I missed that you responded to this... need to go back to the old comment sorting scheme...
Anyhow: I appreciate your view on the situation, and I agree that there are a lot of poorly trained help desk types out there and, yes, a lot of them tend to be young.
Sometimes, though, I think that it is more indicative of their management and (lack of) leadership than their inability to handle the job effectively...
No... he's got a point. It helps to mislead the other players.
Clue is not about getting to the solution first - it's about using stalling tactics to make sure the other players are confused so you have time to figure it out. You have to be careful to play both of those sides. I've seen people get amazingly confused trying to do so.
That's a common tactic with Clue (though my family has yet to catch on to what I'm doing, but my friends have). My wife calls playing Clue with me as "Clue in Three Turns."
What's especially good is if you pick on one or two cards you have (or, even better, cards immediately in front you in the clockwise circle), setting up a "red herring" to lead the others down. When you keep picking on Mr. Green and the Library, then the others just know you are on to something... heh.:)
I suspect there is a slight difference in manufacturing costs, don't you? A DVD is cheaper than the ROM cartridges, and batteries housed in theose cartridges, that currently house GBA games. I'm sure it's not a great deal more, but it is more.
The ED games are horrible. I have played both... never finished them. Campbell's voice acting is great - but i can get the same snarky attitude, with much better gameplay, from the 2002 Spider-man game (Campbell runs you through the tutorial, plus some more surprises).
Bruce, baby, if you're reading this: do an ED 4, or a Bubba Ho-Tep 2, or more Brisco County or read from a Ford car manual on tape, but no more ED video games! Please!
NT, at one time, did run on the PowerPC. There could be a build of XP, somewhere in the depths of MS, that runs on PPC.
However, that means having to recompile things to run on XP PPC. Not likely, I'm sure.
But you bring up two good points:
MS owns Virtual PC now. A fast, very fast, PPC could emulate Windows for basic things: browsing the Web, maybe Office applications... if it was a special version of XP. I dunno.
They could also place an x86 in the box, too. It would allow the "Xbox Next PC" to not only play Xbox Next games and do normal, PC-like functions, but it might allow backwards compatibility with current Xbox games.
And that would be a sad turn of events if current Xbox players had to buy this PC hybrid thing just to get backwards compatibility...
We have been down this road before. And, once again, I have to say the author is wrong in calling for the publishers to curb their work.
There is one specific place this has to happen, and that is with the parents. However, there is something the parents need, and that is EDUCATION. And I place that squarely on the shoulders of not just the publishers but also those of the retailers.
Let's pick on Best Buy: Why is Eternal Darkness right next to F-Zero? Both are clearly rated... why are they together? Why are the Playboy specials in the "Special Interest" section of the DVD area there? And why are things like Lesbo Lickin' Vampires in the "Horror/Sci-Fi" DVD section? And why are all of these discs, in many cases, easily reachable by a three- or four-year-old?
I'm not saying the retailers need to create a beaded curtained back room where the "adult stuff" is at, but maybe the top shelf could be reserved for such things? Maybe flyers next to the games? Or, maybe, the publishers have to require that a ratings flyer be handed out with each and every video game sold.
I don't know. I know my kids will have their father watching over what they play at my house... I just worry about their future friends' families.
And, as an aside, maybe Nintendo should start pushing itself as the "kiddie" console and heavily hype that. There might be more money there, and capitalizing on a title they already have, than trying to get between MS and Sony...
In the run-up to Voyager, Paramount clearly said that Voyager would be the first ship to land, and launch, from a planet surface. Voyager, if I remember correctly, was supposed to be built on a planet, not in the orbital shipyards the other ships were built in.
It was supposed to be an added bonus to watch that God-awful show. Didn't work for me. And, honestly, neither did Jeri Ryan's breasts. But that's another thread.
No, it isn't a question of DirectX compatibility. Something works with DirectX just fine in 98 but not in 2K. Where is the variable there? It isn't DirectX.
Let's step in the way-back machine for a moment, Sherman:
It's the April after Windows 98 has been released and Microsoft, quietly, announces "The Death of DOS." DOS is over. DOS is done. The next consumer release of Windows will be NT-based.
Suddenly, less than nine months later, MS announces Windows Me. Which is DOS-based (granted, it doesn't look like it, but that's another story).
Why?
Because the game manufacturers screamed bloody murder as they were not ready for that large of a move. Thus, because the manufacturers dug their heels in and told Microsoft not to release only an NT-based OS. Thus, they didn't.
I don't disagree that it is sloppy on the manuafacturer's part. But, if your buyers are going to be overwhelmingly 98/Me installs, are you going to put compatibility with 2K (an OS that MS was actively saying was for business, not home) on the front burner? No, you aren't.
As a Mac user and an avid gamer, I can say that I wait, and choose to wait, for games because of the same principle: the manufacturer is looking at who their largest possible customer base is first. I'm comfortable with that... it's a fact of life, and the reason I also have a Windows 98SE machine.:)
Well, let's keep in mind: Win 2K was not meant for home use. If you wanted to play games on it, you had to suffer the consequences that came with it or should have picked up Windows Me (not a grand solution, but that is what MS would have told you at the time). Win 2K is not a major installed base for Blizzard users. So, no, it isn't pressing. Sorry. Same reason for the OS X installer. OS X has been around for three years at this point.
XP, obviously, is different. Now, not being a Windows user, I have no idea when the patch you mentioned came out in conjunction with XP's release. But, keep in mind, that most of the SC and Diablo players are probably still running 98SE or Me. I'm not defending their decisions to do so... but, as someone who runs a help desk, I can tell you that the Win 98/Me installs at home dwarf 2K and exceed XP.
Yes, there is a market for this. In fact, Blizzard has said that an OS X installer of StarCraft is on its way pretty soon, too.
Blizzard looks out for its old games, especially if they are the most recent in the series, hence the reason there is no OS X installer for WarCraft II (WarCraft III is already OS X ready), but Diablo II and StarCraft get ones.
Frankly, this is what I consider strong customer service - Blizzard could have killed these games years ago, but they choose not to and they choose not to charge their users to keep the games updated (think of the various updates of Myst we've seen). I like that.
What do you expect for minimum wage, a script, and a bunch of college kids majoring in business?
UNFAIR.
I run a Help Desk that is primarily student staffed. I have a Math major, a Drama major, a Poli Sci major, two working on their MBAs, a Philosophy major, a Mechanical Engineering major and two Computer Science majors. My lead fulltimer has degrees in Biology and we are seriously considering another with a degree in Criminal Justice.
ALL of them know their stuff. And we handle desktop support from a variety of OSes and applications.
An employee who doesn't give a shit is an employee who doesn't know their shit, be it a college kid or a baby boomer getting ready to retire.
Don't paint with that broad of a brush - it will come back to haunt you.
Now, if someone dragged said stupid user, hung him by the feet from the ceiling in the Apple cafeteria and then let all the Apple employees make fun of him... that might be news.
No, it's a question of semantics. If he doesn't want to be seen as a spammer, then he shouldn't consider those opposed to him as "anti-spammers."
Semantics go a long way in this type of discourse: From an abortion rights point of view, the "pro-life" side is referred to as "anti-choice" for a reason.
But, we are talking a spammer here. The English language and how to use it is not going to be a strong point for him.
I like the line-up, and I think the logical crossovers (TSS's LAN party days easily can be tied into a larger Arena presence) are good things...
I think this could end up being The Geek Network... or it could end up being a rehash of all we've seen on both TechTV and G4 (rerun after rerun after rerun). I'm surprised to see that X-Play survived. I seriously wonder how it will fit in with a bunch of shows (Judgment Day, G4TV.com, Cheat!) that basically do what it does in much greater detail (it's gotta be Morgan).
I think the network needs to do three things for it to take off correctly: 1) Bring back Leo as a major presence; 2) Bring back Wil (yes, CleverNickName, even with your view of The Company and The Viewer I think Comcast would be silly not to ask you to return) to not just Arena but maybe TSS, too; 3) Make sure Jim Downs is out and that his ghost never rises again...
And the one thing that would bring many old-school TSS fans back? Find, and hire, Kate and Megan, dammit!:)
Actually, the lack of multiplayer could hurt it with the CoC crowd from the 80's & 90's. Playing that RPG with friends was one of the real reasons to get into Lovecraft. If the videogame has no multiplayer elements (and it sounds like that's not even in the works any longer), then this had better be one damn fine work. Trust me - I'm not attacking it. I'm hoping I hear rave reviews that cause me to go out and pick up a $99 Xbox (should be around that price by the end of 2004, right?).:)
As an aside. a Lovecraft MMORPG would be really cool to see. Base it in either 1920's America or Victorian England and let it run. The beauty of CoC was that your character could almost be anyone or any profession so you could have a witch who's day job is being a maid at Buckingham Palace and have fun with that. Think of it as CoC meets The Sims, even.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Anyhow: I appreciate your view on the situation, and I agree that there are a lot of poorly trained help desk types out there and, yes, a lot of them tend to be young.
Sometimes, though, I think that it is more indicative of their management and (lack of) leadership than their inability to handle the job effectively...
RoboRally is indeed out of print, but you may still be able to find copies at a physical Wizards of the Coast store, and I'll bet eBay has a ton.
Clue is not about getting to the solution first - it's about using stalling tactics to make sure the other players are confused so you have time to figure it out. You have to be careful to play both of those sides. I've seen people get amazingly confused trying to do so.
What's especially good is if you pick on one or two cards you have (or, even better, cards immediately in front you in the clockwise circle), setting up a "red herring" to lead the others down. When you keep picking on Mr. Green and the Library, then the others just know you are on to something... heh. :)
First turn takes 30 minutes. Subsequent turns take 15 minutes each.
Unless you have a very small circle of friends (up to seven others), your social life is over.
Not to mention the hundreds of thousands that were still sitting in concentration and death camps at the time of the invasion.
Yes, I think "celebration" is appropriate.
We really should stop feeding this troll and walk away from his bridge... :)
Before you speak, do a little research.
Bruce, baby, if you're reading this: do an ED 4, or a Bubba Ho-Tep 2, or more Brisco County or read from a Ford car manual on tape, but no more ED video games! Please!
However, that means having to recompile things to run on XP PPC. Not likely, I'm sure.
But you bring up two good points:
MS owns Virtual PC now. A fast, very fast, PPC could emulate Windows for basic things: browsing the Web, maybe Office applications... if it was a special version of XP. I dunno.
They could also place an x86 in the box, too. It would allow the "Xbox Next PC" to not only play Xbox Next games and do normal, PC-like functions, but it might allow backwards compatibility with current Xbox games.
And that would be a sad turn of events if current Xbox players had to buy this PC hybrid thing just to get backwards compatibility...
Ryan ain't my cup of tea. I prefer women who have a personality beyond that of lukewarm oatmeal.
There is one specific place this has to happen, and that is with the parents. However, there is something the parents need, and that is EDUCATION. And I place that squarely on the shoulders of not just the publishers but also those of the retailers.
Let's pick on Best Buy: Why is Eternal Darkness right next to F-Zero? Both are clearly rated... why are they together? Why are the Playboy specials in the "Special Interest" section of the DVD area there? And why are things like Lesbo Lickin' Vampires in the "Horror/Sci-Fi" DVD section? And why are all of these discs, in many cases, easily reachable by a three- or four-year-old?
I'm not saying the retailers need to create a beaded curtained back room where the "adult stuff" is at, but maybe the top shelf could be reserved for such things? Maybe flyers next to the games? Or, maybe, the publishers have to require that a ratings flyer be handed out with each and every video game sold.
I don't know. I know my kids will have their father watching over what they play at my house... I just worry about their future friends' families.
And, as an aside, maybe Nintendo should start pushing itself as the "kiddie" console and heavily hype that. There might be more money there, and capitalizing on a title they already have, than trying to get between MS and Sony...
It was supposed to be an added bonus to watch that God-awful show. Didn't work for me. And, honestly, neither did Jeri Ryan's breasts. But that's another thread.
No, it isn't a question of DirectX compatibility. Something works with DirectX just fine in 98 but not in 2K. Where is the variable there? It isn't DirectX.
It's the April after Windows 98 has been released and Microsoft, quietly, announces "The Death of DOS." DOS is over. DOS is done. The next consumer release of Windows will be NT-based.
Suddenly, less than nine months later, MS announces Windows Me. Which is DOS-based (granted, it doesn't look like it, but that's another story).
Why?
Because the game manufacturers screamed bloody murder as they were not ready for that large of a move. Thus, because the manufacturers dug their heels in and told Microsoft not to release only an NT-based OS. Thus, they didn't.
I don't disagree that it is sloppy on the manuafacturer's part. But, if your buyers are going to be overwhelmingly 98/Me installs, are you going to put compatibility with 2K (an OS that MS was actively saying was for business, not home) on the front burner? No, you aren't.
As a Mac user and an avid gamer, I can say that I wait, and choose to wait, for games because of the same principle: the manufacturer is looking at who their largest possible customer base is first. I'm comfortable with that... it's a fact of life, and the reason I also have a Windows 98SE machine. :)
XP, obviously, is different. Now, not being a Windows user, I have no idea when the patch you mentioned came out in conjunction with XP's release. But, keep in mind, that most of the SC and Diablo players are probably still running 98SE or Me. I'm not defending their decisions to do so... but, as someone who runs a help desk, I can tell you that the Win 98/Me installs at home dwarf 2K and exceed XP.
Blizzard looks out for its old games, especially if they are the most recent in the series, hence the reason there is no OS X installer for WarCraft II (WarCraft III is already OS X ready), but Diablo II and StarCraft get ones.
Frankly, this is what I consider strong customer service - Blizzard could have killed these games years ago, but they choose not to and they choose not to charge their users to keep the games updated (think of the various updates of Myst we've seen). I like that.
UNFAIR.
I run a Help Desk that is primarily student staffed. I have a Math major, a Drama major, a Poli Sci major, two working on their MBAs, a Philosophy major, a Mechanical Engineering major and two Computer Science majors. My lead fulltimer has degrees in Biology and we are seriously considering another with a degree in Criminal Justice.
ALL of them know their stuff. And we handle desktop support from a variety of OSes and applications.
An employee who doesn't give a shit is an employee who doesn't know their shit, be it a college kid or a baby boomer getting ready to retire.
Don't paint with that broad of a brush - it will come back to haunt you.
By the way: I have two degrees in English. :p
Stupid User Trick, maybe. News? No.
Now, if someone dragged said stupid user, hung him by the feet from the ceiling in the Apple cafeteria and then let all the Apple employees make fun of him... that might be news.
This isn't a virus. It's a trojan. Please read up on the subject if you don't understand the naming conventions.
Semantics go a long way in this type of discourse: From an abortion rights point of view, the "pro-life" side is referred to as "anti-choice" for a reason.
But, we are talking a spammer here. The English language and how to use it is not going to be a strong point for him.
Dude, read the FAQ. Unscrewed survived.
I think this could end up being The Geek Network... or it could end up being a rehash of all we've seen on both TechTV and G4 (rerun after rerun after rerun). I'm surprised to see that X-Play survived. I seriously wonder how it will fit in with a bunch of shows (Judgment Day, G4TV.com, Cheat!) that basically do what it does in much greater detail (it's gotta be Morgan).
I think the network needs to do three things for it to take off correctly: 1) Bring back Leo as a major presence; 2) Bring back Wil (yes, CleverNickName, even with your view of The Company and The Viewer I think Comcast would be silly not to ask you to return) to not just Arena but maybe TSS, too; 3) Make sure Jim Downs is out and that his ghost never rises again...
And the one thing that would bring many old-school TSS fans back? Find, and hire, Kate and Megan, dammit! :)
I gotta go warm up my TiVo...
Dude, you just ruined my day. Little Jimmy (now big Jimmy) and I are gonna have to track you down and pelt you with trackballs from Centipede.
Actually, the lack of multiplayer could hurt it with the CoC crowd from the 80's & 90's. Playing that RPG with friends was one of the real reasons to get into Lovecraft. If the videogame has no multiplayer elements (and it sounds like that's not even in the works any longer), then this had better be one damn fine work. Trust me - I'm not attacking it. I'm hoping I hear rave reviews that cause me to go out and pick up a $99 Xbox (should be around that price by the end of 2004, right?). :)
As an aside. a Lovecraft MMORPG would be really cool to see. Base it in either 1920's America or Victorian England and let it run. The beauty of CoC was that your character could almost be anyone or any profession so you could have a witch who's day job is being a maid at Buckingham Palace and have fun with that. Think of it as CoC meets The Sims, even. :)