Re:Going to be hard to avoid another Final Fantasy
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Metal Gear Movie?
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· Score: 1
And hardcore fans were a bit upset because other than a character named Sid, the movie had absolutely nothing to do with any of the games.
Huh? It had the same plot as every other final fantasy. There is a threat to the world, there are bad guys helping the threat to the world, a small band of people fight to save the world from the threat. It's like saying Final Fantasy X was a disappointment because it had a different story than all previous Final Fantasies.
I really don't think the title made much of a difference either. A lot of poeple never played Tomb Raider, but they still went to the movie. I think most (non-gaming) people wouldn't even know that Final Fantasy was the name of the game series. I think the real reason it flopped, as much as it pains me to say it, it really wasn't all that good (and I am a very big ff fan). In the game, you have all this time with your characters, you fight with them, watch them grow and develop. You get excited when there is a cut scene so that you get to see some pretty graphics and watch the story progress. The movie wasn't as good because you never formed an attachment to the characters like you did in the game. While the animation was very good, you just didn't care as much. Whether that was the script or if it was because the animation failed to "act" as well as real actors could, is up to debate. If the movie was better...in making you care more about the plot and the characters, the movie would have been great. It isn't like everyone walked away from it saying it was a great movie...we walked away and said it was OK. That is why it failed...has nothing to do with the title.
For this movie to succeed, it doesn't matter how "true" to the game it is. What matters most is that it has a good script, with a good plot, and good actors. Basically, it needs what EVERY OTHER good movie on the planet has. The real problem is that most of these game-based movies end up trying to cash in on the name recognition rather than taking the time to make it something that makes you walk away and think, "wow, what a great movie".
The other people have it spot on. If you don't like Steam and what they make you do, don't buy it. No one is forcing you to buy the game. Yeah, if you want to resell the game, I can see that being a problem, you need to take that in to account too. I am not going to give you any stupid copyright arguments, I never give those arguments. I bought the game on Steam, I played the game, I enjoyed the game. Tell me how horrible that is? I am not blind at all. I guarantee you I know more about Steam and its license than you do. I still chose to buy the game...and guess what? I am a happy customer and would trust Steam in the future. Just because I don't wear a tin foil hat, it does not make me blind.
I don't understand people like you. You are countering his points...but they are weak at best. He is not claiming that Steam is the second coming of Jesus and it does all these things that has never been done before, he is just stating why he likes Steam. Amazon.com let's you buy games online...sure, but not the way Steam does, so I don't understand what your point is. So what some people don't have broadband? Tough shit, some people don't have food, does that make my ability to enjoy a steak any less? Most gamers have broadband, and if they don't, they can get the cds. Any additional protection against people who have hacked the game is a good thing...so if you can ban by account IDs, good, it certainly isn't hurting anything. And Valve did not screw over everyone who bought the CDs. A few people had problems, a few people got caught using CRACKS, but the vast majority have no problems. Your hatred towards steam is misplaced...it gives more money to the people who actually made the game, it makes it easier and quicker to distribute patches to all its user, and if online authentication makes the game more difficult to pirate, good for them.
Yeah, because they are. They make all these justifications..oh, Valve said it would be released earlier, Valve requires online validation, and these other little things that are meaningless. The vast majority bought the game, authenticated online, and then played. Was it tough the first few hours when it was released? Yeah, the authentication servers were overloaded, no surprise here.
The fact is, no matter what Valve did, there is no justification to download the game illegally. Talk bad about Valve, don't buy their products, tell your friends not to buy their product, but you have no right or moral grounds to stand on to "copyright infringe" the game.
The sad thing is, a lot of people here lack the maturity to understand that. They will make any excuse to not pay for these games, even if the company has done nothing wrong. Go ahead and don't pay for the game...just please, please...don't try to tell me you are doing the right thing.
Your arguments make no sense. People program software like they brush their teeth. Are you kidding me? I actually am a programmer and the amount of man hours to do any significant program and do it well is extremely difficult...and you don't think I, or anyone else, who program deserve to earn a living? You are deluding yourself if you think a large percentage of the population believe that using software that you didn't pay for is ok (and I am not talking about Linux, because the license for Linux allows you to do that. that is not true for commercial software). If people write programs that other people want to use, and they want to give that away...fine, great...that is awesome. But it doesn't work the other way around! If I want to get paid for my work, I can choose what I think it is worth and get paid for it. If people don't like my program, they don't buy it, if it does exactly what they want and does it well, the will buy it though and I can make a living. Your logic is truly messed up. the number of copies of software in existence has absolutely NO BEARING on the wage of a programmer and suddenly software sharing isn't quite so wrong anymore. So you are justifying using software that you didn't pay for because the programmer directly responsible for it doesn't get more money if the product sells better? Give me a break, that is called BUISNESS. If the programmer did all the work himself and was able to distribute it, then guess what, he would get all the money for it. Whether or not you believe it is wrong to "share" software, the law says it is illegal...on top of that, it is morally wrong...but if you can't see that, you have some really fucked up morals.
I have played hundreds of video games which I did not buy and, you know what, the authors that wrote those games still have a house, children, jobs, and play golf. What's wrong with not paying for software again?Ok, I will explain it to you. If you go in to the programmers house, and steal his brand-new-not-even-out-of-the-box $50 ipod, he still has a house, children, jobs, and play golf. So what's wrong with stealing again? I guess nothing, by your piss poor attempt at logic.
Wow. Take your tin foil hat off for a second bud. Mass ignorance? What does it matter what word they use...they are taking a game and not paying for it...by calling it "stealing" it doesn't sway public opinion. Or maybe you want to explain how it does. Now with Steam, the line is even finer than it was before. People would say, well, if you steal the box from best buy, you are actually depriving Best Buy, Vivendi, and Valve from money. By "copyright infringing" they don't lose real money, the product is still at Best Buy! (a stupid justification at best) But now there is no box, there is no cd, you are playing a game you didn't pay for. The lines between stealing and copyright infringing software are becoming more blurred.
Oh man...and private crusade? What the hell are you talking about? I just argue with ass hats that playing a game they hacked without paying for them is morally wrong and that their justifcation are weak and stupid. Hardly a crusade. Maybe a crusade against stupid slashdot arguments:) What's your crusade? Justifying use of software without paying for it?
It's such a dumb argument to have. I can interpret your definition of stealing: "depriving someone of possession and use of an object" in different ways. You aren't depriving them of the master copy of the game, but you are depriving them of possession and use of the money that they would have taken for the game. I could also define stealing as "taking something that does not belong to you". Ultimately it comes down to the fact that it is eaiser and faster to say stealing rather than copyright infringement. So when someone is accused of manslaughter, when someone mentions it as a murder trial, people aren't all freaking out and quiveling over terms. So what if the news reporter says people are stealing the game, it's not like suddenly in court they are charged with theft and not copyright infringement. The fact is you know what they mean when they say it, it doesn't change their argument or a person's counter argument one iota, and it's all a bunch of bs slashdotters use to try to lord intelligence over someone else. If saying "stealing" actually made some difference on a person's argument or how people understood the argument, then I would say you have something. But since it isn't a big deal, all the people who have to argue this come of as anal and condescending.
You, my friend, are being an idiot (you might not be an idiot, but what you are condoning certainly is stupid). If you want a product, and don't like the activation scheme, find a product that doesn't have one or DON'T USE IT AT ALL. You are just trying to justify your illegal activities...trying to make it seem like you are a moral person for doing this. But you aren't...you should sit down and re-think your position...or I hope some day people take your work and refuse to pay.
Man...why do you guys keep saying stuff like this. If Valve goes down and Steam goes down, Valve will most likely release a patch that lets you do whatever with the game. If they don't, someone else will write a steam clone and you can use it that way. Everyone likes to over-react to steam...relax...it isn't as bad as you think.
Yes, heaven forbid if you do something illegal they stop you from playing the game...give me a break. Put up with what? Please tell me. I downloaded it from Steam and started playing as soon as it was done. On top of that, it's a great game. It's only a problem for people who cracked the game. If they actually own the game and used someone else's key (wth??) I am sure they can rectify it...but why were the doing that in the first place? Only one thing you said do I really like. I am glad that you chose not to touch the game at all rather than hack it. While I think your arguments against steam are firvolous and unjustified, if you truly are against it, boycott playing the game at all.
Hmm, no need to be a dick. I saw it a long time ago and just didn't remember that part at all. You could have just said that they stated it. Heck, I may have been asleep at that point because it should have ended 15 minutes before that point.
Wow, I had no idea about those aliens being evolved AI. It really didn't explain that or maybe I missed it...how did you know this was the case? To me, the movie would have been better if *SPOILER FOLLOWS* he just dies under water looking at the statue...not the stupid I'll recreate your mom for a day from hair, but even though we can bring her back to life, it's only for 24 hours craziness...it really ruined the whole movie for me...whether or not those aliens were future AI or just normal aliens:P
If you are going to review games, at least finish them. You never know how much an ending can ruin a game for you. It happens in movies too. Remember AI and the new Planet of the Apes? If AI ended earlier instead of the whole weird alien thing and if Planet of the Apes didn't end in such a ridiculous way, those would have been decent movies. This guy is just rushing off a review before they become irrelevant...which really, they already are.
*sigh* Why do you have to go to the whole console vs PC garbage? So what if PC gaming mags say that sort of stuff, it doesn't mean you need to follow them in to a stupid and pointless debate. I have a PC and play games on them. I have multiple consoles and play games on them. Guess what, on both platforms I have FUN. I prefer PCs for FPS's and I like RPG's better on consoles (but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy Halo 2 on my x-box and star wars: galaxies on my PC).
You whole comment on PCs being a niche market is a common, over-used stupid argument. Consoles and GAMING IN GENERAL are a niche market as well. Don't use that as an argument because you prove nothing and only come off as some sort of console zealot. The great thing about a PC is that it is much more flexible and customizable than the console. So when new drivers are released, my system is now improved and games look better and perform better. When you have a console, you are locked in to the same old stuff you have when you bought it. You may try to argue that console games are bug free and don't have these problems like PC game do. But you would be wrong. So many console games are bug ridden and have stuttering issues. And guess what, you can't fix those because you are on a console. Now with the X-BOX..they are moving in the right direction because they act MORE LIKE A PC. That's right, consoles are improving because they emulate a PC by having a hard drive and an internet connection where they can fix hardware and software problems. You do not have to spend hours monkeying with your PC. Mine worked fine, why not other people? Because they don't keep their PC up to date with current drivers. If that is too much of a hassle, then yeah, you would be better off playing console games.
Now, let's touch on Steam. You are under the common misconception that Steam is an anti-piracy tool. Let me clarify this for you. Steam is a distribution system that allows people to buy directly from the people who buy the games and bypass the RIAA-like distribution companies. It also has a lot of other benefits. It automatically keeps your games patched and up to date so that you have all the bug fixes and are compatible to play with everyone else online. It also helps to prevent massive cheating in multi-player games. Cheating really hurts the enjoyment of online games, and it is very difficult to prevent on PCs, so this service is highly desirable. Does this also provide anti-piracy...sure, to a certain extent, there will still be cracks, but they will have a much harder time being able to play in the multi-player. This is a good thing. Why should they enjoy all the benefits I do when they didn't pay for the game. Why doesn't Valve deserve money for their work? You probably don't agree with piracy, you are just bothered by how intrusive and painful Steam is. Well, this is how painful it is: I installed the game through Steam, it authenticated and loaded, and I was playing right away with no problems. Yes, I know, how horrible for me to be "pealized" for piracy. Give me a break, if you think Steam is just a piracy preventer, try re-reading this paragraph. The sad thing is, Steam does a lot of things to make things easier on a PC gamer (more like a console experience, if you want to go from your perspective) yet you jump all over it. Sad. If you do not understand how PC games have a harder time being bug free, then you are ignorant. Half Life 2 was not rushed to market or done "half-assed". It is the best game I have played on ANY platform and I have not encountered any problems. They will work a fix for the stuttering problem and people will be happy. Maybe it's hard to understand because you don't write software...I make a living off of software and networks, so I can see what a quality job Valve did with this. From the sounds of it, you haven't even played the game...you just try to jump over it because of the vocal people who like to make a big deal out of nothing on here.
I think you should sit down and think hard about the garbage you are spewing. What causes this console zealotry? Why can't you enjoy games on both? I sure do. You should join my side...it's a lot nicer over here.
I don't think you get it, but that's ok. If you want to make up this "grief time" go ahead. No one is going to care though, there are 10,000s of people playing the game...maybe 100,000s. And you couldn't figure it out...but somehow your skills are worth $120...right. But hey, whatever helps you sleep at night, right?
Wow...that was probably the stupidest attempt at logic I have ever read. Seriously, copyright infringe all you want, but don't try to make it sound like you are doing the company a favor. Maybe this is how you justify what you do...but really...think about it. I really want a car, but I don't want to pay for it...so I steal it. I really like it, so I buy the 05 model when it comes out. If you want to BREAK THE LAW, then do so. But don't try to pretend you have morals or that it is good...you will just coming off seeming slow. Think about this if you still want to use your anti-logic...the people who work on hl3 may not be the ones who did hl2, so you are screwing them. No doubt, they are all going to be doing well...but guess what, the game is amazing, they deserve it. I'd like to see you work overtime 5 years of your life and then tell people it's cool if they don't pay for their work. Yeah...right. You can join the people in this world who scare me.
Walking away would not be an option because it does not address the grief factor. Breaking the law? Technically yes. I just thought that what I am doing is a poetic justice for what they done to me.
Poetic justice is never buying a valve game again and discouraging others from buying the game. The "two wrongs making a right" attitude is not going to fly on slashdot.
With the anonymity of the internet, it is easy to get in to these flamewars. If you were standing in front of me, telling me all this, I would probably feel bad for you more. I guess I followed the whole Steam thing for a long time...I knew what to expect. And with so many people trying to authenticate to steam at once, I knew the first few days was going to be rough and have problems like this. I know how difficult networking and programming is because it is my profession...it makes me understand how hard it is for what they are doing. I can see how if you had no clue about Steam that this would be an exercise in frustration. I just deeply object to the way you are going about resolving your frustrations.
Well, I will try to be more civilized too. I am not sure what your problem was...that they sold you the game before they released it, or if the authentication stuff didn't work for you. Whatever the reason was, if you showed a little patience, it would have been working and you would be legally playing the game. I hope we can agree on that.
So because the thing didn't work out of the box, you demand ridiculous amount of compensation for your time. Let's assume you were just trying to make a point, and you would want something more reasonable for your time. They were spending a lot of resources giving technical support to people.
Another thing is that you say you objected to Steam in the first place...well, if you really did, then you wouldn't have bought the game. Obviously they are providing something so good, you will overlook their terms.
I really wish I knew what problem you were having. It makes a pretty weak argument yelling about how horrible it was, when you don't even say why it didn't work. Were you trying to run it on your TI-85? Buy it before release date? Elaborate.
In any case, you took it back, got your money back, but that time was lost forever. I'm sorry...no, really, I am. If you really spent 10 hours...wow, that's amazing. But I find that number hard to believe too.
Me saying that you are copyright infringing does not make me immoral. I mean...it makes you come off as totally irrational. Never did I once say that only game developers have rights...so you are just trying to twist my words to make you sound better.
It comes down to this: no matter how pissed you are, you are breaking the law. If you got a speeding ticket when you weren't speeding, you can fight that in court...it sucks, you waste time, but you can fight it. If you take the speeding ticket, and then decide, well, since I got this ticket unfairly, I am now entitled to break the law. I am going to bash in that cops winshield and he should pay me to do it since he wasted my time.
Eh, analogies are never perfect...you are pissed and decided to break the law. You can justify it all day, but that is what it is, justification. If you truly believe that Steam is horrible and Valve has done you wrong, you should just walk away and not touch the game. If you can't do that, you don't have any moral ground to stand on. Which is fine, but if for some reason you were actually caught and had to pay a fine, I am one person who won't feel sorry for you. Enjoy your copyright infringing:) I hope you have fun playing a game that many people spent 5 years of their lives working overtime on. I am sure their families would applaud your decision not to pay them...after all, the world revolves around you. (sorry, lost being civilized there, but that is how you are seriously coming off)
Wow. Here is an even better idea. If you don't like the company, don't play the game. Don't pirate it, just ignore it and go on with your life. The options aren't: buy or pirate. Obviously you failed to realize this. You sit on your side bithcing and moaning how you were inconvienenced. It would have eventually worked, but you decided to over-react. All you wrote was a long ass justification for copyright infringement. Congratulations, your morals suck. The people who worked 5 years on this won't get any of your money...and you are so proud of yourself, that you want them to pay you money. Beyond my comprehension...it's people like you who are the problem.
So you are making comments based on pictures and videos rather than actually playing the game. That's pretty ridiculous. It is pretty clear you are just bitter it isn't on Linux from your later comments. Seriously, if you don't intend to buy and play the game, why bother commenting. And to say they look like crap is pretty amazing...I'd like to see you do half as well.
Oh, give me a break...Valve needed Vivendi to put half life 2 in the public eye? Are you on crack? Seriously, promoting half life 2 would be like promoting giving away 100 dollar bills, it's just stupid. Retail distribution costs are NOTHING compared to the cost of actually creating the game. Particularly with half life 2, there is no risk for Vivendi...they just have to just do the shit they were created to do and bring in money. But see, since they are a necessary evil needed to be used by the game companies, they set the prices and fuck over the people who really make the game. Now, the game companies can distribute their game without having to pay Vivendi and that has them scared...so they sue even though it's LEGAL. This is why they are evil. There is no way you can defend them, they are still going to make a large cut on every physical copy they sell...even though they did essentually nothing. Manufacturing, distribution, shelf space are all cheap. Advertisement and retal promotion are unecessary...and if they spent tons of money on advertising...well, that's their own stupidity at work there. Do you work for them or something? How can you defend them? Seriously...go out and make something that takes 5 years of work, then have someone sell it for you and take 75% of the profit. See how good you feel about that.
Funny how marketing will pump up games to a god like status that people will blindly follow. When the game is actually released it never seems to be as good as the marketing make it look. It's a setup for disappointment everytime. Halo 2 is subject to the eyes of the beholder problem. Take drinking beer for example as marketing. If I have enough beer, almost any girl is hot. Apply that to Halo 2 and you have one ugly girl under all that marketing.
Here is the simple solution. Don't listen to the hype. Don't read the site to see what new features are going to be added...don't watch the E3 videos, don't read the reviews. When you play a game based on no assumptions, you can just enjoy the game (or not) and you don't have any expectation that need to be met or exceeded. Just don't buy in...if you do, well, you get what you deserve. I'm sorry that marketing makes things look good...that is kind of what it supposed to do. As a consumer, it's your job to read through the lines. If a mass of people can't do that, then they can only blame themselves.
Slashdot Mirror
And hardcore fans were a bit upset because other than a character named Sid, the movie had absolutely nothing to do with any of the games.
;)
Huh? It had the same plot as every other final fantasy. There is a threat to the world, there are bad guys helping the threat to the world, a small band of people fight to save the world from the threat. It's like saying Final Fantasy X was a disappointment because it had a different story than all previous Final Fantasies.
I really don't think the title made much of a difference either. A lot of poeple never played Tomb Raider, but they still went to the movie. I think most (non-gaming) people wouldn't even know that Final Fantasy was the name of the game series. I think the real reason it flopped, as much as it pains me to say it, it really wasn't all that good (and I am a very big ff fan). In the game, you have all this time with your characters, you fight with them, watch them grow and develop. You get excited when there is a cut scene so that you get to see some pretty graphics and watch the story progress. The movie wasn't as good because you never formed an attachment to the characters like you did in the game. While the animation was very good, you just didn't care as much. Whether that was the script or if it was because the animation failed to "act" as well as real actors could, is up to debate. If the movie was better...in making you care more about the plot and the characters, the movie would have been great. It isn't like everyone walked away from it saying it was a great movie...we walked away and said it was OK. That is why it failed...has nothing to do with the title.
For this movie to succeed, it doesn't matter how "true" to the game it is. What matters most is that it has a good script, with a good plot, and good actors. Basically, it needs what EVERY OTHER good movie on the planet has. The real problem is that most of these game-based movies end up trying to cash in on the name recognition rather than taking the time to make it something that makes you walk away and think, "wow, what a great movie".
P.S. hardcore fans spell it Cid
The other people have it spot on. If you don't like Steam and what they make you do, don't buy it. No one is forcing you to buy the game. Yeah, if you want to resell the game, I can see that being a problem, you need to take that in to account too. I am not going to give you any stupid copyright arguments, I never give those arguments. I bought the game on Steam, I played the game, I enjoyed the game. Tell me how horrible that is? I am not blind at all. I guarantee you I know more about Steam and its license than you do. I still chose to buy the game...and guess what? I am a happy customer and would trust Steam in the future. Just because I don't wear a tin foil hat, it does not make me blind.
I don't understand people like you. You are countering his points...but they are weak at best. He is not claiming that Steam is the second coming of Jesus and it does all these things that has never been done before, he is just stating why he likes Steam. Amazon.com let's you buy games online...sure, but not the way Steam does, so I don't understand what your point is. So what some people don't have broadband? Tough shit, some people don't have food, does that make my ability to enjoy a steak any less? Most gamers have broadband, and if they don't, they can get the cds. Any additional protection against people who have hacked the game is a good thing...so if you can ban by account IDs, good, it certainly isn't hurting anything. And Valve did not screw over everyone who bought the CDs. A few people had problems, a few people got caught using CRACKS, but the vast majority have no problems. Your hatred towards steam is misplaced...it gives more money to the people who actually made the game, it makes it easier and quicker to distribute patches to all its user, and if online authentication makes the game more difficult to pirate, good for them.
Yeah, because they are. They make all these justifications..oh, Valve said it would be released earlier, Valve requires online validation, and these other little things that are meaningless. The vast majority bought the game, authenticated online, and then played. Was it tough the first few hours when it was released? Yeah, the authentication servers were overloaded, no surprise here.
The fact is, no matter what Valve did, there is no justification to download the game illegally. Talk bad about Valve, don't buy their products, tell your friends not to buy their product, but you have no right or moral grounds to stand on to "copyright infringe" the game.
The sad thing is, a lot of people here lack the maturity to understand that. They will make any excuse to not pay for these games, even if the company has done nothing wrong. Go ahead and don't pay for the game...just please, please...don't try to tell me you are doing the right thing.
Your arguments make no sense. People program software like they brush their teeth. Are you kidding me? I actually am a programmer and the amount of man hours to do any significant program and do it well is extremely difficult...and you don't think I, or anyone else, who program deserve to earn a living? You are deluding yourself if you think a large percentage of the population believe that using software that you didn't pay for is ok (and I am not talking about Linux, because the license for Linux allows you to do that. that is not true for commercial software). If people write programs that other people want to use, and they want to give that away...fine, great...that is awesome. But it doesn't work the other way around! If I want to get paid for my work, I can choose what I think it is worth and get paid for it. If people don't like my program, they don't buy it, if it does exactly what they want and does it well, the will buy it though and I can make a living. Your logic is truly messed up. the number of copies of software in existence has absolutely NO BEARING on the wage of a programmer and suddenly software sharing isn't quite so wrong anymore. So you are justifying using software that you didn't pay for because the programmer directly responsible for it doesn't get more money if the product sells better? Give me a break, that is called BUISNESS. If the programmer did all the work himself and was able to distribute it, then guess what, he would get all the money for it. Whether or not you believe it is wrong to "share" software, the law says it is illegal...on top of that, it is morally wrong...but if you can't see that, you have some really fucked up morals.
I have played hundreds of video games which I did not buy and, you know what, the authors that wrote those games still have a house, children, jobs, and play golf. What's wrong with not paying for software again?Ok, I will explain it to you. If you go in to the programmers house, and steal his brand-new-not-even-out-of-the-box $50 ipod, he still has a house, children, jobs, and play golf. So what's wrong with stealing again? I guess nothing, by your piss poor attempt at logic.
Wow. Take your tin foil hat off for a second bud. Mass ignorance? What does it matter what word they use...they are taking a game and not paying for it...by calling it "stealing" it doesn't sway public opinion. Or maybe you want to explain how it does. Now with Steam, the line is even finer than it was before. People would say, well, if you steal the box from best buy, you are actually depriving Best Buy, Vivendi, and Valve from money. By "copyright infringing" they don't lose real money, the product is still at Best Buy! (a stupid justification at best) But now there is no box, there is no cd, you are playing a game you didn't pay for. The lines between stealing and copyright infringing software are becoming more blurred.
Oh man...and private crusade? What the hell are you talking about? I just argue with ass hats that playing a game they hacked without paying for them is morally wrong and that their justifcation are weak and stupid. Hardly a crusade. Maybe a crusade against stupid slashdot arguments:) What's your crusade? Justifying use of software without paying for it?
It's such a dumb argument to have. I can interpret your definition of stealing: "depriving someone of possession and use of an object" in different ways. You aren't depriving them of the master copy of the game, but you are depriving them of possession and use of the money that they would have taken for the game. I could also define stealing as "taking something that does not belong to you". Ultimately it comes down to the fact that it is eaiser and faster to say stealing rather than copyright infringement. So when someone is accused of manslaughter, when someone mentions it as a murder trial, people aren't all freaking out and quiveling over terms. So what if the news reporter says people are stealing the game, it's not like suddenly in court they are charged with theft and not copyright infringement. The fact is you know what they mean when they say it, it doesn't change their argument or a person's counter argument one iota, and it's all a bunch of bs slashdotters use to try to lord intelligence over someone else. If saying "stealing" actually made some difference on a person's argument or how people understood the argument, then I would say you have something. But since it isn't a big deal, all the people who have to argue this come of as anal and condescending.
Umm, I'd call them up and explain what happened and they would fix it...
You, my friend, are being an idiot (you might not be an idiot, but what you are condoning certainly is stupid). If you want a product, and don't like the activation scheme, find a product that doesn't have one or DON'T USE IT AT ALL. You are just trying to justify your illegal activities...trying to make it seem like you are a moral person for doing this. But you aren't...you should sit down and re-think your position...or I hope some day people take your work and refuse to pay.
Man...why do you guys keep saying stuff like this. If Valve goes down and Steam goes down, Valve will most likely release a patch that lets you do whatever with the game. If they don't, someone else will write a steam clone and you can use it that way. Everyone likes to over-react to steam...relax...it isn't as bad as you think.
Yes, heaven forbid if you do something illegal they stop you from playing the game...give me a break. Put up with what? Please tell me. I downloaded it from Steam and started playing as soon as it was done. On top of that, it's a great game. It's only a problem for people who cracked the game. If they actually own the game and used someone else's key (wth??) I am sure they can rectify it...but why were the doing that in the first place? Only one thing you said do I really like. I am glad that you chose not to touch the game at all rather than hack it. While I think your arguments against steam are firvolous and unjustified, if you truly are against it, boycott playing the game at all.
Hmm, no need to be a dick. I saw it a long time ago and just didn't remember that part at all. You could have just said that they stated it. Heck, I may have been asleep at that point because it should have ended 15 minutes before that point.
Wow, I had no idea about those aliens being evolved AI. It really didn't explain that or maybe I missed it...how did you know this was the case? To me, the movie would have been better if *SPOILER FOLLOWS* he just dies under water looking at the statue...not the stupid I'll recreate your mom for a day from hair, but even though we can bring her back to life, it's only for 24 hours craziness...it really ruined the whole movie for me...whether or not those aliens were future AI or just normal aliens:P
If you are going to review games, at least finish them. You never know how much an ending can ruin a game for you. It happens in movies too. Remember AI and the new Planet of the Apes? If AI ended earlier instead of the whole weird alien thing and if Planet of the Apes didn't end in such a ridiculous way, those would have been decent movies. This guy is just rushing off a review before they become irrelevant...which really, they already are.
*sigh* Why do you have to go to the whole console vs PC garbage? So what if PC gaming mags say that sort of stuff, it doesn't mean you need to follow them in to a stupid and pointless debate. I have a PC and play games on them. I have multiple consoles and play games on them. Guess what, on both platforms I have FUN. I prefer PCs for FPS's and I like RPG's better on consoles (but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy Halo 2 on my x-box and star wars: galaxies on my PC).
You whole comment on PCs being a niche market is a common, over-used stupid argument. Consoles and GAMING IN GENERAL are a niche market as well. Don't use that as an argument because you prove nothing and only come off as some sort of console zealot. The great thing about a PC is that it is much more flexible and customizable than the console. So when new drivers are released, my system is now improved and games look better and perform better. When you have a console, you are locked in to the same old stuff you have when you bought it. You may try to argue that console games are bug free and don't have these problems like PC game do. But you would be wrong. So many console games are bug ridden and have stuttering issues. And guess what, you can't fix those because you are on a console. Now with the X-BOX..they are moving in the right direction because they act MORE LIKE A PC. That's right, consoles are improving because they emulate a PC by having a hard drive and an internet connection where they can fix hardware and software problems. You do not have to spend hours monkeying with your PC. Mine worked fine, why not other people? Because they don't keep their PC up to date with current drivers. If that is too much of a hassle, then yeah, you would be better off playing console games.
Now, let's touch on Steam. You are under the common misconception that Steam is an anti-piracy tool. Let me clarify this for you. Steam is a distribution system that allows people to buy directly from the people who buy the games and bypass the RIAA-like distribution companies. It also has a lot of other benefits. It automatically keeps your games patched and up to date so that you have all the bug fixes and are compatible to play with everyone else online. It also helps to prevent massive cheating in multi-player games. Cheating really hurts the enjoyment of online games, and it is very difficult to prevent on PCs, so this service is highly desirable. Does this also provide anti-piracy...sure, to a certain extent, there will still be cracks, but they will have a much harder time being able to play in the multi-player. This is a good thing. Why should they enjoy all the benefits I do when they didn't pay for the game. Why doesn't Valve deserve money for their work? You probably don't agree with piracy, you are just bothered by how intrusive and painful Steam is. Well, this is how painful it is: I installed the game through Steam, it authenticated and loaded, and I was playing right away with no problems. Yes, I know, how horrible for me to be "pealized" for piracy. Give me a break, if you think Steam is just a piracy preventer, try re-reading this paragraph. The sad thing is, Steam does a lot of things to make things easier on a PC gamer (more like a console experience, if you want to go from your perspective) yet you jump all over it. Sad. If you do not understand how PC games have a harder time being bug free, then you are ignorant. Half Life 2 was not rushed to market or done "half-assed". It is the best game I have played on ANY platform and I have not encountered any problems. They will work a fix for the stuttering problem and people will be happy. Maybe it's hard to understand because you don't write software...I make a living off of software and networks, so I can see what a quality job Valve did with this. From the sounds of it, you haven't even played the game...you just try to jump over it because of the vocal people who like to make a big deal out of nothing on here.
I think you should sit down and think hard about the garbage you are spewing. What causes this console zealotry? Why can't you enjoy games on both? I sure do. You should join my side...it's a lot nicer over here.
Umm, it requires authentication...very little downloading...nice try though.
I don't think you get it, but that's ok. If you want to make up this "grief time" go ahead. No one is going to care though, there are 10,000s of people playing the game...maybe 100,000s. And you couldn't figure it out...but somehow your skills are worth $120...right. But hey, whatever helps you sleep at night, right?
Wow...that was probably the stupidest attempt at logic I have ever read. Seriously, copyright infringe all you want, but don't try to make it sound like you are doing the company a favor. Maybe this is how you justify what you do...but really...think about it. I really want a car, but I don't want to pay for it...so I steal it. I really like it, so I buy the 05 model when it comes out. If you want to BREAK THE LAW, then do so. But don't try to pretend you have morals or that it is good...you will just coming off seeming slow. Think about this if you still want to use your anti-logic...the people who work on hl3 may not be the ones who did hl2, so you are screwing them. No doubt, they are all going to be doing well...but guess what, the game is amazing, they deserve it. I'd like to see you work overtime 5 years of your life and then tell people it's cool if they don't pay for their work. Yeah...right. You can join the people in this world who scare me.
Walking away would not be an option because it does not address the grief factor. Breaking the law? Technically yes. I just thought that what I am doing is a poetic justice for what they done to me.
Poetic justice is never buying a valve game again and discouraging others from buying the game. The "two wrongs making a right" attitude is not going to fly on slashdot.
With the anonymity of the internet, it is easy to get in to these flamewars. If you were standing in front of me, telling me all this, I would probably feel bad for you more. I guess I followed the whole Steam thing for a long time...I knew what to expect. And with so many people trying to authenticate to steam at once, I knew the first few days was going to be rough and have problems like this. I know how difficult networking and programming is because it is my profession...it makes me understand how hard it is for what they are doing. I can see how if you had no clue about Steam that this would be an exercise in frustration. I just deeply object to the way you are going about resolving your frustrations.
Well, I will try to be more civilized too. I am not sure what your problem was...that they sold you the game before they released it, or if the authentication stuff didn't work for you. Whatever the reason was, if you showed a little patience, it would have been working and you would be legally playing the game. I hope we can agree on that.
:) I hope you have fun playing a game that many people spent 5 years of their lives working overtime on. I am sure their families would applaud your decision not to pay them...after all, the world revolves around you. (sorry, lost being civilized there, but that is how you are seriously coming off)
So because the thing didn't work out of the box, you demand ridiculous amount of compensation for your time. Let's assume you were just trying to make a point, and you would want something more reasonable for your time. They were spending a lot of resources giving technical support to people.
Another thing is that you say you objected to Steam in the first place...well, if you really did, then you wouldn't have bought the game. Obviously they are providing something so good, you will overlook their terms.
I really wish I knew what problem you were having. It makes a pretty weak argument yelling about how horrible it was, when you don't even say why it didn't work. Were you trying to run it on your TI-85? Buy it before release date? Elaborate.
In any case, you took it back, got your money back, but that time was lost forever. I'm sorry...no, really, I am. If you really spent 10 hours...wow, that's amazing. But I find that number hard to believe too.
Me saying that you are copyright infringing does not make me immoral. I mean...it makes you come off as totally irrational. Never did I once say that only game developers have rights...so you are just trying to twist my words to make you sound better.
It comes down to this: no matter how pissed you are, you are breaking the law. If you got a speeding ticket when you weren't speeding, you can fight that in court...it sucks, you waste time, but you can fight it. If you take the speeding ticket, and then decide, well, since I got this ticket unfairly, I am now entitled to break the law. I am going to bash in that cops winshield and he should pay me to do it since he wasted my time.
Eh, analogies are never perfect...you are pissed and decided to break the law. You can justify it all day, but that is what it is, justification. If you truly believe that Steam is horrible and Valve has done you wrong, you should just walk away and not touch the game. If you can't do that, you don't have any moral ground to stand on. Which is fine, but if for some reason you were actually caught and had to pay a fine, I am one person who won't feel sorry for you. Enjoy your copyright infringing
Wow. Here is an even better idea. If you don't like the company, don't play the game. Don't pirate it, just ignore it and go on with your life. The options aren't: buy or pirate. Obviously you failed to realize this. You sit on your side bithcing and moaning how you were inconvienenced. It would have eventually worked, but you decided to over-react. All you wrote was a long ass justification for copyright infringement. Congratulations, your morals suck. The people who worked 5 years on this won't get any of your money...and you are so proud of yourself, that you want them to pay you money. Beyond my comprehension...it's people like you who are the problem.
So you are making comments based on pictures and videos rather than actually playing the game. That's pretty ridiculous. It is pretty clear you are just bitter it isn't on Linux from your later comments. Seriously, if you don't intend to buy and play the game, why bother commenting. And to say they look like crap is pretty amazing...I'd like to see you do half as well.
Oh, give me a break...Valve needed Vivendi to put half life 2 in the public eye? Are you on crack? Seriously, promoting half life 2 would be like promoting giving away 100 dollar bills, it's just stupid. Retail distribution costs are NOTHING compared to the cost of actually creating the game. Particularly with half life 2, there is no risk for Vivendi...they just have to just do the shit they were created to do and bring in money. But see, since they are a necessary evil needed to be used by the game companies, they set the prices and fuck over the people who really make the game. Now, the game companies can distribute their game without having to pay Vivendi and that has them scared...so they sue even though it's LEGAL. This is why they are evil. There is no way you can defend them, they are still going to make a large cut on every physical copy they sell...even though they did essentually nothing. Manufacturing, distribution, shelf space are all cheap. Advertisement and retal promotion are unecessary...and if they spent tons of money on advertising...well, that's their own stupidity at work there. Do you work for them or something? How can you defend them? Seriously...go out and make something that takes 5 years of work, then have someone sell it for you and take 75% of the profit. See how good you feel about that.
You are my new hero. Beautiful post!
Funny how marketing will pump up games to a god like status that people will blindly follow. When the game is actually released it never seems to be as good as the marketing make it look. It's a setup for disappointment everytime. Halo 2 is subject to the eyes of the beholder problem. Take drinking beer for example as marketing. If I have enough beer, almost any girl is hot. Apply that to Halo 2 and you have one ugly girl under all that marketing.
Here is the simple solution. Don't listen to the hype. Don't read the site to see what new features are going to be added...don't watch the E3 videos, don't read the reviews. When you play a game based on no assumptions, you can just enjoy the game (or not) and you don't have any expectation that need to be met or exceeded. Just don't buy in...if you do, well, you get what you deserve. I'm sorry that marketing makes things look good...that is kind of what it supposed to do. As a consumer, it's your job to read through the lines. If a mass of people can't do that, then they can only blame themselves.