I'm sure you're right. I also have to admit to bias here: I've never really liked light gun games, whereas I'll play the next just-another-platformer into the ground. But by "boring" I didn't mean that the game would be boring, just that making it would is boring thing to do. It wouldn't advance the state of the art.
... until I found out that it was yet another light-gun game. A new game from Eugene Jarvis! Legendary genius, creator of Robotron 2084 and Defender! Innovation time, right? Whoops, no. Yet another addition to the baker's gross of rail shooters that have been released in the past few years.
I can see where they're coming from. It's more financially sound to make something that's been shown to work, especially in an industry that's hemorrhaging money as badly as arcades are. But man, how boring!
I wouldn't use a Wikipedia as it stands as an authority. If I have to check the contents of an encyclopedia over several hours to verify that it hasn't changed its mind, I think that calling it accurate is misleading.
A static version such as you describe, where each article is verified before "publishing," could be worth using.
"Accurate" implies reliability. It doesn't help that someone reverted the defacement five minutes after it happened, if you happened to grab it during those five minutes.
Java vs C#--man what kid is going to give a damn about your little opinion, or the fact runtimes are into the system? Do I have a.Net compiler coming with my system? Not as far as I can tell.
Assuming you have a current version of Windows, the C# compiler would be in c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\[version]\csc.e xe or the analogous directory.
And my statement about C# wasn't intended as a dig on Java -- okay, maybe a little one -- it was to point out that any the user has serious power available if he or she knows where to look, without downloading anything.
If noone knows where to look, that's a separate problem, admittedly a fairly big one.
DarkBasic looks cool, but IMO if you're going that route you might as well be making Unreal or Quake mods. Which, now that I think about it, does seem to be the new domain for entry-level game makers.
Kids who grew up in the 80s were priveleged in that they could quickly approach what the most impressive programming minds were doing at the time... but this was not because BASIC was so easy, it was because the best you could do was extremely limited. Because of the long start-up time to doing anything interesting, I can't imagine being as interested in learning programming now as I was back then.
I don't think you can blame the tools, though. Windows comes with built-in Javascript and VBScript support in Internet Explorer, and newer versions actually come with the.NET framework, which has compilers for a bunch of really excellent, pro-level languages. For instance, C# is, IMO, a technically better language than Java.
Again, the barrier to entry is larger, but that's because programming for a GUI is fundamentally harder.
Unlikely. But you can get a PSOne and an older game (I recommend 3rd Mix Plus) for probably less than the cost of a new Gamecube game if you shop around.
The knockoffs are not quite identical: the foam padding is of much lower quality.
But in any case, the RedOctane Ignition and clones are only good for about 200 hours of serious use before they break down. Unless you're strapped for cash or are going to be moving around a lot, I recommend going straight from the cheap pads to the $200 RedOctane Metal, which lasts essentially forever.
Oh, and regarding Level Six, they took my money in October for a ~$75 order and never sent me a goddamn thing, including a reply to any of my email after November. Real professional, those guys.
I always thought the calorie counter in DDR was a great idea, but wondered about its accuracy; every other piece of exercise equipment tells me I'm burning about 3 calories per hour.
I couldn't find much hard information online about its accuracy, but I did find this FAQ, which includes cheat codes to effortlessly max out the calorie counter.
It's missing two key features from Neverwinter Nights, though: the emphasis on content creation, and the hair that acts like a hair-painted bowl attached to the scalp by a spring.
A less deceptive way of phrasing it is that AOL has blocked 500 billion emails from reaching the intended recipients. I doubt very much that this figure takes into account the ridiculous rate of false positives that AOL's rather loose definition of "spam" results in.
This is mostly good for engineer types, but this is slashdot...
The Way Things Go is a half hour recording of the performance of a rube goldberg machine. All sorts of physical and chemical reactions happening in a row. You may have seen the Honda "Cog" advertisement that ripped it off.
If you have the right mindset, it's riveting from beginning to end.
I don't know if it qualifies as truly abstract, because some of the imagery definitely seems to represent actual objects, but this article made me think of vib-ribbon. It has a great look, but it's one that I'm pretty surprised made it onto shelves.
Just for the record, min spec (according to ebgames.com) for GTA:VC PC is 915MB of hard disc space +635MB additional if your video card does not support DirectX texture compression. It should be obvious that the Gamecube would not support DirectX anything.
Everything else aside, DirectX texture compression isn't the only kind of texture compression. The Gamecube supports S3TC, specifically.
Right now, I'm a fairly satisfied Netflix subscriber. I'd like to rent video games the same way, but I don't have enough free time to make renting three movies and three video games at the same time worth $40 per month. However, three movies or video games would be well worth $20 per month. Is there such a service? Or is there any news on the horizon for Netflix to offer this service?
Don't worry, as soon as movies and video games are out of the picture, they'll get right back on burning books.
Back when books were the most immersive media, children spent much of their free time reading, and here was a lot more furor over violent and sexual scenes in books. Now that children are gravitating to movies and video games, that's where the furor goes.
Sometimes books get a revival, too. There were people who accused the Harry Potter series of corrupting young minds, and you sure could hear those people loud and clear.
First, can anyone tell me what they did to Good And Evil to make it more Gen X? I haven't played it, and he helpfully fails to provide any examples.
I'm not certain, but I've looked at a few screenshots and I noticed that the earlier ones have her wearing jeans and the latest ones have her wearing patchy cargo pants.
Second, since when is a goatee Gen X? If I remember, goatees went out of style like 4 or 5 years ago.
So did Gen X -- Generation Xers are now in their 30s:). Goatees still convey "attitude," though, at least in fiction.
Third, how does Viewtiful Joe not meet these criteria of evil that he describes?
Good question... I'm guessing because Viewtiful Joe is played as a satire.
The only games in the Japanese RPG genre I've played are a few Squaresoft games and Dragon Warrior 1. I think they're so-so. I often rant about their negative characteristics, but this is really not a reaction to the games themselves so much as to the gushing Square fanboys.
Doesn't SMB3 contain Mario Bros? If so, how can someone rank the latter higher than the former? Is this a case of less-is-more at work?
Re:Joel Sposky's preface makes me puke
on
In Search of Stupidity
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Sposky and Chapman appear to believe that market domination defines correct decisionmaking. Criticize people for not understanding the business they're running, but don't criticize them for having integrity.
Criticizing people for not understanding business is precisely what Joel was doing. Delivering good products not the goal of a software company; making money is. Making a good product is a luxury, and it turned out to be one that Netscape couldn't afford. Staying stagnant for three years while your competitor's product is making steady improvements is not the path to victory.
Also:
If Marc Andreesen said the code sucked, and needed a rewrite, then it sucked and needed a rewrite
I'm pretty certain you're not attributing godlike infallibility onto Mr. Andreesen, but I can't parse this sentence any other way. What is it you're trying to say?
Slashdot Mirror
I can see where they're coming from. It's more financially sound to make something that's been shown to work, especially in an industry that's hemorrhaging money as badly as arcades are. But man, how boring!
A static version such as you describe, where each article is verified before "publishing," could be worth using.
"Accurate" implies reliability. It doesn't help that someone reverted the defacement five minutes after it happened, if you happened to grab it during those five minutes.
Considering that a Wiki is modifiable by anyone, I don't see how they can advertise that the Wikipedia is accurate with any degree of confidence.
Assuming you have a current version of Windows, the C# compiler would be in c:\windows\microsoft.net\framework\[version]\csc.e xe or the analogous directory.
And my statement about C# wasn't intended as a dig on Java -- okay, maybe a little one -- it was to point out that any the user has serious power available if he or she knows where to look, without downloading anything.
If noone knows where to look, that's a separate problem, admittedly a fairly big one.
DarkBasic looks cool, but IMO if you're going that route you might as well be making Unreal or Quake mods. Which, now that I think about it, does seem to be the new domain for entry-level game makers.
I don't think you can blame the tools, though. Windows comes with built-in Javascript and VBScript support in Internet Explorer, and newer versions actually come with the .NET framework, which has compilers for a bunch of really excellent, pro-level languages. For instance, C# is, IMO, a technically better language than Java.
Again, the barrier to entry is larger, but that's because programming for a GUI is fundamentally harder.
Not in any way that was significant to me, but I play mostly in workout mode. Less flashy. Different songs, maybe fewer.
Unlikely. But you can get a PSOne and an older game (I recommend 3rd Mix Plus) for probably less than the cost of a new Gamecube game if you shop around.
But in any case, the RedOctane Ignition and clones are only good for about 200 hours of serious use before they break down. Unless you're strapped for cash or are going to be moving around a lot, I recommend going straight from the cheap pads to the $200 RedOctane Metal, which lasts essentially forever.
Oh, and regarding Level Six, they took my money in October for a ~$75 order and never sent me a goddamn thing, including a reply to any of my email after November. Real professional, those guys.
I couldn't find much hard information online about its accuracy, but I did find this FAQ, which includes cheat codes to effortlessly max out the calorie counter.
It's missing two key features from Neverwinter Nights, though: the emphasis on content creation, and the hair that acts like a hair-painted bowl attached to the scalp by a spring.
A less deceptive way of phrasing it is that AOL has blocked 500 billion emails from reaching the intended recipients. I doubt very much that this figure takes into account the ridiculous rate of false positives that AOL's rather loose definition of "spam" results in.
The Way Things Go is a half hour recording of the performance of a rube goldberg machine. All sorts of physical and chemical reactions happening in a row. You may have seen the Honda "Cog" advertisement that ripped it off.
If you have the right mindset, it's riveting from beginning to end.
I don't know if it qualifies as truly abstract, because some of the imagery definitely seems to represent actual objects, but this article made me think of vib-ribbon. It has a great look, but it's one that I'm pretty surprised made it onto shelves.
You watch out, or this quote will end up on the box.
Everything else aside, DirectX texture compression isn't the only kind of texture compression. The Gamecube supports S3TC, specifically.
Personally, I like being able to answer the phone without shaving, getting dressed, and combing my hair first.
Right now, I'm a fairly satisfied Netflix subscriber. I'd like to rent video games the same way, but I don't have enough free time to make renting three movies and three video games at the same time worth $40 per month. However, three movies or video games would be well worth $20 per month. Is there such a service? Or is there any news on the horizon for Netflix to offer this service?
Back when books were the most immersive media, children spent much of their free time reading, and here was a lot more furor over violent and sexual scenes in books. Now that children are gravitating to movies and video games, that's where the furor goes.
Sometimes books get a revival, too. There were people who accused the Harry Potter series of corrupting young minds, and you sure could hear those people loud and clear.
I'm not certain, but I've looked at a few screenshots and I noticed that the earlier ones have her wearing jeans and the latest ones have her wearing patchy cargo pants.
Second, since when is a goatee Gen X? If I remember, goatees went out of style like 4 or 5 years ago.
So did Gen X -- Generation Xers are now in their 30s :). Goatees still convey "attitude," though, at least in fiction.
Third, how does Viewtiful Joe not meet these criteria of evil that he describes?
Good question... I'm guessing because Viewtiful Joe is played as a satire.
The only games in the Japanese RPG genre I've played are a few Squaresoft games and Dragon Warrior 1. I think they're so-so. I often rant about their negative characteristics, but this is really not a reaction to the games themselves so much as to the gushing Square fanboys.
Doesn't SMB3 contain Mario Bros? If so, how can someone rank the latter higher than the former? Is this a case of less-is-more at work?
Criticizing people for not understanding business is precisely what Joel was doing. Delivering good products not the goal of a software company; making money is. Making a good product is a luxury, and it turned out to be one that Netscape couldn't afford. Staying stagnant for three years while your competitor's product is making steady improvements is not the path to victory.
Also:
If Marc Andreesen said the code sucked, and needed a rewrite, then it sucked and needed a rewrite
I'm pretty certain you're not attributing godlike infallibility onto Mr. Andreesen, but I can't parse this sentence any other way. What is it you're trying to say?
Hm? I think you must mean Cock Box.