I found Dawn of War to be somewhat disappointing. The game itself played fine and looked great. However, the single-player campaign consisted of only 12 or so missions, all from the point of view of the humans (or whatever they are called). When you can play a Blizzard RTS and get 10 or so missions for each playable race, only getting to play a campaign for 1 race in Dawn of War feels like you've been ripped off. (especially since you aren't paying significantly less for the game.)
Re:What's a dead virus?
on
HIV Vaccine
·
· Score: 4, Informative
a dead virus is one that is no longer infective. your description of a virus is accurate, in that they are protein shells around genetic material (most of them, at least, some have enzymes in there and/or different shells)
From what I gather reading the actual article abstract, they're inactivating or killing them with a compound that breaks off small portions of the capsid (general idea abstracted here), but leaves the majority of the capsid intact. The slightly damaged capsid is unable to initiate infection, giving the host time to mount a defense against the real thing.
Why in the sam hill would I want to 'switch to internet explorer rendering'?
for some reason a lot of online retailers have weird IE specific code, and the "continue purchase" graphic fails to appear in firefox. I don't understand this why this would be the case, and what idiot would code an IE-only next button; but I've had to switch browsers (and start the whole purchase process from the beginning) a number of times now.
Since when was a lawsuit the FIRST option? And what makes you think some 15 year old kid could file one?
Exactly. If a 15 year old kid can't file a lawsuit, why should a 15 year old kid think he can credibly rant about the legality of the various EULAs he's had rammed down his/her throat? Lots of people (kids probably) complain about game companies and how they are violating consumer rights. However, rarely do any of these complainers do anything about it except complain.
And any site that actually compares a videogame authentication systems to "the reasoning of those who invented jailhouses and death sentences" needs some perspective and probably a few more years to mature. try reading the rant on the homepage and then tell me this is a constructive group of people dedicated to championing consumer rights and not a bunch of pissed off kids? I'm annoyed about Steam as well, but if and when I get fed up with it, I'm emailing Valve directly rather than posting anonymously in a forum...
the consumer rights violation complaint was about the original HL and how Steam was forced on the individual after the fact when WON went down. 5 years is a bit too long to return the game. As for the merit of the complaint, unless these people are lawyers, why should we give them the time of day? put up or shut up --- file a damn lawsuit and quit whinging on the 'net.
the backstory can be found here. Valve was suing Sierra because they were distributing HL to cyber-cafes, seemingly w/o Valve's authorization. sounds like cyber-cafes weren't in Sierra's distribution pervue, and Valve was annoyed that their games were given away (?) to cafes.
Not sure what this means, except Valve has control over their games in cyber-cafes now. Given their community friendly stance, I don't see this as a bad thing (although if Sierra was just giving the game away previously, I don't see that as bad for the community either.)
is that most, if not all of these games, have an M rating; meaning kids shouldn't be playing them in the first place unless a parent agrees. Yes, these games are violent, have blood, contribute to negative stereotypes, etc, whatever. However, they are clearly labeled as something not fit for a kid. Rather than get in a fit over content, this group really should get in a fit over how lax the enforcement of ESRB rating is. The system is in place, and working in so far as stating that these games are for mature audiences. It's the next step, retail distribution, where the biggest failing is.
BTW comparing a hall of fame to the video music awards is just wrong.
I agree. However, I was comparing them in the sense that Halo's inclusion was more due to its current popularity, rather than it being something that fits the category (standing the test of time), in much the same way that most popular award shows give awards based on popularity.
As for the actual list of potential inductees, it can be found here. The other 2 FPSs on the list were Doom and Half-life. Popularity-wise, sure Halo deserves to be nominated. For essentially starting the FPS phenomena, Doom would have to get the nod. Half-life for both introducing the concept of a real storyline driven FPS as well as well as establishing fan created mods as legitimate (yes, they existed before, but one can't deny that HL took that to an all new level).
How Halo has had more of an impact on the entertainment industry than the above 2 FPSs or even Tetris, I'll never really comprehend...
i've never understood these "hall of fame" type things and why a game that's just a few years old, like Halo, makes the list over something like Pac-Man, or if we're sticking to the revolutionary FPS category, Half-Life or Goldeneye (and even those are arguable, but at least have been around long enough to be more than a popularity contest).
It's like MTV's video awards. If anyone serious were judging these categories, best video would go to a band like Tool, who makes these amazing pieces of work. Instead we get a popularity contest and best video really goes to most overproduced pop drivel song with dancing on the screen.
people buy apple music player thingy. realize how ridiculously easy it is to make it work. see that the computer they are using isn't as ridiculously easy. think "maybe it should be easier. maybe apple can make it easier" and go out to buy an apple computer.
the ipod interacts directly with the computer, so you have the direct comparison between the 2 in front of you. (that and there's the whole software + managing mp3 files on your computer aspect, further strengthening the tie between the 2 items.) your dvd player is in the other room and never interacts with your laptop, so you'd never think to compare them.
I refuse to use DVDs. They offer too little control for my taste
compared to VHS? the only thing you have no control over with a DVD is the intro sequence, where you are often forced to sit through the FBI/Interpol warning and maybe the distributors logo before the main title screen (although some are now including adverts as well). past that, you can just jump the last scene of the movie if you wish, far far faster than possible with a VHS.
also keep in mind 30 fps walking down a hallway in Half-Life 2 could easily turn into 5 fps the minute you enter the outdoors and 8 marines start lobbing grenades at you, if the game wasn't programmed to compensate...
I wonder... Valve wants to distribute through steam because they make more profit. They're forced to also do retail because they have publishing agreements with Vivendi. I wonder if part of the upfront cost in buying the retail box for a MMORPG isn't due publisher demands? If Blizzard were free of Vivendi, could they release the client for free or at a markedly lower price?
This should work regardless of whatever patches Valve puts out, unless vivendi gets their pants in a bunch. One of the ideas behind steam was that you could access your account from anywhere. Just sit down at any computer and play whatever games you have registered (after the requisite 5GB download, or course). requiring the cd at that point defeats the purpose, so I'd assume Valve won't be forcing that on you, unless Vivendi is forcing their hand.
as i recall, original HL required the CD. At some point, a Valve patch eliminated that requirement. I think the need for a CD in the drive is a publisher demand rather than something Valve really wants (given they prefer the electronic distribution method). I imagine in the future a patch will correct this.
Please, do not post your plea or your story or how sorry you are on the forums. If you follow the link in the post above to the FAQ document, you will find information on just how you can contact Valve if you wish.
I find this to be an arrogant/childish statement.
So, Valve telling affected customers to contact them directly rather than in a forum they don't explicitly monitor is childish? The forums aren't monitored by Valve, but rather appointed moderators. Since getting your account re-activated involves going through Valve, rather than a forum moderator, why is it arrogant for Valve to tell people to talk directly to them?
I'm fairly sure the idea of a collector's edition is Blizzards. Or at least they strongly support it. The extras are fairly nice. I have the warcraft 3 CE and the art book is quite nice, something the artists at blizzard are proud of; not something thrown together because the publisher demanded it. Blizzard likes to give to their fans when possible. They've released various DVDs of their cinematics, collector editions of at least 3 games now, with some nice extras.
And as for Blizzard's history, Vivendi is like their 3rd owner. They've had their publishers bought and merged a couple times now.
tinfoil hat time: go to a different city, buy your printer with cash and never send in the warranty card. since it'll never be registered under your name; any documents you print, at best can be traced back to the original store.
Does HL2 have CTF out of the box? What about that Team Fortress thing I heard so much about?
no. multiplayer currently is limited to counter-strike (team based, kill opposing tream in short round style gameplay). Give the game a few months, and more multiplayer mods will be released. Day of Defeat will probably interest you when it comes out "real soon now", as it is world war 2 themed, class-based (although not as radically different as TF), mod revolving around capturing and holding strategic zones.
So was this whole evil-government-controlled-cities thing in the first game as well?
since HL and its mods because the single most played games online outside of MMORPGs. People playing online generally like to play with their friends. Hence the inclusion of a friends list.
So was this whole evil-government-controlled-cities thing in the first game as well?
no. the original game took place almost entirely in and around the black mesa research complex. so you never see the rest of the world. indeed the army that is sent in to clean up is your standard military, rather than the very oppressive group we see in HL2, suggesting that a major change has taken place. however, we do have the army killing civilians theme going on, which suggests that things aren't entirely right in HL.
my feeling, and this is based on me not even getting out of city 17 (as i said i'm still in the airboat), is that the world is now overrun with aliens from Xen (the alien homeworld we learn about in HL), and a new world order has been instituted to control things.
the one plus for us is that Valve are committed to community. They know their success is due entirely to their fans (HL wasn't on top for 5 years soley because of its single player mode). They're gonna do what they have to to get the game working as best as possible.
In terms of the game itself, I haven't played Half Life (1), so I really don't understand what is going on, or why.
basic storyline of half-life: you, as gordan freeman, work in a top secret underground laboratory, Black Mesa, doing god knows what with equipment not meant to be doing what it's doing. Game opens with you showing up to work in the test lab (in probably the absolutely best intro sequence in a game ever, simply because of the awe you have when you realize it is interactive). Something goes horribly wrong with the sample you are analyzing, the whole of Black Mesa basically blows up, and a bunch of aliens start warping in. Your job is to stay alive and get to the surface, whereupon you realize that the government is cleaning up the mess by eliminating everyone, including you. Throughout the story is the mysterious G-man, the guy in the suit, who pops up in the oddest of places to give you consternation by closing doors you just want to go through. At the end of Half-life, he gives you a choice to work with him. hence the intro to HL2.
As for other tie-ins (and i'm only at the airboat section). The guard you meet, Barney, was the nickname for the lovable loaf from the original HL. The barney's basically run around to get killed in the original, and because fans loved them so much, they got a semi-expansion at one point (blue-shift?). In the original HL, there were 3 scientist models, 2 of them re-appear as characters here (at least thus far in my game); although Robert Guiamme wasn't a voice in the original game.
In an HL expansion (opposing force), we learn that some of the aliens don't get along, with some xeno slavery being practiced.
As for the loading issues and telling Valve to talk to Bungie: the original HL was much better in this respect. while there were loading periods, they were much much shorter than HL2. So Valve obviously knows how to do a semi-seamless transition, just perhaps that hasn't been optimized yet (which is frustrating).
hehehe. my idea of a "lan party" was dialing the other phone line in our apartment and playing attack sub 688 with one of my roommates. i don't even think i had a network card in my computer until maybe 95-96.
So the guy who has been working at a steel plant for the last 15 years who is now losing his job because the plant puts out too much in emissions... he just suddenly becomes an expert at energy sources? He's able to just stop work at the factory on Friday and pick up in a consulting gig on Monday?
and what happened to all the auto workers 10-20 years ago when robots began doing a significant portion of the work? what happened to all the people who's jobs were supplanted or eliminated because of computers? What about the pony express riders when the telegraph was invented?
change happens, we adapt. stifling change for job security is stupid.
Slashdot Mirror
I found Dawn of War to be somewhat disappointing. The game itself played fine and looked great. However, the single-player campaign consisted of only 12 or so missions, all from the point of view of the humans (or whatever they are called). When you can play a Blizzard RTS and get 10 or so missions for each playable race, only getting to play a campaign for 1 race in Dawn of War feels like you've been ripped off. (especially since you aren't paying significantly less for the game.)
a dead virus is one that is no longer infective. your description of a virus is accurate, in that they are protein shells around genetic material (most of them, at least, some have enzymes in there and/or different shells)
From what I gather reading the actual article abstract, they're inactivating or killing them with a compound that breaks off small portions of the capsid (general idea abstracted here), but leaves the majority of the capsid intact. The slightly damaged capsid is unable to initiate infection, giving the host time to mount a defense against the real thing.
Why in the sam hill would I want to 'switch to internet explorer rendering'?
for some reason a lot of online retailers have weird IE specific code, and the "continue purchase" graphic fails to appear in firefox. I don't understand this why this would be the case, and what idiot would code an IE-only next button; but I've had to switch browsers (and start the whole purchase process from the beginning) a number of times now.
Since when was a lawsuit the FIRST option? And what makes you think some 15 year old kid could file one?
Exactly. If a 15 year old kid can't file a lawsuit, why should a 15 year old kid think he can credibly rant about the legality of the various EULAs he's had rammed down his/her throat? Lots of people (kids probably) complain about game companies and how they are violating consumer rights. However, rarely do any of these complainers do anything about it except complain.
And any site that actually compares a videogame authentication systems to "the reasoning of those who invented jailhouses and death sentences" needs some perspective and probably a few more years to mature. try reading the rant on the homepage and then tell me this is a constructive group of people dedicated to championing consumer rights and not a bunch of pissed off kids? I'm annoyed about Steam as well, but if and when I get fed up with it, I'm emailing Valve directly rather than posting anonymously in a forum...
the consumer rights violation complaint was about the original HL and how Steam was forced on the individual after the fact when WON went down. 5 years is a bit too long to return the game. As for the merit of the complaint, unless these people are lawyers, why should we give them the time of day? put up or shut up --- file a damn lawsuit and quit whinging on the 'net.
the backstory can be found here. Valve was suing Sierra because they were distributing HL to cyber-cafes, seemingly w/o Valve's authorization. sounds like cyber-cafes weren't in Sierra's distribution pervue, and Valve was annoyed that their games were given away (?) to cafes.
Not sure what this means, except Valve has control over their games in cyber-cafes now. Given their community friendly stance, I don't see this as a bad thing (although if Sierra was just giving the game away previously, I don't see that as bad for the community either.)
is that most, if not all of these games, have an M rating; meaning kids shouldn't be playing them in the first place unless a parent agrees. Yes, these games are violent, have blood, contribute to negative stereotypes, etc, whatever. However, they are clearly labeled as something not fit for a kid. Rather than get in a fit over content, this group really should get in a fit over how lax the enforcement of ESRB rating is. The system is in place, and working in so far as stating that these games are for mature audiences. It's the next step, retail distribution, where the biggest failing is.
BTW comparing a hall of fame to the video music awards is just wrong.
I agree. However, I was comparing them in the sense that Halo's inclusion was more due to its current popularity, rather than it being something that fits the category (standing the test of time), in much the same way that most popular award shows give awards based on popularity.
As for the actual list of potential inductees, it can be found here. The other 2 FPSs on the list were Doom and Half-life. Popularity-wise, sure Halo deserves to be nominated. For essentially starting the FPS phenomena, Doom would have to get the nod. Half-life for both introducing the concept of a real storyline driven FPS as well as well as establishing fan created mods as legitimate (yes, they existed before, but one can't deny that HL took that to an all new level).
How Halo has had more of an impact on the entertainment industry than the above 2 FPSs or even Tetris, I'll never really comprehend...
i've never understood these "hall of fame" type things and why a game that's just a few years old, like Halo, makes the list over something like Pac-Man, or if we're sticking to the revolutionary FPS category, Half-Life or Goldeneye (and even those are arguable, but at least have been around long enough to be more than a popularity contest).
It's like MTV's video awards. If anyone serious were judging these categories, best video would go to a band like Tool, who makes these amazing pieces of work. Instead we get a popularity contest and best video really goes to most overproduced pop drivel song with dancing on the screen.
people buy apple music player thingy. realize how ridiculously easy it is to make it work. see that the computer they are using isn't as ridiculously easy. think "maybe it should be easier. maybe apple can make it easier" and go out to buy an apple computer.
the ipod interacts directly with the computer, so you have the direct comparison between the 2 in front of you. (that and there's the whole software + managing mp3 files on your computer aspect, further strengthening the tie between the 2 items.) your dvd player is in the other room and never interacts with your laptop, so you'd never think to compare them.
I refuse to use DVDs. They offer too little control for my taste
compared to VHS? the only thing you have no control over with a DVD is the intro sequence, where you are often forced to sit through the FBI/Interpol warning and maybe the distributors logo before the main title screen (although some are now including adverts as well). past that, you can just jump the last scene of the movie if you wish, far far faster than possible with a VHS.
also keep in mind 30 fps walking down a hallway in Half-Life 2 could easily turn into 5 fps the minute you enter the outdoors and 8 marines start lobbing grenades at you, if the game wasn't programmed to compensate...
I wonder... Valve wants to distribute through steam because they make more profit. They're forced to also do retail because they have publishing agreements with Vivendi. I wonder if part of the upfront cost in buying the retail box for a MMORPG isn't due publisher demands? If Blizzard were free of Vivendi, could they release the client for free or at a markedly lower price?
This should work regardless of whatever patches Valve puts out, unless vivendi gets their pants in a bunch. One of the ideas behind steam was that you could access your account from anywhere. Just sit down at any computer and play whatever games you have registered (after the requisite 5GB download, or course). requiring the cd at that point defeats the purpose, so I'd assume Valve won't be forcing that on you, unless Vivendi is forcing their hand.
as i recall, original HL required the CD. At some point, a Valve patch eliminated that requirement. I think the need for a CD in the drive is a publisher demand rather than something Valve really wants (given they prefer the electronic distribution method). I imagine in the future a patch will correct this.
Please, do not post your plea or your story or how sorry you are on the forums. If you follow the link in the post above to the FAQ document, you will find information on just how you can contact Valve if you wish.
I find this to be an arrogant/childish statement.
So, Valve telling affected customers to contact them directly rather than in a forum they don't explicitly monitor is childish? The forums aren't monitored by Valve, but rather appointed moderators. Since getting your account re-activated involves going through Valve, rather than a forum moderator, why is it arrogant for Valve to tell people to talk directly to them?
I'm fairly sure the idea of a collector's edition is Blizzards. Or at least they strongly support it. The extras are fairly nice. I have the warcraft 3 CE and the art book is quite nice, something the artists at blizzard are proud of; not something thrown together because the publisher demanded it. Blizzard likes to give to their fans when possible. They've released various DVDs of their cinematics, collector editions of at least 3 games now, with some nice extras.
And as for Blizzard's history, Vivendi is like their 3rd owner. They've had their publishers bought and merged a couple times now.
tinfoil hat time: go to a different city, buy your printer with cash and never send in the warranty card. since it'll never be registered under your name; any documents you print, at best can be traced back to the original store.
Does HL2 have CTF out of the box? What about that Team Fortress thing I heard so much about?
no. multiplayer currently is limited to counter-strike (team based, kill opposing tream in short round style gameplay). Give the game a few months, and more multiplayer mods will be released. Day of Defeat will probably interest you when it comes out "real soon now", as it is world war 2 themed, class-based (although not as radically different as TF), mod revolving around capturing and holding strategic zones.
So was this whole evil-government-controlled-cities thing in the first game as well?
since HL and its mods because the single most played games online outside of MMORPGs. People playing online generally like to play with their friends. Hence the inclusion of a friends list.
So was this whole evil-government-controlled-cities thing in the first game as well?
no. the original game took place almost entirely in and around the black mesa research complex. so you never see the rest of the world. indeed the army that is sent in to clean up is your standard military, rather than the very oppressive group we see in HL2, suggesting that a major change has taken place. however, we do have the army killing civilians theme going on, which suggests that things aren't entirely right in HL.
my feeling, and this is based on me not even getting out of city 17 (as i said i'm still in the airboat), is that the world is now overrun with aliens from Xen (the alien homeworld we learn about in HL), and a new world order has been instituted to control things.
the one plus for us is that Valve are committed to community. They know their success is due entirely to their fans (HL wasn't on top for 5 years soley because of its single player mode). They're gonna do what they have to to get the game working as best as possible.
In terms of the game itself, I haven't played Half Life (1), so I really don't understand what is going on, or why.
basic storyline of half-life: you, as gordan freeman, work in a top secret underground laboratory, Black Mesa, doing god knows what with equipment not meant to be doing what it's doing. Game opens with you showing up to work in the test lab (in probably the absolutely best intro sequence in a game ever, simply because of the awe you have when you realize it is interactive). Something goes horribly wrong with the sample you are analyzing, the whole of Black Mesa basically blows up, and a bunch of aliens start warping in. Your job is to stay alive and get to the surface, whereupon you realize that the government is cleaning up the mess by eliminating everyone, including you. Throughout the story is the mysterious G-man, the guy in the suit, who pops up in the oddest of places to give you consternation by closing doors you just want to go through. At the end of Half-life, he gives you a choice to work with him. hence the intro to HL2.
As for other tie-ins (and i'm only at the airboat section). The guard you meet, Barney, was the nickname for the lovable loaf from the original HL. The barney's basically run around to get killed in the original, and because fans loved them so much, they got a semi-expansion at one point (blue-shift?). In the original HL, there were 3 scientist models, 2 of them re-appear as characters here (at least thus far in my game); although Robert Guiamme wasn't a voice in the original game.
In an HL expansion (opposing force), we learn that some of the aliens don't get along, with some xeno slavery being practiced.
As for the loading issues and telling Valve to talk to Bungie: the original HL was much better in this respect. while there were loading periods, they were much much shorter than HL2. So Valve obviously knows how to do a semi-seamless transition, just perhaps that hasn't been optimized yet (which is frustrating).
because random news site gets the ad views. journalism integrity at its highest...
hehehe. my idea of a "lan party" was dialing the other phone line in our apartment and playing attack sub 688 with one of my roommates. i don't even think i had a network card in my computer until maybe 95-96.
So the guy who has been working at a steel plant for the last 15 years who is now losing his job because the plant puts out too much in emissions... he just suddenly becomes an expert at energy sources? He's able to just stop work at the factory on Friday and pick up in a consulting gig on Monday?
and what happened to all the auto workers 10-20 years ago when robots began doing a significant portion of the work? what happened to all the people who's jobs were supplanted or eliminated because of computers? What about the pony express riders when the telegraph was invented?
change happens, we adapt. stifling change for job security is stupid.