How much do the workers get paid in Apple's Chinese ipod factories? Maybe Microsoft should be commended for hiring people based on ability rather than nationality.
The obsession with 3D pushes every cost through the roof. 2D artwork (in a lot of cases) is tons cheaper, and can be made to work on very low end machines. Good luck getting crysis to run on a laptop that didn't cost an arm and a leg, but it's very difficult to balls up a 2D game enough for it not to run on an integrated chipset.
It's easier and cheaper to develop 3d games. Putting a model together requires less time and skill than drawing sprites. It's also a thousand times easier to animate a 3d model than a sprite which requires a whole new drawing for every frame.
Even low-end computers can run 3d graphics, even if it's not at crysis quality. In fact, sprites can take up more memory, especially at modern resolutions.
1) Focus on quality instead of marketing hype. If a project isn't coming together, it's better to cut your losses than to shove a piece of garbage out the door and lose the confidence of your customers.
Shoving a piece of garbage out the door can make the money which keeps the company in business. If the money's running out and you have a choice between releasing and patching later, or closing down, then only an idiot would choose the latter option.
3) Don't work your employees insane hours at crunch-time. You'll just lose the best ones after the project is over. Treat them with respect, pay them decently, and give them a stake in the financial success of the company.
If you don't work them insane hours at crunch-time, then the game doesn't get out of the door. Paying them decently increases the costs, which is the whole problem in the first place.
5) Betting on safe and sure things is a surefire road to stagnation and failure. You can't be afraid to shake up the status-quo and innovate. There's nothing wrong with sequels per se, as fans of your first are likely expecting a second (I'm working on one now), but you can't just remake the same game and expect everyone to buy it a second time.
Counterpoint: Fifa, Madden, Call of Duty. Millions of sales, zero effort.
The game development company I work for seems to be adhering to these principles pretty well, and is hiring developers while other companies in the area are laying employees off.
Well, that proves it then. Your single company is hiring people whilst following those rules, therefore those rules are immutable laws of the universe. Obviously companies that break all those rules never hire people...
Unfortuanately, libertarians just seem to want to replace Big Government with Big Corporation, which will probably be ten times worse. They don't seem to understand the concept of a power vaccuum, and think that without government we'll all live in a peaceful anarchy.
So, $700 on a laptop, plus all the software, versus free use of the computer lab. I'm failing to see the financial advantage of the laptop.
If you can afford to take classes, you can afford a laptop.
Unless you're from an incredibly wealthy family you won't be paying much tuition in the first place. That's bullshit logic anyway. If anything, being able to afford classes means you have less money to spend on a laptop.
Carrying laptops around everywhere sounds like a recipe to get mugged. And if you're carrying it to a lab, there may as well be a computer already there. At least it will have all the necessary software on it.
America doesn't have any left-leaning media. CNN and all those are centre to centre-right, Fox is far-right. A lot of American conservatives whine about liberal bias, when they've never even seen a left-winger.
Well semantically, the difference between "Experiencing pain" and "Displaying pain behaviours" is so thin as to be non-existent. Might as well assume they're the same thing.
You could make a robot thrash around when you apply heat to it, does that make it cruel?
I'd imagine it's more lazy journalism. Rather than bothering to investigate real stories, they just print press releases by PR companies. Twitter obviously hired a good PR company to flood the media.
Europe is so ass backwards with its, socialism, communism, capitalism, dictatorships... FFS pick one!
Woe is us, what with our mixed economies and all that. I wish we could have no taxes at all like in the US.
At least in the US we aren't 100% completely dependent on a disenfranchised worker class of illegal muslim immigrants.
No, you're depending on a disenfranchised worker class of illegal Mexican immigrants. They're like muslims, but less educated and less likely to blow you up.
At least we have a Federal Reserve and a single currency. Are you using Lira or Euros? Pounds or Euros? Duetchmarks or Euros? Franks or Euros?
I don't know many people using Lira, Deutchmarks or Franks these days. How's the Amero coming along?
However, suggesting that Europe is LESS screwed up is pretty offensive to the descendants of, and the people, that sacrificed their lives to rescue Europe from the Germans, Russians, and Japanese.
Yes, the people who sacrificed their lives to save Europe from Europe. And the Japanese, weren't they about to launch an invasion off the coast of Portugal?
The Founders decided who would be free citizens and who would be slaves based on the colour of their skin, so why wouldn't they be picky over car colours?
Because I am a fully functioning sentient human being both capable and deserving of the right to determine for myself what course of action is "smart".
Unfortunately what's 'smart' for you isn't necessarily smart for everyone else. You may enjoy driving a 4mpg SUV at 5mph through a polluted city in rush hour, but that's not so smart for the kids with asthma breathing in your fumes.
If doing X is the smart thing to do, I invite you to attempt to persuade me by the overwhelming force of your reasonable arguments.
What makes you think that people are reasonable? People will do something damaging that they enjoy, even if it indirectly fucks over society as a whole. This is why laws are necessary.
Why people insist on forbidding me from taking part in a simple pleasure on my own dime is entirely beyond me.
One day, libertarians will understand 'externalities' and the tragedy of the commons, then their entire philosophy will collapse.
Like what? California has problems with emissions, the world in general has a problem with carbon emissions, Hummers are vehicles with no use other than increasing said harmful emissions, I can't think of any reason to allow them.
That's a relatively long post. I didn't think people really put that much thought and effort into 'hating the gays', but then I've never been to America.
Why not? If private companies aren't willing to hire people, then it makes sense for government to do so.
I can't see any benefit to firing people and cutting spending in a recession, it'll only make things worse. Maybe California would see some advantage to getting rid of 30% of teachers, policemen, doctors, roadworkers and so on, but I can't see it.
It would have to be uncompressed, as the decompression would add too much latency. Then you have the extra latency due to buffering, and the only games you'll be playing will be turn-based.
If devices do ever converge, it'll be a box provided by your cable/satellite provider, not apple. It'll also need to control your sound system, lighting, games consoles etc. to really eliminate the universal remote.
And I don't know what setup you have where the sofa in the living room is facing the computer. What if someone is using the computer when someone else wants to watch TV?
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How much do the workers get paid in Apple's Chinese ipod factories? Maybe Microsoft should be commended for hiring people based on ability rather than nationality.
It's easier and cheaper to develop 3d games. Putting a model together requires less time and skill than drawing sprites. It's also a thousand times easier to animate a 3d model than a sprite which requires a whole new drawing for every frame.
Even low-end computers can run 3d graphics, even if it's not at crysis quality. In fact, sprites can take up more memory, especially at modern resolutions.
Shoving a piece of garbage out the door can make the money which keeps the company in business. If the money's running out and you have a choice between releasing and patching later, or closing down, then only an idiot would choose the latter option.
If you don't work them insane hours at crunch-time, then the game doesn't get out of the door. Paying them decently increases the costs, which is the whole problem in the first place.
Counterpoint: Fifa, Madden, Call of Duty. Millions of sales, zero effort.
Well, that proves it then. Your single company is hiring people whilst following those rules, therefore those rules are immutable laws of the universe. Obviously companies that break all those rules never hire people...
Unfortuanately, libertarians just seem to want to replace Big Government with Big Corporation, which will probably be ten times worse. They don't seem to understand the concept of a power vaccuum, and think that without government we'll all live in a peaceful anarchy.
So, $700 on a laptop, plus all the software, versus free use of the computer lab. I'm failing to see the financial advantage of the laptop.
Unless you're from an incredibly wealthy family you won't be paying much tuition in the first place. That's bullshit logic anyway. If anything, being able to afford classes means you have less money to spend on a laptop.
All that hassle, why not just have computers in the labs? Unless it's yet another way for universities to rip off their students.
Carrying laptops around everywhere sounds like a recipe to get mugged. And if you're carrying it to a lab, there may as well be a computer already there. At least it will have all the necessary software on it.
America doesn't have any left-leaning media. CNN and all those are centre to centre-right, Fox is far-right. A lot of American conservatives whine about liberal bias, when they've never even seen a left-winger.
You could make a robot thrash around when you apply heat to it, does that make it cruel?
I'd imagine it's more lazy journalism. Rather than bothering to investigate real stories, they just print press releases by PR companies. Twitter obviously hired a good PR company to flood the media.
And what makes you think business will employ them to do anything more useful?
Woe is us, what with our mixed economies and all that. I wish we could have no taxes at all like in the US.
No, you're depending on a disenfranchised worker class of illegal Mexican immigrants. They're like muslims, but less educated and less likely to blow you up.
I don't know many people using Lira, Deutchmarks or Franks these days. How's the Amero coming along?
Yes, the people who sacrificed their lives to save Europe from Europe. And the Japanese, weren't they about to launch an invasion off the coast of Portugal?
Then fire whoever authorised the stunt in the first place.
There are two types of people who hate Vista: Linux zealots, and people who've bought Vista and have to use it.
The Founders decided who would be free citizens and who would be slaves based on the colour of their skin, so why wouldn't they be picky over car colours?
A swimming pool is analogous to the air, and pissing is analogous to harmful emissions. It's a very simple analogy.
Unfortunately what's 'smart' for you isn't necessarily smart for everyone else. You may enjoy driving a 4mpg SUV at 5mph through a polluted city in rush hour, but that's not so smart for the kids with asthma breathing in your fumes.
What makes you think that people are reasonable? People will do something damaging that they enjoy, even if it indirectly fucks over society as a whole. This is why laws are necessary.
One day, libertarians will understand 'externalities' and the tragedy of the commons, then their entire philosophy will collapse.
Are you talking about those mighty forebearers who kept slaves? I don't think they really cared about a Free People much.
Like what? California has problems with emissions, the world in general has a problem with carbon emissions, Hummers are vehicles with no use other than increasing said harmful emissions, I can't think of any reason to allow them.
That's a relatively long post. I didn't think people really put that much thought and effort into 'hating the gays', but then I've never been to America.
Why not? If private companies aren't willing to hire people, then it makes sense for government to do so.
I can't see any benefit to firing people and cutting spending in a recession, it'll only make things worse. Maybe California would see some advantage to getting rid of 30% of teachers, policemen, doctors, roadworkers and so on, but I can't see it.
What do you expect when they have to send so much money to the federal government every year to subsidise red states?
Rubbish, you're only young once and should take advantage of it. I wasted my entire youth and don't have a single thing thing to show for it.
It would have to be uncompressed, as the decompression would add too much latency. Then you have the extra latency due to buffering, and the only games you'll be playing will be turn-based.
If devices do ever converge, it'll be a box provided by your cable/satellite provider, not apple. It'll also need to control your sound system, lighting, games consoles etc. to really eliminate the universal remote.
And I don't know what setup you have where the sofa in the living room is facing the computer. What if someone is using the computer when someone else wants to watch TV?