"The amount of in-game money these items allowed them to generate made them most powerful alliance in the game and the balance will be forever skewed because of it."
You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Most of the BPOs were ammo, which is _not_ that profitable to manufacture. The only stinger was the Sabre BPO, which _is_ very profitable. But you know... there are at least 19 others out there in the hands of other alliances. And other ships that are more in demand and more profitable are owned by other people too.
So while, yes, it _did_ earn them probably billions of dollars they were not entitled to, every other large alliance has BPOs like that _also_ pulling in billions of dollars. Hell, even small Alliances can have impressive portfolios of BPOs. (I am in one.) To suggest that it was the sole, or even primary cause of that alliance's success is ridiculous. You are either a troll or a fool.
Yeah, but what if the USPS ran a program where you give them one burned cd and a list of names, and they copy and distribute it for a low price to everyone you specify? I don't think it's clear cut that google/youtube is acting as a common carrier here.
... because a 4gb player is at all comparable to an 80gb one? No one springing for the huge amount of data the 80gb can carry (which for people like me is still not enough) is going to consider even a 10gb+phone an upgrade.
I'm not doing the defense here, just saying that the questions asked were already answered, and would be a waste to ask again. If you want to know why it took 6 months, then that should be asked.
And as for the can't-fire-him, well, the way it was explained is that he was disciplined at the time (no idea how, pay cut, suspension?) and to punish him twice for the same thing would be unjust. While I don't think it was handled particularly well, I don't think all the other employees were happy with what he did and just wanted to get him off the hook.
There were two dev posts, one from the CEO, one from the guilty party, on the issue. Another post was made about a new internal investigations team being formed.
The player who was banned was supposedly not banned for being a whistleblower, but for other infractions.
The dev in question spawned these blueprints: Flameburst Precision Light Missile Blueprint Phalanx Rage Rocket Blueprint Havoc Fury Heavy Missile Blueprint Bloodclaw Fury Light Missile Blueprint Spike L Blueprint Sabre Blueprint
The Sabre one is the particularly bad one, that could pull in billions.
The blueprints in question will be returned to CCP and reintroduced through a new raffle in the future.
The all the characters of that dev were terminated.
They are still an employee because all the senior staff were on vacation when it happened, and those left in charge opted towards being lenient. An internal vice squad has been made to address future problems.
I've been playing very late beta and pre-release. I've played EQII, WoW and Eve. I still play Eve.
On the whole, it's pretty fun to play. It is less simplistic than WoW. It is less ugly than EQII. Personally, I always found the low-poly high-quality art direction in WoW to look better than EQII, which just looked... wrong. Sterile. Vanguard seems to do it better. Things look reasonably realistic and pretty. I have it on super-high quality (8800gtx, FX-60, 2gb ram), and I get good FPS most everywhere. The worst is the stuttering/slowdown when you go indoors or cross a chunk, but it's not a big deal. Those with less beefy computers may have more complaints.
It's been pretty stable. Very stable considering it just launched, not quite as stable as an established game.
I think, on the whole, I enjoy it because it feels a little more risky than EQII or WoW. Dying isn't penalty free after level 7. I find myself paying more attention as I wander around, and thinking twice before engaging an enemy.
I also like the huge world. You can see for miles, and it gives a sense of really being there that I haven't experienced before.
Crafting is less attention-demanding than EQII, and way more complicated than WoW. It's basically a minigame where you make decisions to spend a pool of action points to buff quality, move along progress, or alleviate problems. But it's not real time, you can sit and think and decide if the complication that popped up is worth fixing, or just living with since you're almost done.
Diplomacy is an amusing card game that you can get some nice lore/reading from if you look for it.
On the downside, their door/elevator code is buggy. The door one isn't too bad, but the elevator one is massively frustrating. Anyone who plays and has tried to do the storehouse near the human/halfling lands knows what I mean here. We had to leave and do something else, it was near impossible to get everyone on the same floor.
There are still some minor clipping problems with the artwork. And lots of features that are 'coming soon'. Despite that, it does feel like a full game. If you want a slightly more challenging mmorpg, this might be it. I think Gamespy's verdict of 'wait and see' is about right. It's not a disaster, it's not an obvious winner. It's a decent entry that, given good continuing support, could turn into something great.
I have multiple female computer science friends. They all have repeated experiences where they were seen as lesser engineers, or needed a slower explanation simply because they were female. Someone who is new to the job would be normal to the guy he worked with, and condescending to the girl.
It's not just because they don't want to. It's because there is often an unpleasant atmosphere. How would you feel if all your fellow engineers suddenly got all quiet and reserved when you joined them at the bar after work? No one wants to be the buzzkill.
'I knew it was pretty much a ridiculous list when Wil Wright was not even *listed*. Especially with Spore in development, which could theoretically be huge for the future of game development.'
South Park, the Simpsons, etc. are entertaining to watch and make meaningful social commentary. Why does saying 'you know, sometimes extra levels of meaning can make a thing more enjoyable' encounter such resistance?
WTF are you on about? Do you have any experience in computer science at all? Because you're speaking utter rot.
Automated tests are better.
Automated tests can be run at night, when no one's around. They can be run constantly, without driving someone insane. Automated tests are reproducible. Try following someone's 'Uh, I clicked here, then opened this, then I think I cancelled that program, then...' instructions a few times. Then tell me automated tests aren't preferable. Can't keep up with all the tests to run? Buy a new computer. Your scheme would have a new person hired every time someone's maxed out. (Or, alternately, dumping old tests.) Automated tests cover regressions. Found a bug? Write a test for it. Then if it pops up again (which they always do), you catch it early. Automated tests can be run by anyone, if done properly.
Automated tests are predictable. They do, in fact, cover the same code each time. This is an asset, not a liability. You know exactly what you've tested, and what you haven't. You can write _more tests_ to cover the other stuff. You'd rather someone happen to click a little different on the last build, and miss a regression?
Manual testing is required for GUIs to some extent, and to winkle out usability issues.
To suggest MS is dumb because they tried to make their testing rigorous, predictable and regular is utterly absurd.
I see a lot of 'self-control, get some' posts. I don't think that's the key issue though. When you get to the end game, it's about peer pressure, not self-control.
Whether imagined or real, people often feel pressure to be there for their guild, to help out their friends, and generally participate in the social group that has been formed. It's a very basic human trait, and I would say much more difficult to deal with or just switch off. I actually suspect most people, if they were playing WoW or whatever solo, wouldn't have a problem with life balance. Except it's just not possible after a certain point in these types of games, by design.
How many times have _you_ done something stupid that you wouldn't normally do, if your friends weren't around? Stayed up later than you should have, because you were with your friends?
Suppose we have everyone in the world guess the outcome of a 100 coin flips. Some fraction would be 100% correct. Repeat a few times. We've now winnowed down a pool of people who are excellent at guessing coin flips, right? It's safer to go with their guess than the guess of someone else, right?
The fact is, _someone_ was going to be mostly right. However, there's nothing special about that person, they just happened to get lucky. Their previous luck does not affect their current predictive powers, which are zero.
It happens in the financial markets a lot. Some analyst gets stuff right for 4 out of 5 years. He's the new star. But... given all the analysts out there, it'd be shocking if there weren't _someone_ who got those odds, even if they just chose randomly.
I think I speak for everyone who's ever played a MMORPG:
Oh shit.
Time to get the popcorn and beer and watch how badly Congress misses the point this time. And hope it doesn't cost me a 50% tax on all subscription fees.
This is a shame. I've always used Eudora on Windows, and for a long time on Mac. It's generally a useful, reliable program that allows me to customize it to act how I want it to.
I don't predict good things for Eudora from now on. This is not a knock against Thunderbird. It's because often, companies resort to open-source implementations when the remaining engineers can't properly update/maintain the existing codebase. I've seen it happen; either deadlines force your hand, or there's just too much low-level work to get the engine to support the new features you want. It becomes easier just to replace it wholesale and work from a better base.
It's generally an indicator that the expertise has migrated away from the company. Now, a company that _starts_ by using OSS as a base, that can sometimes work. But a big company that has always used it's own engine, 9 times out of 10, moving to open source is a bad sign. (the other 1 time out of ten, it's Apple.)
Stupidity like using this service should be punished. Plus, that $300 will do more good in the company's hands. I can't see how it could be spent worse than what the buyer did with it.
Indeed. I have much disposable income (I could afford a PS3 if I wanted without worrying about it) and a lot of my friends do as well. Although we _could_ afford it, no one wants to. And we already all have HDTVs, and I personally fall into the bleeding-edge customer group. I really think the price point they've chosen has passed some psychological mark, in the same way that $1.00 seems more expensive than $.99.
I don't disagree about escapism and WoW's ability to do it better than a book or a movie.
But I don't think it's the secret of its success. WoW is successful because it (ironically, considering this article) allows for heavy solo/casual play, and is easy to get into.
Those searching for hardcore escapism already had it in EQ and UO, long before WoW. (Not that everyone who plays those is escapist, just that those that are didn't need WoW to come along to satisfy that urge.)
So you were a councilman for your community. In a few years, who will remember or care? Given a long enough time span, all activites, politics and communities are meaningless. In the end, even if you were famous and important, you don't matter. 99.999% of people won't ever be either.
So in the short term, why not intelligently maximize your pleasure over your lifetime? Humans seem to enjoy politics and communities. Let them play at them if they lack the time, inclination, or skill to do it in real life. (Which is definitely harder.)
Hm. I would say they play the games to achieve feelings and pleasure that are harder to achieve in other forms. Achievement, rewards for actions, a sense of progress and power and sometimes even fame.
In real life, it can be maddeningly unreliable. You work hard, but don't get promoted. You go out on lots of dates but don't find someone to love. In a game, the rules are known and set, and you know if you do X, you'll get Y.
In the end, most people don't play out of a burning desire to be an elf. (Although exploring a world and seeing pretty sights is definitely a bonus.) They play to feel good and get that endorphin release. The ironic thing is they don't notice when it comes more and more rarely, and end up grinding/raiding joylessly.
Well, I wouldn't say you're correct, but not because there are goals you're missing. The goal isn't bank. There is no goal.
One of the Eve devs put it exellently. Eve and WoW/clones are different types of games, at root. It's the sandbox compared to the amusement park. One isn't inherently better than the other, but they have their own advantages, and their own appeals. A lot of people who like one will get rapidly bored with the other.
It's fine to point out various advantages, and when someone comes along complaining that WoW has grown boring or is too limiting, it's very natural to suggest Eve. (Which is why you probably see it a lot.) For those who find Eve goalless/pointless, WoW is clearly the best choice if you're set on giving someone $15 a month.
Mighty high flame setting on your stove there, boss.
No, WoW isn't dying, but the grandparent had a point. You seriously run out of things to do in the game at a certain point. Maybe he races through things and reached it early.
I played for about a year, took my time, levelled up a warrior and a priest (one horde, one alliance). And you know what? It got real tedious, real grindy, and real pointless. I sat and thought 'Why am I logging in? To grind to get a better item/new skill. So I can get better items/new skills more effectively. Huh. Waitaminnit.'
WoW is not at all unique with regard to this problem, but it's not immune to it either.
Slashdot Mirror
"The amount of in-game money these items allowed them to generate made them most powerful alliance in the game and the balance will be forever skewed because of it."
... there are at least 19 others out there in the hands of other alliances. And other ships that are more in demand and more profitable are owned by other people too.
You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Most of the BPOs were ammo, which is _not_ that profitable to manufacture. The only stinger was the Sabre BPO, which _is_ very profitable. But you know
So while, yes, it _did_ earn them probably billions of dollars they were not entitled to, every other large alliance has BPOs like that _also_ pulling in billions of dollars. Hell, even small Alliances can have impressive portfolios of BPOs. (I am in one.) To suggest that it was the sole, or even primary cause of that alliance's success is ridiculous. You are either a troll or a fool.
Yeah, but what if the USPS ran a program where you give them one burned cd and a list of names, and they copy and distribute it for a low price to everyone you specify? I don't think it's clear cut that google/youtube is acting as a common carrier here.
... because a 4gb player is at all comparable to an 80gb one? No one springing for the huge amount of data the 80gb can carry (which for people like me is still not enough) is going to consider even a 10gb+phone an upgrade.
I'm not doing the defense here, just saying that the questions asked were already answered, and would be a waste to ask again. If you want to know why it took 6 months, then that should be asked.
And as for the can't-fire-him, well, the way it was explained is that he was disciplined at the time (no idea how, pay cut, suspension?) and to punish him twice for the same thing would be unjust. While I don't think it was handled particularly well, I don't think all the other employees were happy with what he did and just wanted to get him off the hook.
There were two dev posts, one from the CEO, one from the guilty party, on the issue. Another post was made about a new internal investigations team being formed.
i c&threadID=473335
i c&threadID=475706
The player who was banned was supposedly not banned for being a whistleblower, but for other infractions.
Posts addressing the issue:
http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=top
New internal investigators:
http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=top
This was already answered for players.
The dev in question spawned these blueprints:
Flameburst Precision Light Missile Blueprint
Phalanx Rage Rocket Blueprint
Havoc Fury Heavy Missile Blueprint
Bloodclaw Fury Light Missile Blueprint
Spike L Blueprint
Sabre Blueprint
The Sabre one is the particularly bad one, that could pull in billions.
The blueprints in question will be returned to CCP and reintroduced through a new raffle in the future.
The all the characters of that dev were terminated.
They are still an employee because all the senior staff were on vacation when it happened, and those left in charge opted towards being lenient. An internal vice squad has been made to address future problems.
I've been playing very late beta and pre-release. I've played EQII, WoW and Eve. I still play Eve.
... wrong. Sterile. Vanguard seems to do it better. Things look reasonably realistic and pretty. I have it on super-high quality (8800gtx, FX-60, 2gb ram), and I get good FPS most everywhere. The worst is the stuttering/slowdown when you go indoors or cross a chunk, but it's not a big deal. Those with less beefy computers may have more complaints.
On the whole, it's pretty fun to play. It is less simplistic than WoW. It is less ugly than EQII. Personally, I always found the low-poly high-quality art direction in WoW to look better than EQII, which just looked
It's been pretty stable. Very stable considering it just launched, not quite as stable as an established game.
I think, on the whole, I enjoy it because it feels a little more risky than EQII or WoW. Dying isn't penalty free after level 7. I find myself paying more attention as I wander around, and thinking twice before engaging an enemy.
I also like the huge world. You can see for miles, and it gives a sense of really being there that I haven't experienced before.
Crafting is less attention-demanding than EQII, and way more complicated than WoW. It's basically a minigame where you make decisions to spend a pool of action points to buff quality, move along progress, or alleviate problems. But it's not real time, you can sit and think and decide if the complication that popped up is worth fixing, or just living with since you're almost done.
Diplomacy is an amusing card game that you can get some nice lore/reading from if you look for it.
On the downside, their door/elevator code is buggy. The door one isn't too bad, but the elevator one is massively frustrating. Anyone who plays and has tried to do the storehouse near the human/halfling lands knows what I mean here. We had to leave and do something else, it was near impossible to get everyone on the same floor.
There are still some minor clipping problems with the artwork. And lots of features that are 'coming soon'. Despite that, it does feel like a full game. If you want a slightly more challenging mmorpg, this might be it. I think Gamespy's verdict of 'wait and see' is about right. It's not a disaster, it's not an obvious winner. It's a decent entry that, given good continuing support, could turn into something great.
I have multiple female computer science friends. They all have repeated experiences where they were seen as lesser engineers, or needed a slower explanation simply because they were female. Someone who is new to the job would be normal to the guy he worked with, and condescending to the girl.
It's not just because they don't want to. It's because there is often an unpleasant atmosphere. How would you feel if all your fellow engineers suddenly got all quiet and reserved when you joined them at the bar after work? No one wants to be the buzzkill.
'I knew it was pretty much a ridiculous list when Wil Wright was not even *listed*. Especially with Spore in development, which could theoretically be huge for the future of game development.'
(emphasis added)
Soo... how would that affect 2006 again?
South Park, the Simpsons, etc. are entertaining to watch and make meaningful social commentary. Why does saying 'you know, sometimes extra levels of meaning can make a thing more enjoyable' encounter such resistance?
Yeah, because the sarcastic, humorous, and vulgar South Park never attempts to make biting social commentary or anything. It'd be stupid if it tried.
Er...
WTF are you on about? Do you have any experience in computer science at all? Because you're speaking utter rot.
Automated tests are better.
Automated tests can be run at night, when no one's around. They can be run constantly, without driving someone insane.
Automated tests are reproducible. Try following someone's 'Uh, I clicked here, then opened this, then I think I cancelled that program, then...' instructions a few times. Then tell me automated tests aren't preferable.
Can't keep up with all the tests to run? Buy a new computer. Your scheme would have a new person hired every time someone's maxed out. (Or, alternately, dumping old tests.)
Automated tests cover regressions. Found a bug? Write a test for it. Then if it pops up again (which they always do), you catch it early.
Automated tests can be run by anyone, if done properly.
Automated tests are predictable. They do, in fact, cover the same code each time. This is an asset, not a liability. You know exactly what you've tested, and what you haven't. You can write _more tests_ to cover the other stuff. You'd rather someone happen to click a little different on the last build, and miss a regression?
Manual testing is required for GUIs to some extent, and to winkle out usability issues.
To suggest MS is dumb because they tried to make their testing rigorous, predictable and regular is utterly absurd.
I see a lot of 'self-control, get some' posts. I don't think that's the key issue though. When you get to the end game, it's about peer pressure, not self-control.
Whether imagined or real, people often feel pressure to be there for their guild, to help out their friends, and generally participate in the social group that has been formed. It's a very basic human trait, and I would say much more difficult to deal with or just switch off. I actually suspect most people, if they were playing WoW or whatever solo, wouldn't have a problem with life balance. Except it's just not possible after a certain point in these types of games, by design.
How many times have _you_ done something stupid that you wouldn't normally do, if your friends weren't around? Stayed up later than you should have, because you were with your friends?
Wrong.
... given all the analysts out there, it'd be shocking if there weren't _someone_ who got those odds, even if they just chose randomly.
Suppose we have everyone in the world guess the outcome of a 100 coin flips. Some fraction would be 100% correct. Repeat a few times. We've now winnowed down a pool of people who are excellent at guessing coin flips, right? It's safer to go with their guess than the guess of someone else, right?
The fact is, _someone_ was going to be mostly right. However, there's nothing special about that person, they just happened to get lucky. Their previous luck does not affect their current predictive powers, which are zero.
It happens in the financial markets a lot. Some analyst gets stuff right for 4 out of 5 years. He's the new star. But
I think I speak for everyone who's ever played a MMORPG:
Oh shit.
Time to get the popcorn and beer and watch how badly Congress misses the point this time. And hope it doesn't cost me a 50% tax on all subscription fees.
This is a shame. I've always used Eudora on Windows, and for a long time on Mac. It's generally a useful, reliable program that allows me to customize it to act how I want it to.
I don't predict good things for Eudora from now on. This is not a knock against Thunderbird. It's because often, companies resort to open-source implementations when the remaining engineers can't properly update/maintain the existing codebase. I've seen it happen; either deadlines force your hand, or there's just too much low-level work to get the engine to support the new features you want. It becomes easier just to replace it wholesale and work from a better base.
It's generally an indicator that the expertise has migrated away from the company. Now, a company that _starts_ by using OSS as a base, that can sometimes work. But a big company that has always used it's own engine, 9 times out of 10, moving to open source is a bad sign. (the other 1 time out of ten, it's Apple.)
No, I'm Brian! And so is my wife!
I heartily endorse this product.
Stupidity like using this service should be punished. Plus, that $300 will do more good in the company's hands. I can't see how it could be spent worse than what the buyer did with it.
Probable solution? Sue google.
I wish this was a joke.
Indeed. I have much disposable income (I could afford a PS3 if I wanted without worrying about it) and a lot of my friends do as well. Although we _could_ afford it, no one wants to. And we already all have HDTVs, and I personally fall into the bleeding-edge customer group. I really think the price point they've chosen has passed some psychological mark, in the same way that $1.00 seems more expensive than $.99.
I don't disagree about escapism and WoW's ability to do it better than a book or a movie.
But I don't think it's the secret of its success. WoW is successful because it (ironically, considering this article) allows for heavy solo/casual play, and is easy to get into.
Those searching for hardcore escapism already had it in EQ and UO, long before WoW. (Not that everyone who plays those is escapist, just that those that are didn't need WoW to come along to satisfy that urge.)
So you were a councilman for your community. In a few years, who will remember or care? Given a long enough time span, all activites, politics and communities are meaningless. In the end, even if you were famous and important, you don't matter. 99.999% of people won't ever be either.
So in the short term, why not intelligently maximize your pleasure over your lifetime? Humans seem to enjoy politics and communities. Let them play at them if they lack the time, inclination, or skill to do it in real life. (Which is definitely harder.)
Hm. I would say they play the games to achieve feelings and pleasure that are harder to achieve in other forms. Achievement, rewards for actions, a sense of progress and power and sometimes even fame.
In real life, it can be maddeningly unreliable. You work hard, but don't get promoted. You go out on lots of dates but don't find someone to love. In a game, the rules are known and set, and you know if you do X, you'll get Y.
In the end, most people don't play out of a burning desire to be an elf. (Although exploring a world and seeing pretty sights is definitely a bonus.) They play to feel good and get that endorphin release. The ironic thing is they don't notice when it comes more and more rarely, and end up grinding/raiding joylessly.
Well, I wouldn't say you're correct, but not because there are goals you're missing. The goal isn't bank. There is no goal.
One of the Eve devs put it exellently. Eve and WoW/clones are different types of games, at root. It's the sandbox compared to the amusement park. One isn't inherently better than the other, but they have their own advantages, and their own appeals. A lot of people who like one will get rapidly bored with the other.
It's fine to point out various advantages, and when someone comes along complaining that WoW has grown boring or is too limiting, it's very natural to suggest Eve. (Which is why you probably see it a lot.) For those who find Eve goalless/pointless, WoW is clearly the best choice if you're set on giving someone $15 a month.
Mighty high flame setting on your stove there, boss.
No, WoW isn't dying, but the grandparent had a point. You seriously run out of things to do in the game at a certain point. Maybe he races through things and reached it early.
I played for about a year, took my time, levelled up a warrior and a priest (one horde, one alliance). And you know what? It got real tedious, real grindy, and real pointless. I sat and thought 'Why am I logging in? To grind to get a better item/new skill. So I can get better items/new skills more effectively. Huh. Waitaminnit.'
WoW is not at all unique with regard to this problem, but it's not immune to it either.