The success of all subsequent Dooms, Quakes, and even Wolfenstein will attest to people's love for the various franchises that had made ID successful. What you're not realizing is that each sequel is a new game - because of the engine. The improvements in the game engines are nothing short of amazing work each time around.
And the maps, weapons, sounds, art, opponents, and rewards are all new as well. The only thing that is the same is the name of the game and the fact that is a first person shooter...
I just checked out Romero's homepage and although he mentions Doom 3, he also used the word "sequelitis" and goes on to list all of the sequels ID has produced since he left (as opposed to attempting to launch some completely new game as he did).
After reading Masters of Doom, this smells a little like sour grapes to me...
Well RAM overuse will end up using (and temporarily staying) your hard disk, but the real issues have to do with no letting someone get onto your machine in the first place. Stay patched, keep ports closed, etc.
Practice safe-sex security measures on your box and you'll not need to worry about swap files, browser caches, and even that set of nude photos you and your wife took of each other last evening after a bottle of champagne;-)
Pointing out the things someone can get on your machine once they've hacked you isn't really very useful. It's your machine and you're bound to keep things on it you'd prefer not be seen by strangers. Pointing out how not to get hacked is.
I know everyone is saying HP innovates and Dell copies. I won't dispute that.
However, one thing I noticed many years ago, when Dell first became known, was that they built their PC cases with simple one-screw-and-open panels pretty much by default. This was a stark constrast to the cases you'd get from any other PC maker. What a joy to be able to easily access the innards of the PC. I think a lot of companies make cases this way now. I'm not sure that Dell started it, but they were the first I'd seen do it and Compaq and HP definitely were *not* at that time...
You've got to read The Eden Express, by Mark Vonnegut (Kurt's son). It's an incredible true story of an intelligent man who rises from the depths of a debilitating condition.
Let's face it, Google, with it huge number of users and basic reputation for trying to do the Right Thing is one of the only companies that people might listen to on good faith alone. Maybe some companies would fear lower page ranks for non-compliance?
Who knows? But it's really hard to disagree with their initial motivation for putting this together:
"we are alarmed by what we believe is a growing disregard for your rights as computer users..."
And besides, what did it cost Google to put that little page together? An infinitesmal investment to show people they care;-)
I did Read The Fucking Article (both of them), Mr. Anonymous Coward.
Fred simply states he was trying to install Linux for purposes of "business computing". Business computing does encompass the use of servers as well as desktops the last time I checked.
RTFA 999 times? Yeah ok thanks for the constructive criticism.
Learn to read please. It said, "becoming a public company"...
Once you announce filing for an IPO, it is all about being financially responsible. Google never has even discussed displaying banner ads till now (after the IPO announcement). Coincidence? Moot? Whatever you say.
A song about a broken hearted guy who ends up having sex with a robot that is part vacuum cleaner part robotic pig. He ends up short circuiting it (getting it wet somehow) and going to jail for murder (illegal to harm cyborgs in the futuristic society).
BTW - I'm pretty sure the robot was a male. Anyone remember this?
The RIAA being a filthy bunch of liars is one thing (in that they continuously ignorethe real statistics in regards to file sharing and CD sales), but it's even worse that they knowingly shame others into doing what they want under the guise of some righteous premise that they themselves are violating to a much greater extent. Ripping off the artists that they're suing everyone else on the behalf of - sickening really.
Kind of reminds of me of some bigger (cough - Catholic Church) examples (cough - US war effort).
I'm sure that last bit will get me slammed. There goes my karma =D
I'm pretty happy with my rig at home, but every now any then it would start to hum pretty loudly. After a little investigation, it turned out to be the fan on my nvidia GForce 4200 card.
A lot of posts online said the solution was to buy and install a new fan for the card. I simply tried taking the fan apart and squirting a little WD40 (no kidding) into the bottom of the where the fan connects to the base. Seems to work each time.
But let's face it, most PCs (or even my Tivos) are (almost) a little too loud for ubiquitous use in the home. I still have them all set up, but wish they were a bit quieter...
That isn't the worst idea I've heard at all. I've seen over 50 Dead concerts and all of them were taped for free by people in the tapers section. I always made it my business to get a hold of the tapes of the shows I went to.
For bands I've seen in smaller bars and clubs, I can't tell you the number of times I bought their CD (usually self-published) on the way out if I had a good time (as well as how many drinks I knocked down =D )
It's certainly smart to present the concert goer with the ability to make an impulse buy, right after they're coming off the high of enjoying a great concert...
Multiplayer Online
on
D&D Is 30
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· Score: 5, Interesting
Having been a old school D&D player (4 hours after school almost every day in high school), I have always looked forward to the development of D&D PC games. The well thought out rules and balance in D&D kind of spoiled me as I would only play games that used the actual D&D rules (same races, classes, spell names, etc). Even Diablo (although fun at the time) was a stretch because it really didn't use the same conventions. And the multiplayer was all about hacks and player killing.
Of course I ripped through all of the SSI games and the Baldur's Gate Series. Then came Neverwinter Nights. A beautiful game, but instead of controlling a party of people, it's just one character and a side-kick. This was a big mistake. However, the fact that one could assume the role of Dungeon Master made this game somewhat revolutionary.
But after playing multiplayer online a bit, I must say, that although I have found some new places to explore (people have spent some time on putting together some very cool levels), it still seems to come down to everyone being 40th level and killing each other. Maybe I'm just not playing in the right places?
Maybe I'm just missing the old days of getting together with pen paper and the dodecahedrons? I don't think so - who's got time for trying to orchestrate that?
And yes, I've tried Everquest and just couldn't seem to get into the flow of it. I couldn't see what the "big deal" was...
Good point about the moral issue. If the company is doing people dirty, then they deserve to get reported. I just find people who get too wrapped up in getting revenge on their job a little creepy.
p.
Glad to hear of your good experience with your car insurance. Just don't get any major illnesses and you'll be fine...
First off, there are a couple of links to articles describing what happened, the Security Focus article was the most informative.
So we've got this guy working for an insurance company who decides to inform the Dept. of Insurance that they are cancelling policies unlawfully. This is a good thing and brave of him to do it. Hopefully his motivations were purely good and not just because he was pissed he didn't get a raise last year or something.
And let's face it, insurance companies are the some of the worst kinds of organizations in corporate America. They collect huge sums of money via premiums - that are based in people's fear that something terrible could happen. And then as soon as you need them (you have an accident, someone in your family gets ill, etc.), they immediately initate every effort to not pay you in your time of need. I know it's how they do business, but it's a disgrace. I have experienced this first hand more than once...
Back to the story, the guy then plants a keystroke logger on a secretary's PC in order to collect further info for his crusade and to aid lawyers in a class action suit against his company. He obviously crossed a line here. And in the middle of this, he finds himself fired (curious). So he asks a former co-worker to retrieve the logger for him? And of course being a good insurance company employee, she rats him out.
I applaud his intentions, if they were indeed based in fairness and the public good. He did get carried away for sure by planting the bug. But I can't believe the stupidity of (1) admitting he planted it to a former co-worker and (2) expecting her to help him retrieve it and f--k the company she still worked for. I guess he really was a bit of a dreamer...
I hear you on the fanboy/loyalty issue. But I believe he's giving me an objective opinion. He's playing PS2, but mostly PC gaming now. He's not allied one way or the other...
This is what I was referring to (from the article). Sorry if I wasn't clear...
"The Informa Media Group predicts that Sony will sell more than 30 million PlayStation 3s in Europe by 2010. It puts Microsoft in second place with 10 million sales and Nintendo trailing in third with five million."
Learn to read. I didn't gut the Main Event cabinet. I had it. I liked it. It got tired after a few years. I sold it on eBay.
And buying old full sized games in cabinets is NOT a "cheap hobby". They run several hundred (if not over $1,000) each. I don't think most people have the space or the room for it.
I'm sure if I wasn't so lazy, I could look up the pros and cons myself, but thanks for pointing this out.
I guess you can get all the games you want too? I heard Halo is pretty good... I guess I'd rather go with the system that gives me the most choices in terms of games. I think of lot of companies are still producing titles for the PS2/3 first and then worrying about (or not) the XBox, Nintendo, and the PC.
The PS2 (and predicted PS3) dominance is no surpise. But I must admit to being surprised by the numbers: 30 million to Sony / 10 million to Microsoft / 5 million to Nintendo.
Microsoft seems to have made decent inroads, doubling Ninendo's market share. I know they have the marketing bucks, but my question is why would anyone buy an xBox instead of a PS? PS has more games and better overall quality and reliability.
This is how I hear it from my nephew, the hardcore gamer anyway. I like to play games, but this kid spends 8 hours a day gaming it up on the PC and PS2. The consensus among his set is that the xBox is not even a consideration...
Slashdot Mirror
The success of all subsequent Dooms, Quakes, and even Wolfenstein will attest to people's love for the various franchises that had made ID successful. What you're not realizing is that each sequel is a new game - because of the engine. The improvements in the game engines are nothing short of amazing work each time around.
And the maps, weapons, sounds, art, opponents, and rewards are all new as well. The only thing that is the same is the name of the game and the fact that is a first person shooter ...
After reading Masters of Doom, this smells a little like sour grapes to me ...
Practice safe-sex security measures on your box and you'll not need to worry about swap files, browser caches, and even that set of nude photos you and your wife took of each other last evening after a bottle of champagne ;-)
Pointing out the things someone can get on your machine once they've hacked you isn't really very useful. It's your machine and you're bound to keep things on it you'd prefer not be seen by strangers. Pointing out how not to get hacked is.
Try Mocap Boxing. It's pretty realistic and simulates going a few rounds. You will sweat your ass off and it's great fun ...
However, one thing I noticed many years ago, when Dell first became known, was that they built their PC cases with simple one-screw-and-open panels pretty much by default. This was a stark constrast to the cases you'd get from any other PC maker. What a joy to be able to easily access the innards of the PC. I think a lot of companies make cases this way now. I'm not sure that Dell started it, but they were the first I'd seen do it and Compaq and HP definitely were *not* at that time ...
You've got to read The Eden Express, by Mark Vonnegut (Kurt's son). It's an incredible true story of an intelligent man who rises from the depths of a debilitating condition.
Who knows? But it's really hard to disagree with their initial motivation for putting this together:
And besides, what did it cost Google to put that little page together? An infinitesmal investment to show people they care ;-)
Fred simply states he was trying to install Linux for purposes of "business computing". Business computing does encompass the use of servers as well as desktops the last time I checked.
RTFA 999 times? Yeah ok thanks for the constructive criticism.
I know that's not the point of this article, but he also completely fails to even mention the most common use of a Linux install - on the server.
Once you announce filing for an IPO, it is all about being financially responsible. Google never has even discussed displaying banner ads till now (after the IPO announcement). Coincidence? Moot? Whatever you say.
It's no longer easy to make the decisions solely on the behalf of your users.
A song about a broken hearted guy who ends up having sex with a robot that is part vacuum cleaner part robotic pig. He ends up short circuiting it (getting it wet somehow) and going to jail for murder (illegal to harm cyborgs in the futuristic society).
BTW - I'm pretty sure the robot was a male. Anyone remember this?
Kind of reminds of me of some bigger (cough - Catholic Church) examples (cough - US war effort).
I'm sure that last bit will get me slammed. There goes my karma =D
Thank you very much for that. Clearly, I didn't know exactly what I was doing ...
A lot of posts online said the solution was to buy and install a new fan for the card. I simply tried taking the fan apart and squirting a little WD40 (no kidding) into the bottom of the where the fan connects to the base. Seems to work each time.
But let's face it, most PCs (or even my Tivos) are (almost) a little too loud for ubiquitous use in the home. I still have them all set up, but wish they were a bit quieter ...
For bands I've seen in smaller bars and clubs, I can't tell you the number of times I bought their CD (usually self-published) on the way out if I had a good time (as well as how many drinks I knocked down =D )
It's certainly smart to present the concert goer with the ability to make an impulse buy, right after they're coming off the high of enjoying a great concert ...
Of course I ripped through all of the SSI games and the Baldur's Gate Series. Then came Neverwinter Nights. A beautiful game, but instead of controlling a party of people, it's just one character and a side-kick. This was a big mistake. However, the fact that one could assume the role of Dungeon Master made this game somewhat revolutionary.
But after playing multiplayer online a bit, I must say, that although I have found some new places to explore (people have spent some time on putting together some very cool levels), it still seems to come down to everyone being 40th level and killing each other. Maybe I'm just not playing in the right places?
Maybe I'm just missing the old days of getting together with pen paper and the dodecahedrons? I don't think so - who's got time for trying to orchestrate that?
And yes, I've tried Everquest and just couldn't seem to get into the flow of it. I couldn't see what the "big deal" was ...
I'll get right on that change-the-shape-of-all-of-the-roads project right away ...
Good point about the moral issue. If the company is doing people dirty, then they deserve to get reported. I just find people who get too wrapped up in getting revenge on their job a little creepy. p. Glad to hear of your good experience with your car insurance. Just don't get any major illnesses and you'll be fine ...
So we've got this guy working for an insurance company who decides to inform the Dept. of Insurance that they are cancelling policies unlawfully. This is a good thing and brave of him to do it. Hopefully his motivations were purely good and not just because he was pissed he didn't get a raise last year or something.
And let's face it, insurance companies are the some of the worst kinds of organizations in corporate America. They collect huge sums of money via premiums - that are based in people's fear that something terrible could happen. And then as soon as you need them (you have an accident, someone in your family gets ill, etc.), they immediately initate every effort to not pay you in your time of need. I know it's how they do business, but it's a disgrace. I have experienced this first hand more than once ...
Back to the story, the guy then plants a keystroke logger on a secretary's PC in order to collect further info for his crusade and to aid lawyers in a class action suit against his company. He obviously crossed a line here. And in the middle of this, he finds himself fired (curious). So he asks a former co-worker to retrieve the logger for him? And of course being a good insurance company employee, she rats him out.
I applaud his intentions, if they were indeed based in fairness and the public good. He did get carried away for sure by planting the bug. But I can't believe the stupidity of (1) admitting he planted it to a former co-worker and (2) expecting her to help him retrieve it and f--k the company she still worked for. I guess he really was a bit of a dreamer ...
I hear you on the fanboy/loyalty issue. But I believe he's giving me an objective opinion. He's playing PS2, but mostly PC gaming now. He's not allied one way or the other ...
And buying old full sized games in cabinets is NOT a "cheap hobby". They run several hundred (if not over $1,000) each. I don't think most people have the space or the room for it.
Cool your 'tude, you'll live longer.
I guess you can get all the games you want too? I heard Halo is pretty good ... I guess I'd rather go with the system that gives me the most choices in terms of games. I think of lot of companies are still producing titles for the PS2/3 first and then worrying about (or not) the XBox, Nintendo, and the PC.
Microsoft seems to have made decent inroads, doubling Ninendo's market share. I know they have the marketing bucks, but my question is why would anyone buy an xBox instead of a PS? PS has more games and better overall quality and reliability.
This is how I hear it from my nephew, the hardcore gamer anyway. I like to play games, but this kid spends 8 hours a day gaming it up on the PC and PS2. The consensus among his set is that the xBox is not even a consideration ...