Time Machine is a great example, however, that the road does in fact go both ways. I'm not criticizing Apple for it; in fact, it's a wonderful idea, and I was extremely pleased when Microsoft introduced Shadow Copies into Windows Server. I know the functionalities aren't entirely identical, but they are quite similar. I only wish that Microsoft would do as Apple has done, and bring it to the desktop level as well.
Anyone who hasn't looked into Shadow Copies who has to administrate a Windows Server with your average user should definitely do so. Think of it as a file system level diff system. You can maintain a full history of files using a fairly small amount of disk space, and the "client" integrates directly with Explorer so even your average user can very easily retrieve a shadow copy of a file they deleted, or go back in time and retrieve a file they irrevocably changed and now want to undo. The benefits are huge, and I find myself surprised to see how many systems don't run this.
Truth be told, I rather like when these companies copy each other. If I'm the one who benefits either way in the end, why should I care if they're busy ripping each other's ideas off?
I still own a Virtual Boy. As a matter of fact, I still -play- my Virtual Boy. I always hear people complain about headaches, and yet I can play it for hours without a problem. If you've never played one, it really is unlike anything else.
As some others mentioned... if Nintendo made a full color version of this, I would be the first in line to buy it.
Hyperion would absolutely rock... but I have a feeling they would try and "tame" it by cutting back on the language, and a lot of the more adult themes in the book.
... but when I first played the 7th Guest, I was downright scared. Between the creepy and moody atmosphere to some of the unexpected and sometimes disturbing imagery, it was one of the best games I've ever played. I still remember the shortened version of the little song...there was a longer one, but I don't remember that.
Old man Stauf built a house, and filled it with his toys. Six guests came one night, their screams the only noise.
No one knows what happened next, there's no one left to say. But if you should see old man Stauf, get on your knees and pray.
I pretty much buy every single CD that I listen to. I'm a huge Nightwish fan, and I own all of their material.
As a matter of fact, most of the time, they're imported because I have no idea if their US-side label is part of the RIAA or not, and I would rather pay more and import than given any additional money to the RIAA.
The registry is definitely a frustration... the design was not what it should have been.
Thankfully, Microsoft is now pushing developers to use XML-based configuration files that are stored in the user's profile... this is a huge improvement, if you ask me. Applications should be mostly self-contained, with user-based information with the user's profile. Makes corporate networks much cleaner, and much easier for me to administrate.
Speakeasy is an awesome ISP, probably one of the best ISPs I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
I have their 6Mb/768K setup, and I consistently get near maximum speed from large sites (nVidia, Microsoft, etc). The only down time I have is the scheduled maintenance time, which they do at off-hours, and tech support is pretty much always available... and when I talk to them, I actually talk to someone who knows what they're doing.
Yes, they tend to be more expensive. But the customer service and delivery of promised bandwidth more than makes up for it, if you ask me. Headache free, and their policy explicitly allows you to do whatever you want to do with your connection... they have no problems with my mail server, or VPN, or massive bandwidth usage when I transfer databases for work and such.
I really appreciate you doing this with Twilight Princess AFTER I PREORDERED AND PAID FOR MY GAME. Now, SURPRISE, there's going to be a version for the Wii, which I would much rather have.
What's rather funny, is to go back to older games like Doom 2... when I think of Doom 2, I think "It had decent graphics." Then install it and run in... and the first words out of my mouth are "Oh god, how did I EVER PLAY THIS?". It's easy to forget how far things have come.
I still HAVE my old Diamond Stealth graphics card. I don't remember which one, but I have the daughter board that plugs into it for a whopping FOUR MEGABYTES of VRAM!
Boy, do I remember both of those... ah, the days of DOS gaming...
Interesting, or actually funny. Or both! As an example, I find nearly all Geico commercials hilariously funny, and I watch them every time. Even if I've seen them, they just have that hook. I also love the Volkswagon commercials with Peter Stormare. What I can't stand? Jingles. I especially hate jingles when they rip off another song. They're vile, evil commercials. Sex doesn't really sell anymore in my opinion, either... sex is just a click away on the internet now, nobody cares to see it unless they WANT to, and in which case, they'll get their own fix.
I've been playing games for 20 years now and I can't break the habit. You should see what happens when I have to sneak around the corner in an FPS... I have a tendency to crane my head so I can "get a better view".
Probably silly of me to look down this far and reply, but...
The industry should care because I'm a consumer who makes money, spends money, and is at least partially responsible for the fact that THEY can make money. My point had absolutely nothing to do with moral or immoral, only that the industry can't paint their consumers as either "pirates" or "non-pirates", because it doesn't work that way. It never does.
Why would anyone in the industry care? I believe that most of them don't. Clearly some do, because Bethesda reversed their decision to use Starforce based on fan reaction. But if I was making a comment to try and get the attention of some industry lackey, I wouldn't be posting it to Slashdot, now would I? Sometimes discussion is just for the sake of discussion, or because someone feels the need to give their opinion.
You also complete missed my point at the end. It wasn't that I wouldn't have bought the software either way... the point was that I would have bought the software if they had NOT included Starforce, and that including it not only stopped me from pirating it, but from buying it. That's a lost sale.
So, executive summary:
1. Sell your game without Starforce, I play it, like it, and buy it. 2. Sell your game with Starforce, I can't play it, I might like it, but I won't buy it.
Option 1, they make a sale. Option 2, they don't. Copy protection just cost them a sale.
That's an excellent resource. Slightly more "ghetto", is to find an NFO file on the game from one of the groups. They always detail what protection is used.
... they'll see an improvement in sales. I used to only do one thing when I purchased games -- check a couple review sites to see what the general opinion of the game is, and to make sure I'm not buying something fatally crippled.
Now, I do two things... the aforementioned review checking, and checking to see what kind of copy protection scheme it uses. I refuse to buy Starforce "protected" games, and I refuse to install it on my computer. To me, they aren't gaining anything. At best, they're preventing pirates from installing their games and playing for free, but that doesn't net them any profits... because I seriously doubt those same pirates go "Oh well, I guess I'll buy the game!" and go out and purchase a copy.
I won't lie, I download games. But I also buy any game that I intend on playing. Generally I download to either get it sooner, or have something to do until pay day, or just to make sure the damn thing isn't a train wreck. But I also have several CD cases filled with hundreds of games I've legally purchased. I don't know very many other pirates who pirate exclusively, or who won't purchase a game they really like. All Starforce does, is make them refuse to purchase the game at all out of anger.
I don't understand why these companies think that by preventing piracy, these people are going to suddenly decide that they've seen the error of their ways and start buying software. It's not. You just piss potential fans off.
The games released so far SUCK! I don't know about anyone else, but I find that the kinds of games I buy are almost always the games that get rated 9.0+, or editor's choice, or something along those lines. Regardless of whether the review is fair or not, I'm not reading the review -- it's just that generally games that score in that zone coincide with games I've decided to buy and like. I'm not really interested in the "so/so" gaming experience. I also tend to hold out for the RPG genre, which has been in somewhat of a drought.
Oblivion was the only thing that came out in March that fit the bill for me, and I'd been waiting for Oblivion since the day they announced it. I'm still playing Oblivion, for that matter, and probably will be for months to come. I applaud Bethesda for listening to the fans, and not placing any copy protection schemes on the game.
Of course... there are the games that I refuse to buy because of Starforce. I check every game before I buy it now, because I absolutely refuse to install that crap on my computer, let alone purchase something so deliberately crippled. Unfortunately, that meant missing out on Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones... but so be it.
Oblivion wouldn't -have- a fixed ISO, because Oblivion was released without copy protection.
Bethesda listened to their fans on their forums, and promised not to use Starforce. In the end, the only thing protecting Oblivion is a CD check. You can use any old ordinary imaging program to make an ISO of the DVD and then use that ISO to play the game.
Try it!:) Worked just fine for me. In addition to that, I am extremely thankful to Bethesda for not punishing me for buying the actual game.
Hey, so maybe you should... oh, I don't know... fix your backbones?
I've got 6Mb DSL from Speakeasy, and I'm pretty certain there's a huge difference between 1.5Mb and 6Mb. Apparently the backbone isn't a problem for Speakeasy, either, since I regularly get between 500 and 700K/s download speeds. (That's bytes, not bits.)
Sounds to me like AT&T is doing what they do best... absolutely nothing, while they sit on their ass.
Yeah, I definitely agree with that. Typically, I'm pretty accepting of Windows, being a Windows developer and all. But I get the distinct feeling that very few features are getting added to any of their software anymore while the amount of time it takes to get to a release has become much longer than it used to.
SQL Server 2005 was worth the wait, but they didn't really change as much at the core of it. The facelift on the UI was definitely needed, and a welcome change, but there didn't seem to be enough changes to warrant the time it took to get it released.
Slashdot Mirror
Time Machine is a great example, however, that the road does in fact go both ways. I'm not criticizing Apple for it; in fact, it's a wonderful idea, and I was extremely pleased when Microsoft introduced Shadow Copies into Windows Server. I know the functionalities aren't entirely identical, but they are quite similar. I only wish that Microsoft would do as Apple has done, and bring it to the desktop level as well.
Anyone who hasn't looked into Shadow Copies who has to administrate a Windows Server with your average user should definitely do so. Think of it as a file system level diff system. You can maintain a full history of files using a fairly small amount of disk space, and the "client" integrates directly with Explorer so even your average user can very easily retrieve a shadow copy of a file they deleted, or go back in time and retrieve a file they irrevocably changed and now want to undo. The benefits are huge, and I find myself surprised to see how many systems don't run this.
Truth be told, I rather like when these companies copy each other. If I'm the one who benefits either way in the end, why should I care if they're busy ripping each other's ideas off?
I still own a Virtual Boy. As a matter of fact, I still -play- my Virtual Boy. I always hear people complain about headaches, and yet I can play it for hours without a problem. If you've never played one, it really is unlike anything else.
As some others mentioned... if Nintendo made a full color version of this, I would be the first in line to buy it.
Hyperion would absolutely rock... but I have a feeling they would try and "tame" it by cutting back on the language, and a lot of the more adult themes in the book.
That would absolutely suck.
I think this is one of the funniest geek-based thing I've ever heard. Kudos, man! You even exposed how irritatingly verbose XML is. ;)
... but when I first played the 7th Guest, I was downright scared. Between the creepy and moody atmosphere to some of the unexpected and sometimes disturbing imagery, it was one of the best games I've ever played. I still remember the shortened version of the little song...there was a longer one, but I don't remember that.
Old man Stauf built a house,
and filled it with his toys.
Six guests came one night,
their screams the only noise.
No one knows what happened next,
there's no one left to say.
But if you should see old man Stauf,
get on your knees and pray.
Good times!
I pretty much buy every single CD that I listen to. I'm a huge Nightwish fan, and I own all of their material.
As a matter of fact, most of the time, they're imported because I have no idea if their US-side label is part of the RIAA or not, and I would rather pay more and import than given any additional money to the RIAA.
Oh... and Nightwish rules!
The registry is definitely a frustration... the design was not what it should have been.
Thankfully, Microsoft is now pushing developers to use XML-based configuration files that are stored in the user's profile... this is a huge improvement, if you ask me. Applications should be mostly self-contained, with user-based information with the user's profile. Makes corporate networks much cleaner, and much easier for me to administrate.
Speakeasy is an awesome ISP, probably one of the best ISPs I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
I have their 6Mb/768K setup, and I consistently get near maximum speed from large sites (nVidia, Microsoft, etc). The only down time I have is the scheduled maintenance time, which they do at off-hours, and tech support is pretty much always available... and when I talk to them, I actually talk to someone who knows what they're doing.
Yes, they tend to be more expensive. But the customer service and delivery of promised bandwidth more than makes up for it, if you ask me. Headache free, and their policy explicitly allows you to do whatever you want to do with your connection... they have no problems with my mail server, or VPN, or massive bandwidth usage when I transfer databases for work and such.
The Fate of Atlantis was an EXCELLENT game. I concur wholeheartedly!
Oddly enough, it has grown on me. I hated it when it first came out, but now I've kind of attached to it.
Yes, I guess you could say I'm attached to my Wii.
I'm sure you're right, but it scares me to have to rely on "retailer sanity". I've had so many bad experiences.
I really appreciate you doing this with Twilight Princess AFTER I PREORDERED AND PAID FOR MY GAME. Now, SURPRISE, there's going to be a version for the Wii, which I would much rather have.
Please, sir, may I have another?
What's rather funny, is to go back to older games like Doom 2... when I think of Doom 2, I think "It had decent graphics." Then install it and run in... and the first words out of my mouth are "Oh god, how did I EVER PLAY THIS?". It's easy to forget how far things have come.
I still HAVE my old Diamond Stealth graphics card. I don't remember which one, but I have the daughter board that plugs into it for a whopping FOUR MEGABYTES of VRAM!
Boy, do I remember both of those... ah, the days of DOS gaming...
Definitely.
Interesting, or actually funny. Or both! As an example, I find nearly all Geico commercials hilariously funny, and I watch them every time. Even if I've seen them, they just have that hook. I also love the Volkswagon commercials with Peter Stormare. What I can't stand? Jingles. I especially hate jingles when they rip off another song. They're vile, evil commercials. Sex doesn't really sell anymore in my opinion, either... sex is just a click away on the internet now, nobody cares to see it unless they WANT to, and in which case, they'll get their own fix.
Hey!
:(
I'm a geek and intellectually curious, and I happen to enjoy watching Friends.
Don't feel bad, man, so do I.
I've been playing games for 20 years now and I can't break the habit. You should see what happens when I have to sneak around the corner in an FPS... I have a tendency to crane my head so I can "get a better view".
But I don't let it get me down. =)
Probably silly of me to look down this far and reply, but...
The industry should care because I'm a consumer who makes money, spends money, and is at least partially responsible for the fact that THEY can make money. My point had absolutely nothing to do with moral or immoral, only that the industry can't paint their consumers as either "pirates" or "non-pirates", because it doesn't work that way. It never does.
Why would anyone in the industry care? I believe that most of them don't. Clearly some do, because Bethesda reversed their decision to use Starforce based on fan reaction. But if I was making a comment to try and get the attention of some industry lackey, I wouldn't be posting it to Slashdot, now would I? Sometimes discussion is just for the sake of discussion, or because someone feels the need to give their opinion.
You also complete missed my point at the end. It wasn't that I wouldn't have bought the software either way... the point was that I would have bought the software if they had NOT included Starforce, and that including it not only stopped me from pirating it, but from buying it. That's a lost sale.
So, executive summary:
1. Sell your game without Starforce, I play it, like it, and buy it.
2. Sell your game with Starforce, I can't play it, I might like it, but I won't buy it.
Option 1, they make a sale. Option 2, they don't. Copy protection just cost them a sale.
That's an excellent resource. Slightly more "ghetto", is to find an NFO file on the game from one of the groups. They always detail what protection is used.
... they'll see an improvement in sales. I used to only do one thing when I purchased games -- check a couple review sites to see what the general opinion of the game is, and to make sure I'm not buying something fatally crippled.
Now, I do two things... the aforementioned review checking, and checking to see what kind of copy protection scheme it uses. I refuse to buy Starforce "protected" games, and I refuse to install it on my computer. To me, they aren't gaining anything. At best, they're preventing pirates from installing their games and playing for free, but that doesn't net them any profits... because I seriously doubt those same pirates go "Oh well, I guess I'll buy the game!" and go out and purchase a copy.
I won't lie, I download games. But I also buy any game that I intend on playing. Generally I download to either get it sooner, or have something to do until pay day, or just to make sure the damn thing isn't a train wreck. But I also have several CD cases filled with hundreds of games I've legally purchased. I don't know very many other pirates who pirate exclusively, or who won't purchase a game they really like. All Starforce does, is make them refuse to purchase the game at all out of anger.
I don't understand why these companies think that by preventing piracy, these people are going to suddenly decide that they've seen the error of their ways and start buying software. It's not. You just piss potential fans off.
The games released so far SUCK! I don't know about anyone else, but I find that the kinds of games I buy are almost always the games that get rated 9.0+, or editor's choice, or something along those lines. Regardless of whether the review is fair or not, I'm not reading the review -- it's just that generally games that score in that zone coincide with games I've decided to buy and like. I'm not really interested in the "so/so" gaming experience. I also tend to hold out for the RPG genre, which has been in somewhat of a drought.
Oblivion was the only thing that came out in March that fit the bill for me, and I'd been waiting for Oblivion since the day they announced it. I'm still playing Oblivion, for that matter, and probably will be for months to come. I applaud Bethesda for listening to the fans, and not placing any copy protection schemes on the game.
Of course... there are the games that I refuse to buy because of Starforce. I check every game before I buy it now, because I absolutely refuse to install that crap on my computer, let alone purchase something so deliberately crippled. Unfortunately, that meant missing out on Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones... but so be it.
Oblivion wouldn't -have- a fixed ISO, because Oblivion was released without copy protection.
:) Worked just fine for me. In addition to that, I am extremely thankful to Bethesda for not punishing me for buying the actual game.
Bethesda listened to their fans on their forums, and promised not to use Starforce. In the end, the only thing protecting Oblivion is a CD check. You can use any old ordinary imaging program to make an ISO of the DVD and then use that ISO to play the game.
Try it!
Hey, so maybe you should... oh, I don't know... fix your backbones?
I've got 6Mb DSL from Speakeasy, and I'm pretty certain there's a huge difference between 1.5Mb and 6Mb. Apparently the backbone isn't a problem for Speakeasy, either, since I regularly get between 500 and 700K/s download speeds. (That's bytes, not bits.)
Sounds to me like AT&T is doing what they do best... absolutely nothing, while they sit on their ass.
Yup!
:)
Coincidentally, that's also why I love it so much.
Yeah, I definitely agree with that. Typically, I'm pretty accepting of Windows, being a Windows developer and all. But I get the distinct feeling that very few features are getting added to any of their software anymore while the amount of time it takes to get to a release has become much longer than it used to.
SQL Server 2005 was worth the wait, but they didn't really change as much at the core of it. The facelift on the UI was definitely needed, and a welcome change, but there didn't seem to be enough changes to warrant the time it took to get it released.