I think Atari may be missing the boat with this one. Car chases are always fun, but not when constrained to the context of a movie set. Why not make a car chase game in which the goal is to outrun the cops, catch the criminal, maybe even cover the footage. Just because it's cops and robbers doesn't mean that they're trying to do GTA. Vice City is nice, but the city is far too small to have any really descent car chases. A huge drivable is something Atari ought to be spending it's resources on.
Complicated games mean a stable audience, however this is not what game companies want. It's important to keep this article in context.
Sega is in quite a precarious position at the moment. The road to becoming a strictly software company has been rough, and stems from the fundamental problem that no one is playing their games. Quite logically, a company with a small market share wants to expand its audience. The simplest way to do this is to create simple games that have mass appeal. Now, this is not some geek-elitist opinion of mine; I am not calling the masses "simple." However, it's much easier to capture a customer by giving them a simple challenge that doesn't take much learning.
Despite Sega's new "design philosophy," there will always, always be a place for complicated and difficult games. Despite the fact that the population-at-large will statistically prefer the "easy" game to the "hard" one, there will always be a sect of hardcore gamers: people with experience on many consoles that enjoy controller-busting challenges. Just as the game industry needs to grow, it also needs its zealots, too. These are the people that are more open to trying new concepts, and will eventually show companies which direction they ought to follow. While a new gamer may be scared by difficult controls, or a non-standard interface, a more mature gamer can look past the learning phase into the real meat of the game, seeing the experience for what it's really worth. This is evolution at work within the game industry, and natural selection has given us analog controls, lock-on targeting in 3d games, and even standard mouse and keyboard controls for first-person shooters.
Really, it is not the games themselves that are complicated, but rather their interfaces. This is something Nintendo understands quite well, and they've taken a lot of flack for it. The Gamecube's controller design oozes simplicity. (Simplicity in that your fingers know precisely where to go.) Certain buttons makes themselves very clear that they are important, and to what degree that importance is. While this works well when all your games follow this standard, third party titles can (unintentionally) muck this whole system up. When playing a Gamecube game, it's very clear whether the game was designed with Nintendo's system in mind, or simply as a cross-platform port. A perfect example is Madden, or any football game, for that matter. When your quarterback goes to pass on your PS2 or X-Box, the buttons for each receiver are very obvious and equally important. A quick glance at either system's controller shows that, clearly, all of the face buttons are just as important as one another, just as each receiver is equally important on the field. Nintendo's pad, however, while perfect for Metroid Prime or Super Smash Bros., simply sucks as a football controller.
Now, the paradox has become apparent. At what point does game simplicity break down from lack of control? When does complicated become too complicated? Who, exactly, is to blame for shoddy control? Is Sony responsible for making a pad that's very open-ended as to which buttons are considered important to a game? Is Nintendo responsible for not giving developers enough freedom in their controls? Is Electronic Arts responsible for not using the Gamecube controller to its fullest extent?
I can enjoy the sort of tongue-in-cheek humor this article has, but I wish I could rate this as "-1, Redundant" for the front page. Honestly, it's pointless. This current generation of consoles has had their fates sealed for a year now. Anyone who would take the time to read the article would already be aware of everything presented. None of what is explained in this story qualifies as "news."
Re:But 5.35 MB version used no executable packer?
on
Windows 95 in 4.47MB
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Is the idea to have the smallest possible OS capable of doing x or y? check...
Is the idea to have the smallest possible OS that looks like Windows 95? check...
Is the idea to have the smallest possible 'distribution' of Windows 95 attainable by just removing unecessary features?
i agree with the parent here.
Do we want smallest in terms of RAM usage, or smallest in terms of disk space? What do we then if we run it on a RAM disk? Which space counts?
no prob, bob.
Honestly, this post seemed like a good idea when I started typing it. Now I'm apprehensive to hit the submit button. Maybe that's a bad sign...
Reminds me of that tiny copy of Windows 3.1 that came on the Windows 95 disc. Used only during installation, a certain cab file contained all the necessary files to run 3.1 apps. All one needed to do was decompress the file, copy the Program Manager or any other shell program to the same directory, and add it into the win.ini (or was it the system.ini?) file. The entire thing was so small, it fit comfortably onto a 1.44 meg floppy.
I think the file was user.cab, although I'm not sure. Guess I gotta dig up that old 95 install disc.
I believe/. article is a bit misleading. It makes it seems like the attorneys are taking their fees directly from the total settlement amount. From the article:
If the Court approves the settlement, the Court will determine reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses to be awarded to Class Counsel. The attorneys' fees and expenses approved by the Court will be paid by Microsoft, and will not reduce, in any way, the amount of Settlement Benefits paid to Class Members.
So really, the people aren't getting stiffed, they're just getting gypped. However, the people of Florida will get some indirect benefits:
Microsoft will donate to public schools in Florida with at least 50% of their students qualifying for the federal free and reduced-price school lunch programs, 50% of the difference between the total maximum amount of the vouchers ($202 million) and the value of issued vouchers, if the settlement is approved.
So, while the settlement values seem extremely small, in reality, they're just small. At least the vouchers aren't for more Microsoft software.
"The whole category has been about the customer being able to get control"
Really, who has control here? Given the fact that it's the cable companies themselves that are distributing the boxes and the software, it's pretty safe to assume that they have complete access to information regarding what shows you've watched, what you're recording, etc. This is just the next step towards the uber-specific TV commercial placement of the future. Buy, my pretties, buy!
According to the site, the device will support "mp3". So perhaps it will allow free transfer of mp3s instead of Sony's crazy little proprietary format. This is probably a concession on the company's part in order to make the steep price more digestible.
It looks like there should be a perfectly scale working model crt monitor, all boxy and grey sitting up on the dashboard, with a tiny, loud IBM ps2 keyboard. Adorable, really...
Slashdot Mirror
from the mad-max dept.
What the hell...? Oh, wait, I think I just got it.
Those Aussies are mad!!!
Okay, Aussies, Mel Gibson, Mad-Max.
That was dumb.
I think Atari may be missing the boat with this one. Car chases are always fun, but not when constrained to the context of a movie set. Why not make a car chase game in which the goal is to outrun the cops, catch the criminal, maybe even cover the footage. Just because it's cops and robbers doesn't mean that they're trying to do GTA. Vice City is nice, but the city is far too small to have any really descent car chases. A huge drivable is something Atari ought to be spending it's resources on.
Complicated games mean a stable audience, however this is not what game companies want. It's important to keep this article in context.
Sega is in quite a precarious position at the moment. The road to becoming a strictly software company has been rough, and stems from the fundamental problem that no one is playing their games. Quite logically, a company with a small market share wants to expand its audience. The simplest way to do this is to create simple games that have mass appeal. Now, this is not some geek-elitist opinion of mine; I am not calling the masses "simple." However, it's much easier to capture a customer by giving them a simple challenge that doesn't take much learning.
Despite Sega's new "design philosophy," there will always, always be a place for complicated and difficult games. Despite the fact that the population-at-large will statistically prefer the "easy" game to the "hard" one, there will always be a sect of hardcore gamers: people with experience on many consoles that enjoy controller-busting challenges. Just as the game industry needs to grow, it also needs its zealots, too. These are the people that are more open to trying new concepts, and will eventually show companies which direction they ought to follow. While a new gamer may be scared by difficult controls, or a non-standard interface, a more mature gamer can look past the learning phase into the real meat of the game, seeing the experience for what it's really worth. This is evolution at work within the game industry, and natural selection has given us analog controls, lock-on targeting in 3d games, and even standard mouse and keyboard controls for first-person shooters.
Really, it is not the games themselves that are complicated, but rather their interfaces. This is something Nintendo understands quite well, and they've taken a lot of flack for it. The Gamecube's controller design oozes simplicity. (Simplicity in that your fingers know precisely where to go.) Certain buttons makes themselves very clear that they are important, and to what degree that importance is. While this works well when all your games follow this standard, third party titles can (unintentionally) muck this whole system up. When playing a Gamecube game, it's very clear whether the game was designed with Nintendo's system in mind, or simply as a cross-platform port. A perfect example is Madden, or any football game, for that matter. When your quarterback goes to pass on your PS2 or X-Box, the buttons for each receiver are very obvious and equally important. A quick glance at either system's controller shows that, clearly, all of the face buttons are just as important as one another, just as each receiver is equally important on the field. Nintendo's pad, however, while perfect for Metroid Prime or Super Smash Bros., simply sucks as a football controller.
Now, the paradox has become apparent. At what point does game simplicity break down from lack of control? When does complicated become too complicated? Who, exactly, is to blame for shoddy control? Is Sony responsible for making a pad that's very open-ended as to which buttons are considered important to a game? Is Nintendo responsible for not giving developers enough freedom in their controls? Is Electronic Arts responsible for not using the Gamecube controller to its fullest extent?
Just like in the movie "Rising Sun": "They're distancing themselves."
reduces finger strain from stroking the mouse.
When mouse wheels first started appearing back in 1998, I used to call them the "mouse clit."
I can enjoy the sort of tongue-in-cheek humor this article has, but I wish I could rate this as "-1, Redundant" for the front page. Honestly, it's pointless. This current generation of consoles has had their fates sealed for a year now. Anyone who would take the time to read the article would already be aware of everything presented. None of what is explained in this story qualifies as "news."
I've been getting spam from (supposedly) the "Democratic National Committee" for the past several years. Dean's participation is little surprise.
I ph34r.
Really, I do.
Is the idea to have the smallest possible OS capable of doing x or y?
check...
Is the idea to have the smallest possible OS that looks like Windows 95?
check...
Is the idea to have the smallest possible 'distribution' of Windows 95 attainable by just removing unecessary features?
i agree with the parent here.
Do we want smallest in terms of RAM usage, or smallest in terms of disk space? What do we then if we run it on a RAM disk? Which space counts?
no prob, bob.
Honestly, this post seemed like a good idea when I started typing it. Now I'm apprehensive to hit the submit button. Maybe that's a bad sign...
Reminds me of that tiny copy of Windows 3.1 that came on the Windows 95 disc. Used only during installation, a certain cab file contained all the necessary files to run 3.1 apps. All one needed to do was decompress the file, copy the Program Manager or any other shell program to the same directory, and add it into the win.ini (or was it the system.ini?) file. The entire thing was so small, it fit comfortably onto a 1.44 meg floppy.
I think the file was user.cab, although I'm not sure. Guess I gotta dig up that old 95 install disc.
Apparently, Linux. From the article:
The upshot: Most of us will probably get vouchers worth $12 toward our next (retail) Linux distribution purchase...
I believe /. article is a bit misleading. It makes it seems like the attorneys are taking their fees directly from the total settlement amount. From the article:
If the Court approves the settlement, the Court will determine reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses to be awarded to Class Counsel. The attorneys' fees and expenses approved by the Court will be paid by Microsoft, and will not reduce, in any way, the amount of Settlement Benefits paid to Class Members.
So really, the people aren't getting stiffed, they're just getting gypped. However, the people of Florida will get some indirect benefits:
Microsoft will donate to public schools in Florida with at least 50% of their students qualifying for the federal free and reduced-price school lunch programs, 50% of the difference between the total maximum amount of the vouchers ($202 million) and the value of issued vouchers, if the settlement is approved.
So, while the settlement values seem extremely small, in reality, they're just small. At least the vouchers aren't for more Microsoft software.
Just what we need, a bunch of lumbering, depressed mice.
"...these go to eleven."
Whaat? Whaaaaaaat?
"The whole category has been about the customer being able to get control"
Really, who has control here? Given the fact that it's the cable companies themselves that are distributing the boxes and the software, it's pretty safe to assume that they have complete access to information regarding what shows you've watched, what you're recording, etc. This is just the next step towards the uber-specific TV commercial placement of the future. Buy, my pretties, buy!
Yes, unless you work for Microsoft, in which case he'd also be guilty of crimes against humanity. Har, har, har!
Odds Poindexter loses his job before September: 2:1
Should he be fired, odds that this will fix the "problem": 1,000,000,000:1
The strange rollovers, the lack of _any_ pictures of the things or games, the unclickable clickables... the list goes on and on.
Glad to know I'm not crazy.
Tapwave is bordering on winning the "Most Useless Website Award For A Company Trying To Break-In To An Oligopolistic Market."
Oooo, who will take home the "Crappie?"
According to the site, the device will support "mp3". So perhaps it will allow free transfer of mp3s instead of Sony's crazy little proprietary format. This is probably a concession on the company's part in order to make the steep price more digestible.
Hopefully, this thing will include something like Dolby Headphone for the surround sound.
Hrm... Doesn't the design seem sooo PC case-ish?
It looks like there should be a perfectly scale working model crt monitor, all boxy and grey sitting up on the dashboard, with a tiny, loud IBM ps2 keyboard.
Adorable, really...
My privacy has been seriously compromised. I go through two Mach3 Turbo blades a week. I'm what you'd call "very hairy."
What is this, "nice hack" day?