Political whoring has been corrupting the system for at least a century or two (power corrupts, after all); it's only since Watergate and the Vietnam War that we've had reason to scrutinize our public officials more closely.
It'd be interesting to see economic indicators such as inflation, GDP, and CPI computed for a virtual economy like just to see what sort of things come up in this type of environment. Or to see market analysis techniques applied to the prices of in-game items:
"Arcane crystal prices skyrocketed today after Blizzard implemented a series of upgrade quests that require arcanite components, while water breathing potions tumbled after the spawn rate of Oily Blackmouth was significantly increased."
The main draw that other people have mentioned is that with so many people playing, it's easier to get an impression of the game before you start playing. Also, odds are that if you're interesting in starting WoW, you know someone who's been playing for a while and might be willing to toss you a few gold and invite you to join their guild. The main reason I play WoW instead of a different MMORPG is because I had many friends and relatives that played WoW as opposed to the one person I knew who played Ragnarok Online.
Another draw of WoW is the lore. Say what you will about those "paladins from space" the Draenei, but on the whole what keeps me coming back is the continuation of the lore that began in the first Warcraft.
Note that these two factors have little or nothing to do with actual gameplay. WoW isn't an excellent game in itself (especially when compared to other MMORPGS), but through marketing and by fostering a sizable, devoted community Blizzard has ensured a steady and increasing subscriber base.
All of this said, I do have a couple of gripes with WoW (no WoW post is complete without gripes, right?;P): -Crafting needs to be overhauled to allow customization; not only should blacksmiths and such be able to change the appearance of their creations to a degree but they should also be able to affect the bonuses an item gives. The higher the crafter's skill, the more bonuses can be stacked on the item. Jewelcrafting and socketed items are nice, but not good enough. -Corpse runs. I realize there needs to be a token penalty for dying, and not dinging the player's experience is a good idea, but just rezzing after a few minutes would be better than manually having to guide your ghost back to your corpse.
If people dressed up as hobbits and wizards for Lord of the Rings and as Jedis and Sith for Star Wars, does that mean people will be showing up for the MGS premeire in cardboard boxes and mullets?
This is Simon, your venture capitalist. A check for $50,000 is on it's way via courier. Buy a new supply closet for Karen. Spend the rest on bagels and coffee.
Art is that which communicates the values of the creator or performer. Seen in this way, everything we create and do is art.
Using some of your examples, when a person designs clothes, a font, or a can of soda, they are necessarily promoting those values they hold. For instance, a can of soda is designed the way it is because the designer believes that a can of soda ought to be easily carried, stacked, and consumed. Similarly, speech is an art, because the manner in which one speaks communicates the values that the individual possesses regarding appropriate vocabulary, depth, and tone.
When art is looked at this way, that which is considered "Art" by most people is really that which is primarily intended to communicate values instead of these values being secondary to functionality. Picasso's "Guernica" and the paintbrush used to paint it are both art, but "Guernica" is considered Art because its primary purpose is to communicate Picasso's values; the paintbrush is only meant to apply paint to canvas, and not evoke any feeling on its own.
Your posture suffers when you're depressed; people who are feeling crappy tend to slouch while those who are feeling fine tend to keep their backs straightened. If someone is chronically depressed, their posture is bad enough for long enough that back muscles strain and the spine is thrown out of alignment.
I wouldn't go so far as to suggest Zoloft or Prozac to people suffering from chronic back pain, but depression would be a valid factor to examine.
Just tell them that in addition to the artificial gravity generators installed the floor they also have parallax stabilizers installed in the windows. If that doesn't convince 'em, throw in something about tachyons. Hey, it worked for "Star Trek"!
I can see a way for it to work, assuming that sockets are filled via trade skills (please, please, PLEASE, make trade skills useful in the expansion), but socketed item?
IIRC, Blizzard also announced a Jewelcrafting trade skill that will most likely be used to enhance socketed items.
Then it probably is. An email from a young, great looking, hard bodied male/female who is rich and has gobs of cash to spend on *you* is probably NOT for real.
Right now there is a young, great looking, hard bodied female who is rich and has gobs of cash to spend on *you* crying at her keyboard because no one is answering her e-mails anymore.
Slashdot Mirror
Finishing your post in the subject is
Political whoring has been corrupting the system for at least a century or two (power corrupts, after all); it's only since Watergate and the Vietnam War that we've had reason to scrutinize our public officials more closely.
It'd be interesting to see economic indicators such as inflation, GDP, and CPI computed for a virtual economy like just to see what sort of things come up in this type of environment. Or to see market analysis techniques applied to the prices of in-game items:
"Arcane crystal prices skyrocketed today after Blizzard implemented a series of upgrade quests that require arcanite components, while water breathing potions tumbled after the spawn rate of Oily Blackmouth was significantly increased."
The main draw that other people have mentioned is that with so many people playing, it's easier to get an impression of the game before you start playing. Also, odds are that if you're interesting in starting WoW, you know someone who's been playing for a while and might be willing to toss you a few gold and invite you to join their guild. The main reason I play WoW instead of a different MMORPG is because I had many friends and relatives that played WoW as opposed to the one person I knew who played Ragnarok Online.
;P):
Another draw of WoW is the lore. Say what you will about those "paladins from space" the Draenei, but on the whole what keeps me coming back is the continuation of the lore that began in the first Warcraft.
Note that these two factors have little or nothing to do with actual gameplay. WoW isn't an excellent game in itself (especially when compared to other MMORPGS), but through marketing and by fostering a sizable, devoted community Blizzard has ensured a steady and increasing subscriber base.
All of this said, I do have a couple of gripes with WoW (no WoW post is complete without gripes, right?
-Crafting needs to be overhauled to allow customization; not only should blacksmiths and such be able to change the appearance of their creations to a degree but they should also be able to affect the bonuses an item gives. The higher the crafter's skill, the more bonuses can be stacked on the item. Jewelcrafting and socketed items are nice, but not good enough.
-Corpse runs. I realize there needs to be a token penalty for dying, and not dinging the player's experience is a good idea, but just rezzing after a few minutes would be better than manually having to guide your ghost back to your corpse.
If people dressed up as hobbits and wizards for Lord of the Rings and as Jedis and Sith for Star Wars, does that mean people will be showing up for the MGS premeire in cardboard boxes and mullets?
This is Simon, your venture capitalist. A check for $50,000 is on it's way via courier. Buy a new supply closet for Karen. Spend the rest on bagels and coffee.
Art is that which communicates the values of the creator or performer. Seen in this way, everything we create and do is art.
Using some of your examples, when a person designs clothes, a font, or a can of soda, they are necessarily promoting those values they hold. For instance, a can of soda is designed the way it is because the designer believes that a can of soda ought to be easily carried, stacked, and consumed. Similarly, speech is an art, because the manner in which one speaks communicates the values that the individual possesses regarding appropriate vocabulary, depth, and tone.
When art is looked at this way, that which is considered "Art" by most people is really that which is primarily intended to communicate values instead of these values being secondary to functionality. Picasso's "Guernica" and the paintbrush used to paint it are both art, but "Guernica" is considered Art because its primary purpose is to communicate Picasso's values; the paintbrush is only meant to apply paint to canvas, and not evoke any feeling on its own.
My guess is that NASA mixed up metric days and imperial days when they were making their lifetime estimates.
Your posture suffers when you're depressed; people who are feeling crappy tend to slouch while those who are feeling fine tend to keep their backs straightened. If someone is chronically depressed, their posture is bad enough for long enough that back muscles strain and the spine is thrown out of alignment.
I wouldn't go so far as to suggest Zoloft or Prozac to people suffering from chronic back pain, but depression would be a valid factor to examine.
...Users targeted for legal action included a Finnish lumberjack, a British postman, a Czech IT manager and a German judge,'
All we need is a Spanish construction worker and we'll have the Euro-Village People!
Ah, yes, the honorable Senator Anonymous Brave Guy from the great state of [REDACTED].
I made a guy come over the poker table at me once. Best poker game of my life.
You must have had a good hand, eh?
Even worse, you're expected to solve it with your tongue.
Just tell them that in addition to the artificial gravity generators installed the floor they also have parallax stabilizers installed in the windows. If that doesn't convince 'em, throw in something about tachyons. Hey, it worked for "Star Trek"!
Even easier, just turn the stereo system up to 11.
Your stereo goes up to 11, right? It's one louder than 10.
I can see a way for it to work, assuming that sockets are filled via trade skills (please, please, PLEASE, make trade skills useful in the expansion), but socketed item?
IIRC, Blizzard also announced a Jewelcrafting trade skill that will most likely be used to enhance socketed items.
Then it probably is. An email from a young, great looking, hard bodied male/female who is rich and has gobs of cash to spend on *you* is probably NOT for real.
Right now there is a young, great looking, hard bodied female who is rich and has gobs of cash to spend on *you* crying at her keyboard because no one is answering her e-mails anymore.
Nah.
or do we all just have a case of blue balls?
With Windows involved, wouldn't it be the Blue Balls of Death (BBOD)?
Maybe it was intentially misspelled in an attempt at humor?
Story @ 11 ...and 11:15, 12:15, and next Wednesday at 3:00. All worded slightly differently, of course. ;P
I'm confused; does that make Steve Jobs the Eggman or the Walrus?
Now all we need is a group of angsty teenagers and we'll have ourselves a live-action anime!
If Microsoft is involved, doesn't that mean that they'll be crashing all of the time?
I heard the next Batman movie is going to be titled "Batman Returns Some Videotapes".