Microsoft is appeasing the beast: certainly for their own economic good; and "indirectly" for continuing smooth diplomacy between the U.S. and China ( whether MS did this entirely of their own volition, or under influence of U.S. government is an interesting question.) They apparently subscribe to the interpersonal philosophy of Dale Carnegie--that placing an emphasis on pleasing others is both a duty and a paradoxical route to personal success.
I am sympathetic to the idealism expressed pertaining to the topic, however...
idealism is practically naïve. For example, a cop pulls me over, as i'm riding my bicycle at 8:30am in my sleepy little town, trying to catch the city-bound bus. He's bored, and I "look suspicious" because I'm carrying a little baggage "early in the morning, in a tourist town." He asks me to show what's inside. Now legally I don't have to show him anything--and legally he can't search me without a warrant--but I open the bags on the ground, and gently sift through them as he stands watching. Why? Because I'm not willing to take one for the team, you fucks! (I'm not going to risk missing the bus while confronting the cop on a trivial matter.)
It's a shame it only took 10 years for the rest of the band to start squabbling about downloading their music. They are all very wealthy and probably get many things for free from their beloved fans, so why not return the favour?
As we reach our lives' twilight, many of us will lose our sense of pride, and desperately claw in vain up the slippery slope (by way of greed, renewed faith in the gods, etc.) before the pit finally claims us.
Blow up a bus... increase aid to starving countries, shoot down a plane, build a dozen schools or a community center in a struggling nation.
Right. Remember the Iran-Contra scandal? The U.S. government was responsible for establishing a hostages-for-arms market with Lebanese terrorists, who were given incentive to capture U.S. nationals in exchange for weapons. (Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky pales in comparison with this fiasco, among many--except to those whose moral priorities are horribly skewed.)
Disclaimer: I'm an idiot when it comes to physics, etc.
Now for instance, if we finally got around to mining the moon, wouldn't we get to a point where we'd have removed so much mass as to alter the moons orbit? Wouldn't that have repercussions on the earth?
Here's a hypothetical scene in a comic book--where someone falls out of a building, yet you don't see it happen--rather you read this person screaming "AAAAAAAAAH!". It's the use of economy as a story-telling device.
And speaking of economy, I won't belabor the point.:) The new trilogy was an unrelenting assault on the senses--like a bad mescaline trip, except that it also didn't leave anything to the imagination. It was just BAM! BAM! BAM! like Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup can paintings--exquisitely rendered, and horribly redundant. Just like my post! (minus the exquisitely rendered-part):D
Take the original "Dragon Warrior" for example. Much like real life, you had to practically spend the entire game saving your schillings and leveling up. It was a good primer for the wonderful world of minimum wage!:D:D
On a side note, a scantly-explored facet of rpgs is the business world. Seriously, merchants are never more than price-fixing bastards. What's the story? Is there a nefarious medical-herb cartel? A command economy? Are Enix a bunch of wannabe Stalinists?
"Think an FP-RPG ala Morrowind, where the NPCs actually have their own lifes, travel between towns, or talk and react to you in an intelligent way, not just dumb scripting."
Uh, 90% of the NPCs in that game are carbon-copies of one another, and with the exact-same responses to your questions. Their "lifes" are hardly convincing; who works in a mine 24/7, without breaks? Or stands in one place? Maybe I just missed a subplot about how the denizens of Morrowind possess godly endurance and patience!
Slashdot Mirror
I am sympathetic to the idealism expressed pertaining to the topic, however... idealism is practically naïve. For example, a cop pulls me over, as i'm riding my bicycle at 8:30am in my sleepy little town, trying to catch the city-bound bus. He's bored, and I "look suspicious" because I'm carrying a little baggage "early in the morning, in a tourist town." He asks me to show what's inside. Now legally I don't have to show him anything--and legally he can't search me without a warrant--but I open the bags on the ground, and gently sift through them as he stands watching. Why? Because I'm not willing to take one for the team, you fucks! (I'm not going to risk missing the bus while confronting the cop on a trivial matter.)
Don't change the subject. World of Xeen consists of editions IV and V. Your "little bird" is just a wild animal that shits on everything.
As we reach our lives' twilight, many of us will lose our sense of pride, and desperately claw in vain up the slippery slope (by way of greed, renewed faith in the gods, etc.) before the pit finally claims us.
They're old--give 'em a break!
Right. Remember the Iran-Contra scandal? The U.S. government was responsible for establishing a hostages-for-arms market with Lebanese terrorists, who were given incentive to capture U.S. nationals in exchange for weapons. (Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky pales in comparison with this fiasco, among many--except to those whose moral priorities are horribly skewed.)
Disclaimer: I'm an idiot when it comes to physics, etc.
Now for instance, if we finally got around to mining the moon, wouldn't we get to a point where we'd have removed so much mass as to alter the moons orbit? Wouldn't that have repercussions on the earth?
And speaking of economy, I won't belabor the point. :) The new trilogy was an unrelenting assault on the senses--like a bad mescaline trip, except that it also didn't leave anything to the imagination. It was just BAM! BAM! BAM! like Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup can paintings--exquisitely rendered, and horribly redundant. Just like my post! (minus the exquisitely rendered-part) :D
i kill u
Take the original "Dragon Warrior" for example. Much like real life, you had to practically spend the entire game saving your schillings and leveling up. It was a good primer for the wonderful world of minimum wage! :D :D
On a side note, a scantly-explored facet of rpgs is the business world. Seriously, merchants are never more than price-fixing bastards. What's the story? Is there a nefarious medical-herb cartel? A command economy? Are Enix a bunch of wannabe Stalinists?
"Think an FP-RPG ala Morrowind, where the NPCs actually have their own lifes, travel between towns, or talk and react to you in an intelligent way, not just dumb scripting." Uh, 90% of the NPCs in that game are carbon-copies of one another, and with the exact-same responses to your questions. Their "lifes" are hardly convincing; who works in a mine 24/7, without breaks? Or stands in one place? Maybe I just missed a subplot about how the denizens of Morrowind possess godly endurance and patience!