They make their money by making people buy one cd for the car, one for the computer, one for the portable cd player, and download mp3s for their iPod/mp3 player...
The sort of thing the copyright laws were supposed to prevent.
Quite the contrary, this is setting precedence, and there are a number of other cases where RIAA is not only in danger of losing, but also in danger of having to pay lawyer fees. Think of how many cases they have filed, knowing they can't win all of them but hoping the defendants will cave to pressure and settle. Now imagine these defendents standing up for themselves and going to court... RIAA *could* end up losing quite a bit of money, quite a few lawsuits and what remains of their tattered credibility. It will also give pause to other companies pondering this sort of litigation.
There are lots of complex and long games out there, quite a few games in the 18xx railroading series are complex and take a few hours to play. Settlers of Catan. Risk 2011. The Warcraft and World of WarCraft boardgames. Star Fleet Battles. The board game industry has it's share of "easy" or "quick" games, but it also needs the complex games...
Don't get discouraged, keep playtesting and refining the game and your prototypes, make sure you keep ahold of any patents/copyrights/trademarks that result from the game's creation, and keep pitching it at board game companies til it sticks... baring all that, if you get to a point where you cannot do any more refining or playtesting, and no other company has taken it on, go ahead and found your own company.
http://www.deepthoughtgames.com/ is a low volume board game publisher. They might be able to help you out in getting your game looking "professional", and perhaps using eBay, or another "storefront" website, you can start selling your game, the costs would be relatively low.
Cost is a factor because no one likes paying for a new OS every few years.:P
I do agree with your assessment though, OS X seems a bit more stable. But only a little bit. I would say that I have found that crash bugs are more consistent on Windows, you can do the same thing over and over again with the same results. For OS X, it seems, to me anyways, that the crash is usually.. WTF? Even repeating what you were doing at the time of the crash can't replicate the crash.
Windows XP is the only version of Windows I have ever purchased. And the experience was so bad, it will be the last, whether or not I end up using Vista.
Seriously, Linus and Steve, get your acts together and get more games onto your OSes.
I intend to be playing games until I die, computer or no computer. Too much empirical evidence stating the benefits of gaming to give them up any time soon. Improvements in hand-eye coordination, keeping the brain young, the social aspects, even health benefits for those playing DDR and other games requiring movement.
Linux and Windows and Apple OS have many, many similarities, and for the work environment I can and do use all three. But, for my gaming machine at home, it runs Windows. I want the latest games, and thought this doesn't mean I stop playing the older ones entirely, I do like seeing the latest graphics, and innovate games. And for now, this means Windows.
But to tie this to the original post, I use Windows, but I don't like it. Gaming is just one reason, but it's the main one for me.
Heh, 15 year old programs are fine? Vista doesn't run Rise of Nations, which is distributed by Microsoft.:P That game is only a few years old.
Games for Windows... bleh.
As I stated, not going to say that pirating is stealing. But you don't answer the question: If the person was not going to buy it in the first place, what have you lost? It *is* copyright infringement if you are copying it, aside from fair use. But theft? This arguement has been had long and hard, here and elsewhere.
The labels whined about falling CD sales, even though they were making higher profits. They adjusted and adapted to the situation when cassette tapes and the means to record on them became reality. The movie/tv companies adjusted and adapted when VHS and the means to record on it became reality. Why are they having difficulty now?
When they realize that if they give the customers what they want at a decent price, people will pay for it instead of download. Look at the success of iTunes and the iPod.
500 million pounds? That won't pay for many legal copies of anything... wasn't the RIAA charging 175,000 dollars per copyrighted song? Better to buy Sealand...
As for not being able to make a living... I see Metallica is doing just fine, despite all those songs of theirs being available for free off P2P networks.
I won't say piracy is stealing... but piracy doesn't mean people would have bought it otherwise. So, no sale or... no sale. How does that affect your ability to make a living?
Warlords, WarCraft (I, II or III), StarCraft, Half-Life, Aliens vs Predator, Counter Strike... these are all classic games, which should run well on older pcs. Half-Life is a particular favourite of mine, and my gaming group. Every now and then it degenerates in to a game of whack-whack sticks (what we call the crowbars).:P
With the recent ruling against Lik Sang, it may be soon that folks will not be able to buy the Japanese import of any game, since precedence has been set. Sure, the case was in Europe... but how long before such cases are launched in North America?
What I don't understand is why they would have such a grudge against used games, or worse, used and OLD unsupported games. I guess it's a case of "If we can't have any money from that transaction, then neither will you."
You do have a point there, video game consoles have been climbing in price with every generation. It used to be that 200 dollars was the magic line, and that line has shifted. Perhaps Sony is just the unlucky first to climb over the 600 dollar mark.
But, you can't totally discount Bushnell's comments, as he has gone on to start a couple dozen successful companies, he does have experience and he has stayed on top of the video game market from the sounds of things. He says (along with others in the industry) that Sony is going to have this one bite them in the ass. Only time will be the judge.
Who's pretending pricing is not an important characteristic of a technology purchase?
And, hypothetically, if the PS3 was $1,500, it would have to do a lot more than it does currently for people (myself included) to rationalize buying it over say, a new computer.
But the PS3 isn't priced that high. $1,500 is three times more than the $500 the base model is going for, your point might be valid at $1,500, but less so at $500.
And, how can one call it a disappointment until one has, you know, played it? I don't see Bushnell saying he's played it anywhere in the article, do you? Everything I've read so far on the PS3 says it's a great machine. Worth its higher price? Can't say til I've tried it. Yes, the price is tied to the machine... but how does that make the title of the original post here on Slashdot less misleading? Bushnell simply says Sony will not succeed with the PS3, he doesn't say the machine is disappointing. "Bushnell disappointed with Sony's price point..." would make for a more precise title of the article.
Oh, incidentally... here is just one example of the PS3 going for.... more than the $1,500 you used as an example. I'll leave it to you to find the ones going for more than $2,000.
From reading the article, Bushnell is forecasting that Sony will not do well with the PS3. He's not dissing the machine itself, he's dissing Sony's marketing scheme and price point. No mention of him being "disappointed" by the PS3 at all.
Have I watched numerous rpg hobby shops close, and watch many friends move on to other things? Yes. Have I witnessed several clubs fall into decline and vanish? Yes.
Is there any reason to believe this isn't happening in other major metropolitan areas?
I play and gm the White Wolf system, and have many of their books as well.
I think folks are simply going with what the original posted started with. You could write a review for Promethean, if you have it, and submit it to Slashdot. As they say on the internet, if you can't find what you're looking for, build it...
Tabletop has declined greatly, especially compared to it's peak, probably in the eighties somewhere.
But it will survive simply because it is not a video game. While finding a group to play in can be difficult depending on where you are, tabletop is a social activity. It is more enjoyable to see and hear how people roleplay their character, than to read text off the computer screen, or listen to a scratchy, tinny voice mumble (or scream) their part. You don't have to fuss with cables and IP addresses (assuming you've carted your pc elsewhere for a LAN party). And I have had times online where waiting around for the character types you need for your group takes more time than it would to gather the same five or six folks at your house...:P
Getting out of the house to travel to another person's house may be the most exercise some folks get.:P
Tabletop roleplaying also requires imagination, creativity, and improves both, as well as social skills. On an MMORPG, it's twitch, twitch, twitch to see who can click the mouse button fastest.
You can also buy the entire D&D line for the same price as moderately capable computer. A hundred bucks will get you the three main D&D books, and your imagination should be able to fill in the rest, really. Other table top games are just as good, with lower prices (less books required).
Tabletop won't go away entirely, as long as folks possess an imagination, and a desire to roleplay.
A good resource for either playing online, via forum/group posting, as well as a player/gm locator for such games, and I do believe they have other resources for finding live tabletop rpg games.
There are also a huge number of Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups games going, not to mention LiveJournal and Greatest Journal rpgs.
You can also find games on IRC, which are a bit more interactive (not to mention faster).
I realize these games lack some of the things a live tabletop game offers, such as the social time and friendly banter, but I think these sorts of forums are good for those who can't find live games elsewhere, or who don't have 6 hours to set aside on a regular basis to roleplay.
Heh, I agree... The next big thing IS probably around the corner. Though, I wouldn't say it's a lack of imagination that prevents one from being able to see it. There are so many fields that the next big thing could come from: biology (stem cell research, cancer research, etc.), chemistry (nano-anything), physics (space elevator), robotics, computing (quantum computing, biological computers)... the list is too huge to see it all.
I just look forward to the statement being proven wrong.:)
Slashdot Mirror
They make their money by making people buy one cd for the car, one for the computer, one for the portable cd player, and download mp3s for their iPod/mp3 player... The sort of thing the copyright laws were supposed to prevent.
Quite the contrary, this is setting precedence, and there are a number of other cases where RIAA is not only in danger of losing, but also in danger of having to pay lawyer fees. Think of how many cases they have filed, knowing they can't win all of them but hoping the defendants will cave to pressure and settle. Now imagine these defendents standing up for themselves and going to court... RIAA *could* end up losing quite a bit of money, quite a few lawsuits and what remains of their tattered credibility. It will also give pause to other companies pondering this sort of litigation.
There are lots of complex and long games out there, quite a few games in the 18xx railroading series are complex and take a few hours to play. Settlers of Catan. Risk 2011. The Warcraft and World of WarCraft boardgames. Star Fleet Battles. The board game industry has it's share of "easy" or "quick" games, but it also needs the complex games...
Don't get discouraged, keep playtesting and refining the game and your prototypes, make sure you keep ahold of any patents/copyrights/trademarks that result from the game's creation, and keep pitching it at board game companies til it sticks... baring all that, if you get to a point where you cannot do any more refining or playtesting, and no other company has taken it on, go ahead and found your own company.
http://www.deepthoughtgames.com/ is a low volume board game publisher. They might be able to help you out in getting your game looking "professional", and perhaps using eBay, or another "storefront" website, you can start selling your game, the costs would be relatively low.
Cost is a factor because no one likes paying for a new OS every few years. :P
I do agree with your assessment though, OS X seems a bit more stable. But only a little bit. I would say that I have found that crash bugs are more consistent on Windows, you can do the same thing over and over again with the same results. For OS X, it seems, to me anyways, that the crash is usually.. WTF? Even repeating what you were doing at the time of the crash can't replicate the crash.
Windows XP is the only version of Windows I have ever purchased. And the experience was so bad, it will be the last, whether or not I end up using Vista.
Seriously, Linus and Steve, get your acts together and get more games onto your OSes.
I intend to be playing games until I die, computer or no computer. Too much empirical evidence stating the benefits of gaming to give them up any time soon. Improvements in hand-eye coordination, keeping the brain young, the social aspects, even health benefits for those playing DDR and other games requiring movement.
Linux and Windows and Apple OS have many, many similarities, and for the work environment I can and do use all three. But, for my gaming machine at home, it runs Windows. I want the latest games, and thought this doesn't mean I stop playing the older ones entirely, I do like seeing the latest graphics, and innovate games. And for now, this means Windows.
But to tie this to the original post, I use Windows, but I don't like it. Gaming is just one reason, but it's the main one for me.
Heh, 15 year old programs are fine? Vista doesn't run Rise of Nations, which is distributed by Microsoft. :P That game is only a few years old.
Games for Windows... bleh.
Hah, use it? Yes. Like it? Nooooo. Tolerate it like a drunk uncle grabbing your ass at a wedding. Windows sucks ass.
But it's where the games are. First of Linux or Apple OS to get all the games Windows gets, and I'd change in a heartbeat.
As I stated, not going to say that pirating is stealing. But you don't answer the question: If the person was not going to buy it in the first place, what have you lost? It *is* copyright infringement if you are copying it, aside from fair use. But theft? This arguement has been had long and hard, here and elsewhere. The labels whined about falling CD sales, even though they were making higher profits. They adjusted and adapted to the situation when cassette tapes and the means to record on them became reality. The movie/tv companies adjusted and adapted when VHS and the means to record on it became reality. Why are they having difficulty now? When they realize that if they give the customers what they want at a decent price, people will pay for it instead of download. Look at the success of iTunes and the iPod.
The British tried taking Sealand by force once before.
How'd they make out?
500 million pounds? That won't pay for many legal copies of anything... wasn't the RIAA charging 175,000 dollars per copyrighted song? Better to buy Sealand... As for not being able to make a living... I see Metallica is doing just fine, despite all those songs of theirs being available for free off P2P networks. I won't say piracy is stealing... but piracy doesn't mean people would have bought it otherwise. So, no sale or ... no sale. How does that affect your ability to make a living?
Ah, so we *can* blatently rip off any one we want, just slap on our own "prominent" logo and it's all free and clear.
Heh, truth hurts, don't it? Seriously, I see you wanted to make a real point by... posting anonymously.
Warlords, WarCraft (I, II or III), StarCraft, Half-Life, Aliens vs Predator, Counter Strike... these are all classic games, which should run well on older pcs. Half-Life is a particular favourite of mine, and my gaming group. Every now and then it degenerates in to a game of whack-whack sticks (what we call the crowbars). :P
With the recent ruling against Lik Sang, it may be soon that folks will not be able to buy the Japanese import of any game, since precedence has been set. Sure, the case was in Europe... but how long before such cases are launched in North America? What I don't understand is why they would have such a grudge against used games, or worse, used and OLD unsupported games. I guess it's a case of "If we can't have any money from that transaction, then neither will you."
You do have a point there, video game consoles have been climbing in price with every generation. It used to be that 200 dollars was the magic line, and that line has shifted. Perhaps Sony is just the unlucky first to climb over the 600 dollar mark.
But, you can't totally discount Bushnell's comments, as he has gone on to start a couple dozen successful companies, he does have experience and he has stayed on top of the video game market from the sounds of things. He says (along with others in the industry) that Sony is going to have this one bite them in the ass. Only time will be the judge.
Who's pretending pricing is not an important characteristic of a technology purchase?
.... more than the $1,500 you used as an example. I'll leave it to you to find the ones going for more than $2,000.
And, hypothetically, if the PS3 was $1,500, it would have to do a lot more than it does currently for people (myself included) to rationalize buying it over say, a new computer.
But the PS3 isn't priced that high. $1,500 is three times more than the $500 the base model is going for, your point might be valid at $1,500, but less so at $500.
And, how can one call it a disappointment until one has, you know, played it? I don't see Bushnell saying he's played it anywhere in the article, do you? Everything I've read so far on the PS3 says it's a great machine. Worth its higher price? Can't say til I've tried it. Yes, the price is tied to the machine... but how does that make the title of the original post here on Slashdot less misleading? Bushnell simply says Sony will not succeed with the PS3, he doesn't say the machine is disappointing. "Bushnell disappointed with Sony's price point..." would make for a more precise title of the article.
Oh, incidentally... here is just one example of the PS3 going for
From reading the article, Bushnell is forecasting that Sony will not do well with the PS3. He's not dissing the machine itself, he's dissing Sony's marketing scheme and price point. No mention of him being "disappointed" by the PS3 at all.
Yes, and the world only needs five computers. :P
Do I have official numbers and statistics? No.
Have I watched numerous rpg hobby shops close, and watch many friends move on to other things? Yes. Have I witnessed several clubs fall into decline and vanish? Yes.
Is there any reason to believe this isn't happening in other major metropolitan areas?
I play and gm the White Wolf system, and have many of their books as well. I think folks are simply going with what the original posted started with. You could write a review for Promethean, if you have it, and submit it to Slashdot. As they say on the internet, if you can't find what you're looking for, build it...
Tabletop has declined greatly, especially compared to it's peak, probably in the eighties somewhere. But it will survive simply because it is not a video game. While finding a group to play in can be difficult depending on where you are, tabletop is a social activity. It is more enjoyable to see and hear how people roleplay their character, than to read text off the computer screen, or listen to a scratchy, tinny voice mumble (or scream) their part. You don't have to fuss with cables and IP addresses (assuming you've carted your pc elsewhere for a LAN party). And I have had times online where waiting around for the character types you need for your group takes more time than it would to gather the same five or six folks at your house... :P
Getting out of the house to travel to another person's house may be the most exercise some folks get. :P
Tabletop roleplaying also requires imagination, creativity, and improves both, as well as social skills. On an MMORPG, it's twitch, twitch, twitch to see who can click the mouse button fastest.
You can also buy the entire D&D line for the same price as moderately capable computer. A hundred bucks will get you the three main D&D books, and your imagination should be able to fill in the rest, really. Other table top games are just as good, with lower prices (less books required).
Tabletop won't go away entirely, as long as folks possess an imagination, and a desire to roleplay.
Hehe... you know, there are enough folks in this thread alone looking for a game to get into... one could start something up, online-wise anyways.
http://www.rpol.net/
A good resource for either playing online, via forum/group posting, as well as a player/gm locator for such games, and I do believe they have other resources for finding live tabletop rpg games.
There are also a huge number of Yahoo! Groups and Google Groups games going, not to mention LiveJournal and Greatest Journal rpgs.
You can also find games on IRC, which are a bit more interactive (not to mention faster).
I realize these games lack some of the things a live tabletop game offers, such as the social time and friendly banter, but I think these sorts of forums are good for those who can't find live games elsewhere, or who don't have 6 hours to set aside on a regular basis to roleplay.
Heh, I agree... The next big thing IS probably around the corner. Though, I wouldn't say it's a lack of imagination that prevents one from being able to see it. There are so many fields that the next big thing could come from: biology (stem cell research, cancer research, etc.), chemistry (nano-anything), physics (space elevator), robotics, computing (quantum computing, biological computers)... the list is too huge to see it all. I just look forward to the statement being proven wrong. :)