While you initially discount paper, a folded notecard in my wallet has been the most reliable method thus far
Honestly, when is the last time you've lost your wallet? For me this was eight years ago.
Just as you cancel your credit/debit cards when losing a wallet, significant passwords can also be changed. Consider it a security feature
Besides, the slight inconvenience of taking out your wallet for a forgotten password encourages you to remember it (I have a straight-terrible memory, and this has worked)
As said, it's not horribly difficult after you get the hang of it. Start out with one of the easier characters like a Valkyrie or Samurai and go about it slowly. Don't rush down when your level or equipment isn't ready unless you have to. Also, unless you're near death, play for long term success instead of short term - sure it seems like you have a surplus of enchant weapon scrolls now, but it's far better to have a pimped out artifact weapon instead of a +7 rusty when it comes to the endgame.
I've ascended a couple times myself as a Valkyrie and Samurai. It was half of a miracle that I managed to survive for the first ascention, given that I ran into Demogorgon near the bottom and had to mash him to death with only my hammer (a -50AC helped just a bit)
Pretty much what I was going to post. These demo kiosks are going to provide a gaming experience far better than the average PC, thus falsely representing the average customer's experience. The biggest enemy PC gaming faces is the existence of (and possibly the lack of understanding when it comes to) a hardware performance spectrum. I've been consulted by more than one friend (admittedly, not the most versed in technomacy) who are bothered by games not running as advertised, despite their computer meeting the 'minimum requirements' and being free of viruses and spyware. I'll admit that these terminals are a step in the right direction, but truly fail in terms of being able to provide performance representative of what the customer will eventually experience. Not that it isn't valid from a marketing standpoint, but I'm worried about potential PC gamers eventually becoming more jaded to PC games than they already are, especially after after purchasing seemingly stunning titles only to be disappointed by lackluster performance on their home computer. Not that the following suggestion would be taken seriously by any company 'in their right mind', but the discrepancy could be easily emulated through the use of decent throttling software (assuming the user knows the speed/make of their CPU and GPU, installed memory, speed of hard drive, ect.). Again, not in any way good from a marketing perspective, but I'll admit that my biggest turnoff to computer gaming took place back when I was a kid and SimCity2000 wouldn't run on my 386 system for some reason or other. Other than a bit of Rogue here and there, I spent a lot of time with my SNES after that. Either way, at least these terminals allow for in-store playtesting instead of the customer having to rely on reviews or box art. Unfortunately, I can't see them catching on, given the cost of a decent gaming PC compared to the hardware necessary for a newly released gaming console. Maybe gaming stores should just stock demo CDs? In the meantime, much like the good Parent mentions, I'll be downloading 'demo' copies via BitTorrent to get their actual feel.
While I love Nintendo, it seems like they've been falling to the wayside since the release of the N64. Most people I've talked to in my age range seem to look at the quirky features offered in newer systems as novelty instead of gaming innovation. Hopefully the Revolution will strike everyone as something so removed from the tradition console that people will take a chance with it. And on the other side of the coin, it's anyone's guess whether said system will deliver.
I'm with you on that, having been on the ATI bandwagon with an X800 ever since my TI4400 exploded on me. I was just recalling days when some of the more popular games would never render quite right when running on an ATI card.
ATI's drivers tend to be a bit shabby from the get-go (based on my personal experience over the past five-ish years). Assuming that the initial driver support for the X1000 series was horrible, such a large performance boost is understandable. It used to be that ATI cards were on par with Nvidia's and the poorly written drivers held them back. Can't say when exactly, but ATI started turning things around a bit before the 9800Pro was released.
You can't be serious when talking about the quality of ATI products! Recently, they've been more than solid in terms of performance and pricing, not to mention the improved drivers... which really was their biggest leap forward
Fill the 3 gallon and empty into the 5 gallon, do this once more to fill the 5 gallon. Hold your finger at the water line on the 3 gallon jug, which should now be a third full. Empty the 3 gallon and fill the 5 gallon, and then empty the 5 gallon into the 3 gallon until the water level reaches your 1 gallon mark.
I think the answer has to deal with the math being misleading. The value of $9 is provided to stump the reader, as it really doesn't pertain to the original cost of the room in the way suggested (9+9+9+2 != 30). Instead, 9+9+9 resembles what the men end up paying for the room (27), but the total is expected to be 25. The real question then becomes, "Who pocketed the extra two dollars?" (9+9+9-2 = 25). In the end, it seems to be just a matter of the logic problem playing off of misplaced signs (+/-).
Indeed! I'm convinced that open flame is by far the safest of heating elements. I'm using this method for all of my dungeon - lighting purposes, and not a single fire yet. Some of the prisoners complain about eye strain due to prolonged exposure, but they should have thought of that before falling into my spike traps.
Seconding this. It's nice to see groups encouraging homebrew, especially given Sony's current attempts to prevent it.
I would like to point out that the DC was a bit of an underdog, despite how wonderful it was. The PSP, on the other hand is bound to generate a nice homebrew scene in the coming year or two (I'm amazed by what there is already) simply due to it's mainstream nature and awesome features (portable, powerful, nice screen, decent onboard storage, ect.)
I'll second that
"Then bring me all the unclothed women my poor eyes can stand!"
"Jesus, Max, take it easy. You don't even like girls!"
"Oh, yeah, in that case, how about some more of these great peanuts?"
"You crack me up, little buddy!"
Another face of this trend that I fully respect is the return to games with somewhat more involving storylines - often delivered through mediums outside of the game. The backstory doesn't have to be necessary, but often sets the feel of the gameworld (assuming it's a good bit of writing instead of garbage). Some of my favorite games - the Quest for Glory series, were very good at this. Not short stories, but more the humorous pamphlets and instruction manuals that seemed to be anything but an actual manual. Furthermore, I welcome with open arms the rise of games with storyline and dialogue done by competent writers. Stale dialogue was (and still is) really starting to get on my nerves.
Yeah, I couldn't help but laugh at that article. Maybe it could have been considered griefing (and obviously cheating), but it's not as if the game creators have no hand in a player's ability to steal items - given in games like Lineage/Lineage II, it's a definite aspect of gameplay, and karma based in Lineage II.
Can't remember the article entirely, but it left me with the feeling that the writer didn't know this, and assumed features needed to be coded out instead of being coded in (having to write code to prevent people from climbing trees in game - bad example, but it gets the point across).
Either way, I got a chuckle out of it
It really did. I joined up with the beta expecting the sort of thing that Halo originally promised. It was a certain amount of fun, but the game lacked depth. Unfortunately, this was the least of their problems.
By the time it hit retail, it was still beyond bug-ridden, and the character/vehicle control was wretched.
About a half year ago, I noticed that Sony was offering a free week/month/whatever of play, so I hopped back on the bandwagon, expecting a somewhat more polished game. Instead, I was met with the same rigid control, and a disturbing amount of bugs (just getting the installed program to run was a labour of love).
While it could have been good - even great, instead it ended up just being another mediocre MMO that I lost interest in before actually buying.
While I hate to thwart speculation with more speculation, it seems like an outrageous call to expect any console to outperform a PC when on an equal field. Personal computers are capable of the very best technology available on the consumer market consumer market. On the other hand, the current up-and-coming consoles have already set (somewhat) hardware configurations, which grow more and more dated as the launch date nears. Besides, do you really expect the 360 to be able to pull off what is being shown by Project Offset (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/11 /2019242&tid=204), even at standard 800x600 television resolution? If very specialized hardware were being used in the next-gens, I could see performance outstripping the best of PCs. But if anything, consoles have become more and more like PCs with each generation.
Slashdot Mirror
And improving Linux is like trying to beat the devil out of an autistic child, right?
While you initially discount paper, a folded notecard in my wallet has been the most reliable method thus far Honestly, when is the last time you've lost your wallet? For me this was eight years ago. Just as you cancel your credit/debit cards when losing a wallet, significant passwords can also be changed. Consider it a security feature Besides, the slight inconvenience of taking out your wallet for a forgotten password encourages you to remember it (I have a straight-terrible memory, and this has worked)
Or possibly Guitar Hero, which the controller's color scheme/design and box art seem to be based directly on
I think the wrong steps are being taken by dragging Mr. God into the equation He never did deliver on that death ray I asked for
As said, it's not horribly difficult after you get the hang of it. Start out with one of the easier characters like a Valkyrie or Samurai and go about it slowly. Don't rush down when your level or equipment isn't ready unless you have to. Also, unless you're near death, play for long term success instead of short term - sure it seems like you have a surplus of enchant weapon scrolls now, but it's far better to have a pimped out artifact weapon instead of a +7 rusty when it comes to the endgame. I've ascended a couple times myself as a Valkyrie and Samurai. It was half of a miracle that I managed to survive for the first ascention, given that I ran into Demogorgon near the bottom and had to mash him to death with only my hammer (a -50AC helped just a bit)
Pretty much what I was going to post. These demo kiosks are going to provide a gaming experience far better than the average PC, thus falsely representing the average customer's experience. The biggest enemy PC gaming faces is the existence of (and possibly the lack of understanding when it comes to) a hardware performance spectrum. I've been consulted by more than one friend (admittedly, not the most versed in technomacy) who are bothered by games not running as advertised, despite their computer meeting the 'minimum requirements' and being free of viruses and spyware. I'll admit that these terminals are a step in the right direction, but truly fail in terms of being able to provide performance representative of what the customer will eventually experience. Not that it isn't valid from a marketing standpoint, but I'm worried about potential PC gamers eventually becoming more jaded to PC games than they already are, especially after after purchasing seemingly stunning titles only to be disappointed by lackluster performance on their home computer. Not that the following suggestion would be taken seriously by any company 'in their right mind', but the discrepancy could be easily emulated through the use of decent throttling software (assuming the user knows the speed/make of their CPU and GPU, installed memory, speed of hard drive, ect.). Again, not in any way good from a marketing perspective, but I'll admit that my biggest turnoff to computer gaming took place back when I was a kid and SimCity2000 wouldn't run on my 386 system for some reason or other. Other than a bit of Rogue here and there, I spent a lot of time with my SNES after that. Either way, at least these terminals allow for in-store playtesting instead of the customer having to rely on reviews or box art. Unfortunately, I can't see them catching on, given the cost of a decent gaming PC compared to the hardware necessary for a newly released gaming console. Maybe gaming stores should just stock demo CDs? In the meantime, much like the good Parent mentions, I'll be downloading 'demo' copies via BitTorrent to get their actual feel.
While I love Nintendo, it seems like they've been falling to the wayside since the release of the N64. Most people I've talked to in my age range seem to look at the quirky features offered in newer systems as novelty instead of gaming innovation. Hopefully the Revolution will strike everyone as something so removed from the tradition console that people will take a chance with it. And on the other side of the coin, it's anyone's guess whether said system will deliver.
I'm with you on that, having been on the ATI bandwagon with an X800 ever since my TI4400 exploded on me. I was just recalling days when some of the more popular games would never render quite right when running on an ATI card.
ATI's drivers tend to be a bit shabby from the get-go (based on my personal experience over the past five-ish years). Assuming that the initial driver support for the X1000 series was horrible, such a large performance boost is understandable. It used to be that ATI cards were on par with Nvidia's and the poorly written drivers held them back. Can't say when exactly, but ATI started turning things around a bit before the 9800Pro was released.
You can't be serious when talking about the quality of ATI products! Recently, they've been more than solid in terms of performance and pricing, not to mention the improved drivers... which really was their biggest leap forward
Fill the 3 gallon and empty into the 5 gallon, do this once more to fill the 5 gallon. Hold your finger at the water line on the 3 gallon jug, which should now be a third full. Empty the 3 gallon and fill the 5 gallon, and then empty the 5 gallon into the 3 gallon until the water level reaches your 1 gallon mark.
I think the answer has to deal with the math being misleading. The value of $9 is provided to stump the reader, as it really doesn't pertain to the original cost of the room in the way suggested (9+9+9+2 != 30). Instead, 9+9+9 resembles what the men end up paying for the room (27), but the total is expected to be 25. The real question then becomes, "Who pocketed the extra two dollars?" (9+9+9-2 = 25). In the end, it seems to be just a matter of the logic problem playing off of misplaced signs (+/-).
http://www.websudoku.com/ is my sudoku fix of choice
Indeed! I'm convinced that open flame is by far the safest of heating elements. I'm using this method for all of my dungeon - lighting purposes, and not a single fire yet. Some of the prisoners complain about eye strain due to prolonged exposure, but they should have thought of that before falling into my spike traps.
And just consider having to resurface that beast. But the probable issues aside, it will make for some beautiful photo opportunities.
Seconding this. It's nice to see groups encouraging homebrew, especially given Sony's current attempts to prevent it. I would like to point out that the DC was a bit of an underdog, despite how wonderful it was. The PSP, on the other hand is bound to generate a nice homebrew scene in the coming year or two (I'm amazed by what there is already) simply due to it's mainstream nature and awesome features (portable, powerful, nice screen, decent onboard storage, ect.)
Hey, it's not my fault the Church of Romero has declared him to be the second coming of christ...
I mean, he is... isn't he?
I'll second that "Then bring me all the unclothed women my poor eyes can stand!" "Jesus, Max, take it easy. You don't even like girls!" "Oh, yeah, in that case, how about some more of these great peanuts?" "You crack me up, little buddy!"
Another face of this trend that I fully respect is the return to games with somewhat more involving storylines - often delivered through mediums outside of the game. The backstory doesn't have to be necessary, but often sets the feel of the gameworld (assuming it's a good bit of writing instead of garbage). Some of my favorite games - the Quest for Glory series, were very good at this. Not short stories, but more the humorous pamphlets and instruction manuals that seemed to be anything but an actual manual. Furthermore, I welcome with open arms the rise of games with storyline and dialogue done by competent writers. Stale dialogue was (and still is) really starting to get on my nerves.
Yeah, I couldn't help but laugh at that article. Maybe it could have been considered griefing (and obviously cheating), but it's not as if the game creators have no hand in a player's ability to steal items - given in games like Lineage/Lineage II, it's a definite aspect of gameplay, and karma based in Lineage II. Can't remember the article entirely, but it left me with the feeling that the writer didn't know this, and assumed features needed to be coded out instead of being coded in (having to write code to prevent people from climbing trees in game - bad example, but it gets the point across). Either way, I got a chuckle out of it
It really did. I joined up with the beta expecting the sort of thing that Halo originally promised. It was a certain amount of fun, but the game lacked depth. Unfortunately, this was the least of their problems. By the time it hit retail, it was still beyond bug-ridden, and the character/vehicle control was wretched. About a half year ago, I noticed that Sony was offering a free week/month/whatever of play, so I hopped back on the bandwagon, expecting a somewhat more polished game. Instead, I was met with the same rigid control, and a disturbing amount of bugs (just getting the installed program to run was a labour of love). While it could have been good - even great, instead it ended up just being another mediocre MMO that I lost interest in before actually buying.
I vaguely remember this being said about Microsoft's last console :allnighte:
While I hate to thwart speculation with more speculation, it seems like an outrageous call to expect any console to outperform a PC when on an equal field. Personal computers are capable of the very best technology available on the consumer market consumer market. On the other hand, the current up-and-coming consoles have already set (somewhat) hardware configurations, which grow more and more dated as the launch date nears. Besides, do you really expect the 360 to be able to pull off what is being shown by Project Offset (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/11 /2019242&tid=204), even at standard 800x600 television resolution? If very specialized hardware were being used in the next-gens, I could see performance outstripping the best of PCs. But if anything, consoles have become more and more like PCs with each generation.
Good point. The Xbox controller was the only one designed for the average american hand - big size 4 lyf!
Damn, posted my first version instead of the rewrite. I'm not good with the intarnet how did that gte ther -_-