The trouble here is that the definition of "abandonware" is software that is no longer availible on the market. These programs are not for sale because someone decided they'd be spending more on packaging and whatnot than they'd be making on it. Thus, the only alternative to get these programs is through abandonware.
The game was notorious, because its design concept was outrageous. What kind of game is it that, by actually playing the game as one would be expected, you lose? Instead, the entire purpose of the red/blue page nonsense is only to discover that it's the white page that you can get in less than 5 minutes that helps you win. A game with 5 minutes of replay value.
Sure, it was pretty, and the puzzles may have been neat, but there was something fundamentally wrong with the bloody game that just killed the whole experience. Zork: Grand Inquisitor was a better run for your money.
In other news, AOL 6.0's web browser will be disabling the back button, the address bar, and all navigational capibilities that would allow users to access information from outside the AOL kingdom^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hdomain. According to Phil Smith, PR contact for AOL, these changes are made in response to client's inability to comprehend such a broad spectra of data.
In response to the changes made in the new version, Dave Winkleman, AOL customer, commented of the new improved AOL, "My God! It's full of stars!"
This document may contain forward-looking statements that are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. The words "estimate," "project," "intend," "expect," "believe," "desire," "could" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Perhaps this "could" be nothing more than a press release from 3dfx, "intended" to keep money from wandering towards what I "believe" is a superior product-maker.
The thing to keep in mind here, ladies and gents, is that we're talking about arcades, not store-bought games. Now, even from the eyes of an arcade player, this isn't as bad as we think it is. If the restriction is to be implemented as would make the most sense (by using ESRB ratings), here's a little breakdown for everyone:
Tekken Tag Tournament -- Teen
Soul Calibur -- Teen
Silent Scope -- Mature
Crazy Taxi -- Teen
House of the Dead 2 -- Mature
Hydro Thunder -- Everyone
Time Crisis -- Teen
Marvel vs. Capcom -- Teen
Cruisin' World - Everyone
So, of these games I've just listed, only two have been ESRB categorized as "mature," and that makes sense, too. Silent Scope and its sequel has the player sniping enemies, giving extra points for head shots. Hell, the last enemy in Silent Scope 1 must be killed by a headshot; anything else results in a loss. House of the Dead, of course, pits the player against your various crock of zombies and things, and you basically blow said zombies to peices with your little pistol (that somehow you can reload by merely shooting offscreen;).
It's not a damn shame that people who want to get some sniping/zombie goring actions have to go behind a gimpy little curtain or into a back corner to play these games. Once again, slashdotters are wigging out over the smallest "injustice."
Don't play coy. "Might" be infringing on their rights? That's either very detached or very naive. Backing up anything on a cartridge, especially with older cartridges that have batteries is an arguable reason for NES/SNES backup units, and so on. Why? Because those have batteries in them, and when those batteries die, so die your lovely save files. If you care enough, that can be important. The only reason you would need to back up a CD is if you're completely irresponsible or just a plain fool ("I didn't know putting my GD in the microwave was bad!")
Thus spoken, how is information on how to copy ISOs from GDs and to useable CDs -not- a direct, malicious infringment of Sega's rights?
Not really. It's a matter of these ISO sites being a pain the the butt for Sega. The reality is that it comes down to this: Sega has money for lawyers. The people who run the ISO sites most likely do not. It's capitalism, not freedom.
Okay, this is really starting to grate on my nerves that people are still shocked and dismayed at this sort of thing. Here's the rundown:
1) Several sites figure out how to successfully copy GD-ROMs. Since this was a uniquish format Sega used in order to prevent piracy. Granted, these may not be news sites, but who actually makes backups of their CD-like medium games? I still haven't met the person.
2) This dissemination of knowledge is potentially very damaging to Sega. Unlike Napster, which many users use to sample music, and buy the CD, ISO copies are not very likely to "sample" the game they copy, and then run out and buy it for $50.
3) Since the sites aren't actually doing anything illegal themselves, the most sensible tactic from a business standpoint is to strong arm them. Cease and desist letters have been in practice by the IDSA and their clients for a while (remember that whole N64 emu deal?). Since it's unlikely any of these sites will be able to fund a competent defence, the most probably result is that the site is taken down.
Personally, I'm not crying. I do not support wholesale piracy, and you're just lying to yourself if you don't think that's what this is about. Sure, some first ammendment rights are getting trampled, but I think people need to learn to pay for things -- especially entertainment.
So let's all pretend to be suprised, and get it out of our system. Oh my! Big bad Sega's pooping on the first ammendment! Good heavens! There. I feel better now. Don't you?
Well, for what you're talking, think Everquest in console form.
However, I think your whole concept of GTA is erroneous; it's not racing at all. You basically play the role of a mob driver, pulling off dirty jobs for your respective employer as fast as you can. The only thing you race is the clock.
However, due to the nature of the game, it would be rather pointless to exist in a multiplayer form, let alone massively multiplayer. The game sends you on car-jack-and-bomb missions, and such, nothing that is enhanced by having other players around. Nothing that could really be competed over, either.
At this point, a series as well established as Final Fantasy -not- getting published outside of the US would be ludicrous. I assure you the game will be published in the western world, the bigger questions is will Sony have their own little network to play it over in time?
There already are two very prominent console MMORPGs in the works. Sega has been working on Phantasy Star Online for Sega Dreamcast, and Squaresoft's Final Fantasy XI will be entirely MMORPG. Final Fantasy X will have a multiplayer/online option, but will be based in its single player experience.
I like the bit in the article that says that King expects the big companies to shell out a whopping $20 mil to its artists before all is said and done.
Do some quick math with me here...
250-20=230, right?
So, what's 20 divided by n, n being the number of artists signed to a record label? Something tells me that we're talking fractions here. Pretty small fractions.
That leaves $230mil to pay for the legal bills of the suit and for new cushy leather chairs for all the VPs.
"Yes, ma'am, Ms. Love, ma'am. Here's your check for $3.26; your share of the MP3.com money!"
Wow, that's cool. This should happen more often, I think.
Yes. I love it also when substantial design studios close up shop and their titles are signed over to people who have visions of the titles. That should happen all the time. I mean, just think how great The Sims would have been if Maxis went bankrupt and the title was bought out by id!!
I really agree with you on that. It's one of those shows that both my younger sister and I can both watch, without laughing at each other too much. It's got a decent plot line, unless you're rigidly a type A personality, and can't forgive the huge descrepancies between reality and fantasy, and it's just fun to watch.
Well, the key idea of this potential (perhaps even pending?) decision is that you can use DeCSS all you like, as long as you do it legally. To analogize, it's like giving you permission to own a gun, as long as you don't start doing anything illegal with it.
As for the issue of piracy, perhaps you could liken that to guns as well. If a disgruntled individual goes to K-mart and buys a gun, goes through the background checks without a hitch, gets his gun, and promptly kills six people on Main Street, the only thing that would happen to K-Mart is that they would be checked to see that the gun was sold legally, with all the proper background checks and whatnot. (That was a hell of a run-on sentence.) Similar thing with DVD piracy. If you get caught distributing copies of DVDs, what can they do to the person who gave you DeCSS? Nada, if there's nothing wrong with distributing the code.
I see a lot of people complaining about the CG quality of the show, but I'd just like to highlight two points:
1) Since the beignning of the show to the most recent season, the quality of the CG has improve noticibly.
2) Think how often these shows were scheduled to come out. How much time do these guys to make one episode versus, say, how much time Squaresoft in Hawaii is taking to make the absolutely gorgeous FF movie?
I really don't think they should sell Slashdot's second case. I mean, next thing you know, you'll be seeing some porn site with, "SUPER XXX HARDCORE PORN, previousily Slashdot.org."
Then again, how many people would notice the difference?;)
Slashdot Mirror
The trouble here is that the definition of "abandonware" is software that is no longer availible on the market. These programs are not for sale because someone decided they'd be spending more on packaging and whatnot than they'd be making on it. Thus, the only alternative to get these programs is through abandonware.
Sure, it was pretty, and the puzzles may have been neat, but there was something fundamentally wrong with the bloody game that just killed the whole experience. Zork: Grand Inquisitor was a better run for your money.
In other news, AOL 6.0's web browser will be disabling the back button, the address bar, and all navigational capibilities that would allow users to access information from outside the AOL kingdom^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hdomain. According to Phil Smith, PR contact for AOL, these changes are made in response to client's inability to comprehend such a broad spectra of data.
In response to the changes made in the new version, Dave Winkleman, AOL customer, commented of the new improved AOL, "My God! It's full of stars!"
I'm glad you said this, so I don't have to myself. This is a self-glorifyimng 3dfx press release. Hell, it even has company info and disclaimers.
This document may contain forward-looking statements that are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. The words "estimate," "project," "intend," "expect," "believe," "desire," "could" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Perhaps this "could" be nothing more than a press release from 3dfx, "intended" to keep money from wandering towards what I "believe" is a superior product-maker.
Then again, I "could" be wrong.
- Tekken Tag Tournament -- Teen
- Soul Calibur -- Teen
- Silent Scope -- Mature
- Crazy Taxi -- Teen
- House of the Dead 2 -- Mature
- Hydro Thunder -- Everyone
- Time Crisis -- Teen
- Marvel vs. Capcom -- Teen
- Cruisin' World - Everyone
So, of these games I've just listed, only two have been ESRB categorized as "mature," and that makes sense, too. Silent Scope and its sequel has the player sniping enemies, giving extra points for head shots. Hell, the last enemy in Silent Scope 1 must be killed by a headshot; anything else results in a loss. House of the Dead, of course, pits the player against your various crock of zombies and things, and you basically blow said zombies to peices with your little pistol (that somehow you can reload by merely shooting offscreenIt's not a damn shame that people who want to get some sniping/zombie goring actions have to go behind a gimpy little curtain or into a back corner to play these games. Once again, slashdotters are wigging out over the smallest "injustice."
Had you taken thirty seconds to actually look, you'd be able to see that dupecheck is ISONews.
Thus spoken, how is information on how to copy ISOs from GDs and to useable CDs -not- a direct, malicious infringment of Sega's rights?
Not really. It's a matter of these ISO sites being a pain the the butt for Sega. The reality is that it comes down to this: Sega has money for lawyers. The people who run the ISO sites most likely do not. It's capitalism, not freedom.
1) Several sites figure out how to successfully copy GD-ROMs. Since this was a uniquish format Sega used in order to prevent piracy. Granted, these may not be news sites, but who actually makes backups of their CD-like medium games? I still haven't met the person.
2) This dissemination of knowledge is potentially very damaging to Sega. Unlike Napster, which many users use to sample music, and buy the CD, ISO copies are not very likely to "sample" the game they copy, and then run out and buy it for $50.
3) Since the sites aren't actually doing anything illegal themselves, the most sensible tactic from a business standpoint is to strong arm them. Cease and desist letters have been in practice by the IDSA and their clients for a while (remember that whole N64 emu deal?). Since it's unlikely any of these sites will be able to fund a competent defence, the most probably result is that the site is taken down.
Personally, I'm not crying. I do not support wholesale piracy, and you're just lying to yourself if you don't think that's what this is about. Sure, some first ammendment rights are getting trampled, but I think people need to learn to pay for things -- especially entertainment.
So let's all pretend to be suprised, and get it out of our system. Oh my! Big bad Sega's pooping on the first ammendment! Good heavens! There. I feel better now. Don't you?
Thanks, but this has absolutely nothing to do with consoles.
It's spelled "Phantasy Star" like the rest of the series, and you're about an hour and a quarter past redundant.
However, I think your whole concept of GTA is erroneous; it's not racing at all. You basically play the role of a mob driver, pulling off dirty jobs for your respective employer as fast as you can. The only thing you race is the clock.
However, due to the nature of the game, it would be rather pointless to exist in a multiplayer form, let alone massively multiplayer. The game sends you on car-jack-and-bomb missions, and such, nothing that is enhanced by having other players around. Nothing that could really be competed over, either.
At this point, a series as well established as Final Fantasy -not- getting published outside of the US would be ludicrous. I assure you the game will be published in the western world, the bigger questions is will Sony have their own little network to play it over in time?
There already are two very prominent console MMORPGs in the works. Sega has been working on Phantasy Star Online for Sega Dreamcast, and Squaresoft's Final Fantasy XI will be entirely MMORPG. Final Fantasy X will have a multiplayer/online option, but will be based in its single player experience.
Do some quick math with me here...
250-20=230, right?
So, what's 20 divided by n, n being the number of artists signed to a record label? Something tells me that we're talking fractions here. Pretty small fractions.
That leaves $230mil to pay for the legal bills of the suit and for new cushy leather chairs for all the VPs.
"Yes, ma'am, Ms. Love, ma'am. Here's your check for $3.26; your share of the MP3.com money!"
Yes. I love it also when substantial design studios close up shop and their titles are signed over to people who have visions of the titles. That should happen all the time. I mean, just think how great The Sims would have been if Maxis went bankrupt and the title was bought out by id!!
I really agree with you on that. It's one of those shows that both my younger sister and I can both watch, without laughing at each other too much. It's got a decent plot line, unless you're rigidly a type A personality, and can't forgive the huge descrepancies between reality and fantasy, and it's just fun to watch.
Congrats. This is the first on-topic, non-troll post I've seen in this discussion. Very admirable.
As for the issue of piracy, perhaps you could liken that to guns as well. If a disgruntled individual goes to K-mart and buys a gun, goes through the background checks without a hitch, gets his gun, and promptly kills six people on Main Street, the only thing that would happen to K-Mart is that they would be checked to see that the gun was sold legally, with all the proper background checks and whatnot. (That was a hell of a run-on sentence.) Similar thing with DVD piracy. If you get caught distributing copies of DVDs, what can they do to the person who gave you DeCSS? Nada, if there's nothing wrong with distributing the code.
Okay, that's enough outta me.
1) Since the beignning of the show to the most recent season, the quality of the CG has improve noticibly.
2) Think how often these shows were scheduled to come out. How much time do these guys to make one episode versus, say, how much time Squaresoft in Hawaii is taking to make the absolutely gorgeous FF movie?
Just a couple things to keep in mind.
"SUPER XXX HARDCORE PORN, previousily Slashdot.org."
Then again, how many people would notice the difference? ;)
Nah. All you've got to doo is take a peek at their paychecks, and that'll pretty much vaildate that Napster users are big consumers.