So, out of genuine curiosity, what are all the alternatives you'd suggest people read? I have a short list of sites I read regularly, but I'm curious why you didn't mention any of the "sites that are actually relevant in today's connected world".
One word: Inflation.
You can't compare costs in 1980 to costs today (25 years later) without talking in terms of either 1980 dollars OR 2006 dollars. They are not worth the same .
A little education goes a long way - check out http://www.investopedia.com/university/inflation/ .
A calculator that is useful - http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgiIn comparison to income, prices of games have gone down in a dramatic fashion - $40 in 1980 dollars is worth well over one hundred dollars a game today.
At the risk of being off-topic, being a fellow Eve Player (who loves the LACK of a level grind (your charachter trains even if you're not playing)) - "can I have your stuff?":D
....anyone but parents being the responsible party. I'm not saying that they have total control over their kid's actions, but legislation like this implies that "some kids are just beyond good upbringing and good parenting". You see this garbage in schools all the time, and it's sickening.
PARENTS - Other people are not responsible for your children. That's why they're your children. Spend time teaching them -why- this sort of thing is bad. If you don't trust them, limit their internet usage. Keep tabs on where they are and what they're doing. IF you don't like the commitment and responsiblity that comes along with it, don't have children.
The British would like to have a word with you about those upstart colonies and their supposed "inability to effectivly organize a cohesive millitary force"
Nevermind the potential for GM/Corporate Fraud - Unlike 'real' world property, the virtual world property is under the jurisdiction of the company you're buying access from - how much do YOU trust the folks running WOW to play fair?
The only other solution is government regulations to virutal game rules and that should alternately make your head spin and cause you to retch.
Nah - my thoughts on that is "This stuff is such crap I'm going to go out and live life.
All I'm saying is that there really isn't much of a proven correlation between profit and piracy and as a result, companies making difficult for good law abiding consumers is shooting themselves in the foot and assinine all in the same neat package.
That's idiotic. Time and time again it's been shown that piracy isn't reducing sales in music or movies. The movie and record execs are singing that tune to their investors, but it's just not that clear.
The problem with movies is due to most box office shows aren't making TONS of money - and they're making more of them. The problem with movie revenues is quality of films. Even box office numbers are down, and that's not because Joe Jackass can go in and rip DVDs from his local FlockLuster Videos.
I'm not saying the parent is right, but don't think for a moment that someone ripping a DVD has a damn thing to do with the cost you pay for "Star Wars Episode 20, Revenge of the Jar-Jar".
Since no company, including massive IBM, has been able to compete with or unseat Microsoft from the desktop, Microsoft's stance alone may prevent any universal acceptance of OS X on the desktop from ever happening. In fact, I assume that as this is being written, Microsoft has coders in its skunk works tearing into OS X looking for deep flaws that it can exploit and publicize. Don't think otherwise. It only makes sense that they'd do this.
Right. This would be because they have no problems of their own to fix? There may be folks at Msft disassembling code, but with a goal of "publicizing flaws"? There are enough people doing that for free on both sides of the fence.
Thus a cloud is rising over OS X and its future unless Apple makes its boldest move ever: turning OS X into an open-source project. That would make OS X versus Linux become the most interesting battle within the computer scene. With all the attention turned in that direction, there would be nothing Microsoft could do to stem a reversal of its fortunes.
So. Because Microsoft will automagically discover their flaws due to their crack team of exploit finders (who have been able to find all of Window's flaws previous to this, and because Microsoft is positioning themselves to squeeze everyone out of the market, Apple should make their OS free and compete with Linux in order to draw attention away from Microsoft? Because making their OS free would help their bottom line.... or.....?
1. Make OS free
2. Start OS war with Linux
3. **?**
4. Profit?
Am I the only one thinking WTF? Insane ramblings indeed.
Exactly right. Everyone on here who seems to be a fan of TiVo acts like they drive volvos and wouldn't touch a bottle of wine under $200. Yes, TiVO has more features. Over a 3 year period it also costs 500 dollars more to rent (based upon the rental agreement on their website) than a better dual tuner DVR from DISH.
Me personally, I'd rather spend that $500 on my computer hardware or half a dozen other more useful things than a few bells n' whistles on a DVR I don't even own.
So what?
I wasn't saying that the Dish PVRs are better than TIVO, just that they're not as craptastic as the parent would claim.
Furthermore, as I've said, I've had over 2 years of great service out my 522 that I rent for less than the subscription cost for TIVO (afaik) and definitly less than the purchase price would be.
"Advanced Feautres"? I'm not sure what more you'd want than "record this show whenever it's on/record this show when it's a new ep only", priorities, manual timers, etc,etc. Sure TIVO may be a -better- piece of harderwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaware, but better isn't always needed and that's really the point - I'm totally uninterested in paying 16.95/month for THREE YEARS of commitment - I can get Dish and a basic package for twice that that includes programming (the box being 5$/month) and only a year of signed service.
TIVO may be 'better', but only in ways that are unneeded, and frankly at the cost that they charge I'll just build my own damn box - you can buy a lot of parts for 16.95x12x3 (610.20 for those of you bad at math) and even if you don't want to, you can get a servicable PVR for $180. Tivo is better? It damn well better be for 500$ more.
What, do you have the ghetto Dish PVR or get hosed by your sales guy?
I have the Dish 522 and -love- it. It records "new episodes" or all, or just some. Has priority scheduling, 2 tuners (record 2 shows at once while watching something else), etc, etc.
I may have to respect TiVo's patents, but I can't help but thinking that laywering up because you set your pricepoint too high for the cable companies to buy your technology really sucks for most TV consumers.
The majority opinion isn't always right, this is true.... but anyone who has seen anything at all about, say, receding glaciers link to photo compares (there are several of these sites from the USGS and other associated government groups on the web) knows that something is happening, just not what the consequences of it will be....
...all of the top level government officials right now have an interest in stopping research that shows that global warming is not increasing..... oh wait.
And, of course, noone is trying to stop scientists from speaking out about the dangers of global warming.... ohwait.....
I'm confused about what the WSJ is doing publishing this and why people don't realize that there are extremes on both ends of this and that there are people with vested interest in any policy change that happens at that large of a scale?
This doofus sounds like he's bitter about missing out on a grant or something.
Sounds more realistic to me. Perhaps this game will filter out the less diehard players and leave only the more serious gamers? I wonder if the MMO player-base has grown enough to sustain a game like this where it requires more skill and dedication (as in you'd have to be pretty dedicated to play this game if it's as boring as you've said it is)? Actually, I'd like to think it has, and additionally, I'd like to think that this game wouldn't change much to accomodate the people who want a fantasy MMO where you don't have to be particularly good, you just have to know when to hit the attack key...
What?!?
Skill and Dedication! Let us not forget that games are suposed to be fun. People simply will not market a subscription game with a monthly fee to only the hardest of hardcore gamers on the scale that DDO is going to be marketed.
Consider this - just because it takes skill does not mean it's fun. Just as in the real world there are many things that take skills of some sort that are not fun, this also applies in games. For example:
Fun for programmers:
Writing a cool new algorithm that is useful to many people, coding game engines, etc. NOT fun for programmers:
Entering data into a spreadsheet because the PHB dosen't understand Excel
Fun for mechanics:
Building a performance car. Not fun for mechanics:
Rebuilding a "performance" Ford Aveo
Fun for gamers:
Playing a quality game that meets all expectations in terms of graphics, gameplay and so forth NOT fun for gamers - playing a game that has made arguably made the controls obtuse on the altar of "hardcore" gaming
Don't get me wrong - a game requiring skills is great, but most MMORPGers don't seem to be online to have a dexterity contest, neat as the idea might be. Implying that "this is as it should be" in D&D online is like a tabletop GM stating that "you rolled an 18 - you will do major damage to the barbarian cheif, but only if you can throw this egg through that bucket 50 yards away over there ".
Strategy should improve damage, dexterity just isn't what people are looking for in these games. Nor should they be.
"The details of my life are quite inconsequential. Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian woman named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it."
Somehow this quote seems amusing in this circumstance
Keep in mind that its possible to place reverse thrusters.
You also rarely see a heavy fight in B5 in a massive gravity well (probably for this reason). Lots of TV sequences highlighted combat of this nature, etc. Cool stuff.
Well, someone http://ifh.firstones.com/ has been doing a B5 combat game... I've poked around in it a bit and it looks kindof cool. There is apparently multiplayer added as well....
Undoubtably having a space combat game that uses -real- physics would have been awesome (none of this "ship drives like a car" stuff)
Slashdot Mirror
So, out of genuine curiosity, what are all the alternatives you'd suggest people read? I have a short list of sites I read regularly, but I'm curious why you didn't mention any of the "sites that are actually relevant in today's connected world".
In short, "Such as...?"?
One word: Inflation. You can't compare costs in 1980 to costs today (25 years later) without talking in terms of either 1980 dollars OR 2006 dollars. They are not worth the same . A little education goes a long way - check out http://www.investopedia.com/university/inflation/ . A calculator that is useful - http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi In comparison to income, prices of games have gone down in a dramatic fashion - $40 in 1980 dollars is worth well over one hundred dollars a game today.
At the risk of being off-topic, being a fellow Eve Player (who loves the LACK of a level grind (your charachter trains even if you're not playing)) - "can I have your stuff?" :D
True, but in player-driven environments like eve online there are other players that continually change as well - so that's no different.
So, um, that would be just about every apple user who thinks they're "cool" based upon apple's adverts?
Nah, don't bother replying.
....anyone but parents being the responsible party. I'm not saying that they have total control over their kid's actions, but legislation like this implies that "some kids are just beyond good upbringing and good parenting". You see this garbage in schools all the time, and it's sickening.
PARENTS - Other people are not responsible for your children. That's why they're your children. Spend time teaching them -why- this sort of thing is bad. If you don't trust them, limit their internet usage. Keep tabs on where they are and what they're doing. IF you don't like the commitment and responsiblity that comes along with it, don't have children.
Hey Parent!
The British would like to have a word with you about those upstart colonies and their supposed "inability to effectivly organize a cohesive millitary force"
Nevermind the potential for GM/Corporate Fraud - Unlike 'real' world property, the virtual world property is under the jurisdiction of the company you're buying access from - how much do YOU trust the folks running WOW to play fair?
The only other solution is government regulations to virutal game rules and that should alternately make your head spin and cause you to retch.
Yuck.
Nah - my thoughts on that is "This stuff is such crap I'm going to go out and live life.
All I'm saying is that there really isn't much of a proven correlation between profit and piracy and as a result, companies making difficult for good law abiding consumers is shooting themselves in the foot and assinine all in the same neat package.
That's idiotic. Time and time again it's been shown that piracy isn't reducing sales in music or movies. The movie and record execs are singing that tune to their investors, but it's just not that clear. The problem with movies is due to most box office shows aren't making TONS of money - and they're making more of them. The problem with movie revenues is quality of films. Even box office numbers are down, and that's not because Joe Jackass can go in and rip DVDs from his local FlockLuster Videos. I'm not saying the parent is right, but don't think for a moment that someone ripping a DVD has a damn thing to do with the cost you pay for "Star Wars Episode 20, Revenge of the Jar-Jar".
Since no company, including massive IBM, has been able to compete with or unseat Microsoft from the desktop, Microsoft's stance alone may prevent any universal acceptance of OS X on the desktop from ever happening. In fact, I assume that as this is being written, Microsoft has coders in its skunk works tearing into OS X looking for deep flaws that it can exploit and publicize. Don't think otherwise. It only makes sense that they'd do this.
Right. This would be because they have no problems of their own to fix? There may be folks at Msft disassembling code, but with a goal of "publicizing flaws"? There are enough people doing that for free on both sides of the fence.
Thus a cloud is rising over OS X and its future unless Apple makes its boldest move ever: turning OS X into an open-source project. That would make OS X versus Linux become the most interesting battle within the computer scene. With all the attention turned in that direction, there would be nothing Microsoft could do to stem a reversal of its fortunes.
So.
Because Microsoft will automagically discover their flaws due to their crack team of exploit finders (who have been able to find all of Window's flaws previous to this, and because Microsoft is positioning themselves to squeeze everyone out of the market, Apple should make their OS free and compete with Linux in order to draw attention away from Microsoft? Because making their OS free would help their bottom line.... or.....?
1. Make OS free 2. Start OS war with Linux 3. **?** 4. Profit?
Am I the only one thinking WTF? Insane ramblings indeed.
Now there's a MMORPG I'd play - fleet combat/trade themed Star Wars (think Eve Online). Not that it'd be XvT, but damn that would be slick.
Exactly right. Everyone on here who seems to be a fan of TiVo acts like they drive volvos and wouldn't touch a bottle of wine under $200. Yes, TiVO has more features. Over a 3 year period it also costs 500 dollars more to rent (based upon the rental agreement on their website) than a better dual tuner DVR from DISH.
Me personally, I'd rather spend that $500 on my computer hardware or half a dozen other more useful things than a few bells n' whistles on a DVR I don't even own.
So what?
I wasn't saying that the Dish PVRs are better than TIVO, just that they're not as craptastic as the parent would claim.
Furthermore, as I've said, I've had over 2 years of great service out my 522 that I rent for less than the subscription cost for TIVO (afaik) and definitly less than the purchase price would be.
"Advanced Feautres"? I'm not sure what more you'd want than "record this show whenever it's on/record this show when it's a new ep only", priorities, manual timers, etc,etc. Sure TIVO may be a -better- piece of harderwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaware, but better isn't always needed and that's really the point - I'm totally uninterested in paying 16.95/month for THREE YEARS of commitment - I can get Dish and a basic package for twice that that includes programming (the box being 5$/month) and only a year of signed service.
TIVO may be 'better', but only in ways that are unneeded, and frankly at the cost that they charge I'll just build my own damn box - you can buy a lot of parts for 16.95x12x3 (610.20 for those of you bad at math) and even if you don't want to, you can get a servicable PVR for $180. Tivo is better? It damn well better be for 500$ more.
What, do you have the ghetto Dish PVR or get hosed by your sales guy?
I have the Dish 522 and -love- it. It records "new episodes" or all, or just some. Has priority scheduling, 2 tuners (record 2 shows at once while watching something else), etc, etc.
I may have to respect TiVo's patents, but I can't help but thinking that laywering up because you set your pricepoint too high for the cable companies to buy your technology really sucks for most TV consumers.
The majority opinion isn't always right, this is true.... but anyone who has seen anything at all about, say, receding glaciers link to photo compares (there are several of these sites from the USGS and other associated government groups on the web) knows that something is happening, just not what the consequences of it will be....
...all of the top level government officials right now have an interest in stopping research that shows that global warming is not increasing..... oh wait.
And, of course, noone is trying to stop scientists from speaking out about the dangers of global warming.... oh wait.....
I'm confused about what the WSJ is doing publishing this and why people don't realize that there are extremes on both ends of this and that there are people with vested interest in any policy change that happens at that large of a scale?
This doofus sounds like he's bitter about missing out on a grant or something.
.... the "disturbing sizzling sound" the guy who fired it off made? I'd be pissed too - what a mess!
Or you could block cookies for that domain.
:)
Or you -could- just view the google cache.
Brilliant!
wow
Nerd Rage at it's finest - what exactly was the positive side of this for either of them?
Only thing I can think of is a cheap publicity stunt....
Sounds more realistic to me. Perhaps this game will filter out the less diehard players and leave only the more serious gamers? I wonder if the MMO player-base has grown enough to sustain a game like this where it requires more skill and dedication (as in you'd have to be pretty dedicated to play this game if it's as boring as you've said it is)? Actually, I'd like to think it has, and additionally, I'd like to think that this game wouldn't change much to accomodate the people who want a fantasy MMO where you don't have to be particularly good, you just have to know when to hit the attack key...
What?!?
Skill and Dedication! Let us not forget that games are suposed to be fun. People simply will not market a subscription game with a monthly fee to only the hardest of hardcore gamers on the scale that DDO is going to be marketed.
Consider this - just because it takes skill does not mean it's fun. Just as in the real world there are many things that take skills of some sort that are not fun, this also applies in games. For example:
Fun for programmers:
Writing a cool new algorithm that is useful to many people, coding game engines, etc.
NOT fun for programmers:
Entering data into a spreadsheet because the PHB dosen't understand Excel
Fun for mechanics:
Building a performance car.
Not fun for mechanics:
Rebuilding a "performance" Ford Aveo
Fun for gamers:
Playing a quality game that meets all expectations in terms of graphics, gameplay and so forth
NOT fun for gamers - playing a game that has made arguably made the controls obtuse on the altar of "hardcore" gaming
Don't get me wrong - a game requiring skills is great, but most MMORPGers don't seem to be online to have a dexterity contest, neat as the idea might be. Implying that "this is as it should be" in D&D online is like a tabletop GM stating that "you rolled an 18 - you will do major damage to the barbarian cheif, but only if you can throw this egg through that bucket 50 yards away over there ". Strategy should improve damage, dexterity just isn't what people are looking for in these games. Nor should they be.
"The details of my life are quite inconsequential. Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian woman named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it."
Somehow this quote seems amusing in this circumstance
Keep in mind that its possible to place reverse thrusters. You also rarely see a heavy fight in B5 in a massive gravity well (probably for this reason). Lots of TV sequences highlighted combat of this nature, etc. Cool stuff.
Well, someone http://ifh.firstones.com/ has been doing a B5 combat game... I've poked around in it a bit and it looks kindof cool. There is apparently multiplayer added as well....
Undoubtably having a space combat game that uses -real- physics would have been awesome (none of this "ship drives like a car" stuff)
That's probably because it -was- overrated, you ignorant non-redneck troll. :) /has karma to burn