a place called Funspot, which is in Weir's Beach (called "the wee-ahs" by the locals). Funspot should be a landmark for every geek, since they're famous as being one of the largest arcades in the country
"If there's one thing FUNSPOT is famous for it's games! We are the second largest arcade in the country, with the world's largest collection of classic games!"
IMHO, plot and world matter MUCH more than the FX or graphics, so....:P
I agree with you, but there's a problem. Noone has any patience anymore. We all want to be gratified immediately. Noone has the patience to sit down and 'get into' a text-based Zork game anymore, even though it might provide a much richer gaming experience for them. Some of my favortite games like Wasteland and The Bard's Tale are just too slow nowadays. I tried playing them again a while back and when it came to navigating a maze blind, or getting that 3rd servo motor in the sewers I just didn't have the patience to see it through.
Paradoxically the more a game frustrates you, the more fond memories you have of it in later years. But it's harder and harder to pick up and play games like these, because they don't sell anymore. They don't sell because people don't want to work for a sense of accomplishment. They want the illusion of accomplishment. Also the internet has completely destroyed the 'puzzle game' genre because now you can just Google for walkthroughs, maps, passwords, you name it.
In a lot of ways the gamer's greed ends up compromising the magic of gaming. Most people aren't even aware that they're doing it.
Most controller manufacturers recommend exactly the opposite -- almost every controller I've ever used explicitly stated that best case was to use identical drives in the array.
Yes.
What I did was use 8 Seagate 7200 baracudas. But I specifically did not buy them all at once. I bought 3 drives from different vendors and different lots. Then setup a 3-disk RAID5 with the Raidcore BC4852 card. I then gradually built up from a 3-drive to an 8-drive RAID5 (using the special transform function that allows you to add a drive to an existing RAID). This way all the drives are from different lots and have different total run times on my array.
Now whenever I have a disk failure I should have enough time to replace the drive(under the 5 year warranty) quickly enough to avoid the likelyhood of having 2 drives fail while waiting for my 3-day fedex'ed replacement.
If it were me, I'd give him a good 'ol fashioned swift kick in the nuts. Then say thanks for the job insecurity, expoitation, long hours, minimal pay raise, and general harrasement.
Then I'd give him another good kick in the ribs to grow on.
If I knew that this was a permanent victory for ordinary citizens, I'd call up all my friends and go out for a beer to celebrate. News like this still gives me a glimmer of hope that the true spirit of America isn't yet defeated.
Glad you admit you're an asshole even by your own publicly claimed and held standards. Brilliant.
Isn't it strange how most people who find it necessary to paint with a large brush and do gross generalizations are really the ones who are truly what-they-are-trying-to-describe?
Actually, admitting that I'm part of the problem tells you that I'm at least honest with myself. Something that is required before an individual can consider changing his/her behavior. Most americans are totally unaware how badly their behavior, thinking, and voting practices effect everone else, including other americans.
George W. Bush is the answer you're looking for. Mismanagement starts at the top. And the guy at the top was elected by the folks at the bottom. The irony never quits in the good 'ol U.S. of A-holes.
I smell an episode of Fear Factor in the making....
meh, it's been done.
In the pilot episode of "Knight Rider" kit/Michael entered a demolition-derby(kit was designed to avoid collisions). At the end there were about 30 wrecked cars in the stadium and kit/Michael drove out without a scratch.
I can only hope the game survives this and that it doesn't become even less playable than it is now. Currently it certainly looks like it turned out worse than it was before even though it really needed the improvements that the CU seemed to promise.
Ultimately the responsibility does rest in the hands of SOE. They have proven time and again that the spirit of gaming is nowhere to be found within their company.
Since you're a knowledgeable physics guy, would you take a moment and respond to my question?
Is there any way to create a Bose-Einstein Condensate of 'fuseable' gas such that the density of the gas is so high that quickly transitioning the gas out of the condensate state would result in fusion?
I.e., if two tritium molecules occupy the same location in a quantum state and are quickly transitioned from that state could their 'proximity' to each other be enough to induce the fusion process without requiring them to have a lot of kinetic energy to overcome protonic repulsion?
If not, is it still possible in theory that if you packed 1000 tritium atoms into a space large enough to only contain a few dozen such atoms at ~Zero Kelvin, would fusion occur?
So Kevin Smith, known fanboy, and in line to get the TV series writing job from Lucas, reviewed it and liked it?
"That's the worst idea since Greedo shooting first" -Kevin Smith
I'm sure if it sucked he would have objectively told us so, without fear of reprisal from his dark master!
You're probably right, it's the oldest trick in the book. Spend the first half of your career creating something genuine; spend the second half of your career cashing in on your fame and selling endorsements. Integrity, like fame, is fleeting.
That's one of the things I liked about WoW. You could literaly jump anywhere you wanted.
Yes, but at the same time you can't climb hills with a gradient > 45degrees. I really miss being able to climb lone-hilltops and mountain crags like in EQ.
H1-B visas are a bandaid for the problem: producing more qualified engineers. We need to create a business and professional environment that promotes the growth of the qualified labor pool HERE. The article, and a lot of posters, are missing this point.
Hi Eugene,
It sounds as if you're company employs the top 0.01%. You've probably been called that your whole life, so you're used to hearing it. But the fact remains that demanding the top 0.01% alienates nearly the entire human race.
If you're that smart, then great, but if people need to be that smart just to fit into an industry, then there's really no use in building an educational infrastructure and expecting it to create results for your company. Unless you plan on building this school on another planet for an alien race somewhere. Unfortunately programming isn't like most jobs...like chopping wood. Some programmers are 10X-100X as productive as another. That was never true of wood cutters, unless you count Paul Bunyan.
Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to put out a bounty on this wire?
Not really, too much risk. It's an unevaluated process. Besides, how many companies would enter? Ten, 150? You've got better chances winning the world poker tour. Bottom line, everyone who isn't first place gets burned and left with a huge bill, no patents, and no $11Million.
We should go to our local diners, town halls, and places of worship to find the way in the complex social environment of the modern world. It is regular people, not urban elites we should be listening to!
I have been listening, and the answer was George W. Bush. Praising the morality of people who willingly elect such a jackass is worse than being one of those people. In the 50s, when blue-collar workers actually represented the things you described you might have had a point. But now all you have is middle-of-nowhere towns, built on industries that have long-since been shipped oversees. Leaving a vacuum filled with people who's only source of income is to send their kids into the military. When your only source of pride is megalomania, religious flagwaving egotism, and the 'membership' into the 'Big Fat Christian Gun-Toting Whiteman kicks the Worlds Ass' Society, well...I'd say the world would be better off without you.
A very large portion of this country is dangerously psychotic.
Similarly, players who are trading items aren't really trading items, they're just shifting Sony's property around the server. Therefore, saying that Sony is somehow "restraining trade" by reserving the right to profit off of its own property is ridiculous.
I had two well-paying offers from two well-known companies. My friend had 3.
I'm going out on a limb here, but there are those of us who don't consider the following two cases equitable.
A) 1998, getting offers from companies building information infrastructures for internet based commerce.
B) 2005, getting offers from defense firms who want you to design a guidance system that can more efficiently execute 3rd-world civilians, and the only reason you're getting the offer is because non-US citizens can't get clearance.
Slashdot Mirror
a place called Funspot, which is in Weir's Beach (called "the wee-ahs" by the locals). Funspot should be a landmark for every geek, since they're famous as being one of the largest arcades in the country
Here's a link to the funspot homepage.
From the website:
"If there's one thing FUNSPOT is famous for it's games! We are the second largest arcade in the country, with the world's largest collection of classic games!"
Sure this example isn't a game, but it exemplifies that flashy cinematic eyecandy is not what makes something great.
Good example, but an even better example is coming to theatres next week.
IMHO, plot and world matter MUCH more than the FX or graphics, so .... :P
I agree with you, but there's a problem. Noone has any patience anymore. We all want to be gratified immediately. Noone has the patience to sit down and 'get into' a text-based Zork game anymore, even though it might provide a much richer gaming experience for them. Some of my favortite games like Wasteland and The Bard's Tale are just too slow nowadays. I tried playing them again a while back and when it came to navigating a maze blind, or getting that 3rd servo motor in the sewers I just didn't have the patience to see it through.
Paradoxically the more a game frustrates you, the more fond memories you have of it in later years. But it's harder and harder to pick up and play games like these, because they don't sell anymore. They don't sell because people don't want to work for a sense of accomplishment. They want the illusion of accomplishment. Also the internet has completely destroyed the 'puzzle game' genre because now you can just Google for walkthroughs, maps, passwords, you name it.
In a lot of ways the gamer's greed ends up compromising the magic of gaming. Most people aren't even aware that they're doing it.
Most controller manufacturers recommend exactly the opposite -- almost every controller I've ever used explicitly stated that best case was to use identical drives in the array.
Yes.
What I did was use 8 Seagate 7200 baracudas. But I specifically did not buy them all at once. I bought 3 drives from different vendors and different lots. Then setup a 3-disk RAID5 with the Raidcore BC4852 card. I then gradually built up from a 3-drive to an 8-drive RAID5 (using the special transform function that allows you to add a drive to an existing RAID). This way all the drives are from different lots and have different total run times on my array.
Now whenever I have a disk failure I should have enough time to replace the drive(under the 5 year warranty) quickly enough to avoid the likelyhood of having 2 drives fail while waiting for my 3-day fedex'ed replacement.
If it were me, I'd give him a good 'ol fashioned swift kick in the nuts. Then say thanks for the job insecurity, expoitation, long hours, minimal pay raise, and general harrasement.
Then I'd give him another good kick in the ribs to grow on.
If I knew that this was a permanent victory for ordinary citizens, I'd call up all my friends and go out for a beer to celebrate. News like this still gives me a glimmer of hope that the true spirit of America isn't yet defeated.
Glad you admit you're an asshole even by your own publicly claimed and held standards. Brilliant.
Isn't it strange how most people who find it necessary to paint with a large brush and do gross generalizations are really the ones who are truly what-they-are-trying-to-describe?
Actually, admitting that I'm part of the problem tells you that I'm at least honest with myself. Something that is required before an individual can consider changing his/her behavior. Most americans are totally unaware how badly their behavior, thinking, and voting practices effect everone else, including other americans.
that is nice coming from a non US citizen who called us the US of Asshole's in a previous post.
Actually, I _am_ a US citizen living in Atlanta, GA. Born and raised US, white, middle-class, etc. And I meant what I said in that post.
China's middle class is quickly rising and is currently approximately twice the entire U.S. population
Yep, and our middle-class is on the floor after getting it's nuts kicked repeatedly over the last 5 years.
In short: Just what, exactly, is going on here?
George W. Bush is the answer you're looking for. Mismanagement starts at the top. And the guy at the top was elected by the folks at the bottom. The irony never quits in the good 'ol U.S. of A-holes.
Paranoid parents from 1980?
Cool, hopefully they'll show Mazes and Monsters on TBS soon. Btw, that movie was based on a myth that was later debunked.
Those with tinfoil hats will surely be thinking of the youth in Orwell's 1984.
Is it OK for those of us without tinfoil hats to think the same thing?
I smell an episode of Fear Factor in the making....
meh, it's been done.
In the pilot episode of "Knight Rider" kit/Michael entered a demolition-derby(kit was designed to avoid collisions). At the end there were about 30 wrecked cars in the stadium and kit/Michael drove out without a scratch.
I can only hope the game survives this and that it doesn't become even less playable than it is now. Currently it certainly looks like it turned out worse than it was before even though it really needed the improvements that the CU seemed to promise.
Ultimately the responsibility does rest in the hands of SOE. They have proven time and again that the spirit of gaming is nowhere to be found within their company.
Dear Craig,
Since you're a knowledgeable physics guy, would you take a moment and respond to my question?
Is there any way to create a Bose-Einstein Condensate of 'fuseable' gas such that the density of the gas is so high that quickly transitioning the gas out of the condensate state would result in fusion?
I.e., if two tritium molecules occupy the same location in a quantum state and are quickly transitioned from that state could their 'proximity' to each other be enough to induce the fusion process without requiring them to have a lot of kinetic energy to overcome protonic repulsion?
If not, is it still possible in theory that if you packed 1000 tritium atoms into a space large enough to only contain a few dozen such atoms at ~Zero Kelvin, would fusion occur?
Thanks.
So Kevin Smith, known fanboy, and in line to get the TV series writing job from Lucas, reviewed it and liked it?
"That's the worst idea since Greedo shooting first" -Kevin Smith
I'm sure if it sucked he would have objectively told us so, without fear of reprisal from his dark master!
You're probably right, it's the oldest trick in the book. Spend the first half of your career creating something genuine; spend the second half of your career cashing in on your fame and selling endorsements. Integrity, like fame, is fleeting.
That's one of the things I liked about WoW. You could literaly jump anywhere you wanted.
Yes, but at the same time you can't climb hills with a gradient > 45degrees. I really miss being able to climb lone-hilltops and mountain crags like in EQ.
H1-B visas are a bandaid for the problem: producing more qualified engineers. We need to create a business and professional environment that promotes the growth of the qualified labor pool HERE. The article, and a lot of posters, are missing this point.
Hi Eugene,
It sounds as if you're company employs the top 0.01%. You've probably been called that your whole life, so you're used to hearing it. But the fact remains that demanding the top 0.01% alienates nearly the entire human race.
If you're that smart, then great, but if people need to be that smart just to fit into an industry, then there's really no use in building an educational infrastructure and expecting it to create results for your company. Unless you plan on building this school on another planet for an alien race somewhere. Unfortunately programming isn't like most jobs...like chopping wood. Some programmers are 10X-100X as productive as another. That was never true of wood cutters, unless you count Paul Bunyan.
Hey AC nazi, do many of us a favor and jab a pencil in your eye.
Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to put out a bounty on this wire?
Not really, too much risk. It's an unevaluated process. Besides, how many companies would enter? Ten, 150? You've got better chances winning the world poker tour. Bottom line, everyone who isn't first place gets burned and left with a huge bill, no patents, and no $11Million.
We should go to our local diners, town halls, and places of worship to find the way in the complex social environment of the modern world. It is regular people, not urban elites we should be listening to!
I have been listening, and the answer was George W. Bush. Praising the morality of people who willingly elect such a jackass is worse than being one of those people. In the 50s, when blue-collar workers actually represented the things you described you might have had a point. But now all you have is middle-of-nowhere towns, built on industries that have long-since been shipped oversees. Leaving a vacuum filled with people who's only source of income is to send their kids into the military. When your only source of pride is megalomania, religious flagwaving egotism, and the 'membership' into the 'Big Fat Christian Gun-Toting Whiteman kicks the Worlds Ass' Society, well...I'd say the world would be better off without you.
A very large portion of this country is dangerously psychotic.
Similarly, players who are trading items aren't really trading items, they're just shifting Sony's property around the server. Therefore, saying that Sony is somehow "restraining trade" by reserving the right to profit off of its own property is ridiculous.
Actually you're a fucking moron.
Score:0, Offtopic.
Sometimes I wish I could moderate moderators into 0, Offtopic for being such dumbasses.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
So are yours.
I had two well-paying offers from two well-known companies. My friend had 3.
I'm going out on a limb here, but there are those of us who don't consider the following two cases equitable.
A) 1998, getting offers from companies building information infrastructures for internet based commerce.
B) 2005, getting offers from defense firms who want you to design a guidance system that can more efficiently execute 3rd-world civilians, and the only reason you're getting the offer is because non-US citizens can't get clearance.