Let the employees build it from older (perhaps donated) machines. No no no not Commodore 64s (though I recall some fun games from back then) but early PIIIs at best.
There are some great team-building games AND competitive games from that time. Some games were cross-overs (could be either).
Think about games that have become classics. They were meant to run on the older machines. Titles such as Star Craft, or even better Command and Conquer: Red Alert provide either head to head, team vs. team, or team vs. computer play styles. Did you get eliminated? Well, breaks over - back to work.
Or the earlier combat flight simulator games like F-15 / F-16. Those will play head-to-head also.
And one benefit to older FPS games like Duke Nukem was the ability to EASILY custom build maps - for example, a copy of your office... or the whole building... or even go older, to DOOM, and craft a bad guy to look like your boss...
Then again - your office, and the community in general, would probably be better off (Karma-wise anyway) if you used your older machines as donations to area schools (particularly underprivileged areas) and instead left work early twice a week to go mentor some kids.
The truer-to-form "Apple" Macs (The OS 9.x and previous) were too proprietary and just were not cutting it. So they DoS'd themselves out of the market.
"Marketing" *was* their virus. "Proprietary" *was* their worm.
Now, "Mac" (OS 10.x +) is merely an emulation - a glorified Window Manager on top of BSD.
And virus writers have bigger fish to fry than a mere window manager...
They can brag about being virus-free all they want, but their voice is too small to be heard above the roar of the virus-afflicted Windows users.
My first MMORPG was Ultima Online. Loved it. A chat room with pictures! Well, it was neat.
Then I played Diablo on Battlenet. Those Blizzard guys are too good. I love Blizzard.
Then came EverQuest. Beyond loved it. Unhealthy, even. I think EQ was the one that hooked me - it was the best combination - with the role playing aspect - the social interaction - and the first person graphics. Wow. I am still awed by the leap EQ made for the gaming community. But eventually it got too crowded. They raised the prices. Lag on their end was increasing. They were focusing more on EQ II and less on EQ. Time to move on.
Tried Meridian 59. Ewww. That lasted a day.
Short stint on Dark Age of Camelot. Still too beta - that game wasn't even finished months after it was on the shelves.
Spent some time in Diablo II. Too video-gamish. no no no - I don't THINK it's real - I KNOW it's a video game - I mean the third person view combined with the "run through the level and kill the big guy at the end, repeat ad nauseum" mentality. I couldn't do it. I had been tainted by EQ. *sigh*
Tried Asheron's Call 2. Oddly enough it wasn't "bad" - it just wasn't "good" either. And it looked too much like DAoC. Much too much in fact.
Currently in Anarchy Online. Well, it's neat - I like that it isn't fantasy but more sci-fi.
I almost went to Shadowbane but then the story about them being hacked came out. And then another. And another. Oops.
I heard too much about Star Wars Galaxies being boring - so I am avoiding that.
I am awaiting Worlds of Warcraft because (to paraphrase WC Fields) "I never met a Blizzard game I didn't like".
But could it be Ultima X instead? Will I return back to the beginning of my MMORPG days? Back to the lands of Ultima?
Yeah, I'll try it, as I try all of them... it looks neat (important). It's from EA who has been making games since the 80s. And it's... well... it *may* be powerful enough to help me resist EQ II. My wife hopes so, at least...
These are an attempt to create working biomech suits for a new live action television series about fragile seniors who defend the Earth from evil space aliens by donning their battle suits!
This is the natural evolution of writers to move their medium of expression from crayons (Anime) to live action.
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There are some great team-building games AND competitive games from that time. Some games were cross-overs (could be either).
Think about games that have become classics. They were meant to run on the older machines. Titles such as Star Craft, or even better Command and Conquer: Red Alert provide either head to head, team vs. team, or team vs. computer play styles. Did you get eliminated? Well, breaks over - back to work.
Or the earlier combat flight simulator games like F-15 / F-16. Those will play head-to-head also.
And one benefit to older FPS games like Duke Nukem was the ability to EASILY custom build maps - for example, a copy of your office... or the whole building... or even go older, to DOOM, and craft a bad guy to look like your boss...
Then again - your office, and the community in general, would probably be better off (Karma-wise anyway) if you used your older machines as donations to area schools (particularly underprivileged areas) and instead left work early twice a week to go mentor some kids.
They could use that as an incentive to finish projects quicker... or...
PHB: This project is truly shoddy. Smithers, delete his character...
Employee: Noooooooo.... I'll do overtime! I promise! For free!
PHB: Agreed. This time. Next time it's the Newbie Hunting Ground for you!
I don't think Mac has field tested enough viruses yet for OpenOffice to properly develop security on their platform yet...
Now Russia won't have to worry about those silly control rods to help keep the reactor cooler in their proposed Mars Nuclear Station !
"Marketing" *was* their virus. "Proprietary" *was* their worm.
Now, "Mac" (OS 10.x +) is merely an emulation - a glorified Window Manager on top of BSD.
And virus writers have bigger fish to fry than a mere window manager...
They can brag about being virus-free all they want, but their voice is too small to be heard above the roar of the virus-afflicted Windows users.
Then I played Diablo on Battlenet. Those Blizzard guys are too good. I love Blizzard.
Then came EverQuest. Beyond loved it. Unhealthy, even. I think EQ was the one that hooked me - it was the best combination - with the role playing aspect - the social interaction - and the first person graphics. Wow. I am still awed by the leap EQ made for the gaming community. But eventually it got too crowded. They raised the prices. Lag on their end was increasing. They were focusing more on EQ II and less on EQ. Time to move on.
Tried Meridian 59. Ewww. That lasted a day.
Short stint on Dark Age of Camelot. Still too beta - that game wasn't even finished months after it was on the shelves.
Spent some time in Diablo II. Too video-gamish. no no no - I don't THINK it's real - I KNOW it's a video game - I mean the third person view combined with the "run through the level and kill the big guy at the end, repeat ad nauseum" mentality. I couldn't do it. I had been tainted by EQ. *sigh*
Tried Asheron's Call 2. Oddly enough it wasn't "bad" - it just wasn't "good" either. And it looked too much like DAoC. Much too much in fact.
Currently in Anarchy Online. Well, it's neat - I like that it isn't fantasy but more sci-fi.
I almost went to Shadowbane but then the story about them being hacked came out. And then another. And another. Oops.
I heard too much about Star Wars Galaxies being boring - so I am avoiding that.
I am awaiting Worlds of Warcraft because (to paraphrase WC Fields) "I never met a Blizzard game I didn't like".
But could it be Ultima X instead? Will I return back to the beginning of my MMORPG days? Back to the lands of Ultima?
Yeah, I'll try it, as I try all of them... it looks neat (important). It's from EA who has been making games since the 80s. And it's... well... it *may* be powerful enough to help me resist EQ II. My wife hopes so, at least...
This is the natural evolution of writers to move their medium of expression from crayons (Anime) to live action.
Now all we need are some evil space aliens...