Balmer: "What are you going to do tonight, Brain?" Gates: "Same thing we do every night, Stinky. TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"
Stinky? Do you mean Pinky?
IMO, a good proportion - certainly the majority - of the material downloaded would never have been bought.
Worst/. counter-argument... ever
FTA:John Ashcroft says in a statement. "The theft of intellectual property victimizes not only its owners and their employees, but also the American people, who shoulder the burden of increased costs for goods and services."
Oh really? and how does elimination of competion benefit the consumer (Ok, I'll admit it, second worst/. argument... ever)
Agreed. You can have your sticker reminding me evolution is a theory. I get to put my sticker reminding you that belief in god has been a root cause of almost every war and has definitely led to more suffering, hatred, indifference, etc than anything else.
As long as we're going to be honest with our kids, let's tell them everything.
And that Bonzai Buddy who just now is in the taskbar
The weird Linux kid -- I've got him on the list!
All spammers, 1337 speakers, and vb scripters by far
They'd none of them be missed -- they'd none of them be missed.
And apologetic astroturfers of a compromising kind
Such as what d'ye call him, Marc Fleury, and likewise, never-mind
And t-t-t and what's his name, and also you know who
The task of filling up the blanks I'd rather leave to you
By: Andrey Summers Posted: 04/25/2004 Photography by: Courtesy of Sam Lake
What makes for a great story in a video game Sometimes, with all the innovative development and cool graphics the actual story a game has to tell can get lost in the shuffle, or at least can seem to be an afterthought. When a game arrives on the shelves that presents one of the more engrossing stories we've seen in awhile, it's worth noting. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne has been recognized by many people with their heads screwed on straight as a benchmark in video-game storytelling. The 2003 sequel to the legendary Max Payne, this game exhibited a narrative depth that many contemporary offerings tend to lack. Max 2's engaging story was made rich by polished, articulate lines such as...
"There are no choices. Nothing but a straight line. The illusion comes afterwards, when you ask 'why me?' and 'what if?' when you look back, see the braches, like a pruned bonsai tree, or a forked lightning. If you had done something differently, it wouldn't be you, it would be someone else looking back, asking a different set of questions."
"All this time we got the fable of sleeping beauty wrong. The prince doesn't kiss her to wake her up. No one who has slept for a hundred years is likely to wake up. It was the other way around. He kisses her to wake himself up, from the nightmare that has brought him there."
"I was compelled to give [him] his gun back, one bullet at a time."
Of course, it isn't always necessary for a game to have a well-written story to be enjoyable, but as technology advances, the possibilities for immersion in the world you see on screen increase also.
With these ideas in mind, I decided to ask Sam Lake, the writer at videogame developers Remedy, to shed some light on where the profession stands today, and how a game like Max Payne, or its sequel comes to exist. And Sam should know all about that- he wrote them both.
Writing is an area often underappreciated in videogames. How did you get into it?
I was asked, simple as that. Petri Järvilehto, one of the founding members of Remedy, is a long time friend of mine. They were working on Remedy's first game, Death Rally, and needed someone to write the texts for the game. Petri knew of my writing, and asked me. I was studying at university at the time. I was very excited to get any kind of a writing gig. Now, almost nine years later, I'm still at it, so it turned out to be a long term one.
The script for Max 2 was about four times as large as some movie scripts. What drives you to take on such complicated projects, as a writer?
In my case, it was a clear process of evolution. Death Rally was just few pages of text, whereas the first Max Payne game already had a script longer than an average movie. We wanted to create a more ambitious story for the sequel, to flesh out the characters, and to add detail and content in general, so it was quite natural that the screenplay ended up being considerably longer as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the script of our next project would be longer still. The amount of detail in games is growing all the time.
In movies, it's generally thought that one page of script equals one minute of action on the screen. In a game with a movie-like story like Max, it's already getting very close to that. Games just tend to be a lot longer than movies, so it's more like writing an entire TV-series when you are writing a game.
I once tried writing for an Unreal Mod, and it all went to hell when they tried to make me design their levels for them. How is the line drawn between designer and writer, and how can the two roles co-exist productively, if at all?
Actually, early on in the development of Max Payne, I was drawing maps of the levels on paper as well. I'm glad we got past that quickly.
I feel that the designer and the writer need to do more than just co-exist. They need to co-operate very actively and w
Me try to steal FZ's words?
That's unpossible.
Actually, I was hoping someone would be intrigued and stw for the phrase. But yes, Mr. Frank Zappa penned the words in one of the, imho, best concept albums ever, Joe's Garage
btw, I'm not trying to steal Matt Groening's words either;)
Yeah, but... Information is not knowledge Knowledge is not wisdom Wisdom is not truth Truth is not beauty Beauty is not love Love is not music Music is the best
You make a great case, but I've had some minor issues trying to collaborate on office docs (.doc and.xls) when I'm working with openOffice and other collaborators are on MS.
Also, totally agree on the infrastructure being on Linux, but for the desktop... the kids should be learning something that will help them in the future. I mean, Dvorak is a much better keyboard layout, but Qwerty is what they're going to encounter in the future, so we leave the layout alone.
I love Linux and moved all my computing onto it almost a year ago... BUT, if I were your school administrator, I'd be totally against making a decision for Linux only on my school's computers.
[let's pretend I'm the school administrator]
My kid's need to know how to use a computer. They need to learn how to use the one that they're going to be running into in comp labs in hs and college. Forced to make a choice, I gotta go with Windows.
Will Linux give them a better education on the computer? Yes it will, but I don't know that. All I know is that I can run Winblows and I have absolutely no idea how use a cl.
I'd be risking my rep, maybe my job to go with Linux.
I wish my computer guy had recommended we install Win2k on all but 3 or 4 machines. Put some flavor of Linux on those. That way, the kids who are interested in learning how to really use a computer have access, and the norms who want to use a computer to get their work done but don't care about the details can use Windows.
I'm happy, parents are happy, my tech is happy, and the kids are getting a nice broad education if they want it.
tyvm. I'd forgotten about the Great Brain. There were like 5 books in that series, all good. That and the High King, I think I read both series around the same time.
95% of television out there is mindless garbage. I don't mind watching tv so much, but it sure does seem like it makes time go too fast. I mean I sit in front of a show or two, and boom and hour is gone.
I'm hitting in my late 20's and see the days going faster and faster. I'll quote Outkast: "I'm just looking for something to slow things down."
As much as I hate most of what tinsel town puts out (see the abominable writing of the television version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding for a prime example), commercials are what really get to me.
I have given up on TV completely and only use my idiot box for DVD content.
Best thing I've ever done BTW. Sure, my idiot friends can't "watch the game" over at my place, but that's what bars are for, right?
I'll get off my soapbox in a sec, but I'm sure I'm not telling/. members anything new./. people tend to be thinkers as opposed to your avg American who is upset by thinking. This is where the whole stereotype of the nerd is rooted. Why it's considered a bad thing to be a geek, whatever geek you be. The status quo doesn't like passion. I say fugg them. If you want to watch TV, go for it. If you want to.... WTF I'm rambling now.
BTW, "Repo Man" adds another quote:
"I get all my best thinking done on the bus. The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."
Slashdot Mirror
If you have to think, it's not an intuitive UI.
You don't know Balmer very well, apparently
Back in February, Wired ran this this
God Lord almighty. BRAVO
The question I won't answer is this.
What does MS own?
Is it the operating systems?
-or-
Is it 32-bit operating sytems?
Here's my guess. Why do you thing they delayed so long in releaseing 64-bit Windows?
Worst /. counter-argument... ever
FTA:John Ashcroft says in a statement. "The theft of intellectual property victimizes not only its owners and their employees, but also the American people, who shoulder the burden of increased costs for goods and services."
Oh really? and how does elimination of competion benefit the consumer (Ok, I'll admit it, second worst /. argument... ever)
Agreed. You can have your sticker reminding me evolution is a theory. I get to put my sticker reminding you that belief in god has been a root cause of almost every war and has definitely led to more suffering, hatred, indifference, etc than anything else.
As long as we're going to be honest with our kids, let's tell them everything.
my local voip business got the ill communication
Ok, one more
In America
first you get the local voip market share
then you get the power
then you get the women
apologies and carry on
Life is very short
and there's no time
for fussing and fighting my friends
I have always thought
that it's a crime
So I will ask you once again
Try to see it my way
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong
While I see it your way
There's a chance I might get more publicity for iTunes
-Steve Jobs
No, they should call it Copy-Leftorium
And that Bonzai Buddy who just now is in the taskbar
The weird Linux kid -- I've got him on the list!
All spammers, 1337 speakers, and vb scripters by far
They'd none of them be missed -- they'd none of them be missed.
And apologetic astroturfers of a compromising kind
Such as what d'ye call him, Marc Fleury, and likewise, never-mind
And t-t-t and what's his name, and also you know who
The task of filling up the blanks I'd rather leave to you
Bravo, treehouse, on the Gilbert and Sullivan ref
Sam Lake: On Video-Game Storytelling
By: Andrey Summers
Posted: 04/25/2004
Photography by: Courtesy of Sam Lake
What makes for a great story in a video game Sometimes, with all the innovative development and cool graphics the actual story a game has to tell can get lost in the shuffle, or at least can seem to be an afterthought. When a game arrives on the shelves that presents one of the more engrossing stories we've seen in awhile, it's worth noting. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne has been recognized by many people with their heads screwed on straight as a benchmark in video-game storytelling. The 2003 sequel to the legendary Max Payne, this game exhibited a narrative depth that many contemporary offerings tend to lack. Max 2's engaging story was made rich by polished, articulate lines such as...
"There are no choices. Nothing but a straight line. The illusion comes afterwards, when you ask 'why me?' and 'what if?' when you look back, see the braches, like a pruned bonsai tree, or a forked lightning. If you had done something differently, it wouldn't be you, it would be someone else looking back, asking a different set of questions."
"All this time we got the fable of sleeping beauty wrong. The prince doesn't kiss her to wake her up. No one who has slept for a hundred years is likely to wake up. It was the other way around. He kisses her to wake himself up, from the nightmare that has brought him there."
"I was compelled to give [him] his gun back, one bullet at a time."
Of course, it isn't always necessary for a game to have a well-written story to be enjoyable, but as technology advances, the possibilities for immersion in the world you see on screen increase also.
With these ideas in mind, I decided to ask Sam Lake, the writer at videogame developers Remedy, to shed some light on where the profession stands today, and how a game like Max Payne, or its sequel comes to exist. And Sam should know all about that- he wrote them both.
Writing is an area often underappreciated in videogames. How did you get into it?
I was asked, simple as that. Petri Järvilehto, one of the founding members of Remedy, is a long time friend of mine. They were working on Remedy's first game, Death Rally, and needed someone to write the texts for the game. Petri knew of my writing, and asked me. I was studying at university at the time. I was very excited to get any kind of a writing gig. Now, almost nine years later, I'm still at it, so it turned out to be a long term one.
The script for Max 2 was about four times as large as some movie scripts. What drives you to take on such complicated projects, as a writer?
In my case, it was a clear process of evolution. Death Rally was just few pages of text, whereas the first Max Payne game already had a script longer than an average movie. We wanted to create a more ambitious story for the sequel, to flesh out the characters, and to add detail and content in general, so it was quite natural that the screenplay ended up being considerably longer as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the script of our next project would be longer still. The amount of detail in games is growing all the time.
In movies, it's generally thought that one page of script equals one minute of action on the screen. In a game with a movie-like story like Max, it's already getting very close to that. Games just tend to be a lot longer than movies, so it's more like writing an entire TV-series when you are writing a game.
I once tried writing for an Unreal Mod, and it all went to hell when they tried to make me design their levels for them. How is the line drawn between designer and writer, and how can the two roles co-exist productively, if at all?
Actually, early on in the development of Max Payne, I was drawing maps of the levels on paper as well. I'm glad we got past that quickly.
I feel that the designer and the writer need to do more than just co-exist. They need to co-operate very actively and w
Let's not forget this
I'm with the pro-wood camp.
I just had a Moog Prodigy for a couple of days. The real wood case didn't take away from the technology at all
One of my first programming mentors gave me this pervasive bit of advice.
Programming is Error-Handling
I don't know bout Canopy, but it looks like this opens a whole new can o' peas.
[who else remembers Paper Moon?]
How bout M$ uses old BBC tv shows names since they're going to get made publicly available?
XP - Keeping up Appearances
XP - Are You Being Screwed?
ahh... danke
Me try to steal FZ's words? That's unpossible. Actually, I was hoping someone would be intrigued and stw for the phrase. But yes, Mr. Frank Zappa penned the words in one of the, imho, best concept albums ever, Joe's Garage btw, I'm not trying to steal Matt Groening's words either ;)
Mein Fuhrer!
I CAN WALK!
Doktor Strangelieben
Yeah, but...
Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is the best
just ask the RIAA
Andy, I really want to know.
Is there anything good inside of you?
If there is, I really wanna know.
Maybe this virus' author is down in San Ber'dino
No... now that I think about it, a FZ couln't be anitsocial, could s/he?
You make a great case, but I've had some minor issues trying to collaborate on office docs (.doc and .xls) when I'm working with openOffice and other collaborators are on MS.
Also, totally agree on the infrastructure being on Linux, but for the desktop... the kids should be learning something that will help them in the future. I mean, Dvorak is a much better keyboard layout, but Qwerty is what they're going to encounter in the future, so we leave the layout alone.
I love Linux and moved all my computing onto it almost a year ago... BUT, if I were your school administrator, I'd be totally against making a decision for Linux only on my school's computers.
[let's pretend I'm the school administrator]
My kid's need to know how to use a computer. They need to learn how to use the one that they're going to be running into in comp labs in hs and college. Forced to make a choice, I gotta go with Windows.
Will Linux give them a better education on the computer? Yes it will, but I don't know that. All I know is that I can run Winblows and I have absolutely no idea how use a cl.
I'd be risking my rep, maybe my job to go with Linux.
I wish my computer guy had recommended we install Win2k on all but 3 or 4 machines. Put some flavor of Linux on those. That way, the kids who are interested in learning how to really use a computer have access, and the norms who want to use a computer to get their work done but don't care about the details can use Windows.
I'm happy, parents are happy, my tech is happy, and the kids are getting a nice broad education if they want it.
What's wrong with that?
Oh MAN!
tyvm. I'd forgotten about the Great Brain. There were like 5 books in that series, all good. That and the High King, I think I read both series around the same time.
95% of television out there is mindless garbage. I don't mind watching tv so much, but it sure does seem like it makes time go too fast. I mean I sit in front of a show or two, and boom and hour is gone.
I'm hitting in my late 20's and see the days going faster and faster. I'll quote Outkast: "I'm just looking for something to slow things down."
As much as I hate most of what tinsel town puts out (see the abominable writing of the television version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding for a prime example), commercials are what really get to me.
I have given up on TV completely and only use my idiot box for DVD content.
Best thing I've ever done BTW. Sure, my idiot friends can't "watch the game" over at my place, but that's what bars are for, right?
I'll get off my soapbox in a sec, but I'm sure I'm not telling
BTW, "Repo Man" adds another quote:
"I get all my best thinking done on the bus. The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."