The Belkin Speedpad might be an option: it has a dpad built in, a scroll wheel, and several mappable keys. It is for right-handers only, though, at this time.
Batman: OnStar, I locked the keys in the Batmobile. OnStar: Okay, let me see, looks like you are at Stately Wayne Manor... wait, your secret identity is Bruce Wayne! Batman: Dammit.
Enjoyed the Neil Gaiman penned Endless Nights, as well as the various Fables graphic novels, written by Bill Willingham: Legends in Exile and Animal Farm.
Joss Whedon's Fray is also out in trade paperback.
For the more superhero-minded, the Busiek/Perez JLA/Avengers teamup is great (still one issue to go, though). And Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross is certainly a pretty pretty book.
Man, I hope not: those Fisher Price kids are genetic disasters. Most of them are bald, have some type of head enlarging disorder, as well as lack of arms and legs. I've even seen one with a pan on his head.
Now Weebles: there's your evolutionary high road...
Last Starfighter was, if I recall, the first movie to use CG solely for special effects (i.e. no models, no hand-drawn animation, etc). Tron used some computer imagery, but many of the effects were hand-drawn.
" the company is also including female gamers in its television commercials"
Not surprising. One, however, should not infer that because MS is putting female gamers in their commercials they are attempting to appeal to that segment.
After all, Budweiser/Coors/Any Beer Company puts women in their commercials too, but isn't necessarily trying to sell the product to that group, are they?
EA's problem with Xbox Live is that they do not want Microsoft managing their customers' experience: they don't trust Microsoft to play fair with them (and can you blame them?).
PA's analysis is from the gamers' perspective, and that's perfectly fine, but EA is looking at this from their shareholders/company perspective: if they turn over their online customers to Microsoft (which is exactly what would happen if they supported Xbox Live) then they could be putting themselves out of business.
So, if EA is holding out for a better deal, that's certainly their right: the people buying their games to play are their customers, not Microsoft's.
Between good old Sol shooting off flares and Jupiter's mystery spot, I'm thinking I might want to be somewhere else while the Monolith eats Jupiter and the Sun explodes.
Sigh, guess I'll just have to buy better sunscreen.
"And if I'm driving, it's a lot safer for me to speak what I want than to futz around tapping on the screen."
It would be a lot safer for me if you made all your calls at home, or in the driveway, or any stopped position, rather than diverting your attention away from the road.
I will never understand the jackasses who can't seem to spend the 3-4 minutes at home making any calls, and instead decide to do it while going 60mph on a freeway.
Oops, my bad: they tossed some under less than ideal headings (Folk games? Huh? Hobby Games). Would be better as their own category, I'd argue, since I missed them my first time through.:)
" but no dreamweaver doesn't produce bloated code unless you have no idea what you're doing;-) )"
Ah, therein lies the rub: those who use Dreamweaver are usually the type that indeed has no idea what they are doing, thus the bloated code.
I know of few Web developers who use Dreamweaver (well, Web developers worth crap, that is) as their primary tool. At least MX let's you code in a non-WYSIWYG manner more easily, but the software itself is bloated, not terribly user-friendly, and expensive.
The problem with Star Wars games is that everyone wants to be a Jedi. Period. Sure, you'll get the odd weirdo who wants to be Watto's sex slave, or the guy who thinks Corellian starship mechanics is the place for him, but by and large, everyone wants to be a Jedi. That's why every Star Wars game lets you
Back on various Pern-themed MUSHed, based upon the Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider books, you had a very similar situation: everyone wanted to be a dragonrider (and, even more pointedly, the higher level gold/bronze dragonriders). Folks who could not obtain a gold dragon in one of the MUSHes would start their own MUSH (generically called the "gold-of-their-own" MUSHes since the person starting the new MUSH always gave him/herself a gold dragon). Guess what? It isn't all that fun when everyone wants to play the same type of character.
Imagine playing a Star Trek game: folks would most likely want to be a Captain or a bridge officer, NOT Ensign Red Shirt or Dumbass Diplomat. In vampire games, you'd want to be a vampire (or, these days, a vampire slayer, I guess).
The problem is that it is NO fun being a Captain, or a Jedi, or a Vampire if EVERYONE else is a Captain, Jedi or Vampire. That, invariably, is why MMORPGs based upon the concept that one type of person is better than everyone else is destined to fail, unless care is given to balancing all the different career paths.
Movies tend to focus on extraordinary individuals, and Star Wars, Matrix, Star Trek, etc, all have that "bias." Creating games based on those extraordinary people works perfectly fine in single-player experiences (where everyone CAN be the Captain), but suffers greatly when spread across hundreds or thousands of people.
I think that's why more generic MMORPGs like Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot tend to be more interesting: while there are some balance issues, there's not a clearly superior "endstate" class, like Jedi or Captain or Vampire. There's no pre-conceived notions of how to do things, and no reference material (like movies) to inform the experience.
Slashdot Mirror
The Belkin Speedpad might be an option: it has a dpad built in, a scroll wheel, and several mappable keys. It is for right-handers only, though, at this time.
Specs and Information on the SpeedPad.
Great game, killer AI, and massive support from the publishers. Never had this much fun with turn-based strategy games since Alpha Centauri.
Here's the first time Batman is using it:
Batman: OnStar, I locked the keys in the Batmobile.
OnStar: Okay, let me see, looks like you are at Stately Wayne Manor... wait, your secret identity is Bruce Wayne!
Batman: Dammit.
"I let my friend carry my powerbook in the bag. He tripped and dropped the powerbook"
Shouldn't that be "former friend"?
Enjoyed the Neil Gaiman penned Endless Nights, as well as the various Fables graphic novels, written by Bill Willingham: Legends in Exile and Animal Farm.
Joss Whedon's Fray is also out in trade paperback.
For the more superhero-minded, the Busiek/Perez JLA/Avengers teamup is great (still one issue to go, though). And Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross is certainly a pretty pretty book.
Visual reference for more amusement.
"What's next, the Fisher Price Cloning kit?"
Man, I hope not: those Fisher Price kids are genetic disasters. Most of them are bald, have some type of head enlarging disorder, as well as lack of arms and legs. I've even seen one with a pan on his head.
Now Weebles: there's your evolutionary high road...
Because I know from another story that Open Source people love them feuds. :)
"Palm, page, phone, and dictaphone... my belt makes me look like BATMAN these days."
Wait, I don't see what the problem is. I actually want more devices AND a utility belt. But only if I can carry a grappling hook around, too.
Last Starfighter was, if I recall, the first movie to use CG solely for special effects (i.e. no models, no hand-drawn animation, etc). Tron used some computer imagery, but many of the effects were hand-drawn.
" the company is also including female gamers in its television commercials"
Not surprising. One, however, should not infer that because MS is putting female gamers in their commercials they are attempting to appeal to that segment.
After all, Budweiser/Coors/Any Beer Company puts women in their commercials too, but isn't necessarily trying to sell the product to that group, are they?
"And who's going to pay for an Ewok character auction on Ebay? ;)"
Are you kidding? A single Ewok with a sling can take down legions of Stormtroopers: you'd be the most feared character in the Empire.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture also had an opening musical segement over a starfield. I think that's the last time I've seen/heard that in a movie.
EA's problem with Xbox Live is that they do not want Microsoft managing their customers' experience: they don't trust Microsoft to play fair with them (and can you blame them?).
PA's analysis is from the gamers' perspective, and that's perfectly fine, but EA is looking at this from their shareholders/company perspective: if they turn over their online customers to Microsoft (which is exactly what would happen if they supported Xbox Live) then they could be putting themselves out of business.
So, if EA is holding out for a better deal, that's certainly their right: the people buying their games to play are their customers, not Microsoft's.
Between good old Sol shooting off flares and Jupiter's mystery spot, I'm thinking I might want to be somewhere else while the Monolith eats Jupiter and the Sun explodes.
Sigh, guess I'll just have to buy better sunscreen.
I'll still use vi instead.
"And if I'm driving, it's a lot safer for me to speak what I want than to futz around tapping on the screen."
It would be a lot safer for me if you made all your calls at home, or in the driveway, or any stopped position, rather than diverting your attention away from the road.
I will never understand the jackasses who can't seem to spend the 3-4 minutes at home making any calls, and instead decide to do it while going 60mph on a freeway.
Oops, my bad: they tossed some under less than ideal headings (Folk games? Huh? Hobby Games). Would be better as their own category, I'd argue, since I missed them my first time through. :)
Oh, and card games:
* Poker
* Gin
* Bridge
as well as other card games:
* Uno
* Magic
* Lunch Money
Sure there's a lot more there, too.
What about those fun playground games, like:
* Red Rover
* Dodge Ball
* Hide and Seek
* Cowboys and Indians
* Jump rope (great single and multi-player action!)
Not to mention things like Football (both American and the rest of the World), Baseball, Cricket, etc.
" but no dreamweaver doesn't produce bloated code unless you have no idea what you're doing ;-) )"
Ah, therein lies the rub: those who use Dreamweaver are usually the type that indeed has no idea what they are doing, thus the bloated code.
I know of few Web developers who use Dreamweaver (well, Web developers worth crap, that is) as their primary tool. At least MX let's you code in a non-WYSIWYG manner more easily, but the software itself is bloated, not terribly user-friendly, and expensive.
Ooops. Missed completing a thought in there:
That's why every Star Wars game lets you play as a Jedi.
The problem with Star Wars games is that everyone wants to be a Jedi. Period. Sure, you'll get the odd weirdo who wants to be Watto's sex slave, or the guy who thinks Corellian starship mechanics is the place for him, but by and large, everyone wants to be a Jedi. That's why every Star Wars game lets you
Back on various Pern-themed MUSHed, based upon the Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider books, you had a very similar situation: everyone wanted to be a dragonrider (and, even more pointedly, the higher level gold/bronze dragonriders). Folks who could not obtain a gold dragon in one of the MUSHes would start their own MUSH (generically called the "gold-of-their-own" MUSHes since the person starting the new MUSH always gave him/herself a gold dragon). Guess what? It isn't all that fun when everyone wants to play the same type of character.
Imagine playing a Star Trek game: folks would most likely want to be a Captain or a bridge officer, NOT Ensign Red Shirt or Dumbass Diplomat. In vampire games, you'd want to be a vampire (or, these days, a vampire slayer, I guess).
The problem is that it is NO fun being a Captain, or a Jedi, or a Vampire if EVERYONE else is a Captain, Jedi or Vampire. That, invariably, is why MMORPGs based upon the concept that one type of person is better than everyone else is destined to fail, unless care is given to balancing all the different career paths.
Movies tend to focus on extraordinary individuals, and Star Wars, Matrix, Star Trek, etc, all have that "bias." Creating games based on those extraordinary people works perfectly fine in single-player experiences (where everyone CAN be the Captain), but suffers greatly when spread across hundreds or thousands of people.
I think that's why more generic MMORPGs like Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot tend to be more interesting: while there are some balance issues, there's not a clearly superior "endstate" class, like Jedi or Captain or Vampire. There's no pre-conceived notions of how to do things, and no reference material (like movies) to inform the experience.
"Anyone else not thrilled about playing CS with Stephen Hawkings all the time? :/"
At least I might win a game or two against him, I'd imagine. If not, my mad skills really suck.
Buy a couple of SliMP3s and a couple of Linksys Ethernet Bridges, and avoid lost time spent reburning your CD collection. Oh, and save $2400 bucks.