Your analogy of building something to add value to your life is flawed. You are buiding it for personal use and will not be selling it to someone.
Now, IANAIPL (I am not an IP lawyer) but I believe if you were to just take their code and use it in your own personal coding projects WITHOUT distributing it to anybody, they wouldn't be able to touch you. The instant you start doing it for commercial gain though is where they can sue you.
You jest, but I think this will be what brings this kind of mainstream. I mean, lets say the neural interface is well designed and functional enough that you just slip a little cap on and it can read your commands.
Some of the easiest commands to implement will be to scroll a webpage, move the cursor, click the link, and then possibly implement some basic browser functions such as opening a new tab, going forward, or going backwards.
The INSTANT they make a plugin that can do this, I guarantee everybody with one of these suckers will be using it for porn.
My basketball example was meant to highlight the "twitch" nature of most sports games. You can NOT simply translate the "hit a to attack, sit back and watch" technique in todays MMORPGs into a sports game. Implementing that correctly would be akin to implementing a MMOFPS correctly. And they tried that already with Planetside and we ended up with the oh so wonderful "cone of fire" (that was sarcasm btw).
Now to address strategy. In EQ and others, the strategy revolves around planning the development of your character so you have certain skills and abilities at certain levels, and then knowing how and when to use those skills in a team environment. Sports games on the other hand rely more on location than simply knowing what combos to do and the timing for them. I'm talking about plays. Where players have set positions they need to stick to for the general good of the team. So far with MMORPGs, for the most part if you just stand near your target and use the button, things work. Again, Planetside took it a step further, but we're still nowhere close to being able to do sports games.
And all of this is leaving out the fact that sports games would require EVERYONE on the team to participate and follow the general team guidelines. One person can ruin it for the team, much like in FPS.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that even if you did group people in games based on their characters exp/skill level so they'd be equal, who the hell wants to play a sports game where you can't do anything cooler than shoot, dribble, and pass (to borrow from my basketball example again) until you spend X number of hours playing so you can level up and be able to dunk, steal, etc.
Sports games are about immediate action, much like FPS, whereas RPGs are about character building. THAT is the reason why all thats been done to date has been RPGs.
"Dean Kamen's wheelchair which allows the user to go up and down stairs, as well as going up on the back wheels to be eye-level with people. "
Now if they could just equip it with the ability to grab elements of its surroundings to add to itself and if it had some of the exoskeleton technology being developed we might finally be able to create something reminiscient of Roujin Z. Ahhh....one can dream....
' This one seems to be targeted at the off-road crowd."
Right because there exists absolutely NOTHING like this right now for the off-road crowd. I mean, that is pure genius to come up with a device that has four wheels, and if you lean back on it it does wheelies. Hell, they could even call it a "4 wheeler"!
The makers of Segway, once again shattering boundaries.
Because sports games tend to require a level of strategy above and beyond that of current MMORPGs. Sure, guilds and clans with voice chat might be able to have fun, but it wouldn't be suitable for the mass market of individual gamers who just want to pick up the game and play.
Plus, sports games tend to be more based on the skill of the actual player than the character, and someone who was good at basketball games would be mighty pissed if they got schooled by some noob who had just played a long time.
You know, I often times feel the same way about Linux stories that are posted. I'm not flaming Linux, I'm just saying I don't really know much about it (yeah yeah...I'm here for the OTHER news), nor do I really know why I should care about all the little projects posted, and they never give a good explanation in the summary. So its not just RvB, its most stories that get posted to Slashdot.
Although, at some point you have to assume that the vast majority of your readers know what it is from previous stories that have been posted about it that DID explain what it was.
This may seem like a dumb question, but could you share with us some insight on WHY commodities traders are better at this game? The game does not have money as we know it, so I don't see how their skills would transfer.
I'm very interested in hearing your answer to this as I've always been fascinated at real world professions that translate well into games.
I was just about the post the same thing although in a more serious tone. It really does depend on which side you're on. And unfortunately, the people with the most money tend to be the ones who get heard the loudest. Although it looks like this time, the youth culture has enough spending power to be able to vote with their dollars.
Now if us Americans weren't so brainwashed into believing their garbage......
1)They've taken all the steps necessary to bend us over and start feeding us a subscription only service to one of the most popular FPS games out there.
Response: Don't sign up for it. Yah, it may suck not to play CS, but there are PLENTY of other FPS games out there that are equally as good and that don't bend you over. If this happens enough, perhaps they will get the message.
2)They can automagically charge your card for things without you knowing.
Response: Its a credit card. If you feel they've unfairly charged you, dispute it with your credit card company. Perhaps their EULA won't hold up after all, especially if enough people raise a stink to piss the credit card companies off enough to have them get in Valve's face about it.
So, its fairly simple, economics should be the deciding factor. Frankly, I have to admire the speed in which they swept people into this. I never thought I'd see the day when FPS went subscription, but here we are. Its pathetic that gamers are standing for this. Even my little brother can do nothing but praise steam, with absolutely no regard for how he's being sucked in to one of the most expensive addictions he'll encounter in his life.
I'm sure we all love this guy and are very concerned about violent video games. This is why you should visit his website every chance you get.
Or, if you prefer a more direct approach, he can be reached via phone at: 305-666-4366 or by email at jackpeace@comcast.net.
And finally, if you really feel like you need to meet him and tell him how much you agree with what he preaches, feel free to visit him at his office located at:
1172 South Dixie Hwy., Suite 111 Coral Gables, FL 33146
I'm really kind of shocked not to see the "Game Guild" listed. Its located in Lake Geneva, WI and is the hometown of the Gygax family. I used to game with them up there in highschool and it was a blast, even managed to get my name in a book as playtester.
Does anybody happen to know if that store is still around? I know they fell on some hard times, but it would be an absolute shame if the creators of D&D lost their local game store. Thanks a lot WoTC.
First, might this kind of be like how the cable companies used to show special "messages" to people who pirated cable telling them to come claim their prize and then busted them?
"Show us those porn sites you've found and get $$$!!!"
Also....I've got to say....if there's one straw that will break the camel's back, or in this case Communist China's back...its porn. Thou shalt NOT deprive a man of porn. Although they haven't really put an effort to kill their sex industry, so who knows.
No kidding. Minneapolis is one of the hotspots of creative cultural activity in the US right now. I'm really hoping I get a job at the Guthrie theater soon which is attached the the Walker. Amazing creative energy here, it really has to be seen to be believed.
Someone please mod this garbage down. Look, I know the general feeling about advertising here, but guess what, its a generalization, and those are bad.
I'm in the advertising/marketing industry and guess what, not all of us are unethical, not all of us want to invade your privacy every which way possible (I myself am quite a privacy advocate), not all of us are clueless when it comes to technology, not all of us are evil.
It really bugs me that people tend to fixate on the bad and ignore the good and then assume the whole thing is bad.
Exactly Gherald. I think the Wired editor gained credibility by disclosing who he was and why he was posting. Unlike another frequent story poster who runs a news blog site and whos name I won't mention lest it cause him to manifest in his veil of flame and ad impressions.
but why on earth would a non-AOL user want to use an AOL-branded version of IE?"
Because not everybody is computer literate enough to know that AOL sucks. Granny aint going to care what some punk tells her if AOL is telling her they can make her internet simpler. I find it distasteful that people on here can't understand that the internet does not make sense to everybody, and that some people need assistance with it.
I never claimed he did. I was saying that Peter has shown he cares about his fans whereas Carmack just enjoys being worshipped and treats people like dirt.
Peter apologizing to his fans and to people who had been waiting with baited breath to play Fable has done nothing but give me more respect for the man.
It is very understandable how the features didn't make it into the game, and in an industry where its standard practice to hype non-existent features and then give no explanation why they're missing, this makes him stand out as an individual who actually cares about the people who play his game unlike some...*cough*Carmack*cough*.
Am I the only one who gets really sick of turning on my PS2 with a game in it and I have to go through the whole damn PS2 menu just to play the game?
Some games just go right to the game when this disc is in and the unit is on, but many don't.
Frankly, with the PSP, if battery life is an issue, and I can't see why it wouldn't be, I don't want to waste time/battery life going to a damn homepage. I want to play a game. This isn't a handheld computer, this is a portable gaming device, don't add steps that make me wait longer to play the damn game.
First off, its not stealing. I'm sure you've heard the argument on here before enough to know why its legally not.
Second, the reason we get in a huff over the slightest implementation of DRM is because its a slippery slope. Once they start doing this, the companies want more money from their product and more control so they implement DRM. They will NEVER leave it at this level of security. Just look at how DRM has evolved because of music.
Frankly, if people don't want to play by our rules, I don't want to play with them or read their content. I will find content from people who "get it" and make it available for free, and if I determine I like it, they will get my money. This is doubly important for print as opposed to mp3s because people tend to want to have their print information in paper form as opposed to electronic, whereas most people don't care when it comes to music.
You say publishers will never trust the users any more but you're wrong. There will be some who get it and reap the rewards, and they will be the ones who thrive on this.
"A book is not a CD with a bunch of (mostly) unrelated tracks. Each chapter adds to the overall story. If "only a few chapters are any good" why bothering reading the damn book in the first place?"
Because it might be a reference book and not a story.
I personally think Apple is getting to this point a little late with too little to show for it. There are already portable video players out there now that do all this and more. Apple really dropped the ball. What they needed was not to make the jumpt to just pictures, but to full video. But now they're going to be a step behind. I hope for their sake that their design is enough to save them.
Slashdot Mirror
Now, IANAIPL (I am not an IP lawyer) but I believe if you were to just take their code and use it in your own personal coding projects WITHOUT distributing it to anybody, they wouldn't be able to touch you. The instant you start doing it for commercial gain though is where they can sue you.
Some of the easiest commands to implement will be to scroll a webpage, move the cursor, click the link, and then possibly implement some basic browser functions such as opening a new tab, going forward, or going backwards.
The INSTANT they make a plugin that can do this, I guarantee everybody with one of these suckers will be using it for porn.
My basketball example was meant to highlight the "twitch" nature of most sports games. You can NOT simply translate the "hit a to attack, sit back and watch" technique in todays MMORPGs into a sports game. Implementing that correctly would be akin to implementing a MMOFPS correctly. And they tried that already with Planetside and we ended up with the oh so wonderful "cone of fire" (that was sarcasm btw).
Now to address strategy. In EQ and others, the strategy revolves around planning the development of your character so you have certain skills and abilities at certain levels, and then knowing how and when to use those skills in a team environment. Sports games on the other hand rely more on location than simply knowing what combos to do and the timing for them. I'm talking about plays. Where players have set positions they need to stick to for the general good of the team. So far with MMORPGs, for the most part if you just stand near your target and use the button, things work. Again, Planetside took it a step further, but we're still nowhere close to being able to do sports games.
And all of this is leaving out the fact that sports games would require EVERYONE on the team to participate and follow the general team guidelines. One person can ruin it for the team, much like in FPS.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that even if you did group people in games based on their characters exp/skill level so they'd be equal, who the hell wants to play a sports game where you can't do anything cooler than shoot, dribble, and pass (to borrow from my basketball example again) until you spend X number of hours playing so you can level up and be able to dunk, steal, etc.
Sports games are about immediate action, much like FPS, whereas RPGs are about character building. THAT is the reason why all thats been done to date has been RPGs.
Now if they could just equip it with the ability to grab elements of its surroundings to add to itself and if it had some of the exoskeleton technology being developed we might finally be able to create something reminiscient of Roujin Z. Ahhh....one can dream....
Right because there exists absolutely NOTHING like this right now for the off-road crowd. I mean, that is pure genius to come up with a device that has four wheels, and if you lean back on it it does wheelies. Hell, they could even call it a "4 wheeler"!
The makers of Segway, once again shattering boundaries.
Plus, sports games tend to be more based on the skill of the actual player than the character, and someone who was good at basketball games would be mighty pissed if they got schooled by some noob who had just played a long time.
Although, at some point you have to assume that the vast majority of your readers know what it is from previous stories that have been posted about it that DID explain what it was.
I'm very interested in hearing your answer to this as I've always been fascinated at real world professions that translate well into games.
So...horrible virus...yes...only affects MS Messenger people..horrible..um......
Ok look, anybody have a copy of it? Or at least the URLs?
Now if us Americans weren't so brainwashed into believing their garbage......
1)They've taken all the steps necessary to bend us over and start feeding us a subscription only service to one of the most popular FPS games out there.
Response: Don't sign up for it. Yah, it may suck not to play CS, but there are PLENTY of other FPS games out there that are equally as good and that don't bend you over. If this happens enough, perhaps they will get the message.
2)They can automagically charge your card for things without you knowing.
Response: Its a credit card. If you feel they've unfairly charged you, dispute it with your credit card company. Perhaps their EULA won't hold up after all, especially if enough people raise a stink to piss the credit card companies off enough to have them get in Valve's face about it.
So, its fairly simple, economics should be the deciding factor. Frankly, I have to admire the speed in which they swept people into this. I never thought I'd see the day when FPS went subscription, but here we are. Its pathetic that gamers are standing for this. Even my little brother can do nothing but praise steam, with absolutely no regard for how he's being sucked in to one of the most expensive addictions he'll encounter in his life.
Or, if you prefer a more direct approach, he can be reached via phone at: 305-666-4366 or by email at jackpeace@comcast.net.
And finally, if you really feel like you need to meet him and tell him how much you agree with what he preaches, feel free to visit him at his office located at:
1172 South Dixie Hwy., Suite 111
Coral Gables, FL 33146
Does anybody happen to know if that store is still around? I know they fell on some hard times, but it would be an absolute shame if the creators of D&D lost their local game store. Thanks a lot WoTC.
"Show us those porn sites you've found and get $$$!!!"
Also....I've got to say....if there's one straw that will break the camel's back, or in this case Communist China's back...its porn. Thou shalt NOT deprive a man of porn. Although they haven't really put an effort to kill their sex industry, so who knows.
I'm in the advertising/marketing industry and guess what, not all of us are unethical, not all of us want to invade your privacy every which way possible (I myself am quite a privacy advocate), not all of us are clueless when it comes to technology, not all of us are evil.
It really bugs me that people tend to fixate on the bad and ignore the good and then assume the whole thing is bad.
Because not everybody is computer literate enough to know that AOL sucks. Granny aint going to care what some punk tells her if AOL is telling her they can make her internet simpler. I find it distasteful that people on here can't understand that the internet does not make sense to everybody, and that some people need assistance with it.
It is very understandable how the features didn't make it into the game, and in an industry where its standard practice to hype non-existent features and then give no explanation why they're missing, this makes him stand out as an individual who actually cares about the people who play his game unlike some...*cough*Carmack*cough*.
Some games just go right to the game when this disc is in and the unit is on, but many don't.
Frankly, with the PSP, if battery life is an issue, and I can't see why it wouldn't be, I don't want to waste time/battery life going to a damn homepage. I want to play a game. This isn't a handheld computer, this is a portable gaming device, don't add steps that make me wait longer to play the damn game.
Second, the reason we get in a huff over the slightest implementation of DRM is because its a slippery slope. Once they start doing this, the companies want more money from their product and more control so they implement DRM. They will NEVER leave it at this level of security. Just look at how DRM has evolved because of music.
Frankly, if people don't want to play by our rules, I don't want to play with them or read their content. I will find content from people who "get it" and make it available for free, and if I determine I like it, they will get my money. This is doubly important for print as opposed to mp3s because people tend to want to have their print information in paper form as opposed to electronic, whereas most people don't care when it comes to music.
You say publishers will never trust the users any more but you're wrong. There will be some who get it and reap the rewards, and they will be the ones who thrive on this.
Because it might be a reference book and not a story.