I've seen no evidence of any reduction of gambling in Second Life. I don't pay too close attention to the official boards, but there are still MANY casinos with active games ready to play...
I completely agree. I started my Second Life account, similiar to you, just to see what it was all about. This was in March or so. I also had heard that people were actually making money by creating and selling objects, and since I'm a coder, I thought that sounded like a fun challenge.
I spent some time in world, watching what people like to do. Mostly, this involved spending time in some sort of dance club, dancing and chatting. I noticed there are a lot of "mostly empty" casinos. Lots of extremely simple gambling devices, lottery type things, etc.
So, I made some casino games, based on real life games. I made some lottery balls with my own twist on 'em. I made some fun party game kind of things, and put them up for sale on a popular shopping website.
I never bought into the system, bought any land, etc. My total investment is $0... I have, on occasion, rented a store spot in a mall, or some floorspace in a casino to test a game, but that was all purches out of profit.
Now that I'm sort of over the kick, I rarely log into the world anymore. Even was I was more active, I never really "got it". I wasn't looking to make friends, chat, shop, or hook up, and their appeared to be nothing left. But I still get emails that my stuff sells, and occasional messages (that get routed to my email) if someone has a question about a product of mine that they've bought.
Since March, I've made about $500USD. Certainly less than minimum wage per hour of coding/testing that I've done, but getting paid for programming little games and having some fun is certainly a change of pace.
I've posted it before... In the real world, you simply cannot make up your own casino game, rent floor space at a casino, and see how it does. It's prohibitively difficult for most people to make clothing and sell it in a shop. However, in Second Life, it's almost trivially easy. I think this is the appeal.
I was just listening to some Brian Setzer the other night, and thought he'd make a good addition to the game. I'm happy to see some Stray Cats on there...
"I instead got a big 'box' hat that covered my little character and said 'sucker' on all sides."
For what it's worth, the T-shirt was probably inside the box... Putting stuff in boxes is a pretty typical way to sell things. Not that you care, but just FYI.
I signed up for Second Life months ago. I was never interested in actually "playing" it (meaning, I suppose, meeting people, making friends, wearing furry costumes, having virtual sex, etc), but instead, I had a great time making and scripting objects, and subsequently selling them.
Seriously, tell me one other place where you can make your very own casino game, rent floor space, and make (or lose) real US dollars by having people play your game? Not everyone can make and sell clothing for real money, but you can in SL. There's something to be said for that.
Myself, I've made a few casino/dance club type games, as well as some treasure hunt type stuff, and have made a couple hundred bucks over the summer. Nothing to retire on, but, on some level, more rewarding than the time I spent playing WoW...
First of all, the granularity for moving around seems to be about 1 meter. Getting into just the right position (conversational position, you perverts!:) can be somewhat difficult. Same with facing angle... it seems to be about 10 degrees.
Trying to draw any sort of conclusions about subtle nuances of communcation seems, frankly, rediculous.
Is there anywhere you can go to give it a try? I think you'd answer a lot of your own questions.
In case that's impossible... In order to successfully "hit" a note, you have to do a combination of two things: 1) You push the proper fret button on the neck of the guitar, and 2)... at the proper time, you hit the little flipper thing where you'd normally strum a guitar.
Just like a real guitar, you can hit the fret button whenever you want (well, as early as you want). And just like a real guitar, nothing happens until you actually strum (there is a little tongue thing that sticks out from the guitar that you flip up and down to strum at the right time). So the dual challenge of hitting the right fret button as well as getting the strum timing right is, well, fun.
I'm not sure what you mean by "pressure sensitive".
Hope that helps. As I've said before, I strongly recommend actually trying the game before you make any further judgements. I've been a gamer a long time, and this is near the top of the list of best games EVAR!
I think poker is not as much a game of chance as you think it is.
Let's say we're each given 5 cards. Your best poker hand is a pair of 10s. You bet $X. I then RAISE the amount to $X + $Y. Do you call for $Y additional dollars? How do you make that decision?
Maybe I can't beat your 10s, but am just trying to scare you away. Maybe I have a winning hand, and am trying to get more money out of you. What have I done previously in similiar situations? How can you use that information going forward?
IF poker were simply a "game of chance", then it would go something like this: both players put in $X to the pot, and are then dealt cards. They both turn over their hands, and the winning player gets the pot. Repeat.
I don't think you can call legitimate PvP combat "griefing", as such. It's kind of unfair and lame to kill/camp someone 20 levels below you, but you could also justify it under "role playing" or something.
Griefing, to me, is more like scamming people out of money, putting up auctions for 50g instead of 50s, stuff like that.
The earliest I'm familiar with was Parappa the Rapper, but given the whole DDR/Guitar Hero trend, I think rhythm games are a whole genre that shouldn't be overlooked.
I've been a gamer for the vast majority of my 31 years, and Guitar Hero is one of the most fun games I've ever played. But comparing it to playing a REAL GUITAR, while a natural thing to do, is silly. It's like comparing CounterStrike to an ACTUAL TERRORIST FIREFIGHT.
The point of the game isn't to learn how to play the guitar (thought I do think it would give a GH player a leg up over a non-GH player, for sure). The point of the game isn't to look cool while you're playing it. The point of the game is to simulate (in an arcade-y sort of way), the notion of being a playing a guitar and being a rockstar.
And to that end, I think it succeeds beautifully. Seriously, there have been moments in the game that I've hit some tricky combination of chords and just Felt It. And it felt good.
Seriously! It's not much, but it approaches "real money" for some people.
I'm a programmer in RL, and the idea of creating and scripting 3D objects sounded like a lot of fun to me, so I signed up for a FREE account, and started playing around. Soon, I'd created some casino games and other little gadget-y/holiday products, signed up for a FREE account on slexchange.com, and listed my items for sale. And people actually bought them! And the more people who bought them, the more they got exposed in the world, and more people bought more!
As with any game, I kinda lost interest (Guitar Hero had a *teensy* bit to do with this). However, to my delight I found that even though I wasn't actively working SL, my items were still listed, and still selling. Pretty cool.
The point is that motivated people (like me) can actually HAVE FUN and MAKE MONEY at the same time.
That was my experience, at least. And the other day, I thought of a product that I thought will be VERY popular in SL, and have started scripting it. I'm excited to see how it goes.
Seriously, where else can you come up with an idea, implement it, and see how it works? In real life, could you build your own slot machine and rent floorspace in a casino and have people play it? Not likely. But in SL, you can do stuff like that all the time. That has some value to it.
You get a plastic guitar controller thing with buttons on it.
5 buttons up on the neck of the guitar, and a little flipper switch down where you strum.
On screen, in very DDR like fashion, when the right colored dot hits the line, you push down the appropriate fret button, and hit the strummer.
You're not actually playing the guitar. Playing GH won't teach you how to play the guitar (though I believe that it would give you a leg up on someone who'd never played). One of the great things about the game is that it's immediately accesible to gamers and non-gamers alike... After playing a song or two, everyone just seems to "get it".
I think you underestimate how much time/work/dedication it takes to COMPLETE such a project... He clearly shows gumption and a can-do attitude. I think he deserves a job.
I've borrowed a PS2 and GH from a friend for the past week or so, and have been playing it almost non-stop. Seriously, Guitar Hero is one of the most fun, addicting games I've ever played, and I'm not really a big rhythm-game guy (ie, DDR).
I love the wide range of skill levels that the game presents. Anyone can pick up the game and make it through the easy levels (perhaps after a couple tries). But the Expert levels are insanely difficult.
Also, I truly believe that Guitar Hero is a Good Thing for music in general. Yes, it won't teach you to play the guitar, but it WILL help you will basic skills like strumming with one hand while holding strings with the other, as well as timing and general dexterity.
Slashdot Mirror
I think completing the Gnomish Mines and Sokoban are good goals for a newbie player... Afterwards follow the Quest, Medusa, and the Castle...
THAT... is funny.
Heh.
I've seen no evidence of any reduction of gambling in Second Life. I don't pay too close attention to the official boards, but there are still MANY casinos with active games ready to play...
Adman
I completely agree. I started my Second Life account, similiar to you, just to see what it was all about. This was in March or so. I also had heard that people were actually making money by creating and selling objects, and since I'm a coder, I thought that sounded like a fun challenge.
I spent some time in world, watching what people like to do. Mostly, this involved spending time in some sort of dance club, dancing and chatting. I noticed there are a lot of "mostly empty" casinos. Lots of extremely simple gambling devices, lottery type things, etc.
So, I made some casino games, based on real life games. I made some lottery balls with my own twist on 'em. I made some fun party game kind of things, and put them up for sale on a popular shopping website.
I never bought into the system, bought any land, etc. My total investment is $0... I have, on occasion, rented a store spot in a mall, or some floorspace in a casino to test a game, but that was all purches out of profit.
Now that I'm sort of over the kick, I rarely log into the world anymore. Even was I was more active, I never really "got it". I wasn't looking to make friends, chat, shop, or hook up, and their appeared to be nothing left. But I still get emails that my stuff sells, and occasional messages (that get routed to my email) if someone has a question about a product of mine that they've bought.
Since March, I've made about $500USD. Certainly less than minimum wage per hour of coding/testing that I've done, but getting paid for programming little games and having some fun is certainly a change of pace.
I've posted it before... In the real world, you simply cannot make up your own casino game, rent floor space at a casino, and see how it does. It's prohibitively difficult for most people to make clothing and sell it in a shop. However, in Second Life, it's almost trivially easy. I think this is the appeal.
Can't... wait...
I was just listening to some Brian Setzer the other night, and thought he'd make a good addition to the game. I'm happy to see some Stray Cats on there...
Adman
"I instead got a big 'box' hat that covered my little character and said 'sucker' on all sides."
For what it's worth, the T-shirt was probably inside the box... Putting stuff in boxes is a pretty typical way to sell things. Not that you care, but just FYI.
I signed up for Second Life months ago. I was never interested in actually "playing" it (meaning, I suppose, meeting people, making friends, wearing furry costumes, having virtual sex, etc), but instead, I had a great time making and scripting objects, and subsequently selling them.
Seriously, tell me one other place where you can make your very own casino game, rent floor space, and make (or lose) real US dollars by having people play your game? Not everyone can make and sell clothing for real money, but you can in SL. There's something to be said for that.
Myself, I've made a few casino/dance club type games, as well as some treasure hunt type stuff, and have made a couple hundred bucks over the summer. Nothing to retire on, but, on some level, more rewarding than the time I spent playing WoW...
Adman
Tradewars, probably...?
I'm pretty sure there are Internet versions of it out now... you might do some websearches...
Adman
"The segments were determined by examining player behavior..."
So age was determined based on behavior? Can someone think of any flaws with this, or did I misunderstand something?
First of all, the granularity for moving around seems to be about 1 meter. Getting into just the right position (conversational position, you perverts! :) can be somewhat difficult. Same with facing angle... it seems to be about 10 degrees.
Trying to draw any sort of conclusions about subtle nuances of communcation seems, frankly, rediculous.
Adman
The original GH controller *IS* compatible with GH2.
Is there anywhere you can go to give it a try? I think you'd answer a lot of your own questions.
... at the proper time, you hit the little flipper thing where you'd normally strum a guitar.
In case that's impossible... In order to successfully "hit" a note, you have to do a combination of two things:
1) You push the proper fret button on the neck of the guitar, and
2)
Just like a real guitar, you can hit the fret button whenever you want (well, as early as you want). And just like a real guitar, nothing happens until you actually strum (there is a little tongue thing that sticks out from the guitar that you flip up and down to strum at the right time). So the dual challenge of hitting the right fret button as well as getting the strum timing right is, well, fun.
I'm not sure what you mean by "pressure sensitive".
Hope that helps. As I've said before, I strongly recommend actually trying the game before you make any further judgements. I've been a gamer a long time, and this is near the top of the list of best games EVAR!
Adman
I think poker is not as much a game of chance as you think it is.
Let's say we're each given 5 cards. Your best poker hand is a pair of 10s. You bet $X. I then RAISE the amount to $X + $Y. Do you call for $Y additional dollars? How do you make that decision?
Maybe I can't beat your 10s, but am just trying to scare you away. Maybe I have a winning hand, and am trying to get more money out of you. What have I done previously in similiar situations? How can you use that information going forward?
IF poker were simply a "game of chance", then it would go something like this: both players put in $X to the pot, and are then dealt cards. They both turn over their hands, and the winning player gets the pot. Repeat.
That is not poker.
Hope that helps.
I don't think you can call legitimate PvP combat "griefing", as such. It's kind of unfair and lame to kill/camp someone 20 levels below you, but you could also justify it under "role playing" or something.
Griefing, to me, is more like scamming people out of money, putting up auctions for 50g instead of 50s, stuff like that.
Adman
The earliest I'm familiar with was Parappa the Rapper, but given the whole DDR/Guitar Hero trend, I think rhythm games are a whole genre that shouldn't be overlooked.
Adman
Not this again...
I've been a gamer for the vast majority of my 31 years, and Guitar Hero is one of the most fun games I've ever played. But comparing it to playing a REAL GUITAR, while a natural thing to do, is silly. It's like comparing CounterStrike to an ACTUAL TERRORIST FIREFIGHT.
The point of the game isn't to learn how to play the guitar (thought I do think it would give a GH player a leg up over a non-GH player, for sure). The point of the game isn't to look cool while you're playing it. The point of the game is to simulate (in an arcade-y sort of way), the notion of being a playing a guitar and being a rockstar.
And to that end, I think it succeeds beautifully. Seriously, there have been moments in the game that I've hit some tricky combination of chords and just Felt It. And it felt good.
Adman
"Coincidence, eh?"
Yes, exactly that. A coincidence.
You think they banned EXACTLY 30,000 accounts...? And EXACTLY 30,000,000 gold...?
Seriously! It's not much, but it approaches "real money" for some people.
I'm a programmer in RL, and the idea of creating and scripting 3D objects sounded like a lot of fun to me, so I signed up for a FREE account, and started playing around. Soon, I'd created some casino games and other little gadget-y/holiday products, signed up for a FREE account on slexchange.com, and listed my items for sale. And people actually bought them! And the more people who bought them, the more they got exposed in the world, and more people bought more!
As with any game, I kinda lost interest (Guitar Hero had a *teensy* bit to do with this). However, to my delight I found that even though I wasn't actively working SL, my items were still listed, and still selling. Pretty cool.
The point is that motivated people (like me) can actually HAVE FUN and MAKE MONEY at the same time.
That was my experience, at least. And the other day, I thought of a product that I thought will be VERY popular in SL, and have started scripting it. I'm excited to see how it goes.
Seriously, where else can you come up with an idea, implement it, and see how it works? In real life, could you build your own slot machine and rent floorspace in a casino and have people play it? Not likely. But in SL, you can do stuff like that all the time. That has some value to it.
Adman
You get a plastic guitar controller thing with buttons on it.
5 buttons up on the neck of the guitar, and a little flipper switch down where you strum.
On screen, in very DDR like fashion, when the right colored dot hits the line, you push down the appropriate fret button, and hit the strummer.
You're not actually playing the guitar. Playing GH won't teach you how to play the guitar (though I believe that it would give you a leg up on someone who'd never played). One of the great things about the game is that it's immediately accesible to gamers and non-gamers alike... After playing a song or two, everyone just seems to "get it".
Hope that helps.
I'm 31 years old. For better or for worse, I've played computer games almost every day of my life since we got an Apple ][+ in 1979.
Guitar Hero is one of the most fun games I've ever played and I don't make statements like that lightly.
The point isn't to learn how to play a guitar. The point is to have fun, and Guitar Hero is successful, in my opinion.
Adman
THANKS!
I wish they could have found some better players to demonstate, though... that big guy sucks, and the squeaks are hurting my ears.
Now I know how my wife feels...
Adman
Don't get me wrong... Spore looks AMAZING! The whole creature-creation stuff is like nothing I've ever seen.
But will the game be FUN?! I guess maybe it's kind of like the Sims, where users create their own fun...?
Can someone explain it to me?
Adman
I think you underestimate how much time/work/dedication it takes to COMPLETE such a project... He clearly shows gumption and a can-do attitude. I think he deserves a job.
If all this is on the right track, then what is SMITHYCODE?
It seems like that SMITHYCODE should be used somehow, as a key or something...
I noticed they removed the instructions telling people the orientation that the DVD should be returned.
:)
Probably made their lives a lot easier, but I actually didn't notice those instructions until, oh, 6 months into my membership.
Sorry 'bout that.
I've borrowed a PS2 and GH from a friend for the past week or so, and have been playing it almost non-stop. Seriously, Guitar Hero is one of the most fun, addicting games I've ever played, and I'm not really a big rhythm-game guy (ie, DDR).
I love the wide range of skill levels that the game presents. Anyone can pick up the game and make it through the easy levels (perhaps after a couple tries). But the Expert levels are insanely difficult.
Also, I truly believe that Guitar Hero is a Good Thing for music in general. Yes, it won't teach you to play the guitar, but it WILL help you will basic skills like strumming with one hand while holding strings with the other, as well as timing and general dexterity.
I can't wait for GH2!
Adman