Do you have a driver's license? Have you been driving long? Yes, if the intersection is not going to be clear, you wait at the line. It is obvious when this is the case when traffic is backed up. It is not like you have to wait for it to be clear before entering if the car in front obviously is going to make it through and there will be room for you. But if traffic is so backed up that you are going 5 mph through the light, then yes, you stop and wait until you see there will be enough room for you. You don't even need a law for that, it's common sense. At least for MOST people.
Wow, way to over-simplify there Dr. Phil. When you figure out how to make a pill to take away man's desire to kill, then let me know. Until then, let's make it harder for nut cases to get guns, ok?
Um, so the standard of living has been improving lately for the majority of people in the U.S.? Have you not been paying attention? I am sure history shows some economists right. I think you need to work on your ego issues.
Give me a break. Blizzard's client UI is incredible because they allow it and designed it to be so moddable by the community. And if you follow it over the years, a lot of popular addons are eventually integrated in to the UI. A crappy client would be one that isn't so moddable.
They aren't preventing devs from selling their work. They just don't want the addons spamming in game and causing degradation in performance and in people's play experience. It just makes sense.
Blizzard doesn't need to do anything you say because there are already companies built around collecting and distributing addons. If Blizzard hosted them, they would have to verify every addon that came out to be of a certain quality level and security level or they would be legally liable for the content of the addons.
Your conspiracy theory is stupid. And you make a dig at a company that has created the most polished/popular MMO of all time...that is renown for their quality code and ability to balance...and you say they don't know how to code. I think you have no idea what the hell you are talking about.
But it WAS leaked. And some similar social engineering technique could be used on paper ballots. And you make it sound like everyone was against you...like not one other person on Slashdot hasn't criticized electronic voting. You are in the majority in that opinion. I think you are probably just crazy because you have an over inflated view of your self importance.
You are an idiot. You have no statistics to prove what most people do or how much most people pay. That's just what you think. The fact is it doesn't cost $59 a year to have XBox live. The other poster was right and your rant was pointless.
That has nothing to do with the legalization of pot. All the marijuana drug crimes are more of a drain on resources than a boost since you have people sitting in jail for enough offenses and cops having to spend time on petty crimes. I think you read digg too much.
Please, for the love of god, look up socialism. You have no idea what the hell it means. Stop watching Fox News and realize that non-lazy, decent Americans are suffering and that we can improve society as a whole by helping each other out and having a little freaking sympathy for people who fall on hard times.
Meh. You speak of facts but I don't think you know what that means. Just because you think someone is a "pillock" (whatever the hell that is) doesn't mean that everyone views them that way. If everyone felt that way about headsets, no one would wear them. So it isn't a fact, like you claim. It is your opinion.
You say people don't like clutter, but then you have all these people with various guitars, microphones, and drums laying around all so they can play one genre of game.
I don't disagree with everything in your post, I more object to your inability to get out of your own mind. You state your opinions as facts. But you are not everyone, so saying what will be popular and what won't based on whether or not it makes you feel like a pillock is irrelevant. 10 years ago millions of people thought playing games was something purely for anti-social losers. Now these people own Wii's. In 10 more years, it might be in fashion to wear technology. Just like 10 years ago people french rolled their jeans and other retarded things. You are too blinded by the now to see what could be. Just look at the past to see this. It may not have come to pass now, but that doesn't mean sentiment will change in the future. Hell, how many people 10 years ago would thing the U.S. could have a black president?
Sorry, that's just your stupid stereotype. People should spend less time judging how others spend their free time and just relax. Some people aren't extroverts. That doesn't mean anything is wrong with them.
No, but I looked it up. Now I know:) It was just a funny comment. I mean, his point would still stand. Couldn't you use your hypergraphia to write for profit to help solve world hunger, poverty, ignorance, etc? Then again, you did just help with some of my ignorances, but that only took 4 words.
I think the "time" argument works more for MMOs than FPS's. At some point, time between two people becomes irrelevant, both people have played so much that they have seen it all or enough to be considered equal. At that point it goes back to who has better reflexes and had a better shot.
I have always had fairly decent reflexes and can pretty much hop in to any FPS and by the end of the day be top on the server. I haven't put in the time others have, but I still can beat them. So I think your definition of skill is just theoretical ramblings rather than being true in the practical or general sense.
Advantages: everyone on one shard (no need to figure out which ones your friends play on and how they are spread out), large scale battles, bragging rights that you have one shard.
Disadvantages: you can't help that people want to be together - the server can't handle too many people in one place, creates a hard cap on the number of people that can be on your shard since just adding more space doesn't really mean people will go there, dev cheating and hacking damages the whole game.
The only thing compelling about one shard is the ability to know if your friend plays the game, you will be on the same server. The disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. Any single sharded game will never be a WoW. It can only handle maybe 50,000 people realistically. It will keep games like Eve a niche game.
That's only fun for the minority of people. WoW proved if you want subscription numbers, you cater to the majority (for better or worse). I like WoW better than WAR mostly because I am more interested in PvE which WAR sorely lacked. I enjoyed the PvP, but eventually it just felt like I was paying a monthly fee to play a fantasy TF2 game that was less fun than TF2.
But they didn't create a problem, they just have a technical mechanism in place that doesn't allow you to play a game before a release date. If the game didn't work, or if the activation server isn't up on release date, or a million other things, I could understand complaining. You try to work the system so you can get the games before it is actually intended to be released by the company. This would be a non-issue if you weren't trying to get something before you are supposed to.
If posts on the web being sensitive and bitchy about anything that threatens X proves that something is on the decline, then I think everything is on the decline.
Really, one person's ramblings means that PC gaming is on the decline? I think all it proves is that you are one of those weird people who have a bias against PC gaming.
Re:Steam and retailers
on
The Age of Steam
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I think people find bizarre things to complain about. GAME got you the game before they were supposed to so that you could play it the instant the activation servers allowed it (i.e. its official release date). They could have sent it later and made you potentially wait a day or two to play the game, but they didn't. I agree that they should state on the box that you can't play it until the activation server is up. But really, you are complaining about getting really good service. I really can't believe how anal people are on this site sometimes. You got the game before the date, you got to play it when you were supposed to be able to play it, yet you are still unhappy.
I think this is a common condition. At a certain point the older generation starts moving to stations that only play music they listened to when they were younger. When they listen to modern music, it has evolved a bit and they have been left behind. So to them, everything is crap because it is different than what they have been listening to for awhile.
If the DRM server goes down, they will release a patch to remove the check if they are a good company. If they are a bad company, then someone else will release a patch that removes it. It is a non-issue.
As far as your second point, huh? DRM isn't hard to crack. This is obvious. Doesn't matter how many formats there are. Before the game is out, it will already be "unlocked" by someone.
Your last point is the only legitimate point. I don't really care about it since I never do it. But if you do, don't buy.
Your post doesn't counter what you are replying to. The Simpsons is episodic, not epic. Characters not reappearing has nothing to do with an ongoing story. It only reflects talent moving on or passing away.
The old joke goes: A conductor and his concertmaster say "Hi! See you later!" before the concert (because the concertmaster would bury his head in his sheet music and never see the conductor during the concert). It's funny because it's true.
That is neither funny nor true. If an orchestral piece was only one tempo all the way through, then a conductor could start you off and let you go. But that just isn't the way it is. There are variations in the tempo that require the conductor to keep everyone together. There is always going to be a strong connection between the conductor and the concert master. You don't have to look up to see the conductor, you see them with your peripheral vision. That's why the concert masters sits where they do. They have the best vision of the conductor as well as everyone else in the section having good vision of their leader.
That being said, after practiced enough times with the conductor, the orchestra can generally do a fairly good job of repeating it since the tempos and pauses has been drilled so many times. So while it is possible to play without a conductor, it is only because the conductor drilled the timing in to everyone's head before the performance. As far as smaller groups goes, the timing is worked out in practice, but if you notice, generally the first violin (or whoever the lead instrument is for the group) will give subtle visual queues to keep everyone together.
So, I basically agree with the parent. We all use some form of click track in music...whether it be a conductor, a drummer, or a machine...there is usually one source that is keeping everything together.
Slashdot Mirror
Do you have a driver's license? Have you been driving long? Yes, if the intersection is not going to be clear, you wait at the line. It is obvious when this is the case when traffic is backed up. It is not like you have to wait for it to be clear before entering if the car in front obviously is going to make it through and there will be room for you. But if traffic is so backed up that you are going 5 mph through the light, then yes, you stop and wait until you see there will be enough room for you. You don't even need a law for that, it's common sense. At least for MOST people.
Wow, way to over-simplify there Dr. Phil. When you figure out how to make a pill to take away man's desire to kill, then let me know. Until then, let's make it harder for nut cases to get guns, ok?
Um, so the standard of living has been improving lately for the majority of people in the U.S.? Have you not been paying attention? I am sure history shows some economists right. I think you need to work on your ego issues.
Give me a break. Blizzard's client UI is incredible because they allow it and designed it to be so moddable by the community. And if you follow it over the years, a lot of popular addons are eventually integrated in to the UI. A crappy client would be one that isn't so moddable.
They aren't preventing devs from selling their work. They just don't want the addons spamming in game and causing degradation in performance and in people's play experience. It just makes sense.
Blizzard doesn't need to do anything you say because there are already companies built around collecting and distributing addons. If Blizzard hosted them, they would have to verify every addon that came out to be of a certain quality level and security level or they would be legally liable for the content of the addons.
Your conspiracy theory is stupid. And you make a dig at a company that has created the most polished/popular MMO of all time...that is renown for their quality code and ability to balance...and you say they don't know how to code. I think you have no idea what the hell you are talking about.
So, are you racist against white suburban people?
But it WAS leaked. And some similar social engineering technique could be used on paper ballots. And you make it sound like everyone was against you...like not one other person on Slashdot hasn't criticized electronic voting. You are in the majority in that opinion. I think you are probably just crazy because you have an over inflated view of your self importance.
You are an idiot. You have no statistics to prove what most people do or how much most people pay. That's just what you think. The fact is it doesn't cost $59 a year to have XBox live. The other poster was right and your rant was pointless.
That has nothing to do with the legalization of pot. All the marijuana drug crimes are more of a drain on resources than a boost since you have people sitting in jail for enough offenses and cops having to spend time on petty crimes. I think you read digg too much.
Please, for the love of god, look up socialism. You have no idea what the hell it means. Stop watching Fox News and realize that non-lazy, decent Americans are suffering and that we can improve society as a whole by helping each other out and having a little freaking sympathy for people who fall on hard times.
That's a load of crap. Look at Solitaire.
Yeah, I think people don't really consider that they get that salary and have 3 months off.
Meh. You speak of facts but I don't think you know what that means. Just because you think someone is a "pillock" (whatever the hell that is) doesn't mean that everyone views them that way. If everyone felt that way about headsets, no one would wear them. So it isn't a fact, like you claim. It is your opinion.
You say people don't like clutter, but then you have all these people with various guitars, microphones, and drums laying around all so they can play one genre of game.
I don't disagree with everything in your post, I more object to your inability to get out of your own mind. You state your opinions as facts. But you are not everyone, so saying what will be popular and what won't based on whether or not it makes you feel like a pillock is irrelevant. 10 years ago millions of people thought playing games was something purely for anti-social losers. Now these people own Wii's. In 10 more years, it might be in fashion to wear technology. Just like 10 years ago people french rolled their jeans and other retarded things. You are too blinded by the now to see what could be. Just look at the past to see this. It may not have come to pass now, but that doesn't mean sentiment will change in the future. Hell, how many people 10 years ago would thing the U.S. could have a black president?
Sorry, that's just your stupid stereotype. People should spend less time judging how others spend their free time and just relax. Some people aren't extroverts. That doesn't mean anything is wrong with them.
No, but I looked it up. Now I know :) It was just a funny comment. I mean, his point would still stand. Couldn't you use your hypergraphia to write for profit to help solve world hunger, poverty, ignorance, etc? Then again, you did just help with some of my ignorances, but that only took 4 words.
And you must play Eve. I can tell by your stunning personality :)
I think the "time" argument works more for MMOs than FPS's. At some point, time between two people becomes irrelevant, both people have played so much that they have seen it all or enough to be considered equal. At that point it goes back to who has better reflexes and had a better shot.
I have always had fairly decent reflexes and can pretty much hop in to any FPS and by the end of the day be top on the server. I haven't put in the time others have, but I still can beat them. So I think your definition of skill is just theoretical ramblings rather than being true in the practical or general sense.
Advantages: everyone on one shard (no need to figure out which ones your friends play on and how they are spread out), large scale battles, bragging rights that you have one shard.
Disadvantages: you can't help that people want to be together - the server can't handle too many people in one place, creates a hard cap on the number of people that can be on your shard since just adding more space doesn't really mean people will go there, dev cheating and hacking damages the whole game.
The only thing compelling about one shard is the ability to know if your friend plays the game, you will be on the same server. The disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. Any single sharded game will never be a WoW. It can only handle maybe 50,000 people realistically. It will keep games like Eve a niche game.
That's only fun for the minority of people. WoW proved if you want subscription numbers, you cater to the majority (for better or worse). I like WoW better than WAR mostly because I am more interested in PvE which WAR sorely lacked. I enjoyed the PvP, but eventually it just felt like I was paying a monthly fee to play a fantasy TF2 game that was less fun than TF2.
But they didn't create a problem, they just have a technical mechanism in place that doesn't allow you to play a game before a release date. If the game didn't work, or if the activation server isn't up on release date, or a million other things, I could understand complaining. You try to work the system so you can get the games before it is actually intended to be released by the company. This would be a non-issue if you weren't trying to get something before you are supposed to.
If posts on the web being sensitive and bitchy about anything that threatens X proves that something is on the decline, then I think everything is on the decline.
Really, one person's ramblings means that PC gaming is on the decline? I think all it proves is that you are one of those weird people who have a bias against PC gaming.
I think people find bizarre things to complain about. GAME got you the game before they were supposed to so that you could play it the instant the activation servers allowed it (i.e. its official release date). They could have sent it later and made you potentially wait a day or two to play the game, but they didn't. I agree that they should state on the box that you can't play it until the activation server is up. But really, you are complaining about getting really good service. I really can't believe how anal people are on this site sometimes. You got the game before the date, you got to play it when you were supposed to be able to play it, yet you are still unhappy.
I think this is a common condition. At a certain point the older generation starts moving to stations that only play music they listened to when they were younger. When they listen to modern music, it has evolved a bit and they have been left behind. So to them, everything is crap because it is different than what they have been listening to for awhile.
If the DRM server goes down, they will release a patch to remove the check if they are a good company. If they are a bad company, then someone else will release a patch that removes it. It is a non-issue.
As far as your second point, huh? DRM isn't hard to crack. This is obvious. Doesn't matter how many formats there are. Before the game is out, it will already be "unlocked" by someone.
Your last point is the only legitimate point. I don't really care about it since I never do it. But if you do, don't buy.
Your post doesn't counter what you are replying to. The Simpsons is episodic, not epic. Characters not reappearing has nothing to do with an ongoing story. It only reflects talent moving on or passing away.
The old joke goes: A conductor and his concertmaster say "Hi! See you later!" before the concert (because the concertmaster would bury his head in his sheet music and never see the conductor during the concert). It's funny because it's true.
That is neither funny nor true. If an orchestral piece was only one tempo all the way through, then a conductor could start you off and let you go. But that just isn't the way it is. There are variations in the tempo that require the conductor to keep everyone together. There is always going to be a strong connection between the conductor and the concert master. You don't have to look up to see the conductor, you see them with your peripheral vision. That's why the concert masters sits where they do. They have the best vision of the conductor as well as everyone else in the section having good vision of their leader.
That being said, after practiced enough times with the conductor, the orchestra can generally do a fairly good job of repeating it since the tempos and pauses has been drilled so many times. So while it is possible to play without a conductor, it is only because the conductor drilled the timing in to everyone's head before the performance. As far as smaller groups goes, the timing is worked out in practice, but if you notice, generally the first violin (or whoever the lead instrument is for the group) will give subtle visual queues to keep everyone together.
So, I basically agree with the parent. We all use some form of click track in music...whether it be a conductor, a drummer, or a machine...there is usually one source that is keeping everything together.