The funny part is, most people who look back fondly on ultima online do so because of the all-out PK'ing that went on.
By your lack of reading and spelling skill and by this quote, I'm guessing you were one of those PK'ers.
No, my generalizing friend, most people do not remember the rampant PK'ing fondly. Did you read the article? Did you see in black and white "most players moved to Trammel."
I had numerous friends who started UO and quit shortly after due to the PK problem. I tried to get my wife interested in it multiple times over the 7.5 years I played. She quit multiple times, first because of the PK problem then simply because it was boring. WoW, however, has had her engrossed since it was released. I think she's a good example of a "typical player."
MMO's are NOT all about PvP. I don't mind that people like to play that way. That's fine. Go play somewhere that doesn't bother me and decrease my gameplay enjoyment. I like being in a world with thousands of people. I enjoy the opportunities for making friends, grouping for quests and in general enjoying the game with others. PvPers think differently than I do.
Apple say they're keen to save the lives of anyone who risks death by "reaching into the footwell of his car to retrieve an iPod nano at around 90mph" and anyone who "considered skipping tracks on his iPod more important than the lives of multiple humans".
Personally, if someone is driving 90 mph ANYWHERE in the U.S., they're far beyond the legal limit and obviously don't care about safety. If they're further stupid enough to let themselves be distracted from driving (i.e. the primary reason to be in the car), they need to die to help clean out the gene pool.
As I state when I see a lunatic fly by me more than 20 mph over the speed limit, I hope they don't kill anyone but themselves.
I'd go the other way and put a governor in the iPod. If you're driving more than 70mph, it shuts down.
This is a close similarity to how the business minds think at my company.
"OMG! Our growth that's been a constant uphill for the past 11 months is starting to level off! What're we gonna do?!?!"
These are obviously not technical analysts nor even analysts who keep up with technical journals, websites or the geek who fixes their overpriced, overpowered laptop.
Do they have any clue of what's going on in the industry right now or in PC consumers' minds? Obviously not.
Intel Core 2 Duo launch. Personally I think this is where MOST of the slow down is. Every technically minded person I know of who has considered an upgrade over the past two years is waiting for this.
AM2 and beyond. We've just seen AMD announce a counterstrike to Intel. Who knows what they'll pull out by the end of the year?
Vista delay? So what. Vista is not going to be so different that any hardware coming out today will not run it. I don't see this as a factor.
Apple and iPods. Personally, I just think that the 40% of the population that wanted one and could afford one now has one. As prices come down, the rest of us might get one, but I haven't seen the price drop significantly since the launch of each different model. I won't be getting one anytime soon. I'd like to buy a Mac, too, but again, that's a great deal of money for a guy who tends to build his own PCs.
The really interesting story is going to occur over the next three months.
C2D launches. Bleeding edge, hobbyists, do-it-yourself-ers and the gotta-have-it-now's all go crazy and suck up the first available chips. Whatever computer manufacturing companies have systems ready to build and sell when the chip launches will make a killing. Will Dell be on board? I doubt it because Dell waits for price breaks of just-below-the-leading-edge products, so they'll be behind just because of their business model. Yet since they're in bed with Intel, they might have a price break advantage with the DPAs that will give them an edge at the start of this massive buying wave.
As each progressively faster chip is launched, we'll see waves of this occuring again. Who knows how AMD will factor into this.
The article sounds like a big panic over nothing. I think I'll go buy some Intel stock and watch it explode over the latter half of this year.
Yes, yes, you could expound on this list and chase every rabbit hole to uncover hundreds of other game development companies that fell in this manner, but I think this article did a good job of summarizing the history of game companies over the past 30 years. It took me back in time, that's for sure.
I'm with the rest of you old farts. I didn't play all of these, but I definitely remember them. This explains quite a bit that occured and I was unaware of at the time. Rather mysterious how you'd be expecting a sequel and it never happened, or worse, a sequel came out, it was done by another company and it was nothing like the original (in a bad way).
If I could Mod the article, I'd give it +5 for insight.
I'm personally pleased to see my favorite company and games mentioned throughout the article. I knew Origin was often a leader in game technology and typically pushed the envelope forcing you to upgrade your PC every time they published a new title, but I had no idea their influence linked to other studios and spread so far.
I played (and finished) every single Ultima game except Underworld. I played the demo, I own a copy of it but I never finished it. It has been on my to do list for 10 years now.:-)
What's truly disheartening is the end result of all the mentioned companies and the other dozens like them. The capitalist, have-to-make-a-dollar methodology of software companies now is deplorable and leaves no room for developers to experiment and come up with something really creative. It's a vicious cycle driven by the almighty dollar - deadlines and templates != creativity and productivity.
Another several great examples of how EA has ruined everything they touch.
Master of Magic was so under-rated and under-supported.
Definitely one of the best turn based games ever, IMHO.
It was the only thing that pulled me away from long, long Civ stints.
I still have it, I load it occasionally and I play it from time to time. There was rumor of a MoM:2, but it never happened probably because of one of these buyout, shutdown, assimilation things.
...any new Ultima title would need at least two years of development to release, such is the complexity of current MMOs.
Since I'm completely certain that EA owns ALL of the IP that those two development teams created, I don't see why the new development team can't pick up where they left off, bring it up to speed and knock it out in a year.
I played UO for seven and a half years. I enjoyed four of them. The two cancelled "upgrades" was disappointing, the McFarlane content was horrendous and the 3d attempt was laughable. Oh, how I wish I'd have sold my account at UO's peak. I could have funded my WoW account for years.:-)
Yes, WoW is what finally helped me sever my ties to UO. No, I wouldn't consider going back to UO regardless of how much they attempt to clone WoW. I just can't stand to see EA ruin Richard Garriott's creation any further.
I play on two (Lightbringer and Malfurion) and I'm seeing new players constantly. Only reason I can tell is because they have no clue how some of the basics work (asking guards, rolling on loot, participating in groups, etc.)
I am seeing large guilds recruiting, but I think that's just typical attrition or some "old timers" have moved on or are hibernating until the next patch or expansion.
Visible activity (like in Ironforge) nearly doubled on Lightbringer after the last patch.
Most of the replies took it correctly as sarcasm to the double-edged sword of the interstate system.
Lighten up.
Thank you for the correct math, though. Since I work a full time job and only read/. as a break from work, I didn't have the time to research the real statistics. I think your real statistics are more frightening than my made up one.
The trick to finishing any creative project on schedule is to ship whatever is done by a given date.
Thus providing a boatload of overpriced, hype marketed, half-done crap to your consumers, forcing large patch downloads, huge amounts of frustration and company image degradation. This really lets customers know how much you value them.
It is because of numbskull thinking such as this that I admire Blizzard above all other game developers. Their philosophy: "We'll ship it when it's done."
"If you lined up all the dead bodies of the people who have died on the Interstate system over the past 50 years, it would circle the Earth twice."
One major thing that Ike failed to bring over from the German system: driver's education.
The U.S. education, licensing and renewal of drivers is a joke. Personally, I don't want anyone who didn't make 95% on their test on the road, but here we have most of the drivers who made 70% and it shows, every day. To further agitate the issue, law enforcement and insurance companies have too much forgiveness: four tickets/year allowed (in TX), defensive driving courses (what a joke).
I wouldn't drive to work every day if I had an alternative. Personally, I'd rather go back to horses.
This may be obvious and simple-minded on my part, but isn't it the other way around? It's not "adults are immature," it's that immature people are simply getting older.
I have long known that maturity has nothing to do with age.
I started working when I was 14 and I've never had a summer break since. I don't feel that made me mature, but it certainly made me a responsible person.
I've often associated with people older than me. My psychologist from years past stated this had to do with my intellect level and seeking like-minded company. Still not a sign of maturity, but a sign of thinking beyond my years.
I always dated (and married) girls/women older than I am. One time I tried dating someone younger than me. She talked constantly but never really said anything. She also couldn't understand my humor. Once more not really a maturity signal, but a sign that any age can accept or refuse maturity.
So what is maturity to me? Taking responsibility for your actions (as another poster stated) regardless of whether they are responsible actions or not. Consideration for those around you and your environment (teens [or adults] cursing in public locations is a good counter-example). Knowing your age, acting it when appropriate and knowing how to play young at heart without interfering with anyone else's fun or seriousness.
I repeat, it's not so much that we have adults being immature (though I know a few), it's simply the immature crowd of the past 20 years finally becoming adults and entering the workforce, the social structure and more importantly to this study, surveys.
The last few decades have done nothing but speed things up: restaurants, ovens, service, traffic, communication, gratification, etc. et al. What do we expect when a 20-something feels they should steadily move up the corporate ladder by throwing tantrums? Our society created these brats. Now it's time to accept them into the workplace or spank them back down where they belong so they can wait in line like everyone else.
This begs the question about applications such as TeamSpeak or Ventrilo. I'm hosting a TS server on my equipment and my broadband connection. The software is free and it allows me to speak with my friends for free. I wonder how long this will stay free.
in 1998. I purchased Ultima Online in September of 1997, and suddenly in January of 1998 I realized I hadn't purchased or even played any other game.
After a 7.5 year UO habit, I moved to WoW and I've been there ever since. Since 1997, I have only bought a few, exclusive games, and I only played them to a point before going back to full MMO: Diablo 2, Ultima IX: Ascension.
Occasionally emulators might distract me as I pine for something retro, but MMO's are a mainstay and a new form of entertainment that has replaced movies and TV for me.
What I feel is causing the decline in the purchase of console games is... (drum roll) console game companies.
Consumers are finally waking up and realizing that they're buying a new console and a whole new set of games every year. How ridiculous. With a PC I've got a much slower turnover rate though in the end it probably equates to the same amount of money. I'll replace my computer every two years, but I'll keep my library of games and play the ones that I still like (Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft, Ultima Series, Master of Magic) when the mood strikes me thanks to virtualization, the ability to keep legacy OSes running and emulators.
I've never understood the attraction of consoles over PCs.
- the 13 million people playing some MMO around the world
- the 2 million (guess) people employed by all MMO development companies
- the other 2-3 million (also guess) people employed as software development for any system that could possibly involve real people, virtual presence, virtual property and real world money transactions (read futuristic virtual banking, trading, selling systems)
- the millions of people who use eBay to buy and sell items as something of this nature will indirectly affect their policies and their rates for trades
- the hundreds of millions of people whose lives are loosely connected to eBay selling whether they realize it or not
- the federal government of any country whose economy is significantly impacted by the production, selling, purchasing and general trading of said MMO games, software in general, future technology related to virtual presence, e-commerce and general trade
I guess it would have been much easier to count who doesn't care:
- you (1)
- Tibetan monks (about 800, I think)
- a llama herder in northern Chile (1, plus 400 llamas if you want to count them)
If they actually want to do something about this, they need to reduce the need to buy gold to get anything done in a reasonable timeframe, and/or start banning people who BUY gold. They're the problem anyway.
I agree completely.
On my server we've seen a complete disappearance of the constant ore farmers in Burning Steppes and Eastern Plaguelands. I'm hoping to see the price of things overall start dropping a bit.
IMO the people who buy gold (or pre-made chars/accounts) are simply impatient and unwilling to play the game as it was meant to be played. Just because someone else started before them or has more time to play does not mean that the new player must immediately catch up. The PLAYING is the experience not what you have or how much gold you collect. When it's all said and done, no one will care that you had all the warrior tier 3 armor and you were the 3rd richest person on your realm. Did you have fun? THAT'S the point.
I understand players' frustration with how much time it takes to run an instance or how complicated a raid can be. I definitely understand not having the best equipment for your class or level. What I don't understand is players believing they deserve to have these rewards without putting the effort and/or time into them. Reminds me of how newer players complained about the veteran reward system in Ultima Online.
I feel that Blizzard has expertly designed WoW to appeal to all varieties of players from casual to hardcore. All those upper tier sets and the 4-6 hour instances are NOT for the casual player. Period. That content is there for the hardcore (and short attention span) players to keep them interested in the game until new content can be added. I think I fall somewhere in between casual and hardcore. I play nearly every day for 2+ hours, I've been playing since beta, I only have one level 60 and I have yet to do any instances above Black Rock Depths. What I do have are nine characters varying from levels 32 to 60, a successful and growing guild of excellent and enjoyable players and a thorough understanding of the game (up to what I've done) that I share with newer players to help them enjoy the game to its fullest.
I despise when real world happenings (real money trading, political conflicts, account selling, cheating, etc.) interfere with this form of entertainment. It all detracts from the experience.
I use the Logitech MX510, but I don't use any extra buttons. I do the majority of my movement in combat using the mouse only (hold down both buttons and drive). Then I have my left hand to press whatever action, key combo or macro sequence I need. Mostly it's 1-8 for the major combat actions. Works marvelously for my rouge and especially for combat while swimming.
It means to me that when you're in a fantasy RPG, you want to experience the fantasy and leave the real world behind for a little while. THAT world has its own politics, economics and other dynamics that make it unique.
When something like a strategy guide focused towards gaining you gold faster than other players is created, it causes an imbalance and allows the real world to bleed into the fantasy world. Knowing strategy of how to succeed in the game as a player is one thing; knowing all the shortcuts and loopholes that allow you to exploit the system is quite another.
I saw nothing wrong with Blizzard protecting their content AND all opportunities (read marketing) that stem from that content.
What I see is this guy capitalizing off Blizzard's work. I dislike that, but it is the way of the capitalist world in which we live.
It also sickens me that the guide is geared towards making money in WoW, supports (ads on the website) buying gold for real money and in general demeans the essence of the game. All of this leads to imbalances that once done cannot be undone. In short, this is all leading towards ruining the game.
I personally wish Blizzard would strongly enforce their Terms of Service agreement that states that all virtual property in World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard and therefore cannot be sold.
Great. ANOTHER medium to be ruined with ads
on
Avatar-Based Marketing
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Remember when you went to a movie, you might see a short news reel or a cartoon and then you saw the movie you paid to see.
Now it has gotten so bad that if you show up early to find a good seat, you'll suffer through either a series of slides of local advertisements or a hollywood "behind the scenes" documentary. Then you suffer through 15 minutes of movie advertisements and paid advertisements denouncing movie piracy. I often forget which movie I came to see.
So I've almost completely quit going to movies. Next I began buying DVD's, most often of movies I'd seen before at least once and like, but sometimes I'd risk buying a movie I hadn't seen. Now DVD's are starting to have forced advertising. (Disney is the worst.) I can understand being unable to skip the FBI warning, but why should I have to watch commercials every time I play the DVD?
So I've decreased my DVD purchases as well. I'm currently enjoying the video on demand my Verizon FIOS TV offers. Start, pause, rewind and stop when I want. No commercials at the beginning or within. I'm enjoying my DVR functions, too. I record something and watch it later so I can skip through the commercials.
Gaming is my relaxation. The last thing I want to see in a game I'm paying for is blatant advertising whether it applies to me as a person or my avatar. I barely care if it fits with the theme or not. It's a possible interruption, distraction or reminder of the real world that I don't want. I really enjoy gaming, but if marketers start screwing with my last bastion of peace, I'll be seriously pissed. Not only would I stop paying and playing, not only would I personally boycott the companies pushing the advertising, but I'd also be publically protesting and getting as many others as possible to boycott them, too.
Why can advertisers not understand: we're in a PULL generation now. If you try pushing anything onto me, you'll get nothing but my anger and resentment. If I want something, I know how to go look for it. Why does it take acts of congress to (unsuccessfully) get companies to stop calling us? For spammers to stop sending us their crap? For companies to stop pushing their drivel down our throats everywhere we turn?
after reading most of the posts here that there is still a huge inconsistency across the country and around the world when it comes to network/telco connectivity.
High speed internet accessible to anyone in the country will never exist because we refuse to let the government control and regulate these networks. Therefore they will always be restricted by local government policies and the marketing initiatives of the service provider.
I live in Dallas, TX, a fairly advanced area as far as network service providers, but I've also seen some stupid cases just in this area.
Areas are divided up by the phone companies and cable companies. You may be able to get DSL in one neighborhood and not cable internet, then in a neighborhood two miles away it's the exact opposite. The latest stupidity I've heard is Plano allowing FIOS internet, but not allowing FIOS TV. That tells me that a Comcast executive is on the city council and refuses to relent Comcast's stranglehold on Plano.
I first acquired cable internet in 1997 with @home. It then changed to attbi and finally to Comcast. Being a cable company, Comcast continually raised their rates without notice every six months (we left cable for satellite TV in 1996, partly for the money; mostly for the lack of service.) Speed started at 10Mb, was reduced to 5Mb, then finally 3Mb. I considered DSL, but the speed/dollar just wasn't there. In early 2005 I saw fiber optic being buried in our area, so I knew I wouldn't have to deal with Comcast much longer.
My installation was quick and easy. I was flying along in no time. There was no copper to cut because Comcast had already done that when we used their VoIP service. Due to their frequent outages, we finally converted to mobile phones (Verizon) in January 2005 and removed all traces of POTS.
In March we added FIOS TV. Hands-down the best purchase we've ever made. I cancelled a 10 year DirecTV account, added DVR, added HD, added VOD and saved ~$10 a month. Finally, my HD TV can show its true colors, the signal is consistent and clear and video on demand and DVR functions are marvelous. We may add a land line phone through Verizon, but the only need is for 911 auto-location and when our girls get old enough to stay home alone (like we won't buy them mobiles).
I think it is also obvious how disparate service is. I see many people here complaining that they hate Verizon. I can only wonder why. When researching which mobile service provider to choose a Consumer Reports article I read noted Verizon as the only company with better than average customer service. Otherwise all of the companies were the same. We've always had good service with Verizon, on the mobile phone, with the internet and now with the TV. They're always courteous, helpful and intent on taking care of me and keeping my business. The only issues I've had are due to their rapid growth: long hold times, re-scheduled installation, etc.
My point is take anyone's experience with a grain of salt. Until you talk to your neighbors you won't know what to expect. My experience was great, I'm still enjoying it and I intend to enjoy it for a long, long time.
Nobody wants a geek. Instead, we would have a monoculture in which everyone had "optimal" characteristics - i.e., non-geeky, sports-loving, beer-swilling, do-as-your-told types.
Are you kidding?
Geek is chic.
Who do you think is doing the cloning and stem cell research?
Who do you think is supporting the network of computers the scientists rely on to gather and store the data?
If this does get to the point of "fashion cloning/genetic alteration" and they do end up as you say, who do you think will be behind the scenes running the world?
BFOH: All you tailgaters and barbie dolls want to see a football game? Hand over all your cash and I'll turn on the satellite TV for you. *cha-ching*
Why is it so hard to imagine that your God gave man the ability to do such things as a means to improve our lives?
Absolutely!
All animals have strengths: cats their speed, gorillas their strength, snakes their poison. Humans have intelligence (in general).
Intelligence is our primary tool for solving problems, improving and perpetuating our species. Evolution is going to happen. If we have the intelligence to guide it properly (and morally) then we should.
The morality is the difficult part. That doesn't seem to exist anymore. Most people interpret "religion" as moral, but I think we've seen plenty of examples that it is not the case. Spanish Inquisition or Salem witch hunts anyone?
I keep having hope that humans are generally good and that their environment corrupts them and causes them to behave immorally. I'm beginning to have my doubts.
Slashdot Mirror
No, my generalizing friend, most people do not remember the rampant PK'ing fondly. Did you read the article? Did you see in black and white "most players moved to Trammel."
I had numerous friends who started UO and quit shortly after due to the PK problem. I tried to get my wife interested in it multiple times over the 7.5 years I played. She quit multiple times, first because of the PK problem then simply because it was boring. WoW, however, has had her engrossed since it was released. I think she's a good example of a "typical player."
MMO's are NOT all about PvP. I don't mind that people like to play that way. That's fine. Go play somewhere that doesn't bother me and decrease my gameplay enjoyment. I like being in a world with thousands of people. I enjoy the opportunities for making friends, grouping for quests and in general enjoying the game with others. PvPers think differently than I do.
As I state when I see a lunatic fly by me more than 20 mph over the speed limit, I hope they don't kill anyone but themselves.
I'd go the other way and put a governor in the iPod. If you're driving more than 70mph, it shuts down.
Whenever I think that EA games could eventually buyout and control ALL game development....
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
/catches breath
Man, that is truly disturbing.
"OMG! Our growth that's been a constant uphill for the past 11 months is starting to level off! What're we gonna do?!?!"
These are obviously not technical analysts nor even analysts who keep up with technical journals, websites or the geek who fixes their overpriced, overpowered laptop.
Do they have any clue of what's going on in the industry right now or in PC consumers' minds? Obviously not.
Intel Core 2 Duo launch. Personally I think this is where MOST of the slow down is. Every technically minded person I know of who has considered an upgrade over the past two years is waiting for this.
AM2 and beyond. We've just seen AMD announce a counterstrike to Intel. Who knows what they'll pull out by the end of the year?
Vista delay? So what. Vista is not going to be so different that any hardware coming out today will not run it. I don't see this as a factor.
Apple and iPods. Personally, I just think that the 40% of the population that wanted one and could afford one now has one. As prices come down, the rest of us might get one, but I haven't seen the price drop significantly since the launch of each different model. I won't be getting one anytime soon. I'd like to buy a Mac, too, but again, that's a great deal of money for a guy who tends to build his own PCs.
The really interesting story is going to occur over the next three months.
C2D launches. Bleeding edge, hobbyists, do-it-yourself-ers and the gotta-have-it-now's all go crazy and suck up the first available chips. Whatever computer manufacturing companies have systems ready to build and sell when the chip launches will make a killing. Will Dell be on board? I doubt it because Dell waits for price breaks of just-below-the-leading-edge products, so they'll be behind just because of their business model. Yet since they're in bed with Intel, they might have a price break advantage with the DPAs that will give them an edge at the start of this massive buying wave.
As each progressively faster chip is launched, we'll see waves of this occuring again. Who knows how AMD will factor into this.
The article sounds like a big panic over nothing. I think I'll go buy some Intel stock and watch it explode over the latter half of this year.
I'm with the rest of you old farts. I didn't play all of these, but I definitely remember them. This explains quite a bit that occured and I was unaware of at the time. Rather mysterious how you'd be expecting a sequel and it never happened, or worse, a sequel came out, it was done by another company and it was nothing like the original (in a bad way).
If I could Mod the article, I'd give it +5 for insight.
I'm personally pleased to see my favorite company and games mentioned throughout the article. I knew Origin was often a leader in game technology and typically pushed the envelope forcing you to upgrade your PC every time they published a new title, but I had no idea their influence linked to other studios and spread so far.
I played (and finished) every single Ultima game except Underworld. I played the demo, I own a copy of it but I never finished it. It has been on my to do list for 10 years now. :-)
What's truly disheartening is the end result of all the mentioned companies and the other dozens like them. The capitalist, have-to-make-a-dollar methodology of software companies now is deplorable and leaves no room for developers to experiment and come up with something really creative. It's a vicious cycle driven by the almighty dollar - deadlines and templates != creativity and productivity.
Another several great examples of how EA has ruined everything they touch.
Definitely one of the best turn based games ever, IMHO.
It was the only thing that pulled me away from long, long Civ stints.
I still have it, I load it occasionally and I play it from time to time. There was rumor of a MoM:2, but it never happened probably because of one of these buyout, shutdown, assimilation things.
I played UO for seven and a half years. I enjoyed four of them. The two cancelled "upgrades" was disappointing, the McFarlane content was horrendous and the 3d attempt was laughable. Oh, how I wish I'd have sold my account at UO's peak. I could have funded my WoW account for years. :-)
Yes, WoW is what finally helped me sever my ties to UO. No, I wouldn't consider going back to UO regardless of how much they attempt to clone WoW. I just can't stand to see EA ruin Richard Garriott's creation any further.
I play on two (Lightbringer and Malfurion) and I'm seeing new players constantly. Only reason I can tell is because they have no clue how some of the basics work (asking guards, rolling on loot, participating in groups, etc.)
I am seeing large guilds recruiting, but I think that's just typical attrition or some "old timers" have moved on or are hibernating until the next patch or expansion.
Visible activity (like in Ironforge) nearly doubled on Lightbringer after the last patch.
Most of the replies took it correctly as sarcasm to the double-edged sword of the interstate system.
Lighten up.
Thank you for the correct math, though. Since I work a full time job and only read /. as a break from work, I didn't have the time to research the real statistics. I think your real statistics are more frightening than my made up one.
Thus providing a boatload of overpriced, hype marketed, half-done crap to your consumers, forcing large patch downloads, huge amounts of frustration and company image degradation. This really lets customers know how much you value them.
It is because of numbskull thinking such as this that I admire Blizzard above all other game developers. Their philosophy: "We'll ship it when it's done."
Damn straight.
This guy is just another reason to hate EA.
One major thing that Ike failed to bring over from the German system: driver's education.
The U.S. education, licensing and renewal of drivers is a joke. Personally, I don't want anyone who didn't make 95% on their test on the road, but here we have most of the drivers who made 70% and it shows, every day. To further agitate the issue, law enforcement and insurance companies have too much forgiveness: four tickets/year allowed (in TX), defensive driving courses (what a joke).
I wouldn't drive to work every day if I had an alternative. Personally, I'd rather go back to horses.
I have long known that maturity has nothing to do with age.
I started working when I was 14 and I've never had a summer break since. I don't feel that made me mature, but it certainly made me a responsible person.
I've often associated with people older than me. My psychologist from years past stated this had to do with my intellect level and seeking like-minded company. Still not a sign of maturity, but a sign of thinking beyond my years.
I always dated (and married) girls/women older than I am. One time I tried dating someone younger than me. She talked constantly but never really said anything. She also couldn't understand my humor. Once more not really a maturity signal, but a sign that any age can accept or refuse maturity.
So what is maturity to me? Taking responsibility for your actions (as another poster stated) regardless of whether they are responsible actions or not. Consideration for those around you and your environment (teens [or adults] cursing in public locations is a good counter-example). Knowing your age, acting it when appropriate and knowing how to play young at heart without interfering with anyone else's fun or seriousness.
I repeat, it's not so much that we have adults being immature (though I know a few), it's simply the immature crowd of the past 20 years finally becoming adults and entering the workforce, the social structure and more importantly to this study, surveys.
The last few decades have done nothing but speed things up: restaurants, ovens, service, traffic, communication, gratification, etc. et al. What do we expect when a 20-something feels they should steadily move up the corporate ladder by throwing tantrums? Our society created these brats. Now it's time to accept them into the workplace or spank them back down where they belong so they can wait in line like everyone else.
This begs the question about applications such as TeamSpeak or Ventrilo. I'm hosting a TS server on my equipment and my broadband connection. The software is free and it allows me to speak with my friends for free. I wonder how long this will stay free.
After a 7.5 year UO habit, I moved to WoW and I've been there ever since. Since 1997, I have only bought a few, exclusive games, and I only played them to a point before going back to full MMO: Diablo 2, Ultima IX: Ascension.
Occasionally emulators might distract me as I pine for something retro, but MMO's are a mainstay and a new form of entertainment that has replaced movies and TV for me.
What I feel is causing the decline in the purchase of console games is... (drum roll) console game companies.
Consumers are finally waking up and realizing that they're buying a new console and a whole new set of games every year. How ridiculous. With a PC I've got a much slower turnover rate though in the end it probably equates to the same amount of money. I'll replace my computer every two years, but I'll keep my library of games and play the ones that I still like (Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft, Ultima Series, Master of Magic) when the mood strikes me thanks to virtualization, the ability to keep legacy OSes running and emulators.
I've never understood the attraction of consoles over PCs.
- the 13 million people playing some MMO around the world
- the 2 million (guess) people employed by all MMO development companies
- the other 2-3 million (also guess) people employed as software development for any system that could possibly involve real people, virtual presence, virtual property and real world money transactions (read futuristic virtual banking, trading, selling systems)
- the millions of people who use eBay to buy and sell items as something of this nature will indirectly affect their policies and their rates for trades
- the hundreds of millions of people whose lives are loosely connected to eBay selling whether they realize it or not
- the federal government of any country whose economy is significantly impacted by the production, selling, purchasing and general trading of said MMO games, software in general, future technology related to virtual presence, e-commerce and general trade
I guess it would have been much easier to count who doesn't care:
- you (1)
- Tibetan monks (about 800, I think)
- a llama herder in northern Chile (1, plus 400 llamas if you want to count them)
I agree completely.
On my server we've seen a complete disappearance of the constant ore farmers in Burning Steppes and Eastern Plaguelands. I'm hoping to see the price of things overall start dropping a bit.
IMO the people who buy gold (or pre-made chars/accounts) are simply impatient and unwilling to play the game as it was meant to be played. Just because someone else started before them or has more time to play does not mean that the new player must immediately catch up. The PLAYING is the experience not what you have or how much gold you collect. When it's all said and done, no one will care that you had all the warrior tier 3 armor and you were the 3rd richest person on your realm. Did you have fun? THAT'S the point.
I understand players' frustration with how much time it takes to run an instance or how complicated a raid can be. I definitely understand not having the best equipment for your class or level. What I don't understand is players believing they deserve to have these rewards without putting the effort and/or time into them. Reminds me of how newer players complained about the veteran reward system in Ultima Online.
I feel that Blizzard has expertly designed WoW to appeal to all varieties of players from casual to hardcore. All those upper tier sets and the 4-6 hour instances are NOT for the casual player. Period. That content is there for the hardcore (and short attention span) players to keep them interested in the game until new content can be added. I think I fall somewhere in between casual and hardcore. I play nearly every day for 2+ hours, I've been playing since beta, I only have one level 60 and I have yet to do any instances above Black Rock Depths. What I do have are nine characters varying from levels 32 to 60, a successful and growing guild of excellent and enjoyable players and a thorough understanding of the game (up to what I've done) that I share with newer players to help them enjoy the game to its fullest.
I despise when real world happenings (real money trading, political conflicts, account selling, cheating, etc.) interfere with this form of entertainment. It all detracts from the experience.
For the less frequently used, replace the hard jewel cases with more pliable plastic ones that still have a spine and can either take the CD insert/back label or can be labeled: http://www.uline.com/AdvSearchResult.asp?view=ALL& SubGroup=5164&Source=20&BrowseGroup=87&Method=BROW SE&desc=Square+Plastic+CD+Cases
My company uses the cases and stores them in a large 4 drawer, 500 CD per drawer, media cabinet. I wish we had a jukebox.
I use the Logitech MX510, but I don't use any extra buttons. I do the majority of my movement in combat using the mouse only (hold down both buttons and drive). Then I have my left hand to press whatever action, key combo or macro sequence I need. Mostly it's 1-8 for the major combat actions. Works marvelously for my rouge and especially for combat while swimming.
Thanks for those links.
Whew! Glad I'm not single and desparate in a MMO.
When something like a strategy guide focused towards gaining you gold faster than other players is created, it causes an imbalance and allows the real world to bleed into the fantasy world. Knowing strategy of how to succeed in the game as a player is one thing; knowing all the shortcuts and loopholes that allow you to exploit the system is quite another.
What I see is this guy capitalizing off Blizzard's work. I dislike that, but it is the way of the capitalist world in which we live.
It also sickens me that the guide is geared towards making money in WoW, supports (ads on the website) buying gold for real money and in general demeans the essence of the game. All of this leads to imbalances that once done cannot be undone. In short, this is all leading towards ruining the game.
I personally wish Blizzard would strongly enforce their Terms of Service agreement that states that all virtual property in World of Warcraft belongs to Blizzard and therefore cannot be sold.
Now it has gotten so bad that if you show up early to find a good seat, you'll suffer through either a series of slides of local advertisements or a hollywood "behind the scenes" documentary. Then you suffer through 15 minutes of movie advertisements and paid advertisements denouncing movie piracy. I often forget which movie I came to see.
So I've almost completely quit going to movies. Next I began buying DVD's, most often of movies I'd seen before at least once and like, but sometimes I'd risk buying a movie I hadn't seen. Now DVD's are starting to have forced advertising. (Disney is the worst.) I can understand being unable to skip the FBI warning, but why should I have to watch commercials every time I play the DVD?
So I've decreased my DVD purchases as well. I'm currently enjoying the video on demand my Verizon FIOS TV offers. Start, pause, rewind and stop when I want. No commercials at the beginning or within. I'm enjoying my DVR functions, too. I record something and watch it later so I can skip through the commercials.
Gaming is my relaxation. The last thing I want to see in a game I'm paying for is blatant advertising whether it applies to me as a person or my avatar. I barely care if it fits with the theme or not. It's a possible interruption, distraction or reminder of the real world that I don't want. I really enjoy gaming, but if marketers start screwing with my last bastion of peace, I'll be seriously pissed. Not only would I stop paying and playing, not only would I personally boycott the companies pushing the advertising, but I'd also be publically protesting and getting as many others as possible to boycott them, too.
Why can advertisers not understand: we're in a PULL generation now. If you try pushing anything onto me, you'll get nothing but my anger and resentment. If I want something, I know how to go look for it. Why does it take acts of congress to (unsuccessfully) get companies to stop calling us? For spammers to stop sending us their crap? For companies to stop pushing their drivel down our throats everywhere we turn?
I DON'T WANT YOUR PRODUCT!! CAPEESH?!!?
High speed internet accessible to anyone in the country will never exist because we refuse to let the government control and regulate these networks. Therefore they will always be restricted by local government policies and the marketing initiatives of the service provider.
I live in Dallas, TX, a fairly advanced area as far as network service providers, but I've also seen some stupid cases just in this area.
Areas are divided up by the phone companies and cable companies. You may be able to get DSL in one neighborhood and not cable internet, then in a neighborhood two miles away it's the exact opposite. The latest stupidity I've heard is Plano allowing FIOS internet, but not allowing FIOS TV. That tells me that a Comcast executive is on the city council and refuses to relent Comcast's stranglehold on Plano.
I first acquired cable internet in 1997 with @home. It then changed to attbi and finally to Comcast. Being a cable company, Comcast continually raised their rates without notice every six months (we left cable for satellite TV in 1996, partly for the money; mostly for the lack of service.) Speed started at 10Mb, was reduced to 5Mb, then finally 3Mb. I considered DSL, but the speed/dollar just wasn't there. In early 2005 I saw fiber optic being buried in our area, so I knew I wouldn't have to deal with Comcast much longer.
My installation was quick and easy. I was flying along in no time. There was no copper to cut because Comcast had already done that when we used their VoIP service. Due to their frequent outages, we finally converted to mobile phones (Verizon) in January 2005 and removed all traces of POTS.
In March we added FIOS TV. Hands-down the best purchase we've ever made. I cancelled a 10 year DirecTV account, added DVR, added HD, added VOD and saved ~$10 a month. Finally, my HD TV can show its true colors, the signal is consistent and clear and video on demand and DVR functions are marvelous. We may add a land line phone through Verizon, but the only need is for 911 auto-location and when our girls get old enough to stay home alone (like we won't buy them mobiles).
I think it is also obvious how disparate service is. I see many people here complaining that they hate Verizon. I can only wonder why. When researching which mobile service provider to choose a Consumer Reports article I read noted Verizon as the only company with better than average customer service. Otherwise all of the companies were the same. We've always had good service with Verizon, on the mobile phone, with the internet and now with the TV. They're always courteous, helpful and intent on taking care of me and keeping my business. The only issues I've had are due to their rapid growth: long hold times, re-scheduled installation, etc.
My point is take anyone's experience with a grain of salt. Until you talk to your neighbors you won't know what to expect. My experience was great, I'm still enjoying it and I intend to enjoy it for a long, long time.
Geek is chic.
Who do you think is doing the cloning and stem cell research?
Who do you think is supporting the network of computers the scientists rely on to gather and store the data?
If this does get to the point of "fashion cloning/genetic alteration" and they do end up as you say, who do you think will be behind the scenes running the world?
BFOH: All you tailgaters and barbie dolls want to see a football game? Hand over all your cash and I'll turn on the satellite TV for you. *cha-ching*
Absolutely!
All animals have strengths: cats their speed, gorillas their strength, snakes their poison. Humans have intelligence (in general).
Intelligence is our primary tool for solving problems, improving and perpetuating our species. Evolution is going to happen. If we have the intelligence to guide it properly (and morally) then we should.
The morality is the difficult part. That doesn't seem to exist anymore. Most people interpret "religion" as moral, but I think we've seen plenty of examples that it is not the case. Spanish Inquisition or Salem witch hunts anyone?
I keep having hope that humans are generally good and that their environment corrupts them and causes them to behave immorally. I'm beginning to have my doubts.