Until the bean-counters notice that games that are very replayable or that offer a tonne of content are selling really well and that subcriptions based MMOs are draining the quick-finish-buy-a-new-one customer base away not to mention rentals and used game sales. And at this point, the wise bean-counters start to look into making better, longer games with more content or episodic content or kickass multiplayer or whatever else.
Although the wife has a legal option to divorce and seek custody of the children, the SCO also realises that this may be bound by any prenuptual agreements, and they reserve the right to challenge any such 'weak' and 'inconvenient' prenuptual agreement in various courts.
This makes no sense when it comes to the global warming debate.
It's not like there aren't a tonne of very powerful and wealthy individuals and organizations that would LOVE to promote and flashy-up the "there is no global warming" side's arguments. Surely the portion of the scientific community that is being repressed and just can't figure out a way to put a good PR spin on their highly excellent and solid evidence could find a few friends with some PR experience who might help them out.
Am I in a mirror world? This is probably the first time I've seen the idea presented that the there is a concerted conspiracy keeping the potential supporters of the oil industry down. Normally, the conspiracy story is that someone invented super efficient cars or cold fusion or something and the dastardly big oil crushed them.
Try telling that to my friends who own Xbox360s and complain that they have to keep their Xbox around to play a couple games they really like. Maybe they aren't the majority, but I know a few. I don't mean to come off sounding fanboy-ish, but that's one thing I think Sony did well. I only need to have my PS2 hooked up to play all of my PS1 and PS2 games.
Ah, but those friends of yours ALREADY HAVE an Xbox360. Sure, they may grumble about it a little but it obviously hasn't been a dealbreaker as far as buying the system is concerned. The only real question is: how many people have not bought an Xbox 360 yet because they are waiting for game X to become 360 compatible?
+5 Informative for being wrong. Just because it's in a dictionary does not make it relevant to the discussion.
The context we're discussing here is game development. The Grandparent is right. In game development 1st Party titles are games made by the console maker, 3rd Part developers are anyone who makes games for multiple platforms (EA, Ubisoft, random Indie dudes) and 2nd Party is studios like Retro who aren't 1st Party (they aren't the console maker) but who develop games exclusively for one platform.
You got +4 Insightful for saying "I didn't like or understand the story in HL2"?
Lots of people enjoyed the story + gameplay and will happily pay to see it continued. You didn't and so won't pay. That's certainly your perogative.
Did you think that the story in HL 1 was gimped because the man in black was never properly explained? Did you think it was a rip off when they released two expansion packs and then (gasp!) a sequel? Did you refuse to see Lord of the Rings because they couldn't fit the whole story into a single movie? I'm going to assum that you don't like Lost either. I mean, they gimped the story in that show so hard that it's been two seasons and we STILL don't know what the fuck is going on.
Definition #3 from your link: Poignantly contrary to what was expected
That's perfect. If *I* was going to create a browser that helped zombie my victims' PCs I'd call it the "safety browser" too. This would be an ironic move on my part.
Except that this is about an ENORMOUS company that other companies are contracting out. They have 1000 employees making games. That's enormous. And no one has ever heard of them.
Also, is there any sane person alive that DOESN'T see episodic releases as anything but a money grab and a "me too" attempt at grabbing juicy juicy monthly revenue?
I think I'm sane. And I think that episodic gaming is a great idea.
I just downloaded and enjoyed SiN Episode 1. I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, but I figured that $18 wasn't that much (2 Movie tickets) and so worth the risk. Now, I happened to like Episode 1 so I'll probably buy Episode 2. But if I hadn't liked Episode 1, I'd be done giving them my money. I would not have picked up a $70 SiN game off the shelves.
The problem with the pay $70 at the cash register model is that it means that developers feel like they need to add (tack on) new features and I have to wait years between games. And if I'm going to invest that much money in a game I need to KNOW that I'll like it. Episodic gaming reduces the barrier to entry for me to try new, untested games. It allows developers to build new content and gameplay and adventures into engines that are already FINE.
Every played a game and thought "that was great, I wish there were more stories and levels set in the same gameworld." Episodic gaming is for people like that.
It also opens up the possibility of indie gaming using big budget technology which is super exciting. See: Bioware's Premium Modules for Neverwinter Nights. Really great stories and content built on an already good (if old) engine. For $5-$10 I can download and get a few more hours of high quality content added to my game.
Don't get me wrong, I like all kinds of gaming. I like fan mods and full blockbuster releases and casual downloads and retro arcade collections and everything else. Episodic gaming brings a TV show style content release model to games and I think that that's a great additional choice.
Please tell me how I too can make $10,000 or more per month just by putting up junk content from the comfort of my home. Is there a program that I have to order to learn to do this? Should I act now?
How on earth did you get +5 Insightful? The Toronto Police AREN'T blaming videogames, if anything you could construe the statement to be "keep the crazy racing to the consoles, kids."
Street racing has been a growing problem in Toronto for the past several years, I don't think that anyone here is under the impression that videogames caused the increase.
I would argue that the growing popularity of tuner culture and street racing in the popular consciousness might have contributed to these idiots picking this particular vector for displaying their idiocy.
First. Making money IS the benefit. It's their whole purpose for existing in the first place. Making money is the purpose of corporate existing, yes. My point is that if another company goes under, you making more money is a side-effect, not a definite result of that failure. For instance, Atari dying and causing the first videogame crash didn't result in everyone else making more money - it nearly resulted in total industry collapse.
Second. Why wouldn't having no competition result in selling more games? Because the market is not of a fixed size. If Nintendo goes under, then former Nintendo customers will not automatically buy Microsoft and Sony products. Some will stop buying games altogether and take up model railroading. Some will just spend less on games because they already owned the other consoles anyway. To be fair, some will migrate and buy Madden PS3 instead of Madden Revolution - these are the side effects.
On the other hand, if Microsoft convinces someone to buy an Xbox 360, this does not automatically mean that Nintendo or Sony lost a sale. In some cases it does - people do choose between consoles. But maybe the customer owns the other consoles anyway. Or maybe the customer is new to gaming entirely and would not have bought ANY games/consoles (think Nintendogs).
Yes. I am brutally sick and tired of people talking about the gaming business as if the Console Wars was a real thing where each company actually cared whether or not their competitors were crushed out of existence rather than just cool marketing gimmickry that whips the faithful into a frenzy. Console ownership is not like real estate. If I own land and you want it, then going to war means something. Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony derive no benefit from the disappearance of any competitor aside from any side-effects ghat MIGHT result in them selling more games and so making more money.
But in some cases, such as selling your games on someone else's handheld, you might make MORE MONEY by cooperating with other companies. Apparently Microsoft has decided that in the case of the DS, this is the case.
The reason that it's a big issue is that GIRLS HAVE ALL THIS MONEY and the gaming industry would like some of their money, please. So there are stories written and studies commissioned and discussions had in an attempt to let girls know "hey, the industry wants some of your money, please at least consider giving it to us."
These studies are at least somewhat self-fulfilling. Girls read about how girls are getting into games and they start thinking things like "hey what do those girls know that I don't?" and then maybe they actually pick up a game and suddenly the are playing the game and then HOORAY, MONEY!
Yes, but in a system that uses meta-data and saved searches, you have an interface that acts like a file and folder system where there is a folder for each case, a folder for each of your attorney and paralegal's work (useful if you have to check over the work of that incompetent fool you just fired), a folder for all of your tort works, a folder for all files involving certain clients, a folder for all files involving certain kinds of filings, a file for all of your official correspondance, a folder for all of your billing etc etc etc.
And rather than having to make a duplicate copy of each file, one file can appearin multiple folders.
It looks a whole lot like a computer because that's the dominant metaphor that we're using and we're filtering our explanations through that idea.
At the time of Descartes, they thought that everything looked kind of like it was clockwork and so they made explanation using that metaphor. Freud did a pretty good job of explaining the psyche in terms of conflicting forces and Jung did it by populating our heads with stereotypes.
Metaphors are cool that way - they are flexible and once you get a halfway good metaphor, you start noticing all kinds of similarities (for example have you noticed that EVERYONE either looks like a pig or a rat? try it!). But it's good to remember that the map is not the territory.
If I had a penny for each time I have repeated this to users frustrated with their email account quotas: "Our mail server does not exist to fulfill your file storage needs." The file server is where people can store their important.......wait for it........FILES!
And here is the fundamental problem with IT departments. IT departments do not exist for the sake of IT although they sure do act like it a whole lot. IT departments exist for the sake of users, you know the people that it's so fashionable to arrogantly hate.
I suggest that if a great number of your users are using email as a file storage system that you as a diligent IT guy should spend some time figuring out ways to make it work for them.
Shouting "You're doing it wrong!" does not count as making it work.
Re:Gamers never know what's good for them
on
A Gamer's Manifesto
·
· Score: 1
You know what? It hurts the pacing when I pause halfway through the flight from Moria to answer the door or to comfort my screaming parakeets. This doesn't mean that filmakers should sell me DVDs with the pause, skip and rewind features disabled.
The fundamental point here is that I know better than designers when I need to take a break from the game and where I need to be able to come back to it.
Also, letting me save anywhere doesn't reduce the challenge at all. That's a silly argument. If the challenge in your game comes from making me do a certain series of steps in order and then making me crazy from anger and frustration at having to do steps that I already know how to do and have done many, many times before failing at the last step then you are a bad game designer.
The last boss in a lot of games often has two or more forms. If I find the first form really easy and the second form really hard, why do I have to go through fighting the first form over and over again just so I can get to the second form which is where the clannge lies? Why can't I save after beating the first form and then when I die, going back and just having to do over the part that's ACTUALLY HARD instead of busy-work. Saving doesn't refill my health and ammo. It just lets me skip over the parts that I've already demonstrated that I can pass so that I can focus on the parts that are actually hard.
Slashdot Mirror
Until the bean-counters notice that games that are very replayable or that offer a tonne of content are selling really well and that subcriptions based MMOs are draining the quick-finish-buy-a-new-one customer base away not to mention rentals and used game sales. And at this point, the wise bean-counters start to look into making better, longer games with more content or episodic content or kickass multiplayer or whatever else.
And games get better.
Fixed.
Your mistake is assuming that Sony hardware will survive long enough to end up IN a yardsale.
This makes no sense when it comes to the global warming debate.
It's not like there aren't a tonne of very powerful and wealthy individuals and organizations that would LOVE to promote and flashy-up the "there is no global warming" side's arguments. Surely the portion of the scientific community that is being repressed and just can't figure out a way to put a good PR spin on their highly excellent and solid evidence could find a few friends with some PR experience who might help them out.
Am I in a mirror world? This is probably the first time I've seen the idea presented that the there is a concerted conspiracy keeping the potential supporters of the oil industry down. Normally, the conspiracy story is that someone invented super efficient cars or cold fusion or something and the dastardly big oil crushed them.
Minerva is so good. After I finished I ended up downloading and stalling Aleph One just so I could enjoy more of that style of storytelling goodness.
Keep up the great work.
Try telling that to my friends who own Xbox360s and complain that they have to keep their Xbox around to play a couple games they really like. Maybe they aren't the majority, but I know a few. I don't mean to come off sounding fanboy-ish, but that's one thing I think Sony did well. I only need to have my PS2 hooked up to play all of my PS1 and PS2 games.
Ah, but those friends of yours ALREADY HAVE an Xbox360. Sure, they may grumble about it a little but it obviously hasn't been a dealbreaker as far as buying the system is concerned. The only real question is: how many people have not bought an Xbox 360 yet because they are waiting for game X to become 360 compatible?
+5 Informative for being wrong. Just because it's in a dictionary does not make it relevant to the discussion.
The context we're discussing here is game development. The Grandparent is right. In game development 1st Party titles are games made by the console maker, 3rd Part developers are anyone who makes games for multiple platforms (EA, Ubisoft, random Indie dudes) and 2nd Party is studios like Retro who aren't 1st Party (they aren't the console maker) but who develop games exclusively for one platform.
You got +4 Insightful for saying "I didn't like or understand the story in HL2"?
Lots of people enjoyed the story + gameplay and will happily pay to see it continued. You didn't and so won't pay. That's certainly your perogative.
Did you think that the story in HL 1 was gimped because the man in black was never properly explained? Did you think it was a rip off when they released two expansion packs and then (gasp!) a sequel? Did you refuse to see Lord of the Rings because they couldn't fit the whole story into a single movie? I'm going to assum that you don't like Lost either. I mean, they gimped the story in that show so hard that it's been two seasons and we STILL don't know what the fuck is going on.
Definition #3 from your link: Poignantly contrary to what was expected
That's perfect. If *I* was going to create a browser that helped zombie my victims' PCs I'd call it the "safety browser" too. This would be an ironic move on my part.
Except that this is about an ENORMOUS company that other companies are contracting out. They have 1000 employees making games. That's enormous. And no one has ever heard of them.
I wish they'd declassify that technology so that my SPAM filters would start working again
Also, is there any sane person alive that DOESN'T see episodic releases as anything but a money grab and a "me too" attempt at grabbing juicy juicy monthly revenue?
I think I'm sane. And I think that episodic gaming is a great idea.
I just downloaded and enjoyed SiN Episode 1. I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, but I figured that $18 wasn't that much (2 Movie tickets) and so worth the risk. Now, I happened to like Episode 1 so I'll probably buy Episode 2. But if I hadn't liked Episode 1, I'd be done giving them my money. I would not have picked up a $70 SiN game off the shelves.
The problem with the pay $70 at the cash register model is that it means that developers feel like they need to add (tack on) new features and I have to wait years between games. And if I'm going to invest that much money in a game I need to KNOW that I'll like it. Episodic gaming reduces the barrier to entry for me to try new, untested games. It allows developers to build new content and gameplay and adventures into engines that are already FINE.
Every played a game and thought "that was great, I wish there were more stories and levels set in the same gameworld." Episodic gaming is for people like that.
It also opens up the possibility of indie gaming using big budget technology which is super exciting. See: Bioware's Premium Modules for Neverwinter Nights. Really great stories and content built on an already good (if old) engine. For $5-$10 I can download and get a few more hours of high quality content added to my game.
Don't get me wrong, I like all kinds of gaming. I like fan mods and full blockbuster releases and casual downloads and retro arcade collections and everything else. Episodic gaming brings a TV show style content release model to games and I think that that's a great additional choice.
Please tell me how I too can make $10,000 or more per month just by putting up junk content from the comfort of my home. Is there a program that I have to order to learn to do this? Should I act now?
How on earth did you get +5 Insightful? The Toronto Police AREN'T blaming videogames, if anything you could construe the statement to be "keep the crazy racing to the consoles, kids."
Street racing has been a growing problem in Toronto for the past several years, I don't think that anyone here is under the impression that videogames caused the increase.
I would argue that the growing popularity of tuner culture and street racing in the popular consciousness might have contributed to these idiots picking this particular vector for displaying their idiocy.
It's because they like their jobs.
McDonalds
1) Keep production costs as low as possible
2) Charge what the market will bear
3) Profit
That's, uh, good business.
Wait, let's read that sentence even more carefully... ..until they do a national awareness campaign...
First they say the want to prevent people from buying the game, then the want to force a mandatory Ad Campaign? Well done, idiots.
First. Making money IS the benefit. It's their whole purpose for existing in the first place.
Making money is the purpose of corporate existing, yes. My point is that if another company goes under, you making more money is a side-effect, not a definite result of that failure. For instance, Atari dying and causing the first videogame crash didn't result in everyone else making more money - it nearly resulted in total industry collapse.
Second. Why wouldn't having no competition result in selling more games?
Because the market is not of a fixed size. If Nintendo goes under, then former Nintendo customers will not automatically buy Microsoft and Sony products. Some will stop buying games altogether and take up model railroading. Some will just spend less on games because they already owned the other consoles anyway. To be fair, some will migrate and buy Madden PS3 instead of Madden Revolution - these are the side effects.
On the other hand, if Microsoft convinces someone to buy an Xbox 360, this does not automatically mean that Nintendo or Sony lost a sale. In some cases it does - people do choose between consoles. But maybe the customer owns the other consoles anyway. Or maybe the customer is new to gaming entirely and would not have bought ANY games/consoles (think Nintendogs).
Yes. I am brutally sick and tired of people talking about the gaming business as if the Console Wars was a real thing where each company actually cared whether or not their competitors were crushed out of existence rather than just cool marketing gimmickry that whips the faithful into a frenzy. Console ownership is not like real estate. If I own land and you want it, then going to war means something. Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony derive no benefit from the disappearance of any competitor aside from any side-effects ghat MIGHT result in them selling more games and so making more money.
But in some cases, such as selling your games on someone else's handheld, you might make MORE MONEY by cooperating with other companies. Apparently Microsoft has decided that in the case of the DS, this is the case.
The reason that it's a big issue is that GIRLS HAVE ALL THIS MONEY and the gaming industry would like some of their money, please. So there are stories written and studies commissioned and discussions had in an attempt to let girls know "hey, the industry wants some of your money, please at least consider giving it to us."
These studies are at least somewhat self-fulfilling. Girls read about how girls are getting into games and they start thinking things like "hey what do those girls know that I don't?" and then maybe they actually pick up a game and suddenly the are playing the game and then HOORAY, MONEY!
Yes, but in a system that uses meta-data and saved searches, you have an interface that acts like a file and folder system where there is a folder for each case, a folder for each of your attorney and paralegal's work (useful if you have to check over the work of that incompetent fool you just fired), a folder for all of your tort works, a folder for all files involving certain clients, a folder for all files involving certain kinds of filings, a file for all of your official correspondance, a folder for all of your billing etc etc etc.
And rather than having to make a duplicate copy of each file, one file can appearin multiple folders.
So it's like the current system but better.
It looks a whole lot like a computer because that's the dominant metaphor that we're using and we're filtering our explanations through that idea.
At the time of Descartes, they thought that everything looked kind of like it was clockwork and so they made explanation using that metaphor. Freud did a pretty good job of explaining the psyche in terms of conflicting forces and Jung did it by populating our heads with stereotypes.
Metaphors are cool that way - they are flexible and once you get a halfway good metaphor, you start noticing all kinds of similarities (for example have you noticed that EVERYONE either looks like a pig or a rat? try it!). But it's good to remember that the map is not the territory.
If I had a penny for each time I have repeated this to users frustrated with their email account quotas: "Our mail server does not exist to fulfill your file storage needs." The file server is where people can store their important.......wait for it........FILES!
And here is the fundamental problem with IT departments. IT departments do not exist for the sake of IT although they sure do act like it a whole lot. IT departments exist for the sake of users, you know the people that it's so fashionable to arrogantly hate.
I suggest that if a great number of your users are using email as a file storage system that you as a diligent IT guy should spend some time figuring out ways to make it work for them.
Shouting "You're doing it wrong!" does not count as making it work.
You know what? It hurts the pacing when I pause halfway through the flight from Moria to answer the door or to comfort my screaming parakeets. This doesn't mean that filmakers should sell me DVDs with the pause, skip and rewind features disabled.
The fundamental point here is that I know better than designers when I need to take a break from the game and where I need to be able to come back to it.
Also, letting me save anywhere doesn't reduce the challenge at all. That's a silly argument. If the challenge in your game comes from making me do a certain series of steps in order and then making me crazy from anger and frustration at having to do steps that I already know how to do and have done many, many times before failing at the last step then you are a bad game designer.
The last boss in a lot of games often has two or more forms. If I find the first form really easy and the second form really hard, why do I have to go through fighting the first form over and over again just so I can get to the second form which is where the clannge lies? Why can't I save after beating the first form and then when I die, going back and just having to do over the part that's ACTUALLY HARD instead of busy-work. Saving doesn't refill my health and ammo. It just lets me skip over the parts that I've already demonstrated that I can pass so that I can focus on the parts that are actually hard.