... That thought it was going to be something about an upcoming Batman or Superman (or some other DC Comic franchise) comic where they fight terrorist that were poised to blowup major datacenters?
So this is a little off-topic, but it has been mentioned a few times within all these posts.
One reason people don't like the concept of online distribution of games and DLC is that once the content servers go off-line, you lose "everything". Well, you only lose whatever you cannot download off the net. But given the longevity of the server versus how long you actually play the game, how many have been bitten by that as a real problem?
So, you've bought, GTA IV and five years from now Rockstar is sued out of existence from their latest sim game, "Pope Assassin". Are you really going to be lamenting that you can't play multiplayer or download a few side missions?
I'll admit, I've taken to downloading and archiving bug patches for software in case the company goes out of business, gets bought out, etc. But the list of programs that I keep that outlive the company is pretty short.
isn't it the position off the game companies that their games are pirated so much that they are loosing most of their sales to pirates? wouldn't that mean the pirate community is larger than the legitimate community? wouldn't that mean you could conceivably have a larger network of people on the pirated version? this applies more to the pc versions of games atm i suppose.
You aren't taking into consideration the math that companies use.
For a game to happen there are tons of costs involved. So for your, oh wait, I mean for the paying customers $60 they are spending money on the following people: * Developers * QA (although always short changed) * Artist * Audio teams (voice actors, sound effects, music, etc) * Other office employees that need a paycheck * Company that burns the discs * Company that packages them * Warehouse that stores the boxed product * Drivers that take the product to the store * Any possible advertising spent * Mark-up
So when you buy the game, all they count is the revenue from the mark-up. When someone steals^H^H^H^H^H^H pirates^H^H^H^H^H^H^H borrows to own, they count the total price as lost revenue.
That's why one "unpurchased" game counts for 50-60 purchased games.
"For example, consider that you are stuck in a locked room. In Myst, you will probably see some kind of complex lock mechanism, and have to figure out its controls, and how the device works, and then "hack" the device to open the door. In Monkey Island, you will probably be interacting more with the environment; have to use some item you find in the room or already have in your inventory, or bribe the guard by choosing the correct dialogue."
How is "interacting more with the environment" different from "figuring out its controls"? Both are clicking around the interface. The Monkey Island interface (which is odd to say since every MI game had a different UI/Look 'N Feel) has always had a bit of freedom. I think it would be easy enough to design a lock tumbler system for both Myst and Monkey Island. Although for Monkey Island the tumblers would be replaced with a mouse, stale bread, a broken broom handle, and a used ship's wheel; whereas Myst would have a book with pictures to match up and some zodiac reference.
It's just how much the game will do for you when you click on an item.
Unless the Powers That Be(TM) fixed the summary, I think you're putting extra words on the screen or misreading it.
The key is, "...WordPad Text Converter, a tool included with all versions of Windows." The TOOL exists in all versions of Windows, which as far as I can tell is correct and the summary states clearly.
But the exploit only works in SOME versions of Windows. Something the summary should have stated but was edited because someone's cut and paste function had a buffer overflow and was truncated.
You can program for the unexpected. But you can't always program for the WTF. Here are some of the situations I've seen:
* Web service servers (WSS) was firewalled by the hotshot new IT guy looking to make things secure. * Only some of the WSS are up causing delays or incomplete data. Important when teamed with Google Checkout that expects 8 second turn around. * All WSS are up, but due to their load balancing and missed updates they are running different versions of the API software. (So sometimes you get the latest, sometimes you get a revision back, and sometimes a mixture). * The WSS are fine, but a trunk between your server and them is causing missed packets and delays. * The WSS are fine, but the API developers made a change and didn't tell anyone. * The WSS are fine, but the servlet is refusing connections. * The WSS are fine, the servlet does a handshake, and then hangs. * The WSS are fine, but the servlet is broken and either sending back nulls or zeros. * Same as above but instead of sending no data, it sends bogus "test" data. So shipping a piano across the country costs the same as shipping a box across the street.
You can program for when things pass and when things fail, but it's not so clear cut programming for when it's in the middle.
if (!pass && !fail) {
print "When In Trouble Or In Doubt Run In Circles Scream And Shout"; }
Actually a more accurate analogy would be you have a choice between two cars; both look totally normal, appear to drive straight, and have standard safety equipment.
Only you find out that in Car B, if you turn on the hazard lights, the right blinker, and tune the radio to 99.9FM the dashboard LEDs spell out all the names of the workers who assembled your car (scrolling through them all), the horn honks to the tune "Cars", and the back wheels bounce up and down to the beat.
Would you feel more confident of Car A or Car B that the workers took construction seriously? Knowing that if you had stumbled across this "Easter Egg" while driving it may have catastrophic results?
Since I live in San Diego and own a Wii, an Xbox 360, a PS3, and a number of computers, I feel like when Bruce McCulloch admitted on "The Kids In The Hall" that he caused cancer.
I think there was more to it than just the BD-Live issues.
Around 9:00pm we tried playing the disc on a first-gen PS3 80GB (just for reference) and it kept getting stuck at the loading screen (the ARC reactor and nothing else). Finally at 9:50pm we went back to the shop and exchanged it. Back home by 10:10pm, popped the disc in and it went through to the regular menu on the first try.
Did the server manage to come back to life in the 20 minutes it took to get a different disc? Or were there really a bad batch of discs?
If the whole point of this was supposed to be for discovery. If you delete the porn, then who is to say you didn't delete the email that confessed to the suicide?
Good or bad, you have to leave everything intact if you expect to use any of these as "proof". Although it's beyond me how any of this will "prove" it's an accident.
If it was an accident, then there will be nothing out of the ordinary.
If it was suicide, and they left clues to the suicide, then it can at least prove what's already been decided.
But a lack of suicide note in meat space, and lack of note in cyber space, does not mean they did not wanted to kill them self.
Let's see: 365 days a year, and they can only hold them for 5 days, so that's 73 times a year to cycle a name (give or take). Let's just round it to 75 because I'm cool like that.
So.20 a cycle at 75 cycles per year means it'll cost a whole $15.00 per year to taste a domain name.
Sure, with 11 million domains to cycle through that makes for a pretty big number. But, Considering that you can sell useful domains for anywhere from $20 to $20,000... They can still keep cycling all they want. Just the less popular names will finally be released in a year when they can't turn a profit.
And if they sell better names for a little more, it can still offset the cheap names so don't expect this to even see a dent for at least one year, but probably closer to three.
IANAL, but I *AM* an owner of a dating website (PolyMatchMaker.com), so I have an almost qualified opinion (which means I probably shouldn't be allowed to reply).
Note: The current software is showing it's age, so go easy on it. There is a new version coming in near future. But I doubt I'll get much of a slashdotting as it's very much a niche market dating site.
Whether you go mathematically or go with simple searches, it boils down to members wanting a magical "Find me a hook up now" button. Everyone has their own perception and experiences of dating sites and how they should work.
Here is the life cycle of typical members when they are left to their own devices with search features:
You sign up with hopes and dreams of finding the perfect person.
You use the advanced search, find the top 4 people you match and write each of them a personal, multi-paragraph email explaining life, love, and why they are perfect together.
You get no replies and feel dejected.
So you try sending shorter emails to the next 10 in line.
Of the 10, only 1 or 2 reply and those fizzle out in a few emails. No meat-space dates.
Finally, in desperation you send out 50 emails to random people saying "You're totally hot. We should get together. Email me."
Of those 50, 7 reply back calling you pathetic, 4 don't bother replying and just report you as a troll, and 3 reply back to start a conversation.
Of those three, only one can even hold a conversation and that one turns into an awkward one-night stand.
You gives up, and blame the website for not finding you true love.
You sign up to a different dating site with hopes and dreams of finding the perfect person.
So even on non-mathematically-based sites you end up using a type of math; the more emails I send out, the better my chances of getting a reply.
On the other hand, for sites using mathematics to work, there needs to be a huge amount of questions. And when all is said and done, it's still just a guess as to compatibility. My idea and your idea of "well read" can be completely different (Star Wars fan-fics don't count in my opinion in case you're wondering). There are questions that are yes/no on the quiz, but is a huge shade of grey in reality. There are questions people will lie about because it 'sounds better' or they think will give them a better chance at matching. So it's very possible you're more compatible with someone you only match 29% as opposed to the 75% person.
There is no perfect way to do build a dating site. I have my own ideas and have moderate success. On my site, despite the name, there is no matchmaker feature. There is only a basic search and a quick profile form. Instead, members are encouraged to use the forum software and express their true self so other members can learn about the real person.
It seems that in the future we'll have mastered some TARDIS technology. It will look like a normal 2,300 square-foot suburban house from the outside but will allow for 5,000 of living space on the inside.
I think you missed my point, or I didn't state it clearly enough (always a possibility).
It's not a matter of right-tool-for-the-job or too-much-vs-too-little. The OP described two writing styles for modules. One that was completely scripted and rigid; the other more loosely based and encouraged the DM to make the creatures come to life. What I was trying to say is, it's unlikely that a change in the RULES would change either of those writing styles. If the DM prefers free-flowing adventuring, then ignore the scripts as possible (yeah, Ravenloft suffers from situations that must occur for the ending to make sense). If the module is written too loose for your tastes, then take the time to script out each room before the game even begins.
I've played in groups where not even the map was written down before hand. The DM had an idea in his head and made up everything on the spot based on how we played. So whether he started with a pre-written, highly-scripted module or just got a bug in his head from watching a movie, he made the game his own.
So I think that the rules won't change the writing styles, it would only change how monsters are described (new attributes, rules for first encounters, etc) and how situations are handled (to jump a pit do you roll a DEX check? Reflex save? Jump Skill? Or some new rule?).
As a DM, you should be able to take either module and configure it to match your campaign. So whether the module is written on the back of a napkin, or detailed out with regimental precision, the DM has the power to adapt the adventure to their style.
Back when I played, it wasn't uncommon to take adventures from ever day sources. Movies, RPG video games, books, and other references were all fair game.
I don't think how modules are written will really be effected by going to 4e, other than how monsters are described. New 4th ed monsters, now with more sodium.
Slashdot Mirror
You forgot the part where the Manager doesn't tell anyone about the theft for a few days while trying to cover it up.
A few days without IT being able to change passwords, watch for break-ins, etc.
I contend that video games do not cause violence.
Hearing Jack Thompson talk about video games on the other hand... THAT pisses most everyone off.
... That thought it was going to be something about an upcoming Batman or Superman (or some other DC Comic franchise) comic where they fight terrorist that were poised to blowup major datacenters?
I Guess so.
My mind refuses to acknowledge the "ter" in "Twitterverse".
And thus my imagination brewed an image of a race involving waking neighbors and jumping match boxes...
So this is a little off-topic, but it has been mentioned a few times within all these posts.
One reason people don't like the concept of online distribution of games and DLC is that once the content servers go off-line, you lose "everything". Well, you only lose whatever you cannot download off the net. But given the longevity of the server versus how long you actually play the game, how many have been bitten by that as a real problem?
So, you've bought, GTA IV and five years from now Rockstar is sued out of existence from their latest sim game, "Pope Assassin". Are you really going to be lamenting that you can't play multiplayer or download a few side missions?
I'll admit, I've taken to downloading and archiving bug patches for software in case the company goes out of business, gets bought out, etc. But the list of programs that I keep that outlive the company is pretty short.
isn't it the position off the game companies that their games are pirated so much that they are loosing most of their sales to pirates? wouldn't that mean the pirate community is larger than the legitimate community? wouldn't that mean you could conceivably have a larger network of people on the pirated version? this applies more to the pc versions of games atm i suppose.
You aren't taking into consideration the math that companies use.
For a game to happen there are tons of costs involved. So for your, oh wait, I mean for the paying customers $60 they are spending money on the following people:
* Developers
* QA (although always short changed)
* Artist
* Audio teams (voice actors, sound effects, music, etc)
* Other office employees that need a paycheck
* Company that burns the discs
* Company that packages them
* Warehouse that stores the boxed product
* Drivers that take the product to the store
* Any possible advertising spent
* Mark-up
So when you buy the game, all they count is the revenue from the mark-up. When someone steals^H^H^H^H^H^H pirates^H^H^H^H^H^H^H borrows to own, they count the total price as lost revenue.
That's why one "unpurchased" game counts for 50-60 purchased games.
I disagree with part of your argument.
"For example, consider that you are stuck in a locked room. In Myst, you will probably see some kind of complex lock mechanism, and have to figure out its controls, and how the device works, and then "hack" the device to open the door. In Monkey Island, you will probably be interacting more with the environment; have to use some item you find in the room or already have in your inventory, or bribe the guard by choosing the correct dialogue."
How is "interacting more with the environment" different from "figuring out its controls"? Both are clicking around the interface. The Monkey Island interface (which is odd to say since every MI game had a different UI/Look 'N Feel) has always had a bit of freedom. I think it would be easy enough to design a lock tumbler system for both Myst and Monkey Island. Although for Monkey Island the tumblers would be replaced with a mouse, stale bread, a broken broom handle, and a used ship's wheel; whereas Myst would have a book with pictures to match up and some zodiac reference.
It's just how much the game will do for you when you click on an item.
Unless the Powers That Be(TM) fixed the summary, I think you're putting extra words on the screen or misreading it.
The key is, "...WordPad Text Converter, a tool included with all versions of Windows." The TOOL exists in all versions of Windows, which as far as I can tell is correct and the summary states clearly.
But the exploit only works in SOME versions of Windows. Something the summary should have stated but was edited because someone's cut and paste function had a buffer overflow and was truncated.
You can program for the unexpected. But you can't always program for the WTF. Here are some of the situations I've seen:
* Web service servers (WSS) was firewalled by the hotshot new IT guy looking to make things secure.
* Only some of the WSS are up causing delays or incomplete data. Important when teamed with Google Checkout that expects 8 second turn around.
* All WSS are up, but due to their load balancing and missed updates they are running different versions of the API software. (So sometimes you get the latest, sometimes you get a revision back, and sometimes a mixture).
* The WSS are fine, but a trunk between your server and them is causing missed packets and delays.
* The WSS are fine, but the API developers made a change and didn't tell anyone.
* The WSS are fine, but the servlet is refusing connections.
* The WSS are fine, the servlet does a handshake, and then hangs.
* The WSS are fine, but the servlet is broken and either sending back nulls or zeros.
* Same as above but instead of sending no data, it sends bogus "test" data. So shipping a piano across the country costs the same as shipping a box across the street.
You can program for when things pass and when things fail, but it's not so clear cut programming for when it's in the middle.
if (!pass && !fail) {
print "When In Trouble Or In Doubt Run In Circles Scream And Shout";
}
Actually a more accurate analogy would be you have a choice between two cars; both look totally normal, appear to drive straight, and have standard safety equipment.
Only you find out that in Car B, if you turn on the hazard lights, the right blinker, and tune the radio to 99.9FM the dashboard LEDs spell out all the names of the workers who assembled your car (scrolling through them all), the horn honks to the tune "Cars", and the back wheels bounce up and down to the beat.
Would you feel more confident of Car A or Car B that the workers took construction seriously? Knowing that if you had stumbled across this "Easter Egg" while driving it may have catastrophic results?
How does the old joke go? Last week I found Jesus; he fell behind the cushions in the couch.
Huh.
Since I live in San Diego and own a Wii, an Xbox 360, a PS3, and a number of computers, I feel like when Bruce McCulloch admitted on "The Kids In The Hall" that he caused cancer.
http://www.kithfan.org/work/transcripts/one/brucecancer.html
Maybe I should move to a different city to balance everything out.
Sorry to say but you are being thick. Your PP said "LinkedIn". As in, "I am linked in to Kevin Bacon by only 6 degrees of separation."
http://www.linkedin.com/
I think there was more to it than just the BD-Live issues.
Around 9:00pm we tried playing the disc on a first-gen PS3 80GB (just for reference) and it kept getting stuck at the loading screen (the ARC reactor and nothing else). Finally at 9:50pm we went back to the shop and exchanged it. Back home by 10:10pm, popped the disc in and it went through to the regular menu on the first try.
Did the server manage to come back to life in the 20 minutes it took to get a different disc? Or were there really a bad batch of discs?
Do NOT delete anything!
If the whole point of this was supposed to be for discovery. If you delete the porn, then who is to say you didn't delete the email that confessed to the suicide?
Good or bad, you have to leave everything intact if you expect to use any of these as "proof". Although it's beyond me how any of this will "prove" it's an accident.
If it was an accident, then there will be nothing out of the ordinary.
If it was suicide, and they left clues to the suicide, then it can at least prove what's already been decided.
But a lack of suicide note in meat space, and lack of note in cyber space, does not mean they did not wanted to kill them self.
Let's see: 365 days a year, and they can only hold them for 5 days, so that's 73 times a year to cycle a name (give or take). Let's just round it to 75 because I'm cool like that.
So .20 a cycle at 75 cycles per year means it'll cost a whole $15.00 per year to taste a domain name.
Sure, with 11 million domains to cycle through that makes for a pretty big number. But, Considering that you can sell useful domains for anywhere from $20 to $20,000... They can still keep cycling all they want. Just the less popular names will finally be released in a year when they can't turn a profit.
And if they sell better names for a little more, it can still offset the cheap names so don't expect this to even see a dent for at least one year, but probably closer to three.
I'm having flashbacks of The Venture Brothers, episode Twenty Years To Midnight.
Google searching websites like the Grand Inquisitor -- IGNORE ME!
Roll a d20 and consult the correct chart.
IANAL, but I *AM* an owner of a dating website (PolyMatchMaker.com), so I have an almost qualified opinion (which means I probably shouldn't be allowed to reply).
Note: The current software is showing it's age, so go easy on it. There is a new version coming in near future. But I doubt I'll get much of a slashdotting as it's very much a niche market dating site.
Whether you go mathematically or go with simple searches, it boils down to members wanting a magical "Find me a hook up now" button. Everyone has their own perception and experiences of dating sites and how they should work.
Here is the life cycle of typical members when they are left to their own devices with search features:
So even on non-mathematically-based sites you end up using a type of math; the more emails I send out, the better my chances of getting a reply.
On the other hand, for sites using mathematics to work, there needs to be a huge amount of questions. And when all is said and done, it's still just a guess as to compatibility. My idea and your idea of "well read" can be completely different (Star Wars fan-fics don't count in my opinion in case you're wondering). There are questions that are yes/no on the quiz, but is a huge shade of grey in reality. There are questions people will lie about because it 'sounds better' or they think will give them a better chance at matching. So it's very possible you're more compatible with someone you only match 29% as opposed to the 75% person.
There is no perfect way to do build a dating site. I have my own ideas and have moderate success. On my site, despite the name, there is no matchmaker feature. There is only a basic search and a quick profile form. Instead, members are encouraged to use the forum software and express their true self so other members can learn about the real person.
It seems that in the future we'll have mastered some TARDIS technology. It will look like a normal 2,300 square-foot suburban house from the outside but will allow for 5,000 of living space on the inside.
Sweet. I have a company named Delm, now I can sue this "dell" company for typosquatting my site for millions.
I mean, when I go to dell.com I'm bombarded with ads.
"brick" is the new "marklar"
I think you missed my point, or I didn't state it clearly enough (always a possibility).
It's not a matter of right-tool-for-the-job or too-much-vs-too-little. The OP described two writing styles for modules. One that was completely scripted and rigid; the other more loosely based and encouraged the DM to make the creatures come to life. What I was trying to say is, it's unlikely that a change in the RULES would change either of those writing styles. If the DM prefers free-flowing adventuring, then ignore the scripts as possible (yeah, Ravenloft suffers from situations that must occur for the ending to make sense). If the module is written too loose for your tastes, then take the time to script out each room before the game even begins.
I've played in groups where not even the map was written down before hand. The DM had an idea in his head and made up everything on the spot based on how we played. So whether he started with a pre-written, highly-scripted module or just got a bug in his head from watching a movie, he made the game his own.
So I think that the rules won't change the writing styles, it would only change how monsters are described (new attributes, rules for first encounters, etc) and how situations are handled (to jump a pit do you roll a DEX check? Reflex save? Jump Skill? Or some new rule?).
As a DM, you should be able to take either module and configure it to match your campaign. So whether the module is written on the back of a napkin, or detailed out with regimental precision, the DM has the power to adapt the adventure to their style.
Back when I played, it wasn't uncommon to take adventures from ever day sources. Movies, RPG video games, books, and other references were all fair game.
I don't think how modules are written will really be effected by going to 4e, other than how monsters are described. New 4th ed monsters, now with more sodium.