying to match tones on the rocket ship?
I notice lots of people are saying "games don't turn into movies, this will suck," and I would have to disagree. Myst isn't a game in the traditional sense. It bears as much resemblence to Tomb Raider or Resident Evil as a water pistol to Kalashnikov. Myst is a story, an interactive story, and thus ought to move better to the big/small screen. There were Myst novels, after all.
As I see, the difficulty will be in creating true character interaction when the game had practically none. Unless, of course, you just want to have interplay between Artus and the main character, but then it would feel like some sorry fantasy Charlie's Angels rehash (so what did the voice in the book say this week?)
~Chazzf
This is not truly offtopic--did anyone else notice the italics in the story title? I've never noticed this capability before, is it something that's been around and simply ignored or is it a new feature? I'm quite curious, anyone who knows, if they could respond here.
Moderators--Offtopic would be a waste of time and resources. The italicizing occured for this story, so it is on-topic.
Thank you,
~Chazzf
Interesting that the US is the only country that has never been successfully invaded....
Technically you're correct, but the British did raise considerable havoc during the War of 1812.
If you stand alone, they will monitor every aspect of your lives, from email to web surfing, to drug use. The actions in this article are only the beginning.
Pure and utter FUD. No one forces you to work for them. Email uses company resources, esp. time and bandwidth. That is a legitimate concern. Drug testing is not unusual, and can be justified. Suppose the company doesn't want a drug-user working for them? Entirely their right. As it is your right to leave if you don't like the policy.
Funny, the communists (your name suggests an affiliation thereof) aren't known for the opportunity to choose.
~chazzf
I have to agree with the above posters that companies have a legitimate point here. Flash animations, greeting cards, personal email, pr0n...all this stuff takes bandwith folks. Moreover, all this stuff will travel over the COMPANY's network on COMPANY time.
Worse, let's say Dumb Secretary #1 opens up an ILOVEYOU-type virus (I saw such a case on the evening news at the time.) Boom-infected machines that will have to be cleaned up. This is most certainly a BAD THING.
Now, before I'm flamed by the personal freedoms crowd, let me point out that work is a privilege. You have been hired by said company to perform said tasks. You have not been hired to bid on eBay, manage your stocks, or visit the Hamsterdance. Those people who need access, like developers, will likely be granted it. The article means companies in general, some tech firms probably won't mess with it.
We'll have to see where this goes, but I say let's wait and see.
~chazzf
No moderation on this post, please, I just wish to add my two cents on this historic occasion.
Congratulations, Taco, and good luck.
I will now step aside for all the inevitable beowulf, first post, meta-moderation, CowboyNeal, etc. jokes.
~Chazzf
Penicillin - People still take drugs, but those drugs are magnitudes more powerful and complicated than penicillin
Iowa/Yamato class battleships - The battleship as a ship-of-the-line was rendered obsolete in the 1940's. Those that serve today carry helos and guided missiles.
Apollo moonrockets - They have not been utilized since 1974, with the Apollo-Soyuz test project. I will grant that NASA has lagged behind in space delivery systems.
Polio vaccine - If it isn't broke don't fix it. However, new vaccines are coming along all the time.
Transistor - Has been superceded by better technologies.
Bulk transport system, rail - The main difference here is that the engines of today are vastly more powerful than those in the 1860's. There is no comparison between a 4-4-0 American-C and a Dash D9. None at all.
Bulk transport system, car/truck - Same with above, plus the interstate system, created between the 1950's and the 1990's (yes, it was based on 1930's German tech, but it is better than the Autobahn).
Airplane - Once again, the concept is there, but a whole host of innovations have been ignored. The airplane of 1910 bears little resemblance to the airplane of 2002.
Fast airplane - Once again, vastly more advanced today. Try telling me that an F-86 Sabre has anything on an F-22 Raptor. Better avionics, superior engines, stealth....
Personally, I would say we're making plenty of progress on these fronts.
~chazzf
The site looks fine in Mozilla, but it isn't possible to click any of the menu bar links. That is, to put it mildly, a pain in the ass. You'd think they could have bothered to test it with multiple browsers.
I do some web design for high schools, student organizations, little stuff like that. I ALWAYS check compatibility, because a lot of schools still use Netscape over IE, believe it or not.
That's my two cents anyway.
You would be thinking of SimsVille, which was actually cancelled outright. I don't think it really qualifies, under the circumstances.
that we create a beowulf cluster of repeated Slashdot stories.
Irrelevant. The purpose of Slashdot, as I see it, is to provide a forum for people to debate and discuss technical issues. Slashdot is not a news magazine or site like Register or Wired.
/.
Besides, I read the Register first, and then vent on
At the risk of losing any karma that I might have, let me make a few points here:
Freeciv is a very nice game, and very fun to play. However, all things considered, it is nothing more than a souped-up version of Civilization II-minus the graphics, sound, and impressive documentation. Building queues and simultaneous turns are great, but really don't represent evolution.
As far as the eye-candy goes, I consider it to be PART of the gameplay experience. I have played the Heroes of Might and Magic series for a long time not just because the gameplay is good but because the game is visually pleasing.
Finally, I have to ask why the Linux/GNU/FreeBSD/Open Source/Free Software community is so obsessed with trumping the "closed" community by producing open source replicas of hard work. Don't you think that Sid Meier, Brian Reynolds, or Jeff Briggs are geeks, hobbyists, innovaters. They created this game. You've reverse-engineered. The open community ought to dedicate itself to creating something original, something that it can call its own.
Sensible replies please, no flames.
Be this as it may, Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition also featured trading cities for technology, and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri featured production queues. These ideas are nothing new.
Was I the only one here who thought that the trailer boded well for Episode II? Grow up, people, and consider that what you saw made some sense. If Anakin is truly in love with Amidala and Obi-Wan nails him with Jedi rhetoric it is entirely understandable that he'd be pissed. We KNOW that the Skywalkers are an unstable family anyway...
As for the complaints about acting, I think we all forget the wonderfully talented Oscar-level performance of Mark Hamill has whiny-boy, er, Luke Skywalker. Saying that "you've grown" seems entirely appropriate for the situation. Similarly, "I'll be the greatest Jedi ever" is exactly the sort of thing an angry unstable twenty-something whose mad at the galaxy would say in a moment of duress.
Finally, the action scenes are looking reasonably decent. Anyone else notice Boba Fett? Christopher Lee? If Lee does his usual good turn it should be a lot fun. Finally, NO Jar-Jar anywhere in the trailer. This is a Good Thing. More than anything, I think it suggests that Lucas listened to the public outcry about said abomination.
Reading through the lists of important authors, am I surprised as to who gets left out. In order to further confuse the debate, I offer these (not necessarily Sci-Fi) authors:
Arthur C. Clarke-Find me somebody who hasn't been exposed to his work. He was Asimov's contemporary and just as good. 2001, Rama, so many others, I can't believe that he'd be forgotten. Also, lest ye forget, he postulated the communications satellite.
Salman Rushdie-If for no other reason, he'll be remembered for angering the entire Islamic world and then spending several years in London under British protection.
Sir John Keegan-Like Stephen Ambrose, a gifted historian with a knack for making his writing accessible to the public. Even if you're not a history buff, read Face of Battle sometime. It was published 25 years ago and is still popular.
Carl Sagan-He wrote, in addition to being an astronomer, and is well known outside the academic community.
Finally, I'd like to point something out. Most authors that stand the test of time are remembered because they accomplished something outside the literary realm or had some distinguishing characterisitc. For example: Sir Benjamin Disraeli was a 19th century British politician, but also an accomplished author. Yet, his works might not be known today had he not also been a successful politician.
Ugh, long post, sorry.
I've been following the development of Civ III rather closely and I would like to offer some counterpoint here:
:) ) The way old Civ calculates the cost of new technologies mades the effect even stronger, perhaps in fact too strong. The ability to skew your technological progress quite strongly is fun, and probably relatively realistic by Civ standards - look at all the pretty advanced preliterate civilisations that existed. "Ages" don't seem the solution to me.
Special gimmick units that are only available to a specific civilisation? Yuck, no thanks. Relatively heavily-classed players may have worked quite well in Alpha Centauri (which I haven't played much), but I'd rather Civ kept giving players the ability to choose their strengths and weaknesses "in-band" and to change those trade-offs over time as circumstances dictate, rather than locking them into one optimal style of play at the start of the game.
What they're trying to do here, I think, is improve the historical realism in the game. Players can then take the civ that fits their playing style. When fighting the AI, the AI will act according to its historical advantages/disadvantages. They did this in Civ2, just not as greatly.
I don't see why the tech tree needs to be bodged with "ages", either. Yes, in Civs past you can, for example, specialise relentlessly to get a particular technology. If you keep it up too long, however, the dependencies bite hard and you have a huge amount of "filling in" to do before you can progress. (RPM fans will recognise this as the Gnucash effect.
Again, I think the issue is historial realism. How could a civ surge towards a goal when realistically they wouldn't even know that they existed. Science is relatively incremental.
I'm also not sold on the changes to Wonders. Doesn't a reproducible Small Wonder defeat the idea of a Wonder somewhat? More fundamentally, in Civ I-II, Wonders were too good to be ignored, but not so powerful that they dominated the game: a nice balance. I wouldn't like to see them become more central to the game. They're mostly candy-floss. Too much bonus-grabbing candyfloss and not enough civilisation-building meat and potatoes is very un-nourishing and will make you feel sick before long.
The key here is again realism. The Manhattan Project must now be built by ANY civ before that civ can have nukes. Much more realisitic. Far better. In reference to the previous point, this can allow, at times, for a scientific leap.
I may be wrong too, but that's just my take on the issues.
807 South University Avenue
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
September 8, 2001
The Honorable Senator Carl Levin
SR-269, Russell Senate Office Building
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Honorable Senator Carl Levin,
It has come to my attention that your colleague Senator Fritz Hollings (D-North Carolina), in conjunction with Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), intends to introduce a bill entitled the "Security Systems Standards and Certification Act." This bill would, in theory, make it a crime to utilize the Linux operating system. Linux, originally written by a Finnish college student in 1991, is based upon the venerable UNIX operating system, and has become the operating system of choice for the professional technical community.
Perhaps even more importantly, this bill would further restrict my already hamstrung digital rights. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, passed in 1998, dealt a serious blow to digital rights by prohibiting, in some cases, "fair use," something clearly protected by law. If I can record a television program with my VCR, shouldn't I also be able to load it on to my computer. Also, since making a backup copy is protected by law (i.e. making a tape recording of a compact disc), shouldn't I be allowed to make a digital backup instead? Logically, I should be able to, but the DMCA has criminalized this by allowing record companies to disable on the CD my ability to make such a copy and by then making in a crime for me to bypass this.
I am concerned that the federal government has ceased to represent me and has instead begun to represent the corporations. We met, Sir, at a Democrat fundraiser last year in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. There, I expressed my admiration for your years of tireless service to the people of my state. I read with pleasure this very morning your decision to curtail spending for the overly expensive and strategically unbalancing National Missile Defense system. I voted for your colleague Debbie Stabenow last year, and I voted for Albert Gore. I have been a lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party. I am fearful, however, that the Democratic Party has ceased to represent me. Programmers are afraid to enter the United States. Indeed, we risk losing our place as the world leader in computer development because our ever-restrictive copyright and technological laws will frighten away all the best talent. I ask you, Sir, to please consider this when debating the SSSCA and other technology laws. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Charles G. Fulton
...is that George Lucas isn't fit to direct or be otherwise associated with any Star Wars film. Of the four that have been released, which one would most fans say had the best script, the best directing, the best overall tone, and the best all around story-telling? The Empire Strikes Back. Coincidentally, this is the film that Lucas had the least involvement with.
Who else was disappointed by the last two films, ROTJ and TPM? Hands up, I know you were. Ewoks? Jar Jar? With the three prequels ROTJ just doesn't hold up as the finisher. It took the novels (i.e., Zahn), to to that. Fire Lucas and put some Sci-Fi folks in charge, someone who hasn't tackled Star Wars. I fear George simply doesn't have it.
I agree entirely. It was not my intention to be "informative" but to have some fun with the series. It was my honorable intention to make some people laugh and recall the cheesiness of BG. "Nitpicking?" Darn straight it was, and the other posters got that I was having some fun. Lighten up. Three of four moderation points were for being funny.