I was going to moderate the hell out of this thread, but I decided to post instead.
People who claim $15/mo isn't "that much" don't realize that us adults have other living expenses and everything adds up.
I cancelled my CoH account because the game is simply NOT worth $15/month. It was a fun game, but I've played other MMORPG's that provide a lot more content and a greater variety of entertainment, and they cost less per month.
I suspect in 2005, we'll find ourselves paying $17.95 for new games. I also wouldn't be surprised if EQ2 and SWG increased their price to $17.95 a month. It won't be long until we're paying $20/mo. Inflation has gone up steadily 2-3% each year, but MMORPG's subscription costs are inflating by 10-25% each year. Companies like SOE actually want to charge you MORE (they've specifically stated this, Raph Koster in fact) for their MMORPG's.
The cost of the "box" should cover the development cost of the game and kick back a bit of profit, just like any other game. Now, if a game costs $15/mo, I expect an entire new game's worth of content ADDED every 4-5 months (which is NOT unreasonable), otherwise I might as well go out and just buy a new game. Right now, other than maybe Asherons Call 1, no MMORPG has provided content additions that are actually WORTH the monthly subscription. They always come out with expansions that cost you $20-$30 MORE just to "activate". It's all bullshit if you ask me.
It's also very un-wise to pay for an MMORPG in blocks (3 months, 6 months, 12 months), despite the discount. The gaming companies are COUNTING on you to pay in advance, this is what they want.. however when you find out the game totally sucks and you already paid for 6 months, then have fun getting your money back (hope you paid with a Visa!). Or what if "your class" gets so nerfed you want to quit (or something else happens, like.. revealing how RETARDED the Jedi system is for your Star Wars game!).. but you still have 8 months left that you paid for.. oh well!
Thankfully, the market is so saturated with MMORPG's now, we have many choices for where we want to spend our money. Unfortunately, for some of us, developers still haven't managed to get it right. I think SWG was close, but they screwed that game up so bad it's shameful. Here's to hoping for EQ2 (not likely) or WoW (I hope). Both of which will be $15/mo, if not more.:)
Yeah and this country is also supposed to "separate church and state", meaning the government stays the FUCK (you like that?) out of MY business when it comes to anything regarding religion.
You CANNOT deny that W. is a religious zealot, and if you do, I'll reference two dozen speeches and television spots that prove it; just in the last year. Bush wants nothing more than for everyone to picture America as the ideal Christian civilization.
This is the 21st century, not 1776. Things change and we either evolve as a country or we dissapear. I agree that porn is demeaning to women (most porn) but it's my "god given" RIGHT as an AMERICAN to CHOOSE to watch and or partake in something like pornography. No one forces these women to do it and no one forces you to watch it. You do realize that nearly all woman porno stars either do it for the pleasure or for the money, right? No one in the porn industry is forced to do anything, otherwise it'd be illegal.
In my honest opinion, organized religion (Christianity, Judism, Islam, etc) is for the weak, naive and stupid. Religion causes war, that's a proven fact. Middle Eastern Muslims hate Christians. They have for centuries.
Not to mention the Elephants and the jack-asses have turned this country upside down, but that's another argument for another time.
No one has any right to tell me how to live my recreational life. No one has any right to tell me I can't say "Hey, you.. religious person.. go fuck yourself and I hope you burn in 'hell'"! If you don't like it, move to China.
Being American in the 21st century is about CHOICE. Don't force feed me any of your bullshit because you're a weak minded individual who's been brain washed by the religious right.
Decency is in the eye of the beholder, not the government or religious fanatics who hold governmental powers and make laws. Don't try to protect me from myself, I don't need it, nor want it.
I honestly don't think the PSP is going to be much of a game machine. It will more than likely cost too much, which will be it's biggest downfall. I give a shit about moveis and MP3's..
You're right, the work I do is 'little' now a days, which is why I phrased it that way, jackass!
I can't keep track of who the fuck everyone is? Am I a fucking robot with a photographic memory? I have much more important shit to worry about. His name was FAMILIAR, but beyond that, I don't know shit about him, other than his predictions and claims are about as off the mark as one can get.
Now shut up and sit down.
I do a little work in the 'industry'.
That guy is a complete IDIOT.
Not to mention he sounds like a Nintendo (or Sony) fangirl. He's probably really 14 years old because that's about where his knowledge level of the industry stands.
Nothing keeps me from running Windows. Windows XP is a great OS, unless you're a total goof with no common sense (which is why the Mac exists).
I DON'T run Linux because of all the insane Linux Nazi's. Seriously. Same reason I don't run AMD. AMD Nazi's really turn me off.
No, Shadowrun for the Genesis was the best game of that era.:)
Shadowrun for the SNES sucked though... but the one for Genesis was SOOO flippin' cool. I know people who've went out searching for a Genesis system just to play that game.
Why have there been no new Shadowrun games!! And we're getting a RIFTS game, finally.. but it's on N-GAGE!?!?
I make quite a bit of money doing contract work on MS products.. because some of them are too hard to use! Personally, I have literally ZERO problems with Windows XP or Server 2K/2K3.. but I've been around...
I've been a Microsoft man for many, many years (hey, I like Linux too, OK?). They DO make some really great products and I'll argue that to my grave with anyone. Unfortunately, they make a lot of crappy products too. They also have a lot of "Upgrades" that really aren't much of an Upgrade, or are really UN NEEDED.
I think people focus on the bad too much. People love to hate Microsoft. You ALWAYS root for the little guy (Mac and Linux). Microsoft does a lot of GOOD things for communities and businesses, regardless of if you want to admit it or not. They provide the Non-Profit I work for with a nice chunk of grant money and give us a great break on licenses.
Uhh.. that's why they call Portland "Bridgetown"!
Yeah, Freemont bridge is definately freaky.. so is the Markum.. mainly because people are coming around those curves at 60+, merging and driving like crazy assholes..:|
For those that don't know, Portland has.. like 7 or 8 bridges that connect East to West across the Willamette river- all in the span of about 3-4 miles, with the majority of them about 2 miles apart or less.
Legacy of Goku II for GBA was a pretty damn fun (and good) game. They're starting to get on the right track since Atari took over, but yes, nearly all past DB games have totally blown ass (and I'm a huge DB fan).
I always thought it would be a great idea for a development company to design a game, may it be a FPS, RTS or whatever, that ENCOURAGES cheating.
For example, with the purchase of the game, you are given tools, maybe some source code or something, that helps you actually DEVELOP your OWN cheats. The whole point of the game would be to see who could create the best cheats and dominate. You could share them, trade, etc. I know that already sort of happens with some games, but not on the type of scale as I am mentioning - I'm talking about a mainstream, popular-like title.
Hell, make a series of them.. an FPS, RTS, RPG, etc.. if it would help get rid of some of the cheaters from the games I play, then I'm all for it.
You are the one, along with everyone else posting in this thread, who is focusing on the XBox, not me. I was more concerned about PC Games (as I MENTIONED originally, as well as the XBox - because it's the truth) because I've been a PC Gamer for.. well, a long time. I remember coding games out of the back of the old Computes Gazette magazine.. heh
The FACT of the matter is, PC Games AND XBox games won't get fair representation on GameFaq's.. that's why sites like Gamespy don't always let the "fans" vote.
Anyone who reads and pays attention to the site will know that it's very biased towards Sony and Nintendo. PC games and the XBox won't get a fair representation on Gamefaqs. All you have to do is read the discussion forums on Gamefaq's for a while and you'll come to realize this. The site itself may cater to all systems, but the userbase is definately Sony and Nintendo fanboys.
Uhm.. because we were supposed to share our experience and give our opinions on Anti-cheats...:) As I stated, Punkbuster cut down on cheats, but doesn't totally eliminate them. It also seems to run perfect for me, stability-wise.
"I would like to ask the Slashdot community whether you think these systems work well, or do they cause more problems than they solve?":)
I've used PB with the latest BF1942 release. I've had ZERO problems with it. I've also noticed a lot LESS cheaters (but still SOME!) on PB enabled servers, which is great.
It's worked well for me... so far.
Very odd that I see this story!
Originally, I was a beta tester for Xbox Live. My official subscription started in November of 2002. It was a year subscription for $50 - that was the deal given out then. Pay $50 for the starter kit and get a year with it.
Around November of 2003, I noticed a $5.95 charge on my debt card. Oh, it was Microsoft.. it's November.. must be for Xbox Live... no problem (I OCCASIONALLY still used it). I was sort of miffed it auto billed, but hey.. whatever. $5.95, welcome to Corporate America.
Then, my credit card expired (end of November) and I got a new one. Then a few weeks back, my buddy wanted to play PGR2 online. I noticed my XBox Live account wasn't active. I hadn't used it in a while (since November!).
So I use the Xbox Live dashboard and update my credit card information. I don't choose a new subscription or anything like that. I updated my info, it took me back to the main XBox Live menu, then we loaded up PGR2.
So what happend? Microsoft automatically billed me for a YEAR after I updated my card! They actually pro-rated it, taking into consideration the one month I had already paid them back in November (how thoughtful of them!), so I basically had a $50+ charge on my debt card. I wasn't cool with that, at all, especially since NO WHERE did it say when I was updating my info, that it was GOING TO BILL ME FOR A YEAR OF SERVICE, PLUS the fact that MS had already started to 'renew' my service back in Nov. for the $5.95 monthly charge - what I WANTED to pay for my subscription.
So I called Microsoft early last week. Got bounced around three times. Finally spoke with a guy who told me if I go into the dashboard and change the subscription type to monthly, it will automatically refund my card and prorate it. I was very skeptical (should have known better), but I agree'd to try it and call back in a few days if it didn't work (my bank provides near real-time online banking so I can track things very closely).
Needless to say, three days later, still nothing had changed. So I called MS back. Only got bounced around twice this time. The guy on the phone PROMISED that I would get a call from a Supervisor within the next "couple days" and we would "fix" this issue. I just wanted my subscription set up as monthly and a refund on their yearly charge.
So it's been a WEEK now, and guess what? No call back. I gave them my cell # too, which I ALWAYS have with me so I know I didn't miss their call.
I am getting ready to call them back today... and probably cancel my XBL account all together. I've been very nice this entire time. If they don't refund my card, I will go straight to my bank and dispute it.
Don't be like the rest of the SHEEP and get a PS2.. get a REAL system if you want to experience console gaming - get the Xbox.
Highly suggest Halo 2 (better than ANY PS2 game), Splinter Cell (far better graphics on the XBox than PS2 or GC), Need for Speed 2 Hot Pursuit, Mech Assault (fun game for a first-timer) and/or Morrowind for that all inclusive RPG experience. Shenmue II is also a FABULOUS adventure game, highly recommend that as well. Metal Gear Solid is overrated.
I think the Fileplanet subscription is definately worth it. It's what, like $50 a year or something? That's what my subscription cost me last year, plus I got a year free of CGW. It just expired and I plan on renewing it. As far as large demo downloads go, I don't think we're going to see them get any smaller... only bigger. Expect even more pain in the future. Solutions like Fileplanet subscriptions really help ease the pain. Newsflash: It costs MONEY to be a gamer.:P
Also.. shameless plug. There's a site, www.gamerswanted.com, that has transitioned over from another name/site and they're trying to get their forums up and moving. It's a 'quaint' forum and it's coming along slowly but surely. Everyone should feel free to drop by and poke your head in if you're interested in some intelligent, non-fanboy infested discussion in regards to gaming. The site admin has coded just about everything from scratch (including the forums) and it's still a work in progress. Features being added constantly.
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I was going to moderate the hell out of this thread, but I decided to post instead.
.. revealing how RETARDED the Jedi system is for your Star Wars game!).. but you still have 8 months left that you paid for.. oh well!
:)
People who claim $15/mo isn't "that much" don't realize that us adults have other living expenses and everything adds up.
I cancelled my CoH account because the game is simply NOT worth $15/month. It was a fun game, but I've played other MMORPG's that provide a lot more content and a greater variety of entertainment, and they cost less per month.
I suspect in 2005, we'll find ourselves paying $17.95 for new games. I also wouldn't be surprised if EQ2 and SWG increased their price to $17.95 a month. It won't be long until we're paying $20/mo. Inflation has gone up steadily 2-3% each year, but MMORPG's subscription costs are inflating by 10-25% each year. Companies like SOE actually want to charge you MORE (they've specifically stated this, Raph Koster in fact) for their MMORPG's.
The cost of the "box" should cover the development cost of the game and kick back a bit of profit, just like any other game. Now, if a game costs $15/mo, I expect an entire new game's worth of content ADDED every 4-5 months (which is NOT unreasonable), otherwise I might as well go out and just buy a new game. Right now, other than maybe Asherons Call 1, no MMORPG has provided content additions that are actually WORTH the monthly subscription. They always come out with expansions that cost you $20-$30 MORE just to "activate". It's all bullshit if you ask me.
It's also very un-wise to pay for an MMORPG in blocks (3 months, 6 months, 12 months), despite the discount. The gaming companies are COUNTING on you to pay in advance, this is what they want.. however when you find out the game totally sucks and you already paid for 6 months, then have fun getting your money back (hope you paid with a Visa!). Or what if "your class" gets so nerfed you want to quit (or something else happens, like
Thankfully, the market is so saturated with MMORPG's now, we have many choices for where we want to spend our money. Unfortunately, for some of us, developers still haven't managed to get it right. I think SWG was close, but they screwed that game up so bad it's shameful. Here's to hoping for EQ2 (not likely) or WoW (I hope). Both of which will be $15/mo, if not more.
Yeah and this country is also supposed to "separate church and state", meaning the government stays the FUCK (you like that?) out of MY business when it comes to anything regarding religion. You CANNOT deny that W. is a religious zealot, and if you do, I'll reference two dozen speeches and television spots that prove it; just in the last year. Bush wants nothing more than for everyone to picture America as the ideal Christian civilization. This is the 21st century, not 1776. Things change and we either evolve as a country or we dissapear. I agree that porn is demeaning to women (most porn) but it's my "god given" RIGHT as an AMERICAN to CHOOSE to watch and or partake in something like pornography. No one forces these women to do it and no one forces you to watch it. You do realize that nearly all woman porno stars either do it for the pleasure or for the money, right? No one in the porn industry is forced to do anything, otherwise it'd be illegal. In my honest opinion, organized religion (Christianity, Judism, Islam, etc) is for the weak, naive and stupid. Religion causes war, that's a proven fact. Middle Eastern Muslims hate Christians. They have for centuries. Not to mention the Elephants and the jack-asses have turned this country upside down, but that's another argument for another time. No one has any right to tell me how to live my recreational life. No one has any right to tell me I can't say "Hey, you.. religious person.. go fuck yourself and I hope you burn in 'hell'"! If you don't like it, move to China. Being American in the 21st century is about CHOICE. Don't force feed me any of your bullshit because you're a weak minded individual who's been brain washed by the religious right. Decency is in the eye of the beholder, not the government or religious fanatics who hold governmental powers and make laws. Don't try to protect me from myself, I don't need it, nor want it.
I honestly don't think the PSP is going to be much of a game machine. It will more than likely cost too much, which will be it's biggest downfall. I give a shit about moveis and MP3's..
As more and more people come to realize the PSP isn't going to end up a gaming machine.
You're right, the work I do is 'little' now a days, which is why I phrased it that way, jackass! I can't keep track of who the fuck everyone is? Am I a fucking robot with a photographic memory? I have much more important shit to worry about. His name was FAMILIAR, but beyond that, I don't know shit about him, other than his predictions and claims are about as off the mark as one can get. Now shut up and sit down.
I do a little work in the 'industry'. That guy is a complete IDIOT. Not to mention he sounds like a Nintendo (or Sony) fangirl. He's probably really 14 years old because that's about where his knowledge level of the industry stands.
Nothing keeps me from running Windows. Windows XP is a great OS, unless you're a total goof with no common sense (which is why the Mac exists). I DON'T run Linux because of all the insane Linux Nazi's. Seriously. Same reason I don't run AMD. AMD Nazi's really turn me off.
About a month ago, EQ had 400,000 subscribers.. and everyone has their predictions about the next batch of MMOG's.. most of them are wrong.
No, Shadowrun for the Genesis was the best game of that era. :)
Shadowrun for the SNES sucked though... but the one for Genesis was SOOO flippin' cool. I know people who've went out searching for a Genesis system just to play that game.
Why have there been no new Shadowrun games!! And we're getting a RIFTS game, finally.. but it's on N-GAGE!?!?
I make quite a bit of money doing contract work on MS products.. because some of them are too hard to use! Personally, I have literally ZERO problems with Windows XP or Server 2K/2K3.. but I've been around... I've been a Microsoft man for many, many years (hey, I like Linux too, OK?). They DO make some really great products and I'll argue that to my grave with anyone. Unfortunately, they make a lot of crappy products too. They also have a lot of "Upgrades" that really aren't much of an Upgrade, or are really UN NEEDED. I think people focus on the bad too much. People love to hate Microsoft. You ALWAYS root for the little guy (Mac and Linux). Microsoft does a lot of GOOD things for communities and businesses, regardless of if you want to admit it or not. They provide the Non-Profit I work for with a nice chunk of grant money and give us a great break on licenses.
Uhh.. that's why they call Portland "Bridgetown"! Yeah, Freemont bridge is definately freaky.. so is the Markum.. mainly because people are coming around those curves at 60+, merging and driving like crazy assholes.. :|
For those that don't know, Portland has.. like 7 or 8 bridges that connect East to West across the Willamette river- all in the span of about 3-4 miles, with the majority of them about 2 miles apart or less.
The PS2 showed it's age as soon as the Dreamcast came out! Seriously..
Legacy of Goku II for GBA was a pretty damn fun (and good) game. They're starting to get on the right track since Atari took over, but yes, nearly all past DB games have totally blown ass (and I'm a huge DB fan).
I always thought it would be a great idea for a development company to design a game, may it be a FPS, RTS or whatever, that ENCOURAGES cheating. For example, with the purchase of the game, you are given tools, maybe some source code or something, that helps you actually DEVELOP your OWN cheats. The whole point of the game would be to see who could create the best cheats and dominate. You could share them, trade, etc. I know that already sort of happens with some games, but not on the type of scale as I am mentioning - I'm talking about a mainstream, popular-like title. Hell, make a series of them.. an FPS, RTS, RPG, etc.. if it would help get rid of some of the cheaters from the games I play, then I'm all for it.
You are the one, along with everyone else posting in this thread, who is focusing on the XBox, not me. I was more concerned about PC Games (as I MENTIONED originally, as well as the XBox - because it's the truth) because I've been a PC Gamer for .. well, a long time. I remember coding games out of the back of the old Computes Gazette magazine.. heh
The FACT of the matter is, PC Games AND XBox games won't get fair representation on GameFaq's.. that's why sites like Gamespy don't always let the "fans" vote.
nt
Anyone who reads and pays attention to the site will know that it's very biased towards Sony and Nintendo. PC games and the XBox won't get a fair representation on Gamefaqs. All you have to do is read the discussion forums on Gamefaq's for a while and you'll come to realize this. The site itself may cater to all systems, but the userbase is definately Sony and Nintendo fanboys.
Uhm.. because we were supposed to share our experience and give our opinions on Anti-cheats... :) As I stated, Punkbuster cut down on cheats, but doesn't totally eliminate them. It also seems to run perfect for me, stability-wise.
"I would like to ask the Slashdot community whether you think these systems work well, or do they cause more problems than they solve?" :)
I've used PB with the latest BF1942 release. I've had ZERO problems with it. I've also noticed a lot LESS cheaters (but still SOME!) on PB enabled servers, which is great. It's worked well for me... so far.
Very odd that I see this story! Originally, I was a beta tester for Xbox Live. My official subscription started in November of 2002. It was a year subscription for $50 - that was the deal given out then. Pay $50 for the starter kit and get a year with it. Around November of 2003, I noticed a $5.95 charge on my debt card. Oh, it was Microsoft.. it's November.. must be for Xbox Live... no problem (I OCCASIONALLY still used it). I was sort of miffed it auto billed, but hey.. whatever. $5.95, welcome to Corporate America. Then, my credit card expired (end of November) and I got a new one. Then a few weeks back, my buddy wanted to play PGR2 online. I noticed my XBox Live account wasn't active. I hadn't used it in a while (since November!). So I use the Xbox Live dashboard and update my credit card information. I don't choose a new subscription or anything like that. I updated my info, it took me back to the main XBox Live menu, then we loaded up PGR2. So what happend? Microsoft automatically billed me for a YEAR after I updated my card! They actually pro-rated it, taking into consideration the one month I had already paid them back in November (how thoughtful of them!), so I basically had a $50+ charge on my debt card. I wasn't cool with that, at all, especially since NO WHERE did it say when I was updating my info, that it was GOING TO BILL ME FOR A YEAR OF SERVICE, PLUS the fact that MS had already started to 'renew' my service back in Nov. for the $5.95 monthly charge - what I WANTED to pay for my subscription. So I called Microsoft early last week. Got bounced around three times. Finally spoke with a guy who told me if I go into the dashboard and change the subscription type to monthly, it will automatically refund my card and prorate it. I was very skeptical (should have known better), but I agree'd to try it and call back in a few days if it didn't work (my bank provides near real-time online banking so I can track things very closely). Needless to say, three days later, still nothing had changed. So I called MS back. Only got bounced around twice this time. The guy on the phone PROMISED that I would get a call from a Supervisor within the next "couple days" and we would "fix" this issue. I just wanted my subscription set up as monthly and a refund on their yearly charge. So it's been a WEEK now, and guess what? No call back. I gave them my cell # too, which I ALWAYS have with me so I know I didn't miss their call. I am getting ready to call them back today... and probably cancel my XBL account all together. I've been very nice this entire time. If they don't refund my card, I will go straight to my bank and dispute it.
Sorry, hard to stop thinking about Halo 2 when I get to see the demo at E3 next week..
Don't be like the rest of the SHEEP and get a PS2.. get a REAL system if you want to experience console gaming - get the Xbox.
Highly suggest Halo 2 (better than ANY PS2 game), Splinter Cell (far better graphics on the XBox than PS2 or GC), Need for Speed 2 Hot Pursuit, Mech Assault (fun game for a first-timer) and/or Morrowind for that all inclusive RPG experience. Shenmue II is also a FABULOUS adventure game, highly recommend that as well. Metal Gear Solid is overrated.
I think the Fileplanet subscription is definately worth it. It's what, like $50 a year or something? That's what my subscription cost me last year, plus I got a year free of CGW. It just expired and I plan on renewing it. As far as large demo downloads go, I don't think we're going to see them get any smaller... only bigger. Expect even more pain in the future. Solutions like Fileplanet subscriptions really help ease the pain. Newsflash: It costs MONEY to be a gamer. :P
Also.. shameless plug. There's a site, www.gamerswanted.com, that has transitioned over from another name/site and they're trying to get their forums up and moving. It's a 'quaint' forum and it's coming along slowly but surely. Everyone should feel free to drop by and poke your head in if you're interested in some intelligent, non-fanboy infested discussion in regards to gaming. The site admin has coded just about everything from scratch (including the forums) and it's still a work in progress. Features being added constantly.