Not exactly. You didn't need God mode in order to play around with that kind of havoc. All you needed was the noclip cheat. Assuming you got to level 30 without the level skip cheat (if you did you'd arrive there with nothing but a pistol and 50 rounds), you could leave the free weapons and ammo (you were given every weapon in the game, including a backpack and nearly enough ammo to get through any one level in the game). Why would you do this? Simple. Leave the ammo and weapons for when you need to restock and you didn't have/use the allammo/allweapons cheat.
Now the reason you don't need the God mode is because theres one spot where the monsters couldn't get you (besides from the starting room.) The one spot is small area where you shoot into to kill the boss (which contains a pixelated head of John Romero). Type in the noclip cheat, and run in there. Go take a leak or something that doesn't take to long, come back and find the room full of monsters. Afraid of dying? Ah see theres a bonus for using that spot.
Using the noclip cheat, you could squeeze into the little vent like area where you shoot into to kill the boss normally. The spot is so small that monsters have a better chance of shooting an ant in a beehive. Even if the shots come close to you, all you have to do is step back into the room. Just remember to step back to avoid damage and you can stay there until you run out of ammo... in which case you just go back to the starting room, restock, and repeat.
As for the completion rate percentages, I've gotten up to about 15000% before I got tired. Any attempts to get higher than that resulted in my computer crashing:( . Maybe I'll give it another go some day.
Only certain games have that, and thankfully I haven't run into any games like that. The last thing I wanna have to tell my friends at a LAN party is:
Me : "Hey guys we gotta go out and by X copies of the game for CD keys because we can play!" Them : "Its 1 AM, shut up and find up a CD key generator then." Me : "Right-o, looking for a CD key generator."
I'm no expert at this (read : someone will come along and correct me) but when CD keys are made, they follow a certain formula. It varies from program to program, but the idea remains.
This is a crude example of it, but it should be enough to give you a basic idea:
A 4 letter CD key. a + b + c + d Must Equal 30.
Letters A through J are 1 through 10. Letters K through T are -1 through -10. Letters U through Z are prime numbers 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13.
Once you figure this formula out any 7 year old kid who knows simple programmer can create a CD key generator. Course, this is fake and most CD keys are based on 16 characters, which includes both numbers and letters. On top of this, the formula isn't exactly posted on the company's website so how people manage to figure out the formula is beyond me. Thanks to modern computers, as long as CD keys are restricted to 36 choices (26 letters, 10 numbers) CD keys will ALWAYS be cracked.
If you're looking for a "silent" or at least a very, very quiet one; don't forget to pick a mouse and keyboard that are quiet. A lot of the more recent mice and keyboards no longer have the loud clicking noises of early keyboards, but its something you should keep in mind if you're really that concerned about the extra noise.
I'm sorry, DEMO version? Last time I checked it was a leaked version of the game containing some of the source code. When did anyone say a thing about the leak being a DEMO? Even if salesmen outright told them the truth, consumers would raise an eyebrow when they notice what the truthful salesman and the back of the jewel case don't say the same thing.
You're right, they're not passing it off as the final version. However, they are trying to pass it off as a near completed version of it by claiming its a demo version.
Since you mentioned space, if you (the owner) can afford some extra space consider reserving a special area for people who want to bring their own computers. Just set aside like 4 gaming areas where players can bring in their PC/Mac/laptop and plug into your LAN. Very simple especially thanks to more user friendly networking systems. If it doesn't work out, you could always buy 4 more systems to fill up the slots.
The reasons for this is simple. First, bragging rights. Every hardcore geek builds their computer by hand, and the even more hardcore geeks outfit their systems with the hottest hardware on the market along with custom paint jobs (look online, they're there) or stickers. Secondly, unless you rake in some serious cash you will NEVER EVER be able to keep up with the latest swag. If you got a Radeon 9700 the day after it was released, theres someone who got it three days before you by knowing someone who works at ATI.
You gotta pity the Russians to buy/bought copies of those copies. Its fairly common knowledge on the internet (at the very least for gaming readers) that there was a leak and a delay. For the uninformed masses, they're buying a broken, beta that might not even run on their computer.
'Banc of America expects Sony and Microsoft to cut prices on their respective PlayStation 2 and Xbox videogame consoles to $149 (or even $129) from $179 prices ahead of the E3 trade show in May 2004, a reduction that is "long overdue." '
Yeah, "long overdue" meaning everyone from retailers to the consumer was waiting for them to drop the price during Christmas. By the time E3 2004 comes around, the price wars of this generation of consoles will be over. The PS2 dropping to $129 or $149 would be a mere dent by the time of E3 2004. Do people REALLY need that many PS2s? Course not. The market is already saturated with millions and millions of units worldwide. They're not going to suddenly sell another 1 million just because of a price drop.
Question : how the hell would you even port the Metroid Prime controls over to the PC? Try setting up a nice simple 16 button config and then explain it to an average gamer.
(4 visors (scan, combat, infrared, x-ray), 4 beam weapons (energy, ice, plasma, heat. Not counting charge beam.), jump, morph, missle/bomb, shoot. Not counting targetting/strafing, looking, and walking.)
You switch a LOT in the game, as anyone whos played through it will tell you. The game would NOT translate onto the PC well at all, MAYBE the PS2 if the hardware could handle it, and probably not for the Xbox since the controller is notably more stiff.
As much as every weekend warrior, constantly on the go businessman/traveler, and wilderness survivor would like a 100% all purpose item, you can't compare electronics with swiss army knives. First you'll want a gaming system. Then a mobile phone. Then a PDA. Then wireless internet. Then automated e-mail notifications. Then a GPS tracker. Then any of the previous with a touch screen. Then you'll want a hidden taser inside. Then the ability turn on your computerized car with it. Then you'll want it to shoot lasers, clean your teeth, and burn DVDs all at the same time.
I don't think the PSP has any sturdy foundation of first-gen games. Simply reread the Slashdot report.
'... but [it, being the PSP,] is not intended to be a hardware loss-leader for Sony, with Deering suggesting: "The feeling is that this product should generate profit on hardware alone."'
They want to generate profit off of the hardware? I'm sorry, but wtf are they smoking? Do they -really- think that the name brand alone will sell the PSP? Pretty much every video game system, console or handheld, has remained to the tried and true method of 'sell the system at a loss, make a profit on the games.' Even the cell phone companies follow a similar trend by giving out free cell phones, chargers, ear phones, and other accessories. If Sony thinks it can get away with selling the hardware at a profit, they're in for a rude awakening. This is not just another cool MP3 player from Sony, this is a gaming system. As much as Sony exceeded people's expectations with the PS1 and the PS2 (FAR, FAR outdated hardware), the PSP its probably going to teach Sony to not be as cocky.
Nintendo has never really worked in the arcade area and F-Zero's arcade connection was setup by Sega/Sammy because of their strong arcade roots and strengths.
As much as we'd all like to take a look at some of the company's very old roots, the fact is some of them might be too much of a culture shock for the mainstream gamers. (Outside of learning about it on Slashdot or Super Smash Bros Melee, how many of you knew about the Game & Watch series Nintendo made? I, for one, did not know about it.)
To quote myself in the parent post : 'you would probably find them common warez'
I haven't heard about people using Kazaa or Bittorrent to download Prince of Persia Sands of Time in the news. I'm well aware of the PS1/2, Xbox and Dreamcast warez that are available via Bittorrent, but they are not widely used or spread. Not yet at the very least. They're there, I've known that for nearly 4 years now since I first modded my PS1 but they're certainly not common. Theres probably a grand total of 100 different Xbox and PS2 games online total.
In the pictures shown, its very clear that the PS2 is the dominating console of the shown cyber cafe. However, I have to wonder whats really fueling it in a place like Iraq. Obviously you're not gonna find an EBGames or Wal-Mart to buy games down there, so the only conclusion I can think of for the PS2 being number one down there is piracy.
Now before I get modded down for being anti-PS2, let me point out a few facts. 1. The PS2 has the biggest most available gaming selection (not to mention the ability to play PS1 games). 2. The PS2 is more easily modable than the Xbox and less resistant against illegal copies compared to the Gamecube. 3. If it wasn't for the fact that PS2 games are huge, you would probably find them common warez on Kazaa and other P2P software.
I assume you mean HL2, short for Half-Life 2. And theres a large number of reasons as to why HL2 didn't come out the self imposed date besides from the hacking incident.
They gave themselves around 6 months between announcement and expected launch date. Thats like Duke Nukem Forever to suddenly be announced to be released next quarter, you KNOW its not gonna happen short of divine intervention.
I'd get him a time machine! I don't know how you guys do it, but with all the RPGs, mods, and tons of unlockable features in more recent games (most notably in racing games) I'd get him a time machine so he'd have time to get through them all. Without cheating.
I think the root of all these complaints is that people forget that people online are not always going to be "nice guys." They go into an AOL chatroom and expect people to help them figure out why they're 3 year old computer can't run the latest computer game with graphic specification turned all the way up. The same is true with MMO games.
(One of many examples) In Asheron's Call 2 ALL new characters MUST go through a training area in the beginning and MUST come out through a portal which leads to the same place. The end result? You have level 3 newbies coming out of training and landing all the same area only to be smacked down by level 20+ characters camping the area and killing newbies for fun. Do people start bitching, cancel their accounts, and then microwave their CDs? Hell no, they deal with it. They run from the area and avoid those jerks, with some people coming back in the future to clear out the same jerks who harassed them when they were a newbie.
You can't always expect people to be on their best behavior, expecting Maxis or any other MMO provider to police their customers is outrageous. At the very least, you'll end up pissing off loyal paying customers who aren't doing anything wrong in or around the game.
Except for the fact that the guy purposely used the topic of WMDs just to gain publicity. If the goal was to find a treasure chest of gold, this never would have been reported on Slashdot. This guy is basicly tapping into the anti-U.S. government setiment thats going around right now to make a quick buck.
I don't think the public, in general, likes Nintendo. Its a very old company, which markets few games in comparison to the PS2 and lacks the monetary warchest that Microsoft's Xbox has. True, any hardcore gamer will tell you Nintendo is the elite veteran of the gaming wars, but any non-serious gamer (read : a lot) will think that Nintendo is fading and should just die out like Sega.
Think about it from the investor's point of view. The PS2 has an insane amount of games and plenty of third party developer support. The Xbox has the Microsoft name behind and the (pretty much) proven Xbox Live. While the Gamecube has no (serious) online support, relatively few top of the line games (quality over quantity I guess), and a horrible stereotype with people thinking of Nintendo systems for 'kiddie gamers.' If I wasn't a gamer and had personal insight in the gaming market, sad to say I'd have to invest in either the Xbox or the PS2.
Slashdot Mirror
However long its been decaying, its still better than 'Mystery Meat'. At least with Zombie Steaks you know what you're getting.
Assuming you got to level 30 without the level skip cheat (if you did you'd arrive there with nothing but a pistol and 50 rounds), you could leave the free weapons and ammo (you were given every weapon in the game, including a backpack and nearly enough ammo to get through any one level in the game). Why would you do this? Simple. Leave the ammo and weapons for when you need to restock and you didn't have/use the allammo/allweapons cheat.
Now the reason you don't need the God mode is because theres one spot where the monsters couldn't get you (besides from the starting room.) The one spot is small area where you shoot into to kill the boss (which contains a pixelated head of John Romero). Type in the noclip cheat, and run in there. Go take a leak or something that doesn't take to long, come back and find the room full of monsters. Afraid of dying? Ah see theres a bonus for using that spot.
Using the noclip cheat, you could squeeze into the little vent like area where you shoot into to kill the boss normally. The spot is so small that monsters have a better chance of shooting an ant in a beehive. Even if the shots come close to you, all you have to do is step back into the room. Just remember to step back to avoid damage and you can stay there until you run out of ammo... in which case you just go back to the starting room, restock, and repeat.
As for the completion rate percentages, I've gotten up to about 15000% before I got tired. Any attempts to get higher than that resulted in my computer crashing :( . Maybe I'll give it another go some day.
Me : "Hey guys we gotta go out and by X copies of the game for CD keys because we can play!"
Them : "Its 1 AM, shut up and find up a CD key generator then."
Me : "Right-o, looking for a CD key generator."
Hmm, nevermind then..
This is a crude example of it, but it should be enough to give you a basic idea :
A 4 letter CD key. a + b + c + d Must Equal 30.
Letters A through J are 1 through 10. Letters K through T are -1 through -10. Letters U through Z are prime numbers 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13.
Once you figure this formula out any 7 year old kid who knows simple programmer can create a CD key generator. Course, this is fake and most CD keys are based on 16 characters, which includes both numbers and letters. On top of this, the formula isn't exactly posted on the company's website so how people manage to figure out the formula is beyond me. Thanks to modern computers, as long as CD keys are restricted to 36 choices (26 letters, 10 numbers) CD keys will ALWAYS be cracked.
If you're looking for a "silent" or at least a very, very quiet one; don't forget to pick a mouse and keyboard that are quiet. A lot of the more recent mice and keyboards no longer have the loud clicking noises of early keyboards, but its something you should keep in mind if you're really that concerned about the extra noise.
Now see thats called an arms race.
I'm sorry, DEMO version? Last time I checked it was a leaked version of the game containing some of the source code. When did anyone say a thing about the leak being a DEMO? Even if salesmen outright told them the truth, consumers would raise an eyebrow when they notice what the truthful salesman and the back of the jewel case don't say the same thing.
You're right, they're not passing it off as the final version. However, they are trying to pass it off as a near completed version of it by claiming its a demo version.
The reasons for this is simple. First, bragging rights. Every hardcore geek builds their computer by hand, and the even more hardcore geeks outfit their systems with the hottest hardware on the market along with custom paint jobs (look online, they're there) or stickers. Secondly, unless you rake in some serious cash you will NEVER EVER be able to keep up with the latest swag. If you got a Radeon 9700 the day after it was released, theres someone who got it three days before you by knowing someone who works at ATI.
You gotta pity the Russians to buy/bought copies of those copies. Its fairly common knowledge on the internet (at the very least for gaming readers) that there was a leak and a delay. For the uninformed masses, they're buying a broken, beta that might not even run on their computer.
Yeah, "long overdue" meaning everyone from retailers to the consumer was waiting for them to drop the price during Christmas. By the time E3 2004 comes around, the price wars of this generation of consoles will be over. The PS2 dropping to $129 or $149 would be a mere dent by the time of E3 2004. Do people REALLY need that many PS2s? Course not. The market is already saturated with millions and millions of units worldwide. They're not going to suddenly sell another 1 million just because of a price drop.
(4 visors (scan, combat, infrared, x-ray), 4 beam weapons (energy, ice, plasma, heat. Not counting charge beam.), jump, morph, missle/bomb, shoot. Not counting targetting/strafing, looking, and walking.)
You switch a LOT in the game, as anyone whos played through it will tell you. The game would NOT translate onto the PC well at all, MAYBE the PS2 if the hardware could handle it, and probably not for the Xbox since the controller is notably more stiff.
'if I want a mobile phone I'll buy an N-Gage,'
So do you or do you NOT a N-Gage?
As much as every weekend warrior, constantly on the go businessman/traveler, and wilderness survivor would like a 100% all purpose item, you can't compare electronics with swiss army knives. First you'll want a gaming system. Then a mobile phone. Then a PDA. Then wireless internet. Then automated e-mail notifications. Then a GPS tracker. Then any of the previous with a touch screen. Then you'll want a hidden taser inside. Then the ability turn on your computerized car with it. Then you'll want it to shoot lasers, clean your teeth, and burn DVDs all at the same time.
'... but [it, being the PSP,] is not intended to be a hardware loss-leader for Sony, with Deering suggesting: "The feeling is that this product should generate profit on hardware alone."'
They want to generate profit off of the hardware? I'm sorry, but wtf are they smoking? Do they -really- think that the name brand alone will sell the PSP? Pretty much every video game system, console or handheld, has remained to the tried and true method of 'sell the system at a loss, make a profit on the games.' Even the cell phone companies follow a similar trend by giving out free cell phones, chargers, ear phones, and other accessories. If Sony thinks it can get away with selling the hardware at a profit, they're in for a rude awakening. This is not just another cool MP3 player from Sony, this is a gaming system. As much as Sony exceeded people's expectations with the PS1 and the PS2 (FAR, FAR outdated hardware), the PSP its probably going to teach Sony to not be as cocky.
Don't forget, this was called the Konami code. I think Gamespy ran a short article on this explaining its origins. Anyone got a link?
Best form : Subliminal.
Sorry, being of Chinese decent I felt that had to be said. Admittedly off topic.
As much as we'd all like to take a look at some of the company's very old roots, the fact is some of them might be too much of a culture shock for the mainstream gamers. (Outside of learning about it on Slashdot or Super Smash Bros Melee, how many of you knew about the Game & Watch series Nintendo made? I, for one, did not know about it.)
I haven't heard about people using Kazaa or Bittorrent to download Prince of Persia Sands of Time in the news. I'm well aware of the PS1/2, Xbox and Dreamcast warez that are available via Bittorrent, but they are not widely used or spread. Not yet at the very least. They're there, I've known that for nearly 4 years now since I first modded my PS1 but they're certainly not common. Theres probably a grand total of 100 different Xbox and PS2 games online total.
Now before I get modded down for being anti-PS2, let me point out a few facts. 1. The PS2 has the biggest most available gaming selection (not to mention the ability to play PS1 games). 2. The PS2 is more easily modable than the Xbox and less resistant against illegal copies compared to the Gamecube. 3. If it wasn't for the fact that PS2 games are huge, you would probably find them common warez on Kazaa and other P2P software.
They gave themselves around 6 months between announcement and expected launch date. Thats like Duke Nukem Forever to suddenly be announced to be released next quarter, you KNOW its not gonna happen short of divine intervention.
I'd get him a time machine! I don't know how you guys do it, but with all the RPGs, mods, and tons of unlockable features in more recent games (most notably in racing games) I'd get him a time machine so he'd have time to get through them all. Without cheating.
And I'm sure this has absolutely no relationship with Sega sueing Fox regarding the Simpson's Hit and Run game.
Rockstar = Who to sue in the game industry for easy publicity
(One of many examples) In Asheron's Call 2 ALL new characters MUST go through a training area in the beginning and MUST come out through a portal which leads to the same place. The end result? You have level 3 newbies coming out of training and landing all the same area only to be smacked down by level 20+ characters camping the area and killing newbies for fun. Do people start bitching, cancel their accounts, and then microwave their CDs? Hell no, they deal with it. They run from the area and avoid those jerks, with some people coming back in the future to clear out the same jerks who harassed them when they were a newbie.
You can't always expect people to be on their best behavior, expecting Maxis or any other MMO provider to police their customers is outrageous. At the very least, you'll end up pissing off loyal paying customers who aren't doing anything wrong in or around the game.
Except for the fact that the guy purposely used the topic of WMDs just to gain publicity. If the goal was to find a treasure chest of gold, this never would have been reported on Slashdot. This guy is basicly tapping into the anti-U.S. government setiment thats going around right now to make a quick buck.
Think about it from the investor's point of view. The PS2 has an insane amount of games and plenty of third party developer support. The Xbox has the Microsoft name behind and the (pretty much) proven Xbox Live. While the Gamecube has no (serious) online support, relatively few top of the line games (quality over quantity I guess), and a horrible stereotype with people thinking of Nintendo systems for 'kiddie gamers.' If I wasn't a gamer and had personal insight in the gaming market, sad to say I'd have to invest in either the Xbox or the PS2.