He didn't write the article to complain as much as he did to WARN those who dream of such work to be on their toes. The Dream of being a Game Designer is a holy grail of sorts for a lot of kids these days, and this article is a good and insightful wake-up call.
Your point about moving on instead of complaining is right on tho'. Brush the gravel off those buttocks and git busy!
Why did Infocom give up on text-based adventure games? Their switching to graphics was the kiss of death. They cornered the market on text adventure but lost faith. I'd LOVE to see someone bring back and then push the envelope of text-based gaming the same way Doom/Quake did with graphics based gaming. To do so would take at least the same level of engineering creativity as Id puts into 3d games.
Could it be the very nature of games as both software and entertainment products?
I think that's it exactly.
Given the modern-day multimedia, graphics-intensive capabilities of computers, the demand on game designers is greater than ever before. As soon as you CAN have an immersive 3d environment, the bar is raised and people will EXPECT to have a quality 3d environment. That's the software end. The Entertainment end is a whole 'nother ball-o-wax that most developers (let alone suits) just aren't prepared for.
For a game to be successful, it must be engrossing and entertaining, like a good story. Since it's also a visual medium, visual design is hugely important. There's sound involved, and the sounds have to ADD to the 'spell' of the game and not detract, etc.
Storytelling, Set Design, Sound Engineering...sounds like a movie! How many Really Good film directors are there out there? How many of the 'Really Good' ones STILL make bombs half the time? Now add the element of interactivity, and you have an even greater demand on creative resources to produce a successful game product.
There will always be a niche market for 'classic' style video games, which mimic/enhance classic non-video games (cards, mah-johng, whatever) or create their own clever abstract game environments (pacman, Tempest, - I can't think of a modern PC equivalent), but the bulk the market will be led by games that combine front-of-the-line engineering with high-quality and immersive environments.
To do this requires dedication and resources that few companies are willing or even able in their wildest dreams to support. Some try by hiring live actors to do static 'reality' bits, but these generally fall flat, as most gamers don't want live, uninspired actors intruding on their fantasy.
Finally, an article that addresses the ever-growing slush pile of pc video games visible at any computer or department store, with insight from the inside.
The few games I buy, let alone play, are from companies (Id is the supreme example) who are soley devoted to the cause of pushing the gaming envelope, as opposed to countless others who look to see "what's hot" and then throw in some knockoff based on yesterday's technology. I like to feel that a given game (or ANY piece of software) was created by folks who intellectually and emotionally invested in its success.
Like HolloWood, features created by corporate investment committe to address a percieved 'trend' ring false in the eyes and ears of the kind of dedicated gamers that must be appeased for a game to become a real 'hit'.
Actually, this works on any platforms, 'cause all you do is hook it up with a 'y' adapter to your soundcard. Any FM radio receiver will do. Slip on that old AM/FM walkman and dig mp3's while mowing the lawn!
http://www.rainbowkits.com/FMST-100.html
Re:Typical NonLinuxUser Response To (That)
on
The Future of GNOME
·
· Score: 1
.fvwmrc is NOT source code. It's a configuration file for fvwm that can be as simple or complex as the user wishes it to be. It contains plenty of remarks to help a new user figure out what can be done. The writer is not claiming to fix bloat or bugs in anything; he is simply expressing an understandable preference for a much smaller, simpler and more streamlined window manager as a way to *avoid* bloat and bugs in other WM's.
I'm not trying to 'explain off' your experience by any means, but wish to pose the idea of something on the surface of your eye, rather than in the sky itself. I've gotten visual glitches before, which are always much more visible against a bright blue/grey sky. They appear to hover until I turn my head, when, of course, they turn with me and (you get the idea).
I've never mistaken one for a UFO of course, and don't imagine that you're any more likely to do so than I, but it's an idea to play with. Smoke particles? I know, I'm reaching! It's just that when something is 'impossible' in the assumed circumstance (object in the sky) we should look for circumstances wherein it IS possible (object on the surface of the eye or a projected image) instead of immediately rushing off and telling everyone to re-write the science books and whatnot (WHICH, by the way, I am NOT accusing you of doing).
I have no doubt that there are UFO's out there, but only in the textbook-sense of the word UNIDENTIFIED flying objects.
Seeing something that does not fit in your present frame of reference is indeed alarming, (it's supposed to be, for survival's sake) but doesn't imply anything further than the simple fact that the viewer cannot identify what he or she (or they) have seen.
I don't think UFO's are of extraterrestrial origin. Here's why:
I think that if and when beings of extraterrestrial origin arrive in our solar system, we'll know about it in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. No hiding, no cat and mouse, no conspiracies.
Anyone or anything with the power to arrive here from another system/galaxy will certainly have the power/means to take what they wish, when they wish, without having to resort to politics with political 'power figures' like the CIA or the KGB.
We'll be as amazed and curious about the ALIENS as the Indians and Aztecs were with Columbus and The Spaniards, and then history will repeat itself as it always has, just with a much larger playing field than any of us imagined.
We like to think that anyone/thing smarter than us will also be nicer and more benevolent.
ALL creatures first aim is to further their own existence at ANY cost. I don't think this changes with time and/or technological or spiritual advancement.
I thought people specialized in this sort of thing, cracking and all that. Guess that stuff only happens in 'Hacker Crackdown' books. One could of course assume such a "high profile" target would shunned by the highly skilled, anonimity-craving Cracker Elite, but I'd be tempted to say 6u115h1t on that!
I think the distro appeals greatly to the/. 'crowd' more in terms of it's potential 'milestone' status than in terms of a distro/.'ers would actually use. The appearance of this distro is a noteworthy event in the de?evolution of Linux.
The Alesis 12R is a nice little rackmountable 12 channel mixer with 1/4" and xlr inputs on 8 channels + 2 stereo inputs. Inserts on 8 channels let you go out to a multitrack recorder (whoo hoo!) if you so desire.
The whole thing's about the size of component tape deck. Phantom power on all mic inputs, too. Fair deal at $350, brand-spankin' new. Check your local muzak mart.
As a token of goodwill, especially after the release of the "South Park" movie, I think we should present the state of California as a gift to our friends in Canada. They're bound to make better use of it than we have!
I want to grasp Pete firmly by the shoulders now and say firmly, over and over "Guitar, Bass and Drums, that's all. Guitar, Bass and Drums, that's all. (slap) You're not listening! Guitar, Bass and Drums, that's all..."
He/They made Tommy on an 8-track, which helped convince them to throw out inessential crap. I fear for the project in this day of unlimited tracking.
I didn't like Psychoderelict that much overall, but it did contain some amazing cuts. The story seemed kind of forced and the voice-overs were kind of annoying. Good effort, though.
Pete was born to sing and tell stories with his guitar. The closer he stays to that, the better it gets.
If your friends are anywhere near as insightful as you seem to be, they will undoubtedly find creative responses ('solutions' are hard to come by) to their very difficult and painful situations.
As you get older, you start to see your parents as people, just as potentially flawed and clueless as we ourselves often are. That's my experience anyways.
Parents project their hopes and dreams on their kids in much the same way that we (kids of all ages) project our hopes and dreams on rock stars. If you've ever gotten to know a rock star fairly well, you'll see how far off base those dreams can be! Disappointment is inevitable, even though it's unfair to the 'star', who probably didn't ask for all the attention in the first place. Parents feel the same disappointment, I think, when their kids become separate entities with a will of their own AND the means to exert it. Some parents react to this disappointment more gracefully than others. Alas for your adopted friend. I wish her well.
I hope your friends hang in there and keep their heads up. Things are always changing, and sooner or later they HAVE to change for the better.
Your friend who manages the convenience store kicks ass, by the way. When I was 21 I couldn't manage my way out of a wet paper bag.
"South Park," walk them in, then watch for a half-hour
The first half hour was clever and funny, but it all slid down hill from there. Mister Katz missed some material in the latter half of the movie that I wouldn't want any nine-year-old I cared about to see.
There was a recognizable attempt to make some 'statements' in the movie, which were commendable on a high-school level. Such filmic 'importance' does not mean that kids need to see it. Give 'em the short version: "War is Hell" (naughty word, too!), "Think for yourself", etc. Personally, I think that the classic "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" has vastly more important and sophisticated messages than South Park. Better animation too!;)
Mr. Katz has a very childish sense of activism in my opinion. He's hoping to make a row with the angry teenagers here on/. loud enough that the overstuffed hippies and pot-smoking Gen-X androgynites at Rolling Stone will notice him again. Poor deluded sould thinks that Rolling Stone still matters.
On an artistic level, the South Park movie got off to a great start. The songs and whatall were amazing, but after about 40 minutes it seemed as though a different writer/director had taken control of the storyline and f*cked it up completely.
I was entertained to a small degree, but I would never take my kids or anyone elses to see this movie. The ratings board gave it the rating it deserved. I commend theatres who make some effort to enforce an unpopular ruling, and gladly relegate myself to "flamebait" status in so doing.
Mr. Katz's efforts for the kids was commendable in spirit, but the road to Shitsville is paved with good intentions.
Mr. Katz, perhaps you could practice what you preach and take some children to this movie and watch it, in it's entirety with them. Not just any kids, mind you, but kids from your own family and/or circle of close friends. Kids in whom you have a vested emotional interest, and whose parents are willing to place their trust in your judgement. Make sure they're well under the age to see it, and watch it with them from start to finish.
Enjoy the fun and freedom of it all. See you at the movies!
On an artistic level, the South Park movie got off to a great start. The songs and whatall were amazing, but after about 40 minutes it seemed as though a different writer/director had taken control of the storyline and f*cked it up completely.
I would never take my kids or anyone elses to see this movie. The ratings board gave it the rating it deserved. I commend theatres who make some effort to enforce an unpopular ruling, and gladly relegate myself to "flamebait" status in so doing.
Mr. Katz's efforts for the kids was commendable in spirit, but the road to Shitsville is paved with good intentions.
Slashdot Mirror
If you SAY you are not a witch, well then you MUST be a witch.
BURN HER!
:)
He didn't write the article to complain as much as he did to WARN those who dream of such work to be on their toes. The Dream of being a Game Designer is a holy grail of sorts for a lot of kids these days, and this article is a good and insightful wake-up call.
Your point about moving on instead of complaining is right on tho'. Brush the gravel off those buttocks and git busy!
Which brings me to the question:
Why did Infocom give up on text-based adventure games? Their switching to graphics was the kiss of death. They cornered the market on text adventure but lost faith. I'd LOVE to see someone bring back and then push the envelope of text-based gaming the same way Doom/Quake did with graphics based gaming. To do so would take at least the same level of engineering creativity as Id puts into 3d games.
Hmmm...
Could it be the very nature of games as both software and entertainment products?
I think that's it exactly.
Given the modern-day multimedia, graphics-intensive capabilities of computers, the demand on game designers is greater than ever before. As soon as you CAN have an immersive 3d environment, the bar is raised and people will EXPECT to have a quality 3d environment. That's the software end. The Entertainment end is a whole 'nother ball-o-wax that most developers (let alone suits) just aren't prepared for.
For a game to be successful, it must be engrossing and entertaining, like a good story. Since it's also a visual medium, visual design is hugely important. There's sound involved, and the sounds have to ADD to the 'spell' of the game and not detract, etc.
Storytelling, Set Design, Sound Engineering...sounds like a movie! How many Really Good film directors are there out there? How many of the 'Really Good' ones STILL make bombs half the time? Now add the element of interactivity, and you have an even greater demand on creative resources to produce a successful game product.
There will always be a niche market for 'classic' style video games, which mimic/enhance classic non-video games (cards, mah-johng, whatever) or create their own clever abstract game environments (pacman, Tempest, - I can't think of a modern PC equivalent), but the bulk the market will be led by games that combine front-of-the-line engineering with high-quality and immersive environments.
To do this requires dedication and resources that few companies are willing or even able in their wildest dreams to support. Some try by hiring live actors to do static 'reality' bits, but these generally fall flat, as most gamers don't want live, uninspired actors intruding on their fantasy.
Hungry. Lunch. Good. Go now.
Finally, an article that addresses the ever-growing slush pile of pc video games visible at any computer or department store, with insight from the inside.
The few games I buy, let alone play, are from companies (Id is the supreme example) who are soley devoted to the cause of pushing the gaming envelope, as opposed to countless others who look to see "what's hot" and then throw in some knockoff based on yesterday's technology. I like to feel that a given game (or ANY piece of software) was created by folks who intellectually and emotionally invested in its success.
Like HolloWood, features created by corporate investment committe to address a percieved 'trend' ring false in the eyes and ears of the kind of dedicated gamers that must be appeased for a game to become a real 'hit'.
What do you think the MP3Anywhere people are using? Short wave?
FM sounds great and it's dirt cheap. Go to Radio Shack fer Christ's sake. DIY.
Actually, this works on any platforms, 'cause all you do is hook it up with a 'y' adapter to your soundcard. Any FM radio receiver will do. Slip on that old AM/FM walkman and dig mp3's while mowing the lawn!
http://www.rainbowkits.com/FMST-100.html
.fvwmrc is NOT source code. It's a configuration file for fvwm that can be as simple or complex as the user wishes it to be. It contains plenty of remarks to help a new user figure out what can be done. The writer is not claiming to fix bloat or bugs in anything; he is simply expressing an understandable preference for a much smaller, simpler and more streamlined window manager as a way to *avoid* bloat and bugs in other WM's.
Hope this helps!
Very interesting encounter, and well told.
I'm not trying to 'explain off' your experience by any means, but wish to pose the idea of something on the surface of your eye, rather than in the sky itself. I've gotten visual glitches before, which are always much more visible against a bright blue/grey sky. They appear to hover until I turn my head, when, of course, they turn with me and (you get the idea).
I've never mistaken one for a UFO of course, and don't imagine that you're any more likely to do so than I, but it's an idea to play with. Smoke particles? I know, I'm reaching! It's just that when something is 'impossible' in the assumed circumstance (object in the sky) we should look for circumstances wherein it IS possible (object on the surface of the eye or a projected image) instead of immediately rushing off and telling everyone to re-write the science books and whatnot (WHICH, by the way, I am NOT accusing you of doing).
Just my thoughts, eh?
Respectfully,
kent
I have no doubt that there are UFO's out there, but only in the textbook-sense of the word UNIDENTIFIED flying objects.
Seeing something that does not fit in your present frame of reference is indeed alarming, (it's supposed to be, for survival's sake) but doesn't imply anything further than the simple fact that the viewer cannot identify what he or she (or they) have seen.
I don't think UFO's are of extraterrestrial origin. Here's why:
I think that if and when beings of extraterrestrial origin arrive in our solar system, we'll know about it in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. No hiding, no cat and mouse, no conspiracies.
Anyone or anything with the power to arrive here from another system/galaxy will certainly have the power/means to take what they wish, when they wish, without having to resort to politics with political 'power figures' like the CIA or the KGB.
We'll be as amazed and curious about the ALIENS as the Indians and Aztecs were with Columbus and The Spaniards, and then history will repeat itself as it always has, just with a much larger playing field than any of us imagined.
We like to think that anyone/thing smarter than us will also be nicer and more benevolent.
ALL creatures first aim is to further their own existence at ANY cost. I don't think this changes with time and/or technological or spiritual advancement.
Stick with Titties. Trust me.
I hate 'em! I hit 'em by mistake when typing in a window and then the menu pops up an' ... Aww never mind.
I thought people specialized in this sort of thing, cracking and all that. Guess that stuff only happens in 'Hacker Crackdown' books. One could of course assume such a "high profile" target would shunned by the highly skilled, anonimity-craving Cracker Elite, but I'd be tempted to say 6u115h1t on that!
4 words, no swears and MASSIVE FLAMAGE!
Brilliant.
I used to be a Fnorg, but switched to Gog after college. Never looked back since.
It's kinda hard to tell.
It is?
Wow. Carry on. There's nothing to see here.
I think the distro appeals greatly to the /. 'crowd' more in terms of it's potential 'milestone' status than in terms of a distro /.'ers would actually use. The appearance of this distro is a noteworthy event in the de?evolution of Linux.
Duty Now for the Future.
Finally someone can do something about that damn LinuxPPC box besides talk talk talk -- Eh? Whazzat? He can't use a computer for 3 years?
Oh. Nevermind.
The Alesis 12R is a nice little rackmountable 12 channel mixer with 1/4" and xlr inputs on 8 channels + 2 stereo inputs. Inserts on 8 channels let you go out to a multitrack recorder (whoo hoo!) if you so desire.
The whole thing's about the size of component tape deck. Phantom power on all mic inputs, too. Fair deal at $350, brand-spankin' new. Check your local muzak mart.
As a token of goodwill, especially after the release of the "South Park" movie, I think we should present the state of California as a gift to our friends in Canada. They're bound to make better use of it than we have!
I want to grasp Pete firmly by the shoulders now and say firmly, over and over "Guitar, Bass and Drums, that's all. Guitar, Bass and Drums, that's all. (slap) You're not listening! Guitar, Bass and Drums, that's all..."
He/They made Tommy on an 8-track, which helped convince them to throw out inessential crap. I fear for the project in this day of unlimited tracking.
I didn't like Psychoderelict that much overall, but it did contain some amazing cuts. The story seemed kind of forced and the voice-overs were kind of annoying. Good effort, though.
Pete was born to sing and tell stories with his guitar. The closer he stays to that, the better it gets.
Gambatte, Pete! Keep Going!
-kent
If your friends are anywhere near as insightful as you seem to be, they will undoubtedly find creative responses ('solutions' are hard to come by) to their very difficult and painful situations.
As you get older, you start to see your parents as people, just as potentially flawed and clueless as we ourselves often are. That's my experience anyways.
Parents project their hopes and dreams on their kids in much the same way that we (kids of all ages) project our hopes and dreams on rock stars. If you've ever gotten to know a rock star fairly well, you'll see how far off base those dreams can be! Disappointment is inevitable, even though it's unfair to the 'star', who probably didn't ask for all the attention in the first place. Parents feel the same disappointment, I think, when their kids become separate entities with a will of their own AND the means to exert it. Some parents react to this disappointment more gracefully than others. Alas for your adopted friend. I wish her well.
I hope your friends hang in there and keep their heads up. Things are always changing, and sooner or later they HAVE to change for the better.
Your friend who manages the convenience store kicks ass, by the way. When I was 21 I couldn't manage my way out of a wet paper bag.
-kent
I find this line of Mister Katz' rather irksome:
;)
/. loud enough that the overstuffed hippies and pot-smoking Gen-X androgynites at Rolling Stone will notice him again. Poor deluded sould thinks that Rolling Stone still matters.
"South Park," walk them in, then watch for a half-hour
The first half hour was clever and funny, but it all slid down hill from there. Mister Katz missed some material in the latter half of the movie that I wouldn't want any nine-year-old I cared about to see.
There was a recognizable attempt to make some 'statements' in the movie, which were commendable on a high-school level. Such filmic 'importance' does not mean that kids need to see it. Give 'em the short version: "War is Hell" (naughty word, too!), "Think for yourself", etc. Personally, I think that the classic "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" has vastly more important and sophisticated messages than South Park. Better animation too!
Mr. Katz has a very childish sense of activism in my opinion. He's hoping to make a row with the angry teenagers here on
Oh well.
Time to exercise those filtering options!
-kent
On an artistic level, the South Park movie got off to a great start. The songs and whatall were amazing, but after about 40 minutes it seemed as though a different writer/director had taken control of the storyline and f*cked it up completely.
I was entertained to a small degree, but I would never take my kids or anyone elses to see this movie. The ratings board gave it the rating it deserved. I commend theatres who make some effort to enforce an unpopular ruling, and gladly relegate myself to "flamebait" status in so doing.
Mr. Katz's efforts for the kids was commendable in spirit, but the road to Shitsville is paved with good intentions.
Mr. Katz, perhaps you could practice what you preach and take some children to this movie and watch it, in it's entirety with them. Not just any kids, mind you, but kids from your own family and/or circle of close friends. Kids in whom you have a vested emotional interest, and whose parents are willing to place their trust in your judgement. Make sure they're well under the age to see it, and watch it with them from start to finish.
Enjoy the fun and freedom of it all. See you at the movies!
-kent
On an artistic level, the South Park movie got off to a great start. The songs and whatall were amazing, but after about 40 minutes it seemed as though a different writer/director had taken control of the storyline and f*cked it up completely.
I would never take my kids or anyone elses to see this movie. The ratings board gave it the rating it deserved. I commend theatres who make some effort to enforce an unpopular ruling, and gladly relegate myself to "flamebait" status in so doing.
Mr. Katz's efforts for the kids was commendable in spirit, but the road to Shitsville is paved with good intentions.