First off, let me say - I've been playing SWG since close to launch (SantosL of the Gorath Server).
Second - this game has been a wasteland for some time now. I look at my friends list of several hundred players that I met, hunted with, PvP'd with, etc., and see maybe 10 active names still.
I do agree that the Combat Revamp was rushed. I think they have come along very well with it since it was initially put onto the Test Servers, and in a few weeks will be great. The only major major issue still out there has to do with XP for higher levels (in other words, the Jedi), and with uneven damage by higher level mobs. These are BUGS, people seem to think this was done intentionally... get real.
The other thing, is that entertainers and other non-combatants really got the shaft. Some professions are somewhat useless now, and need some serious love or at least a full respec of skills like the combat professions got.
So, to my point: SWG was a broken game. Totally, utterly broken. A player in the old system could essentially recieve stat buffs from a doctor, put on a set of armor that mitigated roughly 80-90% of damage, and solo 99% of the game. This is not fun, and many many friends of mine have left because of the lack of things to do.
PvP was even worse. Certain weapons held a damage type that was not mitigated by armor (though this has recently become less of an issue, which I won't delve into), and some professions could damage an unhealable pool on a character. So this means broken weapon type + broken damage type = wins the PvP. Then of course, you have looted weapons with Damage Over Time effects that begin to creep into PvP, which were commonplace before the Combat Revamp hit. And of course the jedi... but we won't go into that area.
The game was not fun to play, let's be perfectly honest. I've done every profession out there on one character or another, have stupid jedi which I dislike greatly, and really only work as a Bounty Hunter for fun.
Why is the Combat Revamp necessary? The combat system was so broken (look at a profession like Pistoleer that had 2 or 3 combat specials out of 15+ that actually WORKED), and needed a complete replacement. I do not agree with changing the non-combats (crafting in Armorsmith, and entertainers), but the combat system had to go.
The CU is the best thing to happen to this game, and once these bugs are fixed, I don't see any reason not to play SWG now. As is now, PvP is a blast again, Jedi are somewhat balanced now, and things in PvE are somewhat difficult again (though not impossible).
So, take a step back and look at the game, fellow SWG players. If you thought the old system was good, you need to really think things over.
You know what statistics would be interesting to see?
How much CD sales have dropped off in the period since all these lawsuits started targeting RIAA customers.
It's hit all the newspapers, even Senators are getting in on the act. I wonder if that's had an effect on the public.
Excellent point. I know that if the RIAA was knocking on my door with a lawsuit in hand, wanting to settle for several thousands of dollars, I'd be much less inclined to spend $19.99 for a CD from them. If you are suing your own customers, how do you expect them to PAY for your product, much less want to buy a product from you again.
Why do we assume that life on other worlds would have the same requirements as life on earth?
Definately a good point. Too often, scientists are so intent on studying planets like the earth, and ignore other possibilities. Not to say they are ignorant in doing so: if there is life on our planet, why not narrow down the search to planets like the earth, i.e. similar amount of water, carbon based life, similar atmosphere, similar pressure, etc.
Also, it is possible for life to take different forms based on the environment. Here on earth, water is a liquid, neutral, and readily found. If a planet has a different amount of gravity and pressure, other substances may be found in liquid form, and could harbor life. And Carbon doesn't have to be the building blocks of life forms, it just so happens it has good properties for such on earth. Elsewhere in the universe, Carbon may not be as easily found in solid form...
So... there are infinate possibilities to be honest. But there may be a greater chance to find life similar to what we find on earth if we search first through the earth-like planets.
The reason this kits are gaining in popularity is that you build the system. You don't go out and buy an eMac, or buy a tower, but you put exactly what you want in it. It's something that PC users have been doing for years, and some Mac users as well. It's not about "better bang for the buck," it's just to say that you custom built your Mac.
One thing to remember, Longhorn is not even close to being complete. This is a review of the fifth release cantidate, and chances are, most options in dialog boxes are for debugging. So... chances are, by the time this software hits the shelves, it will not be the same.
I can't tell you how many times I've broken my hand by jumping up and trying to break blocks... And I've gotten sick a few times trying to eat magic mushrooms to make me big too!
I think I'll stay away from those fire flowers, I can't imagine what those would do to me.
You are absolutely right. It would be wonderful for them to go along with their plans, and debunk any support they may have by doing illegal acts.
Unfortunately, the RIAA has too much politcal sway. As it is, they've been scanning hard drives for music files, etc., yet I am not aware of any legal actions against them for this (I may be wrong). As much as I'd love to see them get sued... it won't happen. They'll have enough support (read: bought enough support) to get away with any actions. As it is right now, they've gone too far. No one, not the government, not the RIAA, should have access to your personal property, like your computer. They want to check something, get a warrent. But, it's happening already.
But hell, I could be wrong. Maybe the RIAA will go down in flames, and I'd be happy to see that happen. But if things continue as they are right now, I doubt it will. Remember though, the people do have some power... we elect officials to represent us. Use that power, and things just might change.
Now, I understand the stance that the music industry wants to "frustrate pirates" and get them to stop downloading music. But are they serious with some of these methods? Some of them are blatently illegal:
A more malicious program, dubbed "freeze," locks up a computer system for a certain duration -- minutes or possibly even hours -- risking the loss of data that was unsaved if the computer is restarted. It also displays a warning about downloading pirated music. Another program under development, called "silence," scans a computer's hard drive for pirated music files and attempts to delete them. One of the executives briefed on the silence program said that it did not work properly and was being reworked because it was deleting legitimate music files, too.
So now they are above the law, and can cause a computer to become unstable and crash? Or they can scan your hard drive and delete files at will. I mean, there is a problem with their "silence" program in which it deletes legit music. What's to say it doesn't have the power to delete _any_ files it wants? So now the music industry can have free reign to scan hard drives and delete file they find inappropriate? With that idea in mind, would I be allowed to hack a computer and scan the hard drives, deleting any files I don't like? I think not.
But it's all in the name of stopping pirates, right? It's scary to see such tactics even being considered, and the thoughts of these being used is even worse. Just more steps for Big Brother to have full control. Give them the right to tamper with hard drives, it'll keep snowballing from there...
You like stealing music because it is easy and there are no negatives to it. You will never go to jail. You won't even have a sern lecture from your parents. That's why you do it.
I'm glad you assume that I download music, and lots of it. Fact is: I don't. I haven't downloaded an MP3 for well over a year now. And if I could buy the CD's I want to buy at the local FYE or Sam Goody, I would, just to support the artists with the $0.50 they would get from the album. But if I can pay $10 total to download an entire disk of a mix by Ferry Corsten or Armin van Buurin, and I knew that at least $7 was going directly to them, I would be all for it. I don't listen to "popular" music, and I don't want to support the music industry the way it functions now. So you know what I do? Nothing. I don't buy CD's, I don't steal MP3's. I listen to streaming media via Digitally Imported if I want to here something different. And if you still view that as wrong, that's fine, you are entitled to an opinion.
But I'm not like the typical Joe Q. Collegeguy who leaves KaZaA running 24/7 as a supernode. I do what I feel is right. I'm not putting down anyone here, if you want to get MP3's somewhere, go for it. If you want to buy CDs and support the record companies, that's fine to. But I don't think it's right to assume that I download lots of MP3's, and I don't think it's right to call me as a hypocrite if you don't know my full reasoning for posting what I've said.
Sorry if this seems like a troll, but I think I am within reasonable bounds to defend the point I raised earlier. I'm not forcing my opinion on anyone, just educating those who feel I'm a hypocrite.
It's good to see a company taking a bold step, and providing a service like this without too many restrictions. Now, what Apple is offering is far from perfect, granted. I agree with what most other people have posted: $0.99 per 128kb/sec song is overcharging. But at least someone is providing a decent service for a legit way of getting music online, and the ability to even make CD's with those music files. Apple could have said "no copying, no sharing," etc., but they didn't. This is a lot more open then what I've seen in other services to date.
Now, not to troll or anything, but who is going to actually buy into this service? Even if Apple dropped the price to say,.25 a song for a higher quality format, would anyone still buy it? It's unfortunate... but I don't think it would do well either. Why buy when you can get it free? I guess it's a moral decision, but hopefully Apple will try to use this service to provide more money to the _artist_ and not the record companies. If that were the case, I would be impressed, and I know that I personally would pay per music download if I knew a large majority of the money was going to the artist. It may be a little too much to ask...
But, at least Apple is trying to go along with what some people want. I think that if there is some positive support, this service could grow and improve. I really hope it makes it.
Many commercial Linux distrobutions have tried to bridge the gap between Windows and Linux on the desktop. Several of those have had difficulties in creating a large user base and continuing support in the commercial world. What makes Lindows different from any distrobutions that have come before it (i.e. Mandrake), and how is Lindows able to make a transition from Windows to Linux for a user? The usage of the "Click-N-Run" system seems key, but is this _the_ key feature to bring users into the Linux world?
Poor programming practice to save a few bits here and there led to millions of dollars in cost for software fixes and updates. A classic case of bad programming leading to even worse events down the line.
Not to troll or be annoying here... but I think this is a little far fetched:
" Bush, the closest thing to fascist we've ever had."
If Bush was a "fascist," then you wouldn't have just posted that comment and would be jailed or killed. You still have the right to say that Bush is a fascist or whatever, don't get me wrong. But don't go throwing around terms that don't apply in the situation.
I'm definately interested in the same thing. Why hasn't anyone created a split keyboard like this? I've searched all over, but to no avail. The closest I can find is the half-QWERTY keyboards, but I want two of them, one for each hand. I could see many benefits from this setup, and the only option really out there is the MS un-"Natural" keyboards. I think that a split keyboard would be a perfect setup, with more flexibility in the positioning of the hands (pointing out or in, having greater distance between hands, etc.)
If there IS such a keyboard, would someone please point me in that direction?
I'm really suprised that burned DVD's will be supported. It looks like the reasoning is for DVD movie playback, but to me it looks like its inviting movie/game piracy. There must be more to it then just playing any burned DVD, but whatever protection is used is just asking to be hacked. I really don't see where Sony is going with this one.
I think you've read this comment out of context. In the description posted for the article, it seems out of context as well.
The point that the quote should be making is that it is possible to purchase servers on the x86 platform with an alternative OS installed, not a preinstalled Windows. That's what it seems like, I don't think it's an outright MS bashing, just the fact that Sun is part of the alternative x86 movement.
what about disney stuff then...?
on
Review: Cowboy Bebop
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
This is the one thing I don't understand: Why do critics continually put down anime style artwork but eat up Disney stuff? There's nothing wrong with a Disney "cartoon," but if it's anime, a critic often has some kind of prejudice against the anime movie.
I'm an avid anime fan, and it bothers me to see such meaningless reasons as to why the Bebop movie isn't good. The Cowboy Bebop movie does not have the best stand-alone plot (it goes well with the entire series), but I still think that it's a good movie for a one-shot and the animation did not get as much credit as it deserved in the negative reviews.
However, it is nice to see that a majority of the reviews of the film are mainly positive. It's not like everyone is against it, but the one's who are against it seem to have poor reasoning.
That's ridiculous! I've installed several Linux distros, and I've installed Win98, WinME, Win2K, WinXP on probably a hundred machines. I have NEVER had difficulty getting hardware to work under any of the Windows versions except one digital camera that wouldn't work under Win2K. I've had countless difficulties under Linux getting printers, video cards, modems, sound, etc. to work properly, and sometimes they just never do.
[...]
But try watching the average person install a software package under windows, then try and do the same thing under Linux. They can't do it. Linux isn't ready for the average person, and taking this article as anything other than constructive criticism isn't helping it get there.
I understand your points, but I feel they are common misconceptions. I don't think Windows is ready for the average person either, but everyone runs it. How many know how to stop their computer to stop BSOD'ing? Chances are, very few. I don't know many people who understand the problems of running programs with spyware or programs that mess with registries. People run it and plead ignorance if something goes wrong.
I understand people have issues with Linux installs. Fine, that's a common problem. But the install process is 1% of the time that the user interacts with the OS itself. Windows is NOT flawless, neither is Linux. But I think it is being rather nearsited to view only the Linux problems while not taking the problems of Windows install with it. I've been doing tech support for a few years now, and I recall several instances of bad Windows installs: improper drive formats, errors with driver setups, etc. There are issues out there in a Windows install, and though you may not have personally had any issues, you can do a google search just as easily and find out where problems lie.
Now please, I'm not trying to troll here, I'm just pointing out the differences I see in what you say and what I was trying to say. And I think that Linux is becoming more usuable for the "common" person, if only the "common" person wasn't afraid to try something a little new and possibly better.
I can understand the points the writer brings up: Linux can be tough to use and install at first. However, there are several faults in the logic in the article. For example,
Before you say RTFM, make sure there is AFM to R:...and make sure that the table of contents of a specific software's help file opens when I click the corresponding help button. Context-sensitive help is over a decade old -- I have written a lot of it for Windows -- but doesn't appear to have taken hold in Linux.
I see some problems with this. Last I checked, Windows did not have very good tech support, online or offline. The "help button" in most Windows apps is usually pretty useless. And, the author needs to RTFM.... there are plenty of good resources to use for Linux help, www.justlinux.com being one I frequently used when I needed help.
The writer falls into the trap that most do, assuming Windows is THE perfect operating system. And, it's not, there are just as many faults in installation as there are in Linux. I've seen many failed driver installs, no/bad video, etc. I think linux support is better in some aspects, actually. And the use of non-standard parts for the writer's test PC's (video card in first computer, SCSI card??) would not be 100% in Win95 to begin with.
I just wish writers would view things a bit better before going off complaining about how tough Linux is. If Windows was held to the same standard, the same complaints could be made as well.
Slashdot Mirror
Ugh... sorry... I copy/pasted and paragraphs disappeared :-/
First off, let me say - I've been playing SWG since close to launch (SantosL of the Gorath Server). Second - this game has been a wasteland for some time now. I look at my friends list of several hundred players that I met, hunted with, PvP'd with, etc., and see maybe 10 active names still. I do agree that the Combat Revamp was rushed. I think they have come along very well with it since it was initially put onto the Test Servers, and in a few weeks will be great. The only major major issue still out there has to do with XP for higher levels (in other words, the Jedi), and with uneven damage by higher level mobs. These are BUGS, people seem to think this was done intentionally... get real. The other thing, is that entertainers and other non-combatants really got the shaft. Some professions are somewhat useless now, and need some serious love or at least a full respec of skills like the combat professions got. So, to my point: SWG was a broken game. Totally, utterly broken. A player in the old system could essentially recieve stat buffs from a doctor, put on a set of armor that mitigated roughly 80-90% of damage, and solo 99% of the game. This is not fun, and many many friends of mine have left because of the lack of things to do. PvP was even worse. Certain weapons held a damage type that was not mitigated by armor (though this has recently become less of an issue, which I won't delve into), and some professions could damage an unhealable pool on a character. So this means broken weapon type + broken damage type = wins the PvP. Then of course, you have looted weapons with Damage Over Time effects that begin to creep into PvP, which were commonplace before the Combat Revamp hit. And of course the jedi... but we won't go into that area. The game was not fun to play, let's be perfectly honest. I've done every profession out there on one character or another, have stupid jedi which I dislike greatly, and really only work as a Bounty Hunter for fun. Why is the Combat Revamp necessary? The combat system was so broken (look at a profession like Pistoleer that had 2 or 3 combat specials out of 15+ that actually WORKED), and needed a complete replacement. I do not agree with changing the non-combats (crafting in Armorsmith, and entertainers), but the combat system had to go. The CU is the best thing to happen to this game, and once these bugs are fixed, I don't see any reason not to play SWG now. As is now, PvP is a blast again, Jedi are somewhat balanced now, and things in PvE are somewhat difficult again (though not impossible). So, take a step back and look at the game, fellow SWG players. If you thought the old system was good, you need to really think things over.
But I'm still waiting on my hotdog tree to grow. I planted that hotdog years ago, and the tree still hasn't sprouted...
I hope they weren't using a prototype of the new motherboard as a webserver... cause if they did it just melted.
How much CD sales have dropped off in the period since all these lawsuits started targeting RIAA customers.
It's hit all the newspapers, even Senators are getting in on the act. I wonder if that's had an effect on the public.
Excellent point. I know that if the RIAA was knocking on my door with a lawsuit in hand, wanting to settle for several thousands of dollars, I'd be much less inclined to spend $19.99 for a CD from them. If you are suing your own customers, how do you expect them to PAY for your product, much less want to buy a product from you again.
Some deaf dude? Come on, I'm waiting for someone who doesn't *OWN* or *USE* a computer to get sued.
Definately a good point. Too often, scientists are so intent on studying planets like the earth, and ignore other possibilities. Not to say they are ignorant in doing so: if there is life on our planet, why not narrow down the search to planets like the earth, i.e. similar amount of water, carbon based life, similar atmosphere, similar pressure, etc.
Also, it is possible for life to take different forms based on the environment. Here on earth, water is a liquid, neutral, and readily found. If a planet has a different amount of gravity and pressure, other substances may be found in liquid form, and could harbor life. And Carbon doesn't have to be the building blocks of life forms, it just so happens it has good properties for such on earth. Elsewhere in the universe, Carbon may not be as easily found in solid form...
So... there are infinate possibilities to be honest. But there may be a greater chance to find life similar to what we find on earth if we search first through the earth-like planets.
The reason this kits are gaining in popularity is that you build the system. You don't go out and buy an eMac, or buy a tower, but you put exactly what you want in it. It's something that PC users have been doing for years, and some Mac users as well. It's not about "better bang for the buck," it's just to say that you custom built your Mac.
One thing to remember, Longhorn is not even close to being complete. This is a review of the fifth release cantidate, and chances are, most options in dialog boxes are for debugging. So... chances are, by the time this software hits the shelves, it will not be the same.
I think I'll stay away from those fire flowers, I can't imagine what those would do to me.
Unfortunately, the RIAA has too much politcal sway. As it is, they've been scanning hard drives for music files, etc., yet I am not aware of any legal actions against them for this (I may be wrong). As much as I'd love to see them get sued... it won't happen. They'll have enough support (read: bought enough support) to get away with any actions. As it is right now, they've gone too far. No one, not the government, not the RIAA, should have access to your personal property, like your computer. They want to check something, get a warrent. But, it's happening already.
But hell, I could be wrong. Maybe the RIAA will go down in flames, and I'd be happy to see that happen. But if things continue as they are right now, I doubt it will. Remember though, the people do have some power... we elect officials to represent us. Use that power, and things just might change.
So now they are above the law, and can cause a computer to become unstable and crash? Or they can scan your hard drive and delete files at will. I mean, there is a problem with their "silence" program in which it deletes legit music. What's to say it doesn't have the power to delete _any_ files it wants? So now the music industry can have free reign to scan hard drives and delete file they find inappropriate? With that idea in mind, would I be allowed to hack a computer and scan the hard drives, deleting any files I don't like? I think not.
But it's all in the name of stopping pirates, right? It's scary to see such tactics even being considered, and the thoughts of these being used is even worse. Just more steps for Big Brother to have full control. Give them the right to tamper with hard drives, it'll keep snowballing from there...
Now that's what I'd call a real /. effect!
You like stealing music because it is easy and there are no negatives to it. You will never go to jail. You won't even have a sern lecture from your parents. That's why you do it.
I'm glad you assume that I download music, and lots of it. Fact is: I don't. I haven't downloaded an MP3 for well over a year now. And if I could buy the CD's I want to buy at the local FYE or Sam Goody, I would, just to support the artists with the $0.50 they would get from the album. But if I can pay $10 total to download an entire disk of a mix by Ferry Corsten or Armin van Buurin, and I knew that at least $7 was going directly to them, I would be all for it. I don't listen to "popular" music, and I don't want to support the music industry the way it functions now. So you know what I do? Nothing. I don't buy CD's, I don't steal MP3's. I listen to streaming media via Digitally Imported if I want to here something different. And if you still view that as wrong, that's fine, you are entitled to an opinion.
But I'm not like the typical Joe Q. Collegeguy who leaves KaZaA running 24/7 as a supernode. I do what I feel is right. I'm not putting down anyone here, if you want to get MP3's somewhere, go for it. If you want to buy CDs and support the record companies, that's fine to. But I don't think it's right to assume that I download lots of MP3's, and I don't think it's right to call me as a hypocrite if you don't know my full reasoning for posting what I've said.
Sorry if this seems like a troll, but I think I am within reasonable bounds to defend the point I raised earlier. I'm not forcing my opinion on anyone, just educating those who feel I'm a hypocrite.
Now, not to troll or anything, but who is going to actually buy into this service? Even if Apple dropped the price to say, .25 a song for a higher quality format, would anyone still buy it? It's unfortunate... but I don't think it would do well either. Why buy when you can get it free? I guess it's a moral decision, but hopefully Apple will try to use this service to provide more money to the _artist_ and not the record companies. If that were the case, I would be impressed, and I know that I personally would pay per music download if I knew a large majority of the money was going to the artist. It may be a little too much to ask...
But, at least Apple is trying to go along with what some people want. I think that if there is some positive support, this service could grow and improve. I really hope it makes it.
Many commercial Linux distrobutions have tried to bridge the gap between Windows and Linux on the desktop. Several of those have had difficulties in creating a large user base and continuing support in the commercial world. What makes Lindows different from any distrobutions that have come before it (i.e. Mandrake), and how is Lindows able to make a transition from Windows to Linux for a user? The usage of the "Click-N-Run" system seems key, but is this _the_ key feature to bring users into the Linux world?
Poor programming practice to save a few bits here and there led to millions of dollars in cost for software fixes and updates. A classic case of bad programming leading to even worse events down the line.
" Bush, the closest thing to fascist we've ever had."
If Bush was a "fascist," then you wouldn't have just posted that comment and would be jailed or killed. You still have the right to say that Bush is a fascist or whatever, don't get me wrong. But don't go throwing around terms that don't apply in the situation.
If there IS such a keyboard, would someone please point me in that direction?
I'm really suprised that burned DVD's will be supported. It looks like the reasoning is for DVD movie playback, but to me it looks like its inviting movie/game piracy. There must be more to it then just playing any burned DVD, but whatever protection is used is just asking to be hacked. I really don't see where Sony is going with this one.
Well, what if spammers go to SOVIET RUSSIA? In SOVIET RUSSIA, you spam the spammers!!
The point that the quote should be making is that it is possible to purchase servers on the x86 platform with an alternative OS installed, not a preinstalled Windows. That's what it seems like, I don't think it's an outright MS bashing, just the fact that Sun is part of the alternative x86 movement.
I'm an avid anime fan, and it bothers me to see such meaningless reasons as to why the Bebop movie isn't good. The Cowboy Bebop movie does not have the best stand-alone plot (it goes well with the entire series), but I still think that it's a good movie for a one-shot and the animation did not get as much credit as it deserved in the negative reviews.
However, it is nice to see that a majority of the reviews of the film are mainly positive. It's not like everyone is against it, but the one's who are against it seem to have poor reasoning.
I understand your points, but I feel they are common misconceptions. I don't think Windows is ready for the average person either, but everyone runs it. How many know how to stop their computer to stop BSOD'ing? Chances are, very few. I don't know many people who understand the problems of running programs with spyware or programs that mess with registries. People run it and plead ignorance if something goes wrong. I understand people have issues with Linux installs. Fine, that's a common problem. But the install process is 1% of the time that the user interacts with the OS itself. Windows is NOT flawless, neither is Linux. But I think it is being rather nearsited to view only the Linux problems while not taking the problems of Windows install with it. I've been doing tech support for a few years now, and I recall several instances of bad Windows installs: improper drive formats, errors with driver setups, etc. There are issues out there in a Windows install, and though you may not have personally had any issues, you can do a google search just as easily and find out where problems lie. Now please, I'm not trying to troll here, I'm just pointing out the differences I see in what you say and what I was trying to say. And I think that Linux is becoming more usuable for the "common" person, if only the "common" person wasn't afraid to try something a little new and possibly better.
I see some problems with this. Last I checked, Windows did not have very good tech support, online or offline. The "help button" in most Windows apps is usually pretty useless. And, the author needs to RTFM.... there are plenty of good resources to use for Linux help, www.justlinux.com being one I frequently used when I needed help. The writer falls into the trap that most do, assuming Windows is THE perfect operating system. And, it's not, there are just as many faults in installation as there are in Linux. I've seen many failed driver installs, no/bad video, etc. I think linux support is better in some aspects, actually. And the use of non-standard parts for the writer's test PC's (video card in first computer, SCSI card??) would not be 100% in Win95 to begin with. I just wish writers would view things a bit better before going off complaining about how tough Linux is. If Windows was held to the same standard, the same complaints could be made as well.