Wow I thought that Scite was popular but I didn't see one comment here on it. I did see a couple of Notepad ++, but I have never used that.
I personally moved out of Visual Studio and started using Scite instead. It can be completely configured, has a ton of language syntax support, and I can open a different language in each tab and hit build/compile/run without closing anything.
At work we use PHP frameworks and I use netbeans for simplicity. But really Scite does just as well. It is also super easy to add to it if necessary.
I hope that the 'Nut Fee' Zone will also pack in 4 people where they normally packed in 2 or 3.
This is getting stupid, I am alergic to most animals and people are still allowed to bring dogs and cats on. All they tell me to do is be sure I have an epipen with me just in case?!
On second thougth I hope that they pack 5 in the same area and let them sweat out the trip.
Why is it all the advice is 'find a new job' or 'suck it up, and do what your told' and 'Your boss is the devil'.
When I started at my current situation, pirated software was rampant. It was really a situation that should not have happened but it was a person trying to save the company money. The cost to instantly convert the entire company over to licensed software would have severly cripled the company.
Together with the finance department we developed a strategy that allowed for licensed software for every new station and if new person started at a station we would buy a new license. On top of that we developed stategies to eliminate or reduce the software necessary, such as using a custom web application instead of an Access based system. IT department also stepped up the station turn over as alot of the existing stations were more than 2 years old.
In a short time we had removed the unlicensed software, and now have a better handle on who needs which software.
It is all about communication. Develop a strategy, and find ways for the company to remove the unlicensed software so neither you nor your company are in jeopardy of being in the unemployment line.
Management loves to jump to conclusions. But there is that possibility that they were already looking to get rid of the guy.
Yes the seriousness of the matter should have been turned over to the police, yes the guy should have the time to explain and understand what was happening to him.
Ultimately I would have thought they would have suspended him pending an investigation, and make sure no one talks, then if guilty - Fire his ass and hope he gets lots of PMITA prison time.
Otherwise if cleared, make a full apology with back pay, issue a new laptop and let him go about his job.
I'm so far down the list that this won't matter much, but when I buy a Music CD or Movie etc... I actually buy two things.
1. I buy the license (Console games and CDs being a different thing as I see no EULA anywhere or where I agreed to shit) - But lets say that its there and I am only buying a license. In Canada, much like the US, I have a right to resell that item to others.
2. I buy the physical CD or DVD that the data is printed on. Since I cannot separate the two these are mutually exclusive in the sale, or resale of this item.
I have full rights to do anything I want with the physical CD or DVD. This also means that I have the right to restrict Sony or any other from altering that item (it is MY physical property). If they alter that item from being usable (They are destroying MY property) then I can see a class action suit happening here.
There are a lot of comments here, and I don't want to read them all. So it may be that I am being redundant here. (Don't really care but I feel like talking):)
"You get what you pay for!"
If a service is bargan-basement then it only seems to me that this service will have a lot of problems. If you just want something simple that you don't care that the service is there all the time, then this is for you. But if you want a stable service that brings your message to as many people as possible, then you want something that is not bargan-basement. Certainly you may get an incredible deal sometimes, but never expect it on anything.
Re:Not just Linux and Mac with problems...
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In2TV Goes Public
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· Score: 1
I was gonna say that there is a way to install the Mozilla ActiveX to see it. But I may be wrong. All they would show me is the commercial, then I just sit here waiting for the show to start. (15 minutes now)
If its faster in IE I would never know, but it sortof worked for me.
Wow, troll. Thats just fragged up man. Mods must have a hate on for you for calling that a troll.
While the console will probably cost 600 - 800 to sony, I highly doubt that it will be retailed at that price to compete with MS. I would expect in the 300 - 400 American. I know I paid 500 CDN on the first run PS2. Which is about 400 American I think. (Lazy to find a currency calculator for that time).
Lots of people won't buy the first run because of cost, but I think thats the same with every console on the market. People who just have to have now will pay more than the console is worth. (See XBox 360 prices on Ebay)
The cost of this console generation will be comparable, if not less when the inflation is factored in.
This is good. Since the beginnings of Atari the industry has been showing us boxes and elusive screenshots that are nothing like the game play. It was less important in the Atari age because everyone knew that there was no way the gameplay could look like that. As the technology gets better and its starting to become more plausable for the gameplay to look photo realistic, or even direct artist translations(no digitizing and loss of details), that line gets blurred to the consumer.
When I see what looks like screenshots on the box, or clips from the website and TV. I expect that the gameplay looks like that.
I know that the game boy color and older game cartriges don't have the notch in them that fits into the Micro. (not sure on the emulators, I wasn't brave enought to try and modify the catriges to fit the micro) Since I have a GB SP I use that for all the GB games. Besides if you have normal hands (Teen and older) then the micro is clumbsy.
Yes the screen is nice and clear, and easier to lug around, but I still find that I have to hold it up to my nose to see details, especially when playing things like Zelda. Even with the SP I find I sometimes have to get close.
While I am inclined to agree that it is rare that you need another tool to do the job. I will never agree that one job has to be done all in one language. If someone cannot follow the documentation and be able to explore outside of that one language, I just can't help but feel for those people. That is not a programmer to me.
It was mentioned that.NET is a platform of languages, which I will also concede on. I jumped the gun there because when anyone says.NET around me it has always meant VB.NET and nothing else. So I also read it that way, making an ass out of me. But a language that is picked because the boss knows how use the macro function of Excel and modify the VBA code, then picks VB for the project because that is close to VBA, has made a very uninformed descision. That descision has nothing to do with support work asides from the thought that he could possibly continue the work from where I leave off.
I don't want to go off on a rant here, maybe I already have (sorry about that), but there is a reason that other tools exist. Just like a carpenter has many types of hammers, and different types of prybars, a programmer has a multitude of languages and techniques to get the job done. As long as it is documented and well commented, this should never be a problem.
I don't think I grossly overestimate the value of knowing the tool. Re-reading my post and the replies it does seem that I meant 'You will be a god in that language'. Not really what I meant, but to the OP who was looking for a first time job, they are not expected to have 5 years experience in x programming language. They are however expected to know the basics.
Struts seems to be a unique thing to me. It is a problem that only seems to be solvable using Java. Therefore it is dependant on being proficient in Java to do it. More to the point, that if you need a struts developer then you aren't looking for a Java programmer per say. You are looking for a programmer that understands struts. No different than say, understanding threads, or memory augmentation.
Of course this still comes off a little conceited that I know everything. That too is not true. As I mentioned I am still a junior, and have a lot to learn. There may be a point I am missing here, so please feel free to correct me. This is just the way that I see it.
Can I come work for you? Seriously, I had an interview not long ago and during that session they mentioned that they were an 'All microsoft office'. Using.NET and the most recent Windows on everything.
So I asked what they did when the language failed or it wasn't easily solvable in that language. Such as running an external batch file for a faster result, or (thinking that VB 6 doesn't have threads) I need another language that had the tools to solve the problem, such as C or perl. They then had told me that it wasn't allowed because the PHB only knows some.NET and likes to review the code and needs to have an idea what's going on. Finished the interview, and then turned down the job.
I have worked on two other projects that were like that, one being VB 6 and Delphi, both used because the 'Boss' didn't know anyother language and thought 'If it can't be done in that language, we don't need it.' Neither project made it to market mostly because of that mentality. (Second was because they didn't have a finalized design)
While I'm on a rant, if anyone is on a project and the 'Boss' goes, 'just get started we will round it out later', or 'I got a rough idea what we are going to do, get started I will give you more info later', run, run run.
I still consider myself a junior programmer (5 years) but being on projects like these are killing my career.
Good skills are not what language you use. This is probably been drilled on too many times, but too many people are still missing the point.
The skills that need honing are Problem Solving Techniques, and Design (requirement gathering and interpretation). Everything else is not as usefull. Any employer that is looking for a specific.NET programmer that only knows.NET doesn't know what they are looking for. If that employer is looking for a programmer that happens to be familiar with.NET that is another story.
You can learn the basics of any language in less than a week. Its the 'how' of problem solving that makes you good, not the 'tool' that you use to solve the problem. Only to be a hypocrit at this point I will point out that more you use the tool to solve the problem the easier it gets to solve specific problems. Learn the basics from the web and get your hands on a teaching copy of VS.NET to learn the basics to say you have used.NET. Be aware that the tool cannot solve all problems easily, and there may be other tools that are needed to solve the problem.
Such geeks like us would find it hard to live a day without finding a computer somewhere in our days. But I can tell you without a doubt that my grandmother has never used an actual computer. You would even be hard pressed to find a calculator in her home. She doesn't even drive and walks to the bank to talk to a teller to do all her banking.
In her life she was an RN and only administered the drugs to patients, dealt with bed pan stuff and all that glory. Ward clerks and pharmasists(sp?) gave her the drugs to administer and that was it. She retired in the late 70s before computers were common place. The only thing she has that is even close is her TV with basic cable.
In small towns I think that this is far more common that people think. The elder generation never had need of computers, and mostly still don't.
My grandparents on the otherside of the family, however, are Zelda nuts and are spending all of retirement playing Zelda and downloading MP3s to listen to. HA!
There was a game that I played on my Amiga 500 with dragons. I forget the name, but you had to hatch dragons and raise them to be able fight other dragons and conquer towns and stuff. Anyone know the game I am talking about? Anyhoo there was a part of that game that you had to brew up potions using different heat levels and adding chemicals at different parts of the process, and not heating too much etc. Then using that potion on the dragon eggs or adult dragons with different effects. I remember one potion I made would, when used on an egg, would make the dragon diseased and very weak, but when used on an adult it would prolong the life of the dragon. I spent weeks playing with potions.
Currently I am working on a game (Educational software) for math that uses the traditional abacus to teach children from the ages 5 to 10. These games are entering the system, just very slowly as the traditional teachings are not being adapted properly. I find that the most lacking in the software is the children interacting with the teacher as a group, and a belonging to a class. But that is just my observation, most of the kids like the software and enjoy learning at their own pace.
While some other comments may or may not have convinced you wether you should buy DQ8, I will tell you that a friend of mine disapeared from the map a short while ago. Fearing that he was hurt dead or worse I finally got to talk to him. He popped up only to spend enough time to tell me that he bought a new PS2 and DQ8. Then promptly ceased to take any calls, or emails.
He is a FF nut and I swear he has played every Square game produced. Did that help?
The way I see it, Guild Wars has the gameplay I would have expected for a Diablo 3.
Re:I can't justify that sort of monthly expense
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MMOGs Branch Out
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what you're paying for in the monthly fee includes the following: maintenance costs for the online servers, bandwidth costs for their datacenter, and additional content updates and bug fixes
Start with the game costs $60 for initial purchase. Ok now given that WoW has over 1Mil subcribers, at $15 a month. Then Blizzard has an income of 15 mil to pay those maintenance cost? You really think that it costs anywhere near that much to maintain that game? A month? Plus the 60 mil for the sale of those games to begin with?
The average cost of development on a console is 7 mil. Ref: http://www.etc.cmu.edu/about/press_articles/15.htm l While I believe that can range up to twice that for development on some games, there is no way that maintaining that game can cost that much. They should be able to maintain that game for years on the initial sale of that game. They are only enhancing a game already made, and tweaking it as it goes. So lets say that it costs the same to maintain as it did to make that console game, and it cost 3x as much to develop. 60 - 21 = 39 / 7 =~ 5 years at break even. So lets say they introduce content that they charge for (expansions) once a year (1mil * $10) - 7mil (develop new content and sell at 10 bucks each)-they can even not offer to sell, just charge a yearly subscription of $10- is another profit at 3 mil a year. Let me clarify all number of maintenance are high, and expansions (subscriptions) are equal content and energy as the main game, therefore costs are same as a new game development. Over that 5 years there is a profit of 15 million +. Doesn't seem so far fetched now does it? But of course they companies are greedy aren't they? http://hardcodedgames.com/mmpgamedev/2005/03/can-b lizzard-survive-world-of-warcraft.html predicts that Blizzard will have 840 Mil after the first 4 years. Lots, but do you really need to pay for that? Is that 15 bucks a month paying for maintaining or lining someones pocket? Is there room to compete, oh hell yes, and companies are greedy and we are feeding them because they say so.
Any MMPOGer will come up with this argument that its for maintaining the game, but really the only way I see it is that the publisher is taxing you for nothing and is laughing at you all the way to the bank, because you keep deluding yourself into thinking that it has to be that way! I don't have a problem with companies making lots of money, or even me paying for top quality products. But this 'We have to maintain the game' crap is not true.
(Upon looking up the subscription base there are 1.5 million WoW subscribers making my calculations more, but using the 1 million still proves my point)
Failing to stop after the accident (which did not directly involve him) breaks the law?
IANAL but I think it has more to do with the fact he was involved with a crime in progress that caused the larger crime.
Its more like if you cut someone off "driving down a Canadian highway during a snowstorm" and that in turn causes an accident and you continue driving you are leaving the scene of an accident, and presumably would be charged with failing to stop.
Because the boy was involved with the actions that caused the accident, he has the responcibility to stop. If he had merely been another driver on the road, then it would not seem logical that he be charged with failing to stop.
Again IANAL, but logically thats the way to it seems to me.
Wether or not Japanese are more patriotic than Americans isn't really the issue. At the time the PS2 came out, there were no "American" products dealing with the game console system.
At the time there were:
PS1 and PS2 from Sony
N64 from Nintendo
Dreamcast fron Sega - which was pretty much dead by the time PS2 arrived
and the PC. To be fair the PC wasn't really competing on the home gaming at that time. PII and lower end PIII chips played games, but no where near the level that the PS2 or N64 played them. OR the price of the system was way outside of the console price ranges. (3000+ for a gaming machine)
And dealing with Patriotism, the XBox sold the most in North America. I would call that patriotic. That and they catered the main game to the largest gaming culture in NA, Halo.
Buying a system on release is practically useless beyond the "hey, guess what I have!" factor: hardly any games, high prices, and first-generation bugs/issues.
I don't know if that is generally true. I remember 'huge' lineups and short supplies of PS2s in Japan when it was first released. They even got the first-first-generation of the PS2. It wasn't until the second or third line did North America get thier first look at a PS2, and then it was a while after that before Europe got it. There were hardly any games for it and it was pricey. I remember I paid $500 CDN for mine, and then I only played PS games until some good ones came out. (Just for the record, I bought it because my PS crapped out and I didn't have a DVD player yet)
I would guess that the XBox didn't do so well there for a number of reasons:
1. Functionality and size - The more stuff you can pack into a smaller area gets well recieved in the asian markets. The smaller the better.
2. Games - the lack of Asian brewed games. While MS has done market research in the asian market for games, the ones made by asians in the asian community seem to be better recieved. (No I don't have any proof, its just from personal experience from watching the markets)
3. The Company - Again asian brewed hardware and software that comes from an asian company gets better recieved than from an outside company. MS has an uphill battle when it comes to breaking into a patriotic marketplace.
Of course the 360 has improved much (size and functionality) but it still has to compete with things such as the PS2 slim model, and companies that have the patriotic edge. I am not surprised in the least that it is a slow sale there, I think that it will be better than the XBox, but it won't be as well as the PS3 and I think the revolution will be even better if the games are as revolutionary as the hardware.
I wholeheartedly agree to this. I usually pick up cheaper used games, 5 - 20 or even new ones that are on sale 2 for something (usually 2 for 40). This gains me a library that I can spend hours on without overplaying many games.
I also pay attention to sales, esp console sales. I picked up the gamecube for $65 bucks when EB had a trade 5 games and get the cube for $40. So I traded in 5, $5 games and $40 bucks for a gamecube. Then spent another 5 bucks on a multiplayer game to play. Its all good stuff.
Now that I have a library again, multiple sales and garage sales. I can't wait for another sale to happen. It might not be the same sale, but it will certainly be in my benifit. Here's hoping its an Xbox sale to remove all the old boxes from the shelves to make room for the 360s that will eventually collect dust.
Slashdot Mirror
Wow I thought that Scite was popular but I didn't see one comment here on it. I did see a couple of Notepad ++, but I have never used that.
I personally moved out of Visual Studio and started using Scite instead. It can be completely configured, has a ton of language syntax support, and I can open a different language in each tab and hit build/compile/run without closing anything.
At work we use PHP frameworks and I use netbeans for simplicity. But really Scite does just as well. It is also super easy to add to it if necessary.
Of course when ssh emacs rules. :)
Well I have to say Thank you. When I was a kid I caught an episode of this show, and until now wondered what the name of it was.
Thank you. Finally, I am sure I can find a torrent of this and watch it.
Colt
I hope that the 'Nut Fee' Zone will also pack in 4 people where they normally packed in 2 or 3.
This is getting stupid, I am alergic to most animals and people are still allowed to bring dogs and cats on. All they tell me to do is be sure I have an epipen with me just in case?!
On second thougth I hope that they pack 5 in the same area and let them sweat out the trip.
Why is it all the advice is 'find a new job' or 'suck it up, and do what your told' and 'Your boss is the devil'.
When I started at my current situation, pirated software was rampant. It was really a situation that should not have happened but it was a person trying to save the company money. The cost to instantly convert the entire company over to licensed software would have severly cripled the company.
Together with the finance department we developed a strategy that allowed for licensed software for every new station and if new person started at a station we would buy a new license. On top of that we developed stategies to eliminate or reduce the software necessary, such as using a custom web application instead of an Access based system. IT department also stepped up the station turn over as alot of the existing stations were more than 2 years old.
In a short time we had removed the unlicensed software, and now have a better handle on who needs which software.
It is all about communication. Develop a strategy, and find ways for the company to remove the unlicensed software so neither you nor your company are in jeopardy of being in the unemployment line.
Management loves to jump to conclusions. But there is that possibility that they were already looking to get rid of the guy. Yes the seriousness of the matter should have been turned over to the police, yes the guy should have the time to explain and understand what was happening to him. Ultimately I would have thought they would have suspended him pending an investigation, and make sure no one talks, then if guilty - Fire his ass and hope he gets lots of PMITA prison time. Otherwise if cleared, make a full apology with back pay, issue a new laptop and let him go about his job.
I'm so far down the list that this won't matter much, but when I buy a Music CD or Movie etc... I actually buy two things.
1. I buy the license (Console games and CDs being a different thing as I see no EULA anywhere or where I agreed to shit) - But lets say that its there and I am only buying a license. In Canada, much like the US, I have a right to resell that item to others.
2. I buy the physical CD or DVD that the data is printed on. Since I cannot separate the two these are mutually exclusive in the sale, or resale of this item.
I have full rights to do anything I want with the physical CD or DVD. This also means that I have the right to restrict Sony or any other from altering that item (it is MY physical property). If they alter that item from being usable (They are destroying MY property) then I can see a class action suit happening here.
There are a lot of comments here, and I don't want to read them all. So it may be that I am being redundant here. (Don't really care but I feel like talking) :)
"You get what you pay for!"
If a service is bargan-basement then it only seems to me that this service will have a lot of problems. If you just want something simple that you don't care that the service is there all the time, then this is for you. But if you want a stable service that brings your message to as many people as possible, then you want something that is not bargan-basement. Certainly you may get an incredible deal sometimes, but never expect it on anything.
I was gonna say that there is a way to install the Mozilla ActiveX to see it. But I may be wrong. All they would show me is the commercial, then I just sit here waiting for the show to start. (15 minutes now)
If its faster in IE I would never know, but it sortof worked for me.
Wow, troll. Thats just fragged up man. Mods must have a hate on for you for calling that a troll.
While the console will probably cost 600 - 800 to sony, I highly doubt that it will be retailed at that price to compete with MS. I would expect in the 300 - 400 American. I know I paid 500 CDN on the first run PS2. Which is about 400 American I think. (Lazy to find a currency calculator for that time).
Lots of people won't buy the first run because of cost, but I think thats the same with every console on the market. People who just have to have now will pay more than the console is worth. (See XBox 360 prices on Ebay)
The cost of this console generation will be comparable, if not less when the inflation is factored in.
This is good. Since the beginnings of Atari the industry has been showing us boxes and elusive screenshots that are nothing like the game play. It was less important in the Atari age because everyone knew that there was no way the gameplay could look like that. As the technology gets better and its starting to become more plausable for the gameplay to look photo realistic, or even direct artist translations(no digitizing and loss of details), that line gets blurred to the consumer.
When I see what looks like screenshots on the box, or clips from the website and TV. I expect that the gameplay looks like that.
I know that the game boy color and older game cartriges don't have the notch in them that fits into the Micro. (not sure on the emulators, I wasn't brave enought to try and modify the catriges to fit the micro) Since I have a GB SP I use that for all the GB games. Besides if you have normal hands (Teen and older) then the micro is clumbsy.
Yes the screen is nice and clear, and easier to lug around, but I still find that I have to hold it up to my nose to see details, especially when playing things like Zelda. Even with the SP I find I sometimes have to get close.
While I am inclined to agree that it is rare that you need another tool to do the job. I will never agree that one job has to be done all in one language. If someone cannot follow the documentation and be able to explore outside of that one language, I just can't help but feel for those people. That is not a programmer to me.
.NET is a platform of languages, which I will also concede on. I jumped the gun there because when anyone says .NET around me it has always meant VB.NET and nothing else. So I also read it that way, making an ass out of me. But a language that is picked because the boss knows how use the macro function of Excel and modify the VBA code, then picks VB for the project because that is close to VBA, has made a very uninformed descision. That descision has nothing to do with support work asides from the thought that he could possibly continue the work from where I leave off.
It was mentioned that
I don't want to go off on a rant here, maybe I already have (sorry about that), but there is a reason that other tools exist. Just like a carpenter has many types of hammers, and different types of prybars, a programmer has a multitude of languages and techniques to get the job done. As long as it is documented and well commented, this should never be a problem.
I don't think I grossly overestimate the value of knowing the tool. Re-reading my post and the replies it does seem that I meant 'You will be a god in that language'. Not really what I meant, but to the OP who was looking for a first time job, they are not expected to have 5 years experience in x programming language. They are however expected to know the basics.
Struts seems to be a unique thing to me. It is a problem that only seems to be solvable using Java. Therefore it is dependant on being proficient in Java to do it. More to the point, that if you need a struts developer then you aren't looking for a Java programmer per say. You are looking for a programmer that understands struts. No different than say, understanding threads, or memory augmentation.
Of course this still comes off a little conceited that I know everything. That too is not true. As I mentioned I am still a junior, and have a lot to learn. There may be a point I am missing here, so please feel free to correct me. This is just the way that I see it.
Can I come work for you? Seriously, I had an interview not long ago and during that session they mentioned that they were an 'All microsoft office'. Using .NET and the most recent Windows on everything.
.NET and likes to review the code and needs to have an idea what's going on. Finished the interview, and then turned down the job.
So I asked what they did when the language failed or it wasn't easily solvable in that language. Such as running an external batch file for a faster result, or (thinking that VB 6 doesn't have threads) I need another language that had the tools to solve the problem, such as C or perl. They then had told me that it wasn't allowed because the PHB only knows some
I have worked on two other projects that were like that, one being VB 6 and Delphi, both used because the 'Boss' didn't know anyother language and thought 'If it can't be done in that language, we don't need it.' Neither project made it to market mostly because of that mentality. (Second was because they didn't have a finalized design)
While I'm on a rant, if anyone is on a project and the 'Boss' goes, 'just get started we will round it out later', or 'I got a rough idea what we are going to do, get started I will give you more info later', run, run run.
I still consider myself a junior programmer (5 years) but being on projects like these are killing my career.
Good skills are not what language you use. This is probably been drilled on too many times, but too many people are still missing the point.
.NET programmer that only knows .NET doesn't know what they are looking for. If that employer is looking for a programmer that happens to be familiar with .NET that is another story.
.NET. Be aware that the tool cannot solve all problems easily, and there may be other tools that are needed to solve the problem.
The skills that need honing are Problem Solving Techniques, and Design (requirement gathering and interpretation). Everything else is not as usefull. Any employer that is looking for a specific
You can learn the basics of any language in less than a week. Its the 'how' of problem solving that makes you good, not the 'tool' that you use to solve the problem. Only to be a hypocrit at this point I will point out that more you use the tool to solve the problem the easier it gets to solve specific problems. Learn the basics from the web and get your hands on a teaching copy of VS.NET to learn the basics to say you have used
Did that help?
Such geeks like us would find it hard to live a day without finding a computer somewhere in our days. But I can tell you without a doubt that my grandmother has never used an actual computer. You would even be hard pressed to find a calculator in her home. She doesn't even drive and walks to the bank to talk to a teller to do all her banking.
In her life she was an RN and only administered the drugs to patients, dealt with bed pan stuff and all that glory. Ward clerks and pharmasists(sp?) gave her the drugs to administer and that was it. She retired in the late 70s before computers were common place. The only thing she has that is even close is her TV with basic cable.
In small towns I think that this is far more common that people think. The elder generation never had need of computers, and mostly still don't.
My grandparents on the otherside of the family, however, are Zelda nuts and are spending all of retirement playing Zelda and downloading MP3s to listen to. HA!
There was a game that I played on my Amiga 500 with dragons. I forget the name, but you had to hatch dragons and raise them to be able fight other dragons and conquer towns and stuff. Anyone know the game I am talking about? Anyhoo there was a part of that game that you had to brew up potions using different heat levels and adding chemicals at different parts of the process, and not heating too much etc. Then using that potion on the dragon eggs or adult dragons with different effects. I remember one potion I made would, when used on an egg, would make the dragon diseased and very weak, but when used on an adult it would prolong the life of the dragon. I spent weeks playing with potions.
Currently I am working on a game (Educational software) for math that uses the traditional abacus to teach children from the ages 5 to 10. These games are entering the system, just very slowly as the traditional teachings are not being adapted properly. I find that the most lacking in the software is the children interacting with the teacher as a group, and a belonging to a class. But that is just my observation, most of the kids like the software and enjoy learning at their own pace.
While some other comments may or may not have convinced you wether you should buy DQ8, I will tell you that a friend of mine disapeared from the map a short while ago. Fearing that he was hurt dead or worse I finally got to talk to him. He popped up only to spend enough time to tell me that he bought a new PS2 and DQ8. Then promptly ceased to take any calls, or emails.
He is a FF nut and I swear he has played every Square game produced. Did that help?
As an observation, yes all their talent has filtered away. They can be found at ArenaNet.
http://www.arena.net/about/team.html
The way I see it, Guild Wars has the gameplay I would have expected for a Diablo 3.
what you're paying for in the monthly fee includes the following: maintenance costs for the online servers, bandwidth costs for their datacenter, and additional content updates and bug fixes
m lb lizzard-survive-world-of-warcraft.html
Start with the game costs $60 for initial purchase. Ok now given that WoW has over 1Mil subcribers, at $15 a month. Then Blizzard has an income of 15 mil to pay those maintenance cost? You really think that it costs anywhere near that much to maintain that game? A month? Plus the 60 mil for the sale of those games to begin with?
The average cost of development on a console is 7 mil.
Ref: http://www.etc.cmu.edu/about/press_articles/15.ht
While I believe that can range up to twice that for development on some games, there is no way that maintaining that game can cost that much. They should be able to maintain that game for years on the initial sale of that game. They are only enhancing a game already made, and tweaking it as it goes. So lets say that it costs the same to maintain as it did to make that console game, and it cost 3x as much to develop. 60 - 21 = 39 / 7 =~ 5 years at break even. So lets say they introduce content that they charge for (expansions) once a year (1mil * $10) - 7mil (develop new content and sell at 10 bucks each)-they can even not offer to sell, just charge a yearly subscription of $10- is another profit at 3 mil a year. Let me clarify all number of maintenance are high, and expansions (subscriptions) are equal content and energy as the main game, therefore costs are same as a new game development. Over that 5 years there is a profit of 15 million +. Doesn't seem so far fetched now does it? But of course they companies are greedy aren't they? http://hardcodedgames.com/mmpgamedev/2005/03/can-
predicts that Blizzard will have 840 Mil after the first 4 years. Lots, but do you really need to pay for that? Is that 15 bucks a month paying for maintaining or lining someones pocket? Is there room to compete, oh hell yes, and companies are greedy and we are feeding them because they say so.
Any MMPOGer will come up with this argument that its for maintaining the game, but really the only way I see it is that the publisher is taxing you for nothing and is laughing at you all the way to the bank, because you keep deluding yourself into thinking that it has to be that way! I don't have a problem with companies making lots of money, or even me paying for top quality products. But this 'We have to maintain the game' crap is not true.
(Upon looking up the subscription base there are 1.5 million WoW subscribers making my calculations more, but using the 1 million still proves my point)
Failing to stop after the accident (which did not directly involve him) breaks the law?
IANAL but I think it has more to do with the fact he was involved with a crime in progress that caused the larger crime.
Its more like if you cut someone off "driving down a Canadian highway during a snowstorm" and that in turn causes an accident and you continue driving you are leaving the scene of an accident, and presumably would be charged with failing to stop.
Because the boy was involved with the actions that caused the accident, he has the responcibility to stop. If he had merely been another driver on the road, then it would not seem logical that he be charged with failing to stop.
Again IANAL, but logically thats the way to it seems to me.
Wether or not Japanese are more patriotic than Americans isn't really the issue. At the time the PS2 came out, there were no "American" products dealing with the game console system.
At the time there were:
PS1 and PS2 from Sony
N64 from Nintendo
Dreamcast fron Sega - which was pretty much dead by the time PS2 arrived
and the PC. To be fair the PC wasn't really competing on the home gaming at that time. PII and lower end PIII chips played games, but no where near the level that the PS2 or N64 played them. OR the price of the system was way outside of the console price ranges. (3000+ for a gaming machine)
And dealing with Patriotism, the XBox sold the most in North America. I would call that patriotic. That and they catered the main game to the largest gaming culture in NA, Halo.
Buying a system on release is practically useless beyond the "hey, guess what I have!" factor: hardly any games, high prices, and first-generation bugs/issues.
I don't know if that is generally true. I remember 'huge' lineups and short supplies of PS2s in Japan when it was first released. They even got the first-first-generation of the PS2. It wasn't until the second or third line did North America get thier first look at a PS2, and then it was a while after that before Europe got it. There were hardly any games for it and it was pricey. I remember I paid $500 CDN for mine, and then I only played PS games until some good ones came out. (Just for the record, I bought it because my PS crapped out and I didn't have a DVD player yet)
I would guess that the XBox didn't do so well there for a number of reasons:
1. Functionality and size - The more stuff you can pack into a smaller area gets well recieved in the asian markets. The smaller the better.
2. Games - the lack of Asian brewed games. While MS has done market research in the asian market for games, the ones made by asians in the asian community seem to be better recieved. (No I don't have any proof, its just from personal experience from watching the markets)
3. The Company - Again asian brewed hardware and software that comes from an asian company gets better recieved than from an outside company. MS has an uphill battle when it comes to breaking into a patriotic marketplace.
Of course the 360 has improved much (size and functionality) but it still has to compete with things such as the PS2 slim model, and companies that have the patriotic edge. I am not surprised in the least that it is a slow sale there, I think that it will be better than the XBox, but it won't be as well as the PS3 and I think the revolution will be even better if the games are as revolutionary as the hardware.
IMHO
Shhh, that little guy dressed in white sitting on your shoulder tells nothing but lies. Lies I tell you!
I wholeheartedly agree to this. I usually pick up cheaper used games, 5 - 20 or even new ones that are on sale 2 for something (usually 2 for 40). This gains me a library that I can spend hours on without overplaying many games.
I also pay attention to sales, esp console sales. I picked up the gamecube for $65 bucks when EB had a trade 5 games and get the cube for $40. So I traded in 5, $5 games and $40 bucks for a gamecube. Then spent another 5 bucks on a multiplayer game to play. Its all good stuff.
Now that I have a library again, multiple sales and garage sales. I can't wait for another sale to happen. It might not be the same sale, but it will certainly be in my benifit. Here's hoping its an Xbox sale to remove all the old boxes from the shelves to make room for the 360s that will eventually collect dust.