another site for speed demos. The difference (big difference) is that they seed videos from games running on emulators (most, if not all, of the Speed Demos Archive videos are recorded directly from the TV). Except from the site: These are movies of various console games being played extraordinarily using an emulator as a tool to get over humanly limits such as "skill" and "reaction".
But it's interesting anyway.
excerpts from the memo (not included in the businessweek article):
On growth and costs: "We have as much opportunity to grow as any other company in the world. That's a big statement, but the opportunities we've scoped out are very big. Make no mistake -- we must grow our revenues to grow profits. We cannot just cut costs. At the same time, we must ensure a competitive cost structure, or competitors will offer prices, services or innovations that we cannot afford to match. Other companies have been severe in tightening costs the last few years -- layoffs, major benefit reductions, etc. We have not done those things and want to be prudent now so we avoid severe measures later."
On the need to innovate: "The key to our growth is innovation. Microsoft was built on innovation, has thrived on innovation, and its future depends on innovation. We are filing for over 2,000 patents a year for new technologies, and we see that number increasing. We lead in innovation in most areas where we compete, and where we do lag - like search and online music distribution - rest assured that the race to innovate has just begun and we will pull ahead."
On Microsoft's share price: "Obviously, we all want to increase the value of our stock, and we have the best opportunity to do that since the end of FY98. Our stock was around $25 then, as it is now, and we have more than doubled our operating profits since. Shareholders then were betting we would work hard for all these years to make the company worth that mid-98 stock price. We have done so."
On aiming products at various markets: "Our products must also be better segmented for different users with different needs. And we must evolve marketing to focus more squarely on the value proposition throughout the product lifecycle, not just at launch. So many customers have yet to deploy our most recent advances, so we must not only help them understand why to deploy, but also demonstrate the benefits of deploying before we reach the Longhorn generation."
On perceptions of Microsoft: "We must also work to change a number of customer perceptions, including the views that older versions of Office and Windows are good enough and that Microsoft is not sufficiently focused on security. We must emphasize key positive perceptions of the strong manageability, and developer and information-worker preference, for our platform."
On avoiding the trappings of size: "Nothing solves 'big company' ills quite like a strong focus on accountability for results with customers and shareholders. Innovating, growing share and profits, and serving customers all ensure that we have no time for wasted motion. To do this, we need to prioritize the things that matter the most with our customers and for the company, and then be accountable for executing on those choices."
I was judging Everquest2 based on its look. Shure it isn't out yet, but even if I look at screenshots and videos, it feels like it is the same medieval-fantasy theme rehashed. The Gothic2 pic was just an attempt to prove my point.
A game doesn't need the latest pixel shader support to look good. The two games mentioned (especially Wow, and not so much COH) rely on good world design. Castles, trees, islands, mountains... they have a distinct feel.
...don't rely on graphics, they have original and imaginative graphics!
I said that they have original, imaginative design and art.
Sony will have to work hard to make Everquest2 successful. I know they're the kings of MMORPG, but I think that Everquest2 lacks something when compared to World of Warcraft or even City of Heroes. Those two games don't rely on graphics; they have original, imaginative design and art. Take a lookatthesescreenshots. I think I have seem those scenes before.
Blizzard should take over the project themselves. I think that no other company will live up to their standards. It seems that the game got screwed before this years's E3.
From the Penny-Arcade post: "What we saw at this year's E3 seemed almost unrelated to the game that had so drawn me in initially. Both the guy demonstrating it (and indeed, the game itself) actively distanced what it was doing from that earlier, stealth based iteration. The graphics seemed to have taken a turn for the worse."
As long as we keep seeing users screaming "I l337! Looser! I am l337! You n00b!", i don't think there will be room for any type of immersion and storytelling.
Party member: "Shall we attack the castle now?" You: "We shall rest here until darkness fall. We will attack after the darness has stroke." Party member: "Yes sir." Someone a mile away: "I l337! Looser! I am l337! You n00b!"
From another article: "Tug is a beefed up, industrial version of Cye with a patent-protected navigation/tracking system that slashes its price thousands of dollars below the competition, according to Thorne. Other differentiating factors include Tug's enormous 500-pound hauling capacity and a retrofit kit to pull existing hospital carts."
You can find out more about Cye here.
Are the companys finally realizing that there aren't enought hardcore gamers to sustain all MMORPG titles?
Half of the MMORPG currently in development are doomed to vanish after six months of relative success.
"But for now, there's safety in numbers--the lack of them, that is. Internet Explorer is used by 95 percent of the world. Firefox's fan base adds up to 2 or 3 percent at most. Which browser do you think the Russian hackers are busily trying to break into again?"
That is an interesting way to see it. Blame IE's popularity!
I don't think that is a issue. Nasa is worried about ruining any "ecossistem".
I remember that the Mars exploration rovers have undergone a high-temperature pre-flight sterilization to get rid of any Earth microbes before sending any probe.
Wow... how wrong was I. The first version of MegaNet didn't support online games, and the second version was indeed based on Xband.
from http://ssdc.ucsd.edu/news/mexico/h96/mexico.199604 04.html : Catapult Entertainment of Cupertino, CA, will sell its XBAND unit
for the Sega Mega Drive in Brazil through Tec Toy Industria de
Brinquedos. Tec Toy has a 75% share of the video game market and
was the first company outside Japan to manufacture Sega products.
XBAND is the only real-time online video game network for game
consoles. Tec Toy also introduced Mega Drive cartridges to provide
home banking, and access to Internet for Email, information and
shopping. Tec Toy says there are one million hard-core video game
players in Brazil. Investors in Catapult include Viacom,
Blockbuster, and Nissho Iwai.
That is great news for Tec Toy...
Tec Toy last great vg was a version of the Dreamcast, but since that console wasn't that successful, the company was nowhere to be seen.
They were also responsible for a Mega Drive (Genesis in the US) version of Duke Nukem, and it was quite good. But probably their biggest accomplishment was a modem for the Mega Drive called Mega Net that allowed its users to read email and even play games online (Mortal Kombat, Fifa'94, and a few others). And the accessory was launched when the Mega Drive was in its prime (1994 i think), years before Dreamcast, the first successful online compatible video game.
"The Minotaur was wearing a gold towel down his front, and somebody wrote a letter saying that it looked like it was masking a giant erection. A complete accident, but entirely subconscious, I assure you."
We all believe you, dude. We all believe you...
Slashdot Mirror
another site for speed demos. The difference (big difference) is that they seed videos from games running on emulators (most, if not all, of the Speed Demos Archive videos are recorded directly from the TV).
Except from the site: These are movies of various console games being played extraordinarily using an emulator as a tool to get over humanly limits such as "skill" and "reaction".
But it's interesting anyway.
On growth and costs: "We have as much opportunity to grow as any other company in the world. That's a big statement, but the opportunities we've scoped out are very big. Make no mistake -- we must grow our revenues to grow profits. We cannot just cut costs. At the same time, we must ensure a competitive cost structure, or competitors will offer prices, services or innovations that we cannot afford to match. Other companies have been severe in tightening costs the last few years -- layoffs, major benefit reductions, etc. We have not done those things and want to be prudent now so we avoid severe measures later."
On the need to innovate: "The key to our growth is innovation. Microsoft was built on innovation, has thrived on innovation, and its future depends on innovation. We are filing for over 2,000 patents a year for new technologies, and we see that number increasing. We lead in innovation in most areas where we compete, and where we do lag - like search and online music distribution - rest assured that the race to innovate has just begun and we will pull ahead."
On Microsoft's share price: "Obviously, we all want to increase the value of our stock, and we have the best opportunity to do that since the end of FY98. Our stock was around $25 then, as it is now, and we have more than doubled our operating profits since. Shareholders then were betting we would work hard for all these years to make the company worth that mid-98 stock price. We have done so."
On aiming products at various markets: "Our products must also be better segmented for different users with different needs. And we must evolve marketing to focus more squarely on the value proposition throughout the product lifecycle, not just at launch. So many customers have yet to deploy our most recent advances, so we must not only help them understand why to deploy, but also demonstrate the benefits of deploying before we reach the Longhorn generation."
On perceptions of Microsoft: "We must also work to change a number of customer perceptions, including the views that older versions of Office and Windows are good enough and that Microsoft is not sufficiently focused on security. We must emphasize key positive perceptions of the strong manageability, and developer and information-worker preference, for our platform."
On avoiding the trappings of size: "Nothing solves 'big company' ills quite like a strong focus on accountability for results with customers and shareholders. Innovating, growing share and profits, and serving customers all ensure that we have no time for wasted motion. To do this, we need to prioritize the things that matter the most with our customers and for the company, and then be accountable for executing on those choices."
I was judging Everquest2 based on its look. Shure it isn't out yet, but even if I look at screenshots and videos, it feels like it is the same medieval-fantasy theme rehashed. The Gothic2 pic was just an attempt to prove my point.
...don't rely on graphics, they have original and imaginative graphics!
A game doesn't need the latest pixel shader support to look good. The two games mentioned (especially Wow, and not so much COH) rely on good world design. Castles, trees, islands, mountains... they have a distinct feel.
I said that they have original, imaginative design and art.
Sony will have to work hard to make Everquest2 successful. I know they're the kings of MMORPG, but I think that Everquest2 lacks something when compared to World of Warcraft or even City of Heroes. Those two games don't rely on graphics; they have original, imaginative design and art. Take a look at these screenshots. I think I have seem those scenes before.
Blizzard should take over the project themselves. I think that no other company will live up to their standards. It seems that the game got screwed before this years's E3.
From the Penny-Arcade post:
"What we saw at this year's E3 seemed almost unrelated to the game that had so drawn me in initially. Both the guy demonstrating it (and indeed, the game itself) actively distanced what it was doing from that earlier, stealth based iteration. The graphics seemed to have taken a turn for the worse."
More info about Counter-Strike source:
CS Banana FAQ
CS-Nation info page
Video
HL2.net forum post about the Seoul apresentation.
As long as we keep seeing users screaming "I l337! Looser! I am l337! You n00b!", i don't think there will be room for any type of immersion and storytelling.
Party member: "Shall we attack the castle now?"
You: "We shall rest here until darkness fall. We will attack after the darness has stroke."
Party member: "Yes sir."
Someone a mile away: "I l337! Looser! I am l337! You n00b!"
From another article:
"Tug is a beefed up, industrial version of Cye with a patent-protected navigation/tracking system that slashes its price thousands of dollars below the competition, according to Thorne. Other differentiating factors include Tug's enormous 500-pound hauling capacity and a retrofit kit to pull existing hospital carts."
You can find out more about Cye here.
Are the companys finally realizing that there aren't enought hardcore gamers to sustain all MMORPG titles?
Half of the MMORPG currently in development are doomed to vanish after six months of relative success.
"But for now, there's safety in numbers--the lack of them, that is. Internet Explorer is used by 95 percent of the world. Firefox's fan base adds up to 2 or 3 percent at most. Which browser do you think the Russian hackers are busily trying to break into again?"
That is an interesting way to see it. Blame IE's popularity!
I read somewhere that CS:S will be free, but Counter-Strike 2 (a substantial upgrade over CS1) will be a stand-alone product, not a HL2 mod.
I don't think that is a issue. Nasa is worried about ruining any "ecossistem".
I remember that the Mars exploration rovers have undergone a high-temperature pre-flight sterilization to get rid of any Earth microbes before sending any probe.
Wow... how wrong was I. The first version of MegaNet didn't support online games, and the second version was indeed based on Xband.4 04.html :
from http://ssdc.ucsd.edu/news/mexico/h96/mexico.19960
Catapult Entertainment of Cupertino, CA, will sell its XBAND unit for the Sega Mega Drive in Brazil through Tec Toy Industria de Brinquedos. Tec Toy has a 75% share of the video game market and was the first company outside Japan to manufacture Sega products. XBAND is the only real-time online video game network for game consoles. Tec Toy also introduced Mega Drive cartridges to provide home banking, and access to Internet for Email, information and shopping. Tec Toy says there are one million hard-core video game players in Brazil. Investors in Catapult include Viacom, Blockbuster, and Nissho Iwai.
That is great news for Tec Toy...
Tec Toy last great vg was a version of the Dreamcast, but since that console wasn't that successful, the company was nowhere to be seen.
They were also responsible for a Mega Drive (Genesis in the US) version of Duke Nukem, and it was quite good. But probably their biggest accomplishment was a modem for the Mega Drive called Mega Net that allowed its users to read email and even play games online (Mortal Kombat, Fifa'94, and a few others). And the accessory was launched when the Mega Drive was in its prime (1994 i think), years before Dreamcast, the first successful online compatible video game.
"The Minotaur was wearing a gold towel down his front, and somebody wrote a letter saying that it looked like it was masking a giant erection. A complete accident, but entirely subconscious, I assure you."
5 -06&res=l
We all believe you, dude. We all believe you...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2002-0
"My mouth hurts"
Out of context, that sounds kind of sexy...