Well, my experience has been that these $1.00+ machines never get played. There are tons of newer machines at our local arcade, but nobody's willing to shell out to play them.
When I go to an arcade, I'll stick with the older good games that still only cost a quarter instead of spending a buck on a game that might be good, that'll probably only give me 60-90 seconds of play (maybe as long as 180 seconds if I play really well).
If these games were $.50 or $.25 instead, I'd give them a chance. Then they'd at least be making money, rather than sitting there idling for 95% of the day.
And besides, developers make their money back by selling cabinets, not by taking quarters. It's the arcade owners that decide to charge rediculous prices to try to make back their investments. Unfortunately, many of them are pricing themselves out of the market.
Well, the ultimate slap in the face to Microsoft could be that if the jury decides that 'Windows' is a generic term, Lindows could turn around and rename their OS to "Linspire Windows" or something similar.
At my local university, we had an $8.5 million budget shortfall this year (thank you, tax cuts!). One of the plans to help make up for the shortfall was to completely cut all studio arts programs.
A lot of people were quite upset that this would even be an option. There were demonstrations and letters to the editor from not only students, but concerned faculty and community members as well.
I'm in the computer science department. A couple typical CS types that I know decided to write a letter to the editor of the school paper. What about? All the "whiny arts students who couldn't make any money, so why are they complaining that their programs are cut? It's not like they're worth anything." (paraphrased, obviously)
Other CS guys though the letter was great fun -- how dare those worthless art students demand their fair share?
What's that mean? Dunno -- but obviously, these guys have absolutely no appreciation for the arts. They're so out of touch that the only thing of 'value' to them is the average salary of a graduate in their department.
Personally, I think that's sad.
[The Problem] is that the typical engineering type is outclassed by the guy-with-the-humanities-doctorate when it comes to spouting bullshit, and consequently yields authority or creative control to him because he doesn't want the hassle.
Yep, because that degree gives him nothing but the ability to spout bullshit. It's good to see that you're so open minded about the abilities of people in (presumably) other fields than your own.
Regardless of whether you think Windows is broken for needing to have an $80 gadget to protect it from the 'net, *no* machine that isn't an outward-facing server should ever need to be exposed directly to the Internet.
Every machine I own is behind a NAT. It's just a smart thing to do.
Finally, turnabout's fair play. Find some IT work in another country that you can do for less and "steal" one of *their* jobs. If they can do it, you can do it.
This is, seriously, about the dumbest thing I've ever read in one of these outsourcing discussions.
How, exactly, do you propose that American programmers 'outsource' themselves to be competitive with development houses that can afford to pay their programmers $2-something/hour? If someone's looking to outsource, are they going to go with the $2/hr Indian firm, or the $6/hr US firm?
Umm, I'm having trouble mustering any sympathy for you here... I mean, how hard is it to keep track of your games? You know, like, putting things away when you're not using them and stuff?
Actually, no. Yokoi had already left Nintendo -- after the Virtual Boy failed -- well before his death. I doubt that their changes in philosophy/design had anything to do with his death.
As I said before (I apologize for being rude in the last message) you're trying too hard to find something wrong with.
I can usually agree with your posts, but not this one.
$30/mo for games that I can already play for free on any of the major portals? Additional fees to play other games? Sorry, but I'm not interested.
Microsoft had announced about a half-dozen titles that were supposed to be AAA at least a year before the XBox was released (Amped, Halo, Oddworld, and Malice come to mind) -- nevermind that most of them ended up being so-so. What has Infinium announced?
Maybe it's wrong for me to be so skeptical, but I've already decided on this one: the Phantom isn't going to be worth my money. It's up to Infinium to convince me otherwise, and so far it doesn't look like they're even trying.
Umm, I beat Rygar back when I was a kid, and I certainly didn't spend 24-36 consecutive hours on it. If you know where to go, it's more like a 90-120 minute excursion.
Nintendo under Yamauchi's rule was much different than it is now under Iwata. I mean, just look at the collaboration efforts between Nintendo and several other major publishers (Namco, Square-Enix, Sega, Konami, Capcom...)
Another thing you have to realize in context of Game Over is that Nintendo was trying nurture the market back to health. Yamauchi knew full well that they were going to be walking a tightrope, and wanted to keep a tight reign on developers to keep a flood of crap from crashing the market again.
I'd like to take a different look at a couple of your arguments:
Is there any info yet on the backward compatibility of the PSP? I agree with the parent poster, that backwards compatibility will probably make or break the system. Remember the PocketStation? That wasn't a direct sequel, but an addition to the line, and it failed miserably, mostly because it was a radically different platform to develop for, and had 0 installed game base, which makes it hard to sell systems, which in turn make it hard to get developers to produce games, which in turn, etc etc...
The DS will have success based on 1) (in the short term) Nintendo fanboys who will buy it and all the launch games just because, and 2) (in the long run) how easy it ends up being to port GBA games to it. If a developer can take a GBA game, run it thru a magical Nintendo DS compiler setup and have a nearly ready-to-ship DS game, it will be an easy way to build up a library of good games fast, and put a huge dent into Nintendo's handheld market.
Or I could be full of shit, who knows.
This I can agree with. Nobody has a clue how any of this stuff is going to be received by the mass market 'til it actually hits the mass market. I'd guess that the PSP will sell better, because Sony will launch a much bigger ad campaign than Nintendo, and sales won't have much to do with any other factor that armchair (or 'professional,' for that matter) analysts come up with.
An intelligent compiler (i.e. any modern compiler you'd be likely to use) will automatically __inline the fred::setQ function, and then the peephole optimizer will reduce it down to the equivalent of myFred.q = 10;
When you think that only about 40% of american consumers agree with the message hollywood and tv are so eager to ram down our throats
Care to cite a source for that statistic?
And as for the conservative motto of "the only thing an actor should talk about is acting," I'd remind them that the Republican party is responsible for electing actors to high places.
Also, what is wrong with the central Christian value of "love your neighbor as yourself"?
What's wrong with it is that most people completely misunderstand it. Most people at best think that it means "love the guy in the house/apartment next to me (if that), and some arbitrary people I choose, and to Hell with everyone else -- they're not my problem."
Raytracing has absolutely nothing to do with wireframes. Maybe you're thinking of 'raycasting', which is similar but still not the same. But then you start talking about rendering the scene back-to-front, which has nothing to do with either technique.
"Chaining the timer interrupt" is like something I'd say if I were interested in making something sound more complicated than it really is to someone who had no idea what I was talking about. Besides that, you don't get timer interrupts in Windows programming (nor any other protected-mode operating system, I'd assume).
Based on those 2 things, I'd assume that you've got no clue what you're talking about. And how does an 81-byte fractal program compare in any way to a primitive 3d game engine?
Slashdot Mirror
Well, my experience has been that these $1.00+ machines never get played. There are tons of newer machines at our local arcade, but nobody's willing to shell out to play them.
When I go to an arcade, I'll stick with the older good games that still only cost a quarter instead of spending a buck on a game that might be good, that'll probably only give me 60-90 seconds of play (maybe as long as 180 seconds if I play really well).
If these games were $.50 or $.25 instead, I'd give them a chance. Then they'd at least be making money, rather than sitting there idling for 95% of the day.
And besides, developers make their money back by selling cabinets, not by taking quarters. It's the arcade owners that decide to charge rediculous prices to try to make back their investments. Unfortunately, many of them are pricing themselves out of the market.
--Jeremy
Well, the ultimate slap in the face to Microsoft could be that if the jury decides that 'Windows' is a generic term, Lindows could turn around and rename their OS to "Linspire Windows" or something similar.
--Jeremy
EA bought Origin before UO was even released.
If UO is moving in a different direction now than it was on release, it's because of other forces.
--Jeremy
At my local university, we had an $8.5 million budget shortfall this year (thank you, tax cuts!). One of the plans to help make up for the shortfall was to completely cut all studio arts programs.
A lot of people were quite upset that this would even be an option. There were demonstrations and letters to the editor from not only students, but concerned faculty and community members as well.
I'm in the computer science department. A couple typical CS types that I know decided to write a letter to the editor of the school paper. What about? All the "whiny arts students who couldn't make any money, so why are they complaining that their programs are cut? It's not like they're worth anything." (paraphrased, obviously)
Other CS guys though the letter was great fun -- how dare those worthless art students demand their fair share?
What's that mean? Dunno -- but obviously, these guys have absolutely no appreciation for the arts. They're so out of touch that the only thing of 'value' to them is the average salary of a graduate in their department.
Personally, I think that's sad.
[The Problem] is that the typical engineering type is outclassed by the guy-with-the-humanities-doctorate when it comes to spouting bullshit, and consequently yields authority or creative control to him because he doesn't want the hassle.
Yep, because that degree gives him nothing but the ability to spout bullshit. It's good to see that you're so open minded about the abilities of people in (presumably) other fields than your own.
--Jeremy
How 'bout this:
Regardless of whether you think Windows is broken for needing to have an $80 gadget to protect it from the 'net, *no* machine that isn't an outward-facing server should ever need to be exposed directly to the Internet.
Every machine I own is behind a NAT. It's just a smart thing to do.
--Jeremy
Finally, turnabout's fair play. Find some IT work in another country that you can do for less and "steal" one of *their* jobs. If they can do it, you can do it.
This is, seriously, about the dumbest thing I've ever read in one of these outsourcing discussions.
How, exactly, do you propose that American programmers 'outsource' themselves to be competitive with development houses that can afford to pay their programmers $2-something/hour? If someone's looking to outsource, are they going to go with the $2/hr Indian firm, or the $6/hr US firm?
--Jeremy
Umm, I'm having trouble mustering any sympathy for you here... I mean, how hard is it to keep track of your games? You know, like, putting things away when you're not using them and stuff?
--Jeremy
It's still better than Sony's "let's design it so that it breaks shortly out of warranty, under normal usage conditions!" designs.
--Jeremy
Actually, no. Yokoi had already left Nintendo -- after the Virtual Boy failed -- well before his death. I doubt that their changes in philosophy/design had anything to do with his death.
--Jeremy
As I said before (I apologize for being rude in the last message) you're trying too hard to find something wrong with.
I can usually agree with your posts, but not this one.
$30/mo for games that I can already play for free on any of the major portals? Additional fees to play other games? Sorry, but I'm not interested.
Microsoft had announced about a half-dozen titles that were supposed to be AAA at least a year before the XBox was released (Amped, Halo, Oddworld, and Malice come to mind) -- nevermind that most of them ended up being so-so. What has Infinium announced?
Maybe it's wrong for me to be so skeptical, but I've already decided on this one: the Phantom isn't going to be worth my money. It's up to Infinium to convince me otherwise, and so far it doesn't look like they're even trying.
--Jeremy
Umm, I beat Rygar back when I was a kid, and I certainly didn't spend 24-36 consecutive hours on it. If you know where to go, it's more like a 90-120 minute excursion.
--Jeremy
I agree with your point, but you couldn't jump in Doom. Or Doom II.
--Jeremy
Nintendo wants CONTROL and lots of it.
Nintendo under Yamauchi's rule was much different than it is now under Iwata. I mean, just look at the collaboration efforts between Nintendo and several other major publishers (Namco, Square-Enix, Sega, Konami, Capcom...)
Another thing you have to realize in context of Game Over is that Nintendo was trying nurture the market back to health. Yamauchi knew full well that they were going to be walking a tightrope, and wanted to keep a tight reign on developers to keep a flood of crap from crashing the market again.
--Jeremy
I'd like to take a different look at a couple of your arguments:
Is there any info yet on the backward compatibility of the PSP? I agree with the parent poster, that backwards compatibility will probably make or break the system. Remember the PocketStation? That wasn't a direct sequel, but an addition to the line, and it failed miserably, mostly because it was a radically different platform to develop for, and had 0 installed game base, which makes it hard to sell systems, which in turn make it hard to get developers to produce games, which in turn, etc etc...
The DS will have success based on 1) (in the short term) Nintendo fanboys who will buy it and all the launch games just because, and 2) (in the long run) how easy it ends up being to port GBA games to it. If a developer can take a GBA game, run it thru a magical Nintendo DS compiler setup and have a nearly ready-to-ship DS game, it will be an easy way to build up a library of good games fast, and put a huge dent into Nintendo's handheld market.
Or I could be full of shit, who knows.
This I can agree with. Nobody has a clue how any of this stuff is going to be received by the mass market 'til it actually hits the mass market. I'd guess that the PSP will sell better, because Sony will launch a much bigger ad campaign than Nintendo, and sales won't have much to do with any other factor that armchair (or 'professional,' for that matter) analysts come up with.
--Jeremy
An intelligent compiler (i.e. any modern compiler you'd be likely to use) will automatically __inline the fred::setQ function, and then the peephole optimizer will reduce it down to the equivalent of myFred.q = 10;
--Jeremy
Why not price them based on the overall quality of the title?
--Jeremy
When you think that only about 40% of american consumers agree with the message hollywood and tv are so eager to ram down our throats
Care to cite a source for that statistic?
And as for the conservative motto of "the only thing an actor should talk about is acting," I'd remind them that the Republican party is responsible for electing actors to high places.
--Jeremy
You're basically right, except that the dragon ninja kidnapped 'Ronnie.'
:)
Disclaimer: I own a stand-up Bad Dudes cabinet. I've been thanked by President Reagan more than once.
--Jeremy
It had a strafe option. Hold the L trigger to strafe.
You either haven't played it or don't have the mental capacity to cope with such complex control schemes.
--Jeremy
Oh, good grief. Someone arguing on the side of religion accusing an (assumed) athiest of being blinded by their own faith.
If that's not the height of irony and/or stupidity, I don't know what is.
--Jeremy
"A religion is a set of beliefs and practices"
The faith that there is no God/Goddess/etc certainly counts as that.
Set of beliefs and practices. That's an inclusive 'and,' there.
Pray tell, what are some of the practices of the athiest religion?
And as for the discussion at hand -- I'd recommend that people check out Full Armor Studios. Their 'Walls of Jericho' is a pretty slick game.
--Jeremy
Yeah, I don't own a portable CD player for that same reason. I mean, if it can't hold every one of my CDs, what good is it?
I mean, god forbid I should want to take some subset of my music collection with me. It's all or nothing.
--Jeremy
size of that MP3 just jumped by a factor of sizeof(char)
1?
--Jeremy
Also, what is wrong with the central Christian value of "love your neighbor as yourself"?
What's wrong with it is that most people completely misunderstand it. Most people at best think that it means "love the guy in the house/apartment next to me (if that), and some arbitrary people I choose, and to Hell with everyone else -- they're not my problem."
--Jeremy
Raytracing has absolutely nothing to do with wireframes. Maybe you're thinking of 'raycasting', which is similar but still not the same. But then you start talking about rendering the scene back-to-front, which has nothing to do with either technique.
"Chaining the timer interrupt" is like something I'd say if I were interested in making something sound more complicated than it really is to someone who had no idea what I was talking about. Besides that, you don't get timer interrupts in Windows programming (nor any other protected-mode operating system, I'd assume).
Based on those 2 things, I'd assume that you've got no clue what you're talking about. And how does an 81-byte fractal program compare in any way to a primitive 3d game engine?
--Jeremy