Detective: Now tell me sonny, where'd you get the gun Kid: I already told you 3 f'in times. There was this floating skull thing behind a bush, I picked it up. A voice in the sky said, "Kill Frenzy!" like that announcer guy on "The Price is Right". All of the sudden I had this sniper rifle and the urge to kill 20 people in less than a minute. Was that wrong?
I did the same thing during my senior year of high school. I've seen a few of these on here already, but repetition = reinforcement.
1. Stay organized. I created an Access database with all my clients, computers, and work performed. This was very helpful when a client asked, "How much time/money have we put into this computer?", I could print a report on the spot with all the pertinent info. You may have heard of the drop-dead school of documentation. If you drop dead, there needs to be enough documentation so the next tech can start where you left off before being hit by the senior citizens' bus. 2. Bill early and often. I've seen people say something about billing as soon as the work is done, which is definitely a good practice. I preferred to do bi-weekly billings, as I could sit down and do all my billing in one fifteen minute time. ALWAYS KEEP A HARD COPY OF ANY BILL YOU SEND OUT AND THE DATE YOU SENT IT. I will not go into details, but you'll be amazed how often you hear "We never received your bill". Billing often is necessary so charges don't add up. Sticker shock has driven away many-a-customer. They pay you the same in the end, but smaller doses are always easier.
3. Work Orders. Every time you go to a client site, create a work order detailing what work you are going to perform while onsite. If they ask you to perform other services while you're there, write them on the work order and make a photocopy. MAKE THE CLIENT SIGN THE WORK ORDER. Their signature indicates that they are satisified with the work and goes hand-in-hand with #1. 4. (and most important) Remember you're just a kid. When I was doing this, I was 17. 17 is an older kid, but you're still a kid. In the eyes of the law, you're also just a kid and cannot make contractual obligations. If you're going to be working on production systems in companies that depend on their computers to make money, get a lawyer. On the same note, make sure you don't burn yourself out and keep a few kid-type things in your schedule so life doesn't suck.
I played the first Vampire game and really enjoyed it. It was based on Quake3 technology somehow or at least it used Q3Radiant as the level editor. The coolest thing was that all the game logic was implemented in Java, making mods for it pretty darn easy. My friends and I had a good time creating quests and attributes/disciplines. I hope the new one is just as extensible.
I'm sick and tired of software companies saying that such-and-such product will be "released when it's done" or "done when it's finished."
Since when has any software product ever been FINISHED when it's released? Usually -- and *especially* with PC games -- the release is full of bugs and requires a couple of quick patch cycles to bring up to par, followed by a few more patch cycles over the following months to make it solid.
Would you prefer them to release it when its half-done? This could be an interesting new business model - sell a half-completed product to generate revenue to finish the other half.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that ID (iD, Id, ID, whatever the hell you want to call it) has bucked this trend. Granted, there have been quite a few patches for their games, but the games are always quite functional. Take for example the game "Rise of Nations" which I could not play for 15 minutes without it freezing and forcing me to reboot.
As far as the comment about "usually and especially with PC games", I've never seen a game on a console that had a patch. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Yes, patch cycles do happen. When you cease testing a product on 10 machines and begin testing it on 1000-10000, lots of weird bugs you didn't see before begin popping up as a result of video cards, drivers, sound cards, moon phases, etc. You don't need me to tell you this, but it seems some might need a friendly reminder.
I have a friend who has Sprint PCS Vision and he got the aforementioned cable from Radio Shack. It consistently provides 10 to 15 kilobytes a second. Works pretty well in metro areas, doesn't work at all when you get outside of metro areas (a big problem when you're anywhere in Idaho except Boise and Sun Valley).
Just my $0.02
I wonder how much my 2 cents is worth in euros...
Yea, I imagine it would take someone with a pretty creative imagination to imagine their favorite game running on something other than their least favorite operating system.
I admit, the title Freecraft does make it a target for copyright disputes. However, Blizzard does not hold the copyright to the RTS gaming paradigm. Remember the huge influx of 3D first-person-shooters after Wolfenstein 3D? I'll be damned if those games weren't Wolfenstein 3D in space/medieval times/your grandmother's kitchen. Furthermore, I concur with the opinion that Blizzard/Blizzard's parent company (Vivendi Universal last time I checked) are a bunch of greedy bastards. Freecraft stood no chance of gaining ANY of Blizzards market-share, especially since the "Warcraft 2 emulation" required a Warcraft 2 CD. It really matters not to me, as I quit purchasing Blizzard's craptacular real-time-strats in favor of Westwood's.
IANAL so what prevents the Freecraft team from renaming the project to "Real-Time-Strategy-Game-That-Looks-Familiar-But-R uns-On-Your-Favorite-OS Craft" ?
Its unfortunate that I have posted so late to this thread as hardly anyone will read this, but alas...
I was "diagnosed" with ADD when I was 8 years old. The doctor prescribed methylphenidate (brand name: Ritalin) as the solution to the problem. My parents felt that the drug would increase my concentration and help me do better in school. The following school year, I was placed in a class with a teacher who actually gave a damn about whether or not we were learning and cared about the children. I began receiving good marks in school and my parents thought the drugs were helping.
The following year, I was placed in a class with a teacher who probably couldn't give a damn about anything except a paycheck. I dreaded school and did very poorly. I took the medicine for the next 2 years before I was old/smart enough to read about what I was actually taking. I decided to quit taking the Ritalin and found that I did excellent in courses where I cared about what I was learning.
Looking back now, I can see that amphetamines are by no means a solution to any "attention deficit disorder". I am not a doctor, but I would call attention deficit disorder the typical boredom that all of us feel from repetitive tasks that don't stimulate our minds. My parents debated getting my younger brother "tested" for ADD/ADHD when he was doing poorly in school. I recommended that they reconsider giving him ANY kind of drug to change his behavior. I see hypocrisy in the quest for a drug-free America while drugs are being prescribed to fix the weird social quirks we all have. What makes one drug different from another, besides some legal distinction? I digress.
The long and the sort of it is that I would recommend everyone who is considering taking Ritalin or any similar drug to fully research the effects of it, just as you would any other substance you would ingest.
This has to be the umpteenth time I've heard of plans to turn a video game into a movie. It will never happen, so why do they bother making these announcements?
While doing my laundry one week, I brought my laptop to the laundromat so I could do some work while I waited. Somehow, my Xircom CardBus Network Card (the orange one) made it into one of my laundry loads. Two weeks later when I came back to do my laundry again, the attendant handed me my network card, saying that he found it in one of the dryers. The casing was a little melted, but after a wash-rinse-spin-dry cycle, I plugged it in and it fired right up. I'm naming my first son Xircom, as it must mean fearless and indestructable.
I don't see why the RIAA would care. Money is still being collected. I would bet that a larger percentage of the profit is now going to the band and their people as they are doing all the work to produce the CD. As far as the "legitimizing one of the oldest forms of music piracy" statement goes, ???. Purchasing music isn't piracy.
Pearl Jam released their entire 2000 Europe / US tour. It was available a few months after the tour ended, not at the end of the night. This time around, they're making the show available the next day to download then you get a CD in the mail a week or so later. Fan club members pay less. Not only that (I can't remember where I read it, somewhere on the band's site) they don't mind if you share with your friends. I would hope every band would embrace this philosophy.
If you read the white paper, Mullen makes the excellent point that you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either people are responsible for their computer systems and sofware or they are not. It is this ambiguity that creates the problem.
The issue here is not computer security or ethics, but accountability and responsiblity. The only reason measures like this are necessary is because of irresponsible sys admins.
It comes down to this: if you have ANY doubts about the software you are going to install, regardless if it's from MS or RMS, DO NOT INSTALL IT. I present the metaphor of the cheap front-door lock, from Cheapo Locks Inc. Joe Thief breaks into my home pretty easily because Cheapo Locks makes, well, cheapo locks. It is not the fault of the manufacturer, it is my fault. And just like my home, I am responsible for every thing that goes in and out of my computer.
An interesting point that comes to mind is that if YOU are not responsible for the actions of your computer, then I am certainly not responsible for the actions my computer performs in response. Mullen also makes an excellent point in the white paper that as Code Red, widespread hacking isn't illegal. However, if the same actions is performed as a Perl script by yours truly, it is a felony. Once again, the ambiguity of the situation is a large source of the problem.
Slashdot Mirror
The worst Creed album is definitely the first one, the one with that "Jeremy" song.
I did the same thing during my senior year of high school. I've seen a few of these on here already, but repetition = reinforcement.
1. Stay organized. I created an Access database with all my clients, computers, and work performed. This was very helpful when a client asked, "How much time/money have we put into this computer?", I could print a report on the spot with all the pertinent info. You may have heard of the drop-dead school of documentation. If you drop dead, there needs to be enough documentation so the next tech can start where you left off before being hit by the senior citizens' bus.
2. Bill early and often. I've seen people say something about billing as soon as the work is done, which is definitely a good practice. I preferred to do bi-weekly billings, as I could sit down and do all my billing in one fifteen minute time. ALWAYS KEEP A HARD COPY OF ANY BILL YOU SEND OUT AND THE DATE YOU SENT IT. I will not go into details, but you'll be amazed how often you hear "We never received your bill". Billing often is necessary so charges don't add up. Sticker shock has driven away many-a-customer. They pay you the same in the end, but smaller doses are always easier.
3. Work Orders. Every time you go to a client site, create a work order detailing what work you are going to perform while onsite. If they ask you to perform other services while you're there, write them on the work order and make a photocopy. MAKE THE CLIENT SIGN THE WORK ORDER. Their signature indicates that they are satisified with the work and goes hand-in-hand with #1.
4. (and most important) Remember you're just a kid. When I was doing this, I was 17. 17 is an older kid, but you're still a kid. In the eyes of the law, you're also just a kid and cannot make contractual obligations. If you're going to be working on production systems in companies that depend on their computers to make money, get a lawyer. On the same note, make sure you don't burn yourself out and keep a few kid-type things in your schedule so life doesn't suck.
I played the first Vampire game and really enjoyed it. It was based on Quake3 technology somehow or at least it used Q3Radiant as the level editor.
The coolest thing was that all the game logic was implemented in Java, making mods for it pretty darn easy. My friends and I had a good time creating quests and attributes/disciplines. I hope the new one is just as extensible.
I'm surprised that there is no mention of Gradius, my favorite 2D shooter of all time.
I'm sick and tired of software companies saying that such-and-such product will be "released when it's done" or "done when it's finished."
Since when has any software product ever been FINISHED when it's released? Usually -- and *especially* with PC games -- the release is full of bugs and requires a couple of quick patch cycles to bring up to par, followed by a few more patch cycles over the following months to make it solid.
Would you prefer them to release it when its half-done? This could be an interesting new business model - sell a half-completed product to generate revenue to finish the other half.Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that ID (iD, Id, ID, whatever the hell you want to call it) has bucked this trend. Granted, there have been quite a few patches for their games, but the games are always quite functional. Take for example the game "Rise of Nations" which I could not play for 15 minutes without it freezing and forcing me to reboot.
As far as the comment about "usually and especially with PC games", I've never seen a game on a console that had a patch. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Yes, patch cycles do happen. When you cease testing a product on 10 machines and begin testing it on 1000-10000, lots of weird bugs you didn't see before begin popping up as a result of video cards, drivers, sound cards, moon phases, etc. You don't need me to tell you this, but it seems some might need a friendly reminder.
I would agree that $10 to see a movie is a no-brainer. If you have no brain, you're perfectly willing to shell out $10 for 2 hours of "entertainment".
I have a friend who has Sprint PCS Vision and he got the aforementioned cable from Radio Shack. It consistently provides 10 to 15 kilobytes a second. Works pretty well in metro areas, doesn't work at all when you get outside of metro areas (a big problem when you're anywhere in Idaho except Boise and Sun Valley).
Just my $0.02
I wonder how much my 2 cents is worth in euros...
Yea, I imagine it would take someone with a pretty creative imagination to imagine their favorite game running on something other than their least favorite operating system.R uns-On-Your-Favorite-OS Craft" ?
I admit, the title Freecraft does make it a target for copyright disputes. However, Blizzard does not hold the copyright to the RTS gaming paradigm. Remember the huge influx of 3D first-person-shooters after Wolfenstein 3D? I'll be damned if those games weren't Wolfenstein 3D in space/medieval times/your grandmother's kitchen. Furthermore, I concur with the opinion that Blizzard/Blizzard's parent company (Vivendi Universal last time I checked) are a bunch of greedy bastards. Freecraft stood no chance of gaining ANY of Blizzards market-share, especially since the "Warcraft 2 emulation" required a Warcraft 2 CD. It really matters not to me, as I quit purchasing Blizzard's craptacular real-time-strats in favor of Westwood's.
IANAL so what prevents the Freecraft team from renaming the project to "Real-Time-Strategy-Game-That-Looks-Familiar-But-
Its unfortunate that I have posted so late to this thread as hardly anyone will read this, but alas...
I was "diagnosed" with ADD when I was 8 years old. The doctor prescribed methylphenidate (brand name: Ritalin) as the solution to the problem. My parents felt that the drug would increase my concentration and help me do better in school. The following school year, I was placed in a class with a teacher who actually gave a damn about whether or not we were learning and cared about the children. I began receiving good marks in school and my parents thought the drugs were helping.
The following year, I was placed in a class with a teacher who probably couldn't give a damn about anything except a paycheck. I dreaded school and did very poorly. I took the medicine for the next 2 years before I was old/smart enough to read about what I was actually taking. I decided to quit taking the Ritalin and found that I did excellent in courses where I cared about what I was learning.
Looking back now, I can see that amphetamines are by no means a solution to any "attention deficit disorder". I am not a doctor, but I would call attention deficit disorder the typical boredom that all of us feel from repetitive tasks that don't stimulate our minds. My parents debated getting my younger brother "tested" for ADD/ADHD when he was doing poorly in school. I recommended that they reconsider giving him ANY kind of drug to change his behavior. I see hypocrisy in the quest for a drug-free America while drugs are being prescribed to fix the weird social quirks we all have. What makes one drug different from another, besides some legal distinction? I digress.
The long and the sort of it is that I would recommend everyone who is considering taking Ritalin or any similar drug to fully research the effects of it, just as you would any other substance you would ingest.
http://www.erowid.org
Not just fun drugs, either. All kinds of information about all kinds of pharmaceuticals (too lazy for spell check)
This has to be the umpteenth time I've heard of plans to turn a video game into a movie. It will never happen, so why do they bother making these announcements?
For some reason I find angry nerds arguing about databases to be extremely entertaining.
While doing my laundry one week, I brought my laptop to the laundromat so I could do some work while I waited. Somehow, my Xircom CardBus Network Card (the orange one) made it into one of my laundry loads. Two weeks later when I came back to do my laundry again, the attendant handed me my network card, saying that he found it in one of the dryers. The casing was a little melted, but after a wash-rinse-spin-dry cycle, I plugged it in and it fired right up. I'm naming my first son Xircom, as it must mean fearless and indestructable.
I don't see why the RIAA would care. Money is still being collected. I would bet that a larger percentage of the profit is now going to the band and their people as they are doing all the work to produce the CD. As far as the "legitimizing one of the oldest forms of music piracy" statement goes, ???. Purchasing music isn't piracy.
Pearl Jam released their entire 2000 Europe / US tour. It was available a few months after the tour ended, not at the end of the night. This time around, they're making the show available the next day to download then you get a CD in the mail a week or so later. Fan club members pay less. Not only that (I can't remember where I read it, somewhere on the band's site) they don't mind if you share with your friends. I would hope every band would embrace this philosophy.
If you read the white paper, Mullen makes the excellent point that you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either people are responsible for their computer systems and sofware or they are not. It is this ambiguity that creates the problem.
The issue here is not computer security or ethics, but accountability and responsiblity. The only reason measures like this are necessary is because of irresponsible sys admins.
It comes down to this: if you have ANY doubts about the software you are going to install, regardless if it's from MS or RMS, DO NOT INSTALL IT. I present the metaphor of the cheap front-door lock, from Cheapo Locks Inc. Joe Thief breaks into my home pretty easily because Cheapo Locks makes, well, cheapo locks. It is not the fault of the manufacturer, it is my fault. And just like my home, I am responsible for every thing that goes in and out of my computer.
An interesting point that comes to mind is that if YOU are not responsible for the actions of your computer, then I am certainly not responsible for the actions my computer performs in response. Mullen also makes an excellent point in the white paper that as Code Red, widespread hacking isn't illegal. However, if the same actions is performed as a Perl script by yours truly, it is a felony. Once again, the ambiguity of the situation is a large source of the problem.