[quote]
That being said, I still don't see the point in automatic, or semi-automatic weapons in common society. Last time I checked, nobody was going to take down a deer with an Uzi - unless they like their meat well-ventilated:-) [/quote]
The people that want to use semi-automatic weapons probably just want to kill animals, not so much eat them.
IMO, the only way that MGS2 has any sort of challenge or stragety to it is when you play it on the harder levels. They made it much too easy on the lower levels. So you don't have to use any tactics on the lower levels to win, you just have to run through and shoot everyone. There's no hanging, or sneaking involved really. Just look at the puzzles that they did include, they are so friggin easy even for the stupid. You don't have to do anything at all to solve them, they solve them selves if you just call up your superiors enough times. This is because I think they are going for the lowest common denominator. They want to make sure that no matter how bad you are at video games, that you can still beat it. Back in the old days.... games were harder, much much harder. Now that everyonle plays, if you want to have a hit game you have to make sure that everyone can play it.
Look at a game like Devil May Cry, they have an easy easy mode and a insane hard mode. That's what most games are doing these days to make sure that everyone can play the games and get their 'moneys worth'.
--quote-- Of course, you can avert this kind of problem from happening. Buy games that were made by small teams, or didn't need as large as a budget, or aren't doing so well. Let the companies know that you appreciate their efforts. Help spread the hype away from the Metroid Primes and the Halos and the ---end quote--- I agree with you, but I would like to say that the industry is killing itself by charging $50 for every game regardless of it's content.
For example, tetris is a great game, I think that I would like a version for my PS2. However, and I don't think I'm alone here in my opinion that Tetris, no matter how amazing graphically, is not worth $50. Sorry, it's just not worth it. It's on every system known to man and I could code up a decent version in a weekend (or faster) from scratch. $20 at most, but not $50.
The smaller games that don't do as well are mostly because they are the same price as the 'good' games. If some games were cheaper it would help out the smaller ones.
Note: this comment is not directly aimed at you so please don't take offense.
GTA is not in the least bit 'realistic' it is designed from the ground up to look like a gangster/mobster movie. The things that you do in the game are not at like what would happen in real life, they have as many holes as the movies it tries to be. Spraypaint your car and the cops ignore you? Get caught and pay a fine? Die and appear at some random hospital?
The only realistic thing about the world of GTA3 is the physics engine. It tries to mimic reality, but even that fails.
GTA was designed as all good games are designed, to mimic the real world just enough so that it's fun. Nothing more, nothing less. It's fun because it indluges the pubescent male fantasy of being a bad guy in an indifferent world. Eliminating all consequences of your actions from your conscience, it allows you to murder and pillage without have to worry that the cops will beat down your door tommorow. It's just a better looking Adventure (remember the 2600) with a different theme.
The reason that people think it's so damm innovative is because they cannot tell the difference between polish and actual creativity. GTA3 is polished, but anyone who has studied video games realizes that it is a combonation of different 'mems' in video gaming.
But on the flip side, the Japanese are also responsible for all the clone games that exist as well. They just make more games then any other country per capita.
Re:that's pretty neat..
on
Google's new toys
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
You are the reason that computers are so hard to use.
Google's interface is so easy that it HURTS. Yes it hurts. and that's the way that it should stay.
Once you go down the dark dark path of adding 'a button here' 'a button there' you will never return from that. Google has boiled down all the complexity all the redundant controls down to a simple text box and 2 buttons. There are advanced controls for those people who use it enough to want to do that. It only takes a couple of seconds to change your prefs, and if you are on a public computer, why can't you hold down the shift key (or right click).
Why isn't it? Don't you think that if MS released it's source that thousands of programmers would spend their time looking it over. Perhaps even offer patches to the code. If MS were to develop a system for letting normal people submit patches to the code, then review the patches and let them get into the next version of windows (after review of course). I think that this would have 2 large effects. 1. windows code would slowly improve. Anything that big will take awhile to improve, but with more manpower, anything is possiable. 2. All those hackers will be spending their time improving Windows, instead of linux, BSD or MacOS. A brain drain on the linux front will cause it to die in the long run. It needs new features and better implementation of code.
One problem with windows is that you are dependent on MS to release a version for you. If it doesn't do what you want, you can't tweak it. This is not important to a home user, but can be crucial for a business. If you are spending millions of dollars on a computer system, it is the best feature to be able to tweak every aspect of your system for optimal performance. Open source has this advantage, closed source doesn't.
In some games, the action elements are completly optional. I agree that the games that FORCE you to use the action elements and then procede to call these hoops features are crappy, but all the FF games have had the action elements be optional. You can go through the entire game without using the overdrives that require you to push the buttons, or line up reels, etc.. (In FFX for example).
Most console RPGs are more action oriented then the computer counterparts. Personally, I don't find the computer games that much fun because they are too stat oriented. But that's exactly why so many people like CRPGs as opposed to console games where the primary reason for playing is plot and graphics.
I've used that and regular vinyl and vinyl sounds so much better when you slow it down. The sampling rates for CD's are fine when you listen to them at the regular playback speed (that's debatable though). When you slow them down however, vinyl makes a world of diference. Since CD's basically interpolate the sounds, there is no way that it can sound as good as an analog vinyl.
You may say, but everything is recorded digital (which most stuff is). Still, the vinyl (a fresh one) will sound slightly better because the equipment that they use in the studio has a higher sampling rate then your cd does.
I had a 'clone' system that was nonstandard to say the least, and it never worked on my machine. Well, at least Warp One never did. I really wanted to run it too. OH well. Looks like it didn't matter much anyway.
Sauron returns (again)? Lord of the Rings: Yet more rings. Lord of the Rings II: The search for more money. (stolen from spaceballs)
Only to a certain degree..
on
Largo Loving Linux
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Yeah, the price will rise to $500 or whatever the current price is... but then it will drop because the supply will rise once they realize that everyone wants to switch.
make the choice to switch to thin clients attractive.
The model of thin client they are using only uses 19-25 watts of power. Compared to a standard PC which uses at least 150 watts, that is a huge power savings. True, the monitor uses about half the power, but that can be miminized if you also switch to a lcd.
There is a point to creating new languages, but only if you don't expect them to be used by everyone.
There is no language that could possiably be used by everyone, it's just too broad a topic. But given enough ways to do the same thing, everyone will find their own preference. Like in PERL, where there is a million ways to do something, but usually the simplest is best. C is not the end all language, neither is C++, Java or COBOL.
New language research is necessary for the advancement of computers, as as computers become more complex and powerful, the languages we use to tell them what to do must become more expressive.
Besides, effiel is not a new language, it's been around for awhile. Just no free compiler has been developed before (AFAIK). There still isn't a modern Java ( > 1.1 ) implementation that is free ( as in speech ).
Ender's game might to be better as a CG movie because of these features. However, all cg movies that try to be 'realistic' have failed thus far. Doesn't bode well for it.
May come out for other platforms (AFAIK) the license that X-Box has is not exclusive as there is already a PC version on the way. At least GC should see this title as it might be a little to graphically advanced for the PS2.
Regardless, the only reason that I may get an X-Box is for the mech game, Steel Battalion. It's 200 dollars but the game is a controller, probably AT LEAST as big as the X-Box itself.:)
It's not the backwards compatibility, but the fact that everyone who wants to read a MS word document had better have ms word.
This problem is all to real. When I get email from people, and they want to share a paper that they wrote, I can't run linux and read it in MS word (without hacks or using the import feature of OO ).
but we should have classes in defeating mother brain and finding all the missile upgrades because that is a skill that you will be able to use over and over.:) I mean getting those metroids frozen is one thing, but firing round after round into that tiny hold where the MotherBrain is while those fire rings are comming after you is hard.
Actually my computer at home is currently broken after I chose Y to break my RAID array on accident.
whoops. I constantly break my computer. Mostly because I am too dumb to just leave it alone once I get it working. I'm just not afraid to try new things with my hardware, which most people seem to be.
I do think that I probably lost all my mp3s though. Good thing I've still got the original CDs. I just have to rerip them. (sigh)
I break it regardless of the OS that I'm running, IMO all oses are equally bad in that if you don't know exactly what you are doing, you can blow the whole thing up.
If you hit any roadblocks in the MS install, then you have to pay EVEN MORE MONEY. So yeah, in the cases where the linux install hits roadblocks but the windows doesn't then you won't save as much money.
I also say that, drooling idiots who don't know anything about computers, should probably hire a professional to do their job. Let them figure out the best solution if it be windows, linux, solaris, or Macintosh. The general consesus seems to be that linux requires a good deal of knowledge to administer.
How many people are willing to come up and state that they are both an idiot and administer 30-40 PCs running windows? And also think linux is 'too hard' because they tried it.
Slashdot Mirror
You mean now I can buy low quality IDE devices and pay losts of money to hook them up to my scsi system? Where do I sign up?
[quote] :-)
That being said, I still don't see the point in automatic, or semi-automatic weapons in common society. Last time I checked, nobody was going to take down a deer with an Uzi - unless they like their meat well-ventilated
[/quote]
The people that want to use semi-automatic weapons probably just want to kill animals, not so much eat them.
IMO, the only way that MGS2 has any sort of challenge or stragety to it is when you play it on the harder levels. They made it much too easy on the lower levels. So you don't have to use any tactics on the lower levels to win, you just have to run through and shoot everyone. There's no hanging, or sneaking involved really.
Just look at the puzzles that they did include, they are so friggin easy even for the stupid. You don't have to do anything at all to solve them, they solve them selves if you just call up your superiors enough times. This is because I think they are going for the lowest common denominator. They want to make sure that no matter how bad you are at video games, that you can still beat it.
Back in the old days.... games were harder, much much harder. Now that everyonle plays, if you want to have a hit game you have to make sure that everyone can play it.
Look at a game like Devil May Cry, they have an easy easy mode and a insane hard mode. That's what most games are doing these days to make sure that everyone can play the games and get their 'moneys worth'.
The are only 36 gold cartridges in the whole world. I think that there is a very small chance that everyone who wants them will be able to get them.
These are collectable games, it doesn't have to make any logical sense.
--quote--
Of course, you can avert this kind of problem from happening. Buy games that were made by small teams, or didn't need as large as a budget, or aren't doing so well. Let the companies know that you appreciate their efforts. Help spread the hype away from the Metroid Primes and the Halos and the
---end quote---
I agree with you, but I would like to say that the industry is killing itself by charging $50 for every game regardless of it's content.
For example, tetris is a great game, I think that I would like a version for my PS2. However, and I don't think I'm alone here in my opinion that Tetris, no matter how amazing graphically, is not worth $50. Sorry, it's just not worth it. It's on every system known to man and I could code up a decent version in a weekend (or faster) from scratch. $20 at most, but not $50.
The smaller games that don't do as well are mostly because they are the same price as the 'good' games. If some games were cheaper it would help out the smaller ones.
Note: this comment is not directly aimed at you so please don't take offense.
GTA is not in the least bit 'realistic' it is designed from the ground up to look like a gangster/mobster movie. The things that you do in the game are not at like what would happen in real life, they have as many holes as the movies it tries to be. Spraypaint your car and the cops ignore you? Get caught and pay a fine? Die and appear at some random hospital?
The only realistic thing about the world of GTA3 is the physics engine. It tries to mimic reality, but even that fails.
GTA was designed as all good games are designed, to mimic the real world just enough so that it's fun. Nothing more, nothing less. It's fun because it indluges the pubescent male fantasy of being a bad guy in an indifferent world. Eliminating all consequences of your actions from your conscience, it allows you to murder and pillage without have to worry that the cops will beat down your door tommorow. It's just a better looking Adventure (remember the 2600) with a different theme.
The reason that people think it's so damm innovative is because they cannot tell the difference between polish and actual creativity. GTA3 is polished, but anyone who has studied video games realizes that it is a combonation of different 'mems' in video gaming.
But on the flip side, the Japanese are also responsible for all the clone games that exist as well. They just make more games then any other country per capita.
You are the reason that computers are so hard to use.
Google's interface is so easy that it HURTS. Yes it hurts. and that's the way that it should stay.
Once you go down the dark dark path of adding 'a button here' 'a button there' you will never return from that. Google has boiled down all the complexity all the redundant controls down to a simple text box and 2 buttons. There are advanced controls for those people who use it enough to want to do that. It only takes a couple of seconds to change your prefs, and if you are on a public computer, why can't you hold down the shift key (or right click).
Why isn't it? Don't you think that if MS released it's source that thousands of programmers would spend their time looking it over. Perhaps even offer patches to the code. If MS were to develop a system for letting normal people submit patches to the code, then review the patches and let them get into the next version of windows (after review of course). I think that this would have 2 large effects.
1. windows code would slowly improve. Anything that big will take awhile to improve, but with more manpower, anything is possiable.
2. All those hackers will be spending their time improving Windows, instead of linux, BSD or MacOS. A brain drain on the linux front will cause it to die in the long run. It needs new features and better implementation of code.
One problem with windows is that you are dependent on MS to release a version for you. If it doesn't do what you want, you can't tweak it. This is not important to a home user, but can be crucial for a business. If you are spending millions of dollars on a computer system, it is the best feature to be able to tweak every aspect of your system for optimal performance. Open source has this advantage, closed source doesn't.
In some games, the action elements are completly optional. I agree that the games that FORCE you to use the action elements and then procede to call these hoops features are crappy, but all the FF games have had the action elements be optional. You can go through the entire game without using the overdrives that require you to push the buttons, or line up reels, etc.. (In FFX for example).
Most console RPGs are more action oriented then the computer counterparts. Personally, I don't find the computer games that much fun because they are too stat oriented. But that's exactly why so many people like CRPGs as opposed to console games where the primary reason for playing is plot and graphics.
I've used that and regular vinyl and vinyl sounds so much better when you slow it down. The sampling rates for CD's are fine when you listen to them at the regular playback speed (that's debatable though). When you slow them down however, vinyl makes a world of diference. Since CD's basically interpolate the sounds, there is no way that it can sound as good as an analog vinyl.
You may say, but everything is recorded digital (which most stuff is). Still, the vinyl (a fresh one) will sound slightly better because the equipment that they use in the studio has a higher sampling rate then your cd does.
I had a 'clone' system that was nonstandard to say the least, and it never worked on my machine. Well, at least Warp One never did. I really wanted to run it too. OH well. Looks like it didn't matter much anyway.
Sauron returns (again)?
Lord of the Rings: Yet more rings.
Lord of the Rings II: The search for more money. (stolen from spaceballs)
Yeah, the price will rise to $500 or whatever the current price is... but then it will drop because the supply will rise once they realize that everyone wants to switch.
make the choice to switch to thin clients attractive.
The model of thin client they are using only uses 19-25 watts of power. Compared to a standard PC which uses at least 150 watts, that is a huge power savings. True, the monitor uses about half the power, but that can be miminized if you also switch to a lcd.
There is a point to creating new languages, but only if you don't expect them to be used by everyone.
There is no language that could possiably be used by everyone, it's just too broad a topic. But given enough ways to do the same thing, everyone will find their own preference. Like in PERL, where there is a million ways to do something, but usually the simplest is best. C is not the end all language, neither is C++, Java or COBOL.
New language research is necessary for the advancement of computers, as as computers become more complex and powerful, the languages we use to tell them what to do must become more expressive.
Besides, effiel is not a new language, it's been around for awhile. Just no free compiler has been developed before (AFAIK). There still isn't a modern Java ( > 1.1 ) implementation that is free ( as in speech ).
but it would make FINDING pron oh so easy!
think of that!
no, they just are hoping that they can repeat the story :) that's the motto of /., when news gets slow, just repeat all the old stories.
Ender's game might to be better as a CG movie because of these features. However, all cg movies that try to be 'realistic' have failed thus far. Doesn't bode well for it.
May come out for other platforms (AFAIK) the license that X-Box has is not exclusive as there is already a PC version on the way. At least GC should see this title as it might be a little to graphically advanced for the PS2.
:)
Regardless, the only reason that I may get an X-Box is for the mech game, Steel Battalion. It's 200 dollars but the game is a controller, probably AT LEAST as big as the X-Box itself.
Giant Mechs rule.
how can it be a bomb when all over Del Taco I see nothing but adverts for it? I mean Del Taco is like pure gold for movies and the box office!
Come on people..... Del Taco.
It's not the backwards compatibility, but the fact that everyone who wants to read a MS word document had better have ms word.
This problem is all to real. When I get email from people, and they want to share a paper that they wrote, I can't run linux and read it in MS word (without hacks or using the import feature of OO ).
but we should have classes in defeating mother brain and finding all the missile upgrades because that is a skill that you will be able to use over and over. :) I mean getting those metroids frozen is one thing, but firing round after round into that tiny hold where the MotherBrain is while those fire rings are comming after you is hard.
Stuff to think about yo.
Actually my computer at home is currently broken after I chose Y to break my RAID array on accident.
whoops. I constantly break my computer. Mostly because I am too dumb to just leave it alone once I get it working. I'm just not afraid to try new things with my hardware, which most people seem to be.
I do think that I probably lost all my mp3s though. Good thing I've still got the original CDs. I just have to rerip them. (sigh)
I break it regardless of the OS that I'm running, IMO all oses are equally bad in that if you don't know exactly what you are doing, you can blow the whole thing up.
If you hit any roadblocks in the MS install, then you have to pay EVEN MORE MONEY. So yeah, in the cases where the linux install hits roadblocks but the windows doesn't then you won't save as much money.
I also say that, drooling idiots who don't know anything about computers, should probably hire a professional to do their job. Let them figure out the best solution if it be windows, linux, solaris, or Macintosh. The general consesus seems to be that linux requires a good deal of knowledge to administer.
How many people are willing to come up and state that they are both an idiot and administer 30-40 PCs running windows? And also think linux is 'too hard' because they tried it.