You read a LOT into that answer. The way I read it, he stated that copy-protection methods were unnecessary due to the subscription nature of the game. He completely (and rightly) ignored the entire rest of the question. I can't blame him, it's really not his place to say, but at the same time, praising him for being so open when he completely ignores a question is a bit silly.
"He actually answered the hard hitting questions pretty straight forward, AND admitted their mistakes!"
Given the recent bad press surrounding some of Sony's intrusive software, what changes, if any, are you planning for the copy-protection and cheat-prevention aspects of the game's software. During these change-overs, are you planning on putting in any special software that will monitor the users, and/or software that will attempt to prevent copying the game? Can you guarantee that such software will not "cross the line" and do things not directly related protecting the game itself?
John Smedley: No. We are a subscription-based service, and therefore this isn't necessary.
Doesn't sound like a straight-forward response to me. He only partially answered the question, and not the part that anyone cared about!
Star Wars is one of the most popular licenses in the world, and yet, Blizzard comes out of nowhere with World of Warcraft and takes ownership of the MMO realm.
How do you feel about Galaxies failure to reach a mainstream audience, and has WOW influenced any of the recent changes made to the structure of Galaxies?
The reality is probably closer to a little of both. The economics of the industry would suggest that if you anticipate lower demand, you cut your supply, because it's costing you more to make the units now than it will later. If they cut the supply so that it's outstripped by demand, it might spike demand enough to create an incentive to open the supply gates more a little later.
Which is precisely why you need a killer app. The killer app fixes the catch-22, by getting the system into homes in conjunction with showing developers what can be done with the system.
Notice that Mario was notably absent from the presentation? They don't want to show the killer app until it's too late to have it ripped off.
Well, that right there is part of the problem. Some people think that they have a firm command of the English language, but can find "mistakes" in correctly written English. I find it helpful to just assume I don't know for sure and let it slide.
The exception is when I see someone making a mistake that I used to make; I might correct the person and just explain that I used to do it too. More often than not, I'll just chuckle quietly to myself.:)
You're absolutely right, and quite frankly, I blame the educational system. College graduates are coming out of supposedly reputable four-year institutions, and still make mistakes such as "for all intensive purposes". I've seen CEOs that can't write a coherent e-mail, sales pitches riddled with mistakes, and otherwise bright people whom I laugh at whenever I read their written words.
As a college student, I'll tell you that the Tablet PC coupled with Microsoft's OneNote software is a killer app for the Tablet PC. I was able to type notes, draw pictures, record a lecture as an audio clip (annotated with written notes), and grab a couple of web screenshots into a note file for my class, then catalogue and index the notes and make it all searchable. That is incredibly powerful.
That said, the recognition software is NOT crappy, it's remarkably accurate considering my terrible handwriting, and any mistakes are also easy to fix. This is assuming you have Windows XP SP2, which has updated TIP/Recognition software in it. The initial software wasn't nearly as robust.
Re:Sure, this works for now...
on
PSPCasting
·
· Score: 1
That's not going to happen. How do I know? Because Sony just released versions of their PSX DVR in Japan that specifically allow you to write programs you've recorded to Memory Stick Duo for use in the PSP. Sounds like a pretty solid admission that this was planned and that they plan to support it going forward.
The firmware in the PSP is, in fact, user upgradeable. There is a function in the PSP which goes out to a website and will update the firmware if it finds a firmware file posted there. Sony accidentally posted a test file a while back which some people downloaded, and then ripped apart. Found all sorts of interesting things in there, possibly portents of future functions...
Anyway, updating the codecs is very likely possible, but it depends on what Sony decides to support (or what someone manages to hack into an unofficial firmware file).
I have a P4 3GHZ machine, 2GB of RAM, 120B Serial ATA hard drive, and an ATI X800XT PE... and I STILL get stuttering. I don't think testing on high-end machines was the problem.
I don't know entirely why this was modded as funny, but I suppose it's because there is no way to mod a post as "Bingo!". I'd bet this will do nothing but make the already atrocious loading times even more... atrocious.
I've run across him a few times, the most surprising for me was on a catwalk far above me as I zipped underneath him in the airboat. Went back to see if I was imagining things, but he had walked off to the left and through a door.
There are also some videoscreens that show the administrator talking, and if you focus in on them and watch carefully, you'll see a single frame flash in with the G-Man. Creepy as all hell.
Plot holes due to not playing Half Life 1 are not entirely Valve's problem. Half Life's massive success means that most players would already be familiar with the plot of the first game, and for those that aren't, certain Half Life 2 packages include the Source version of the first game.
Certainly, it would be better from a storytelling perspective to not rely on the knowledge of the first game as much, but the assumptions (and concessions) Valve have made alleviate that to a large degree.
As for the loading, you NEVER load during an action sequence. There is always a lull when the loading happens, and it was designed this way. That said, the loading times are atrocious even on a 3GHZ machine with massive storage and RAM, and something NEEDS to be done about this.
Slashdot Mirror
You read a LOT into that answer. The way I read it, he stated that copy-protection methods were unnecessary due to the subscription nature of the game. He completely (and rightly) ignored the entire rest of the question. I can't blame him, it's really not his place to say, but at the same time, praising him for being so open when he completely ignores a question is a bit silly.
Doesn't sound like a straight-forward response to me. He only partially answered the question, and not the part that anyone cared about!
Thanks for that explanation, Super Nintendo Chalmers.
Star Wars is one of the most popular licenses in the world, and yet, Blizzard comes out of nowhere with World of Warcraft and takes ownership of the MMO realm.
How do you feel about Galaxies failure to reach a mainstream audience, and has WOW influenced any of the recent changes made to the structure of Galaxies?
The reality is probably closer to a little of both. The economics of the industry would suggest that if you anticipate lower demand, you cut your supply, because it's costing you more to make the units now than it will later. If they cut the supply so that it's outstripped by demand, it might spike demand enough to create an incentive to open the supply gates more a little later.
There is always the cypherphreaks/cypherphreaks combo ... which works on a lot of news sites, including the NY Times.
There was probably a lack of political will. Perhaps an outcry of public support would help?
Which is precisely why you need a killer app. The killer app fixes the catch-22, by getting the system into homes in conjunction with showing developers what can be done with the system.
Notice that Mario was notably absent from the presentation? They don't want to show the killer app until it's too late to have it ripped off.
It certainly bans mine ...
" web pads, tablets, game consoles,"
I just bought a Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC, and according to this, I can't use it. The wording is quite clear.
Did no one read the article? This was the same "announcement" that was made LAST MONTH. Look at the date on the article ...
Well, that right there is part of the problem. Some people think that they have a firm command of the English language, but can find "mistakes" in correctly written English. I find it helpful to just assume I don't know for sure and let it slide.
:)
The exception is when I see someone making a mistake that I used to make; I might correct the person and just explain that I used to do it too. More often than not, I'll just chuckle quietly to myself.
You're absolutely right, and quite frankly, I blame the educational system. College graduates are coming out of supposedly reputable four-year institutions, and still make mistakes such as "for all intensive purposes". I've seen CEOs that can't write a coherent e-mail, sales pitches riddled with mistakes, and otherwise bright people whom I laugh at whenever I read their written words.
Sony is not nearly healthy enough financially to be able to acquire Immersion.
As a college student, I'll tell you that the Tablet PC coupled with Microsoft's OneNote software is a killer app for the Tablet PC. I was able to type notes, draw pictures, record a lecture as an audio clip (annotated with written notes), and grab a couple of web screenshots into a note file for my class, then catalogue and index the notes and make it all searchable. That is incredibly powerful.
That said, the recognition software is NOT crappy, it's remarkably accurate considering my terrible handwriting, and any mistakes are also easy to fix. This is assuming you have Windows XP SP2, which has updated TIP/Recognition software in it. The initial software wasn't nearly as robust.
That's not going to happen. How do I know? Because Sony just released versions of their PSX DVR in Japan that specifically allow you to write programs you've recorded to Memory Stick Duo for use in the PSP. Sounds like a pretty solid admission that this was planned and that they plan to support it going forward.
The firmware in the PSP is, in fact, user upgradeable. There is a function in the PSP which goes out to a website and will update the firmware if it finds a firmware file posted there. Sony accidentally posted a test file a while back which some people downloaded, and then ripped apart. Found all sorts of interesting things in there, possibly portents of future functions ...
Anyway, updating the codecs is very likely possible, but it depends on what Sony decides to support (or what someone manages to hack into an unofficial firmware file).
Good to see you around, Allen. Great job on Paranoia XP!
No, you misread that. They're making lots of money, and laying off game developers.
I have a P4 3GHZ machine, 2GB of RAM, 120B Serial ATA hard drive, and an ATI X800XT PE ... and I STILL get stuttering. I don't think testing on high-end machines was the problem.
I don't know entirely why this was modded as funny, but I suppose it's because there is no way to mod a post as "Bingo!". I'd bet this will do nothing but make the already atrocious loading times even more ... atrocious.
There is regular episodic content coming. :)
I've run across him a few times, the most surprising for me was on a catwalk far above me as I zipped underneath him in the airboat. Went back to see if I was imagining things, but he had walked off to the left and through a door.
There are also some videoscreens that show the administrator talking, and if you focus in on them and watch carefully, you'll see a single frame flash in with the G-Man. Creepy as all hell.
Team Fortress 2 is based on the Source engine, and is still coming, according to Valve.
Half Life 3 is in the works (not sure if it's a sequel or an expansion pack), but you'll be playing as Alyx this time.
Plot holes due to not playing Half Life 1 are not entirely Valve's problem. Half Life's massive success means that most players would already be familiar with the plot of the first game, and for those that aren't, certain Half Life 2 packages include the Source version of the first game.
Certainly, it would be better from a storytelling perspective to not rely on the knowledge of the first game as much, but the assumptions (and concessions) Valve have made alleviate that to a large degree.
As for the loading, you NEVER load during an action sequence. There is always a lull when the loading happens, and it was designed this way. That said, the loading times are atrocious even on a 3GHZ machine with massive storage and RAM, and something NEEDS to be done about this.