Blizzard are excellent at incorporating player feedback into future patches and expansions. And they keep innovating on, for example, their RTS interface (even if you prefer Starcraft to Warcraft 3, War3 interface is still _better_, in that SC benefits from having it retroactively applied)
Can't you write a macro that has a loop?
The actual rule is that you may not modify or run external scripts or programs on their code. So, if you can do it in-game without any outside help, it is perfectly legal
Blizzard are by far the most active account banners out there. You just need to sift thru a couple of months of the news archives on www.battle.net to get a pretty clear indication of the message they are sending: Hacking is _not_ allowed, and will be punished _severely_.
How long did you play your character for, total? And did you get a mount? From what I've heard (and I must admit I didn't get the client downloaded in time for the beta) there are many many many different transport options, all specifically designed with player comfort in mind. I think the thinking goes like this:
Early levels, the players can damn well walk. Let them have a close look at all our lovely scenery, we worked flipping hard on it, okay?
Later levels, fine, give them a mount, and they can sprint thru. *sniff* Not even a pause to admire our lovely grass
Long distance, give them something airborne! We can show off the big picture! Yeah, even the high levels will have to spend a little time watching the horizon in this one
I doubt Blizzard sifted meticulously throught the version history of UO, especially since it is 8 years old. The same bugs creep into a lot of programs of the same type; it's pretty much unavoidable. I'm sure the team decided that this would be an adequate way to deal with the lag issue, although it could also be a lazy coder (every corporation has one). Well, let's hope someone at Blizz is reading this now, and implementing something to stop it software wise rather than just a rule check:P
I dunno about you guys, but I read/. to get new information. So, the first time a hack gets used on a new game, I want to hear about it. Next time someone SpeedHacks, keep it to yourselves. But as soon as someone XP hacks, or InstaGib hacks or whatever, I'd like to see a new/. post. Information is king;)
Okay, so they have done nothing software-wise to prevent people from doing this? Just their usual 'no mods' rule? So, do they have any way of detecting moderate use of this? For example, someone who runs just that _little_ bit faster than everyone else. This seems to me like it would be indistinguishable from legitimate lag, if correctly implemented. Although this does downgrade it from a game-breaking bug to a pretty small tweak. I suppose Blizzard will be watching _very_ closely for lag-hopping past certain bottlenecks:P
That's why they call it a beta, rather than an _open_ beta. And its not just a nod to their preorder clients, it's also an attempt to get more people interested in the game, and hence preordering. There are other ways to get in, most notably the friend invite that comes with the preorder. It'll create little cluters and chains of people who preorder, and then give a weekend to a friend, who preorders and... so on.
No. You will not be allowed to play unless you get a beta key by:
a) Preordering
b) Getting a friend key from a preorderer
c) Getting a key from a magazine, website, etc. The list of these is not very large, and is apparently not complete yet
If you _do_ get hold of a key, tho, your character will still be there for the first 2 weekend perorder betas.
Do also remember that every preorder, as well as coming with a beta key for every weekend for the buyer, also comes with one weekend key for a friend. So for every buyer (who will mostly be in the US), there will be one friend (again mostly in the US)
The latest episode (44) in the Red vs Blue series is 'filmed' in Halo 2, not Halo anymore. Makes no real difference to the humour, which is what it's all about, but it does look slightly shinier:) Onwards with progress!
There are also power gems and the weird vortex gems. Vortex gems don't happen often enough to be more than an occasional bonus, but the power gems make a significant impact on game play. Firstly, chains of 4 don't disappear completely, and secondly any unused power gems carry over to your next level. So start saving them up for the later levels:P
My Windows directory is over 3Gb. 500Mb of this is old hotfixes that SP2 appears not to have deleted. That still puts it in the 2-3Gb range. And yes, I have emptied all the temporary and deletable folders.
It would be very funny if PA, the second largest generator of the Slashdot effect, was itself slashdotted:P Being taught a lesson by the master, I suppose
What you are calling 'game' here (as distinct from 'theme') is in fact the mechanics. While I do agree with analysing a game based on the mechanics and theme independantly, and then looking at how well they work together, I do not feel that theme can be stripped so nonchalantly from the game, and that the theme is in fact an integral part of the game, just as important as the theme. Good mechanics can support a number of themes, just as a good theme can support a number of mechanics. A game is more than just mechanics tho.
The other incentive for developers is mitigating the risk of losing your players everytime the next big thing comes out. If your players aren't forced to pick one game to the exclusion of all others then people can play your game and that other one, instead of simply leaving yours for theirs
The good developers will not be worried about losing their gamers. People who have been playing one good MMORPG for a long time will be very high powered and they will not just jump ship for no reason and lose it all. Some other game would have to be demonstrably far better than what they are playing currently for them to bite the bullet and change. I think you severely underestimate the ease with which people will switch.
Capturing bases, killing enemies, & destroying their equipment will give your character Battle Experience Points (BEP). As you accumulate these BEPs your character will go up in Battle Rank. As your character goes up in Battle Rank, you will earn Certification Points and Implant Slots.
* Certification points can be spent at Certification Terminals at the Sanctuary or at friendly Bio Labs to unlock access to various types of equipment, such as the Medical Applicator which allows you to heal injuries you or your friends may have suffered. Certifications also unlock access to vehicles such as the Basilisk or AMS (Advanced Mobile Station).
o By spending your Certification points, this is how you will begin to specialize your character. You could choose to go Heavy Assault and grab the tougher armors and bigger guns but then you might be dependent upon getting transported to the battle by others that have chosen to specialize in Piloting Vehicles. Or you could choose to be an Advanced Combat Medic with the ability to revive fallen comrades on the field or an Advanced Hacker with the ability to quickly hack your way into an enemy base. Or perhaps a smattering of all of the above? In any case, the choices you make are not permanent as you may unlearn certifications and choose others in their place via the "Unlearn" feature in the certification terminal.
* Implant Slots are where cybernetic devices known as Implants are surgically implanted within your character. These devices can endow you with super human abilities such as Surge, which allows for a brief but explosive burst of running speed or the Personal Shield implant, which when activated gives your character a temporary force field to protect them from damage. Your character can earn up to a maximum amount of three Implant Slots but beware, Implants when activated, can quickly use up your stamina leaving you drained and unable to run. Implants may be installed via Implant Terminals at the Sanctuary or friendly Bio Labs on any of the Battle Continents.
There is at least one MMOFPS out there - Planetside. I haven't played it myself so I'm not too sure how levelling up works, but I know that you do get some reward for playing.
There are absolutely no incentives for the developers of quality titles to create an MMO environment that encourages playing multiple games. If you feel you have the best (or even just a good) title, you would rather have subscribers locked into your service. The only people who wouldn't want openness is people who have created mediocre or sub-par games, who are desperately hoping for a few people to try their games out for a little while, since they can't hope to captivate their audiences.
So long as there is a point in the game that it is 'cooler' to be at than the starting point (eg. level whatever as opposed to level 1), people will trade money for the time taken, no matter how fun the intervening time is. They want to have more fun now, which to them means being 'cooler' and hence higher level. Basically this is a form of automated grinding, except that you are getting another person to do it rather than arbitrary code.
The same situation applies for coded grinders. Now, instead of paying money, you are paying with idle computer time... leave your machine grinding while you go to work. Again, irrespective of how fun the time ground might have been. So basically this kind of thing will never be eliminated.
Yes, it would basically be a widget with pins on both side, one plugging into the mobo and the other into the chip. Then, if you break a pin off, you just replace the cheap adapter. It also means chips would be less susceptible to static shock, since the contacts would not be as exposed.
Slashdot Mirror
Blizzard are excellent at incorporating player feedback into future patches and expansions. And they keep innovating on, for example, their RTS interface (even if you prefer Starcraft to Warcraft 3, War3 interface is still _better_, in that SC benefits from having it retroactively applied)
Can't you write a macro that has a loop?
The actual rule is that you may not modify or run external scripts or programs on their code. So, if you can do it in-game without any outside help, it is perfectly legal
Blizzard are by far the most active account banners out there. You just need to sift thru a couple of months of the news archives on www.battle.net to get a pretty clear indication of the message they are sending: Hacking is _not_ allowed, and will be punished _severely_.
How long did you play your character for, total? And did you get a mount? From what I've heard (and I must admit I didn't get the client downloaded in time for the beta) there are many many many different transport options, all specifically designed with player comfort in mind. I think the thinking goes like this: Early levels, the players can damn well walk. Let them have a close look at all our lovely scenery, we worked flipping hard on it, okay? Later levels, fine, give them a mount, and they can sprint thru. *sniff* Not even a pause to admire our lovely grass Long distance, give them something airborne! We can show off the big picture! Yeah, even the high levels will have to spend a little time watching the horizon in this one
I doubt Blizzard sifted meticulously throught the version history of UO, especially since it is 8 years old. The same bugs creep into a lot of programs of the same type; it's pretty much unavoidable. I'm sure the team decided that this would be an adequate way to deal with the lag issue, although it could also be a lazy coder (every corporation has one). Well, let's hope someone at Blizz is reading this now, and implementing something to stop it software wise rather than just a rule check :P
I dunno about you guys, but I read /. to get new information. So, the first time a hack gets used on a new game, I want to hear about it. Next time someone SpeedHacks, keep it to yourselves. But as soon as someone XP hacks, or InstaGib hacks or whatever, I'd like to see a new /. post. Information is king ;)
Wow. Is this to become the next 'Frist post!!1!'?
Okay, so they have done nothing software-wise to prevent people from doing this? Just their usual 'no mods' rule? So, do they have any way of detecting moderate use of this? For example, someone who runs just that _little_ bit faster than everyone else. This seems to me like it would be indistinguishable from legitimate lag, if correctly implemented. Although this does downgrade it from a game-breaking bug to a pretty small tweak. I suppose Blizzard will be watching _very_ closely for lag-hopping past certain bottlenecks :P
That's why they call it a beta, rather than an _open_ beta. And its not just a nod to their preorder clients, it's also an attempt to get more people interested in the game, and hence preordering. There are other ways to get in, most notably the friend invite that comes with the preorder. It'll create little cluters and chains of people who preorder, and then give a weekend to a friend, who preorders and... so on.
No. You will not be allowed to play unless you get a beta key by: a) Preordering b) Getting a friend key from a preorderer c) Getting a key from a magazine, website, etc. The list of these is not very large, and is apparently not complete yet If you _do_ get hold of a key, tho, your character will still be there for the first 2 weekend perorder betas.
Do also remember that every preorder, as well as coming with a beta key for every weekend for the buyer, also comes with one weekend key for a friend. So for every buyer (who will mostly be in the US), there will be one friend (again mostly in the US)
The latest episode (44) in the Red vs Blue series is 'filmed' in Halo 2, not Halo anymore. Makes no real difference to the humour, which is what it's all about, but it does look slightly shinier :) Onwards with progress!
I feel your pain :( That's exactly where I am now. My download is sitting at 96% as we speak *cries*
There are also power gems and the weird vortex gems. Vortex gems don't happen often enough to be more than an occasional bonus, but the power gems make a significant impact on game play. Firstly, chains of 4 don't disappear completely, and secondly any unused power gems carry over to your next level. So start saving them up for the later levels :P
pagefile.sys is in c:\, not in c:\windows\
My Windows directory is over 3Gb. 500Mb of this is old hotfixes that SP2 appears not to have deleted. That still puts it in the 2-3Gb range. And yes, I have emptied all the temporary and deletable folders.
It would be very funny if PA, the second largest generator of the Slashdot effect, was itself slashdotted :P Being taught a lesson by the master, I suppose
What you are calling 'game' here (as distinct from 'theme') is in fact the mechanics. While I do agree with analysing a game based on the mechanics and theme independantly, and then looking at how well they work together, I do not feel that theme can be stripped so nonchalantly from the game, and that the theme is in fact an integral part of the game, just as important as the theme. Good mechanics can support a number of themes, just as a good theme can support a number of mechanics. A game is more than just mechanics tho.
The other incentive for developers is mitigating the risk of losing your players everytime the next big thing comes out. If your players aren't forced to pick one game to the exclusion of all others then people can play your game and that other one, instead of simply leaving yours for theirs
The good developers will not be worried about losing their gamers. People who have been playing one good MMORPG for a long time will be very high powered and they will not just jump ship for no reason and lose it all. Some other game would have to be demonstrably far better than what they are playing currently for them to bite the bullet and change. I think you severely underestimate the ease with which people will switch.
Play on a laptop with some form of wireless connectivity :P Just beware of the traffic cops
Okay, from the Planetside manual:
Capturing bases, killing enemies, & destroying their equipment will give your character Battle Experience Points (BEP). As you accumulate these BEPs your character will go up in Battle Rank. As your character goes up in Battle Rank, you will earn Certification Points and Implant Slots.
* Certification points can be spent at Certification Terminals at the Sanctuary or at friendly Bio Labs to unlock access to various types of equipment, such as the Medical Applicator which allows you to heal injuries you or your friends may have suffered. Certifications also unlock access to vehicles such as the Basilisk or AMS (Advanced Mobile Station).
o By spending your Certification points, this is how you will begin to specialize your character. You could choose to go Heavy Assault and grab the tougher armors and bigger guns but then you might be dependent upon getting transported to the battle by others that have chosen to specialize in Piloting Vehicles. Or you could choose to be an Advanced Combat Medic with the ability to revive fallen comrades on the field or an Advanced Hacker with the ability to quickly hack your way into an enemy base. Or perhaps a smattering of all of the above? In any case, the choices you make are not permanent as you may unlearn certifications and choose others in their place via the "Unlearn" feature in the certification terminal.
* Implant Slots are where cybernetic devices known as Implants are surgically implanted within your character. These devices can endow you with super human abilities such as Surge, which allows for a brief but explosive burst of running speed or the Personal Shield implant, which when activated gives your character a temporary force field to protect them from damage. Your character can earn up to a maximum amount of three Implant Slots but beware, Implants when activated, can quickly use up your stamina leaving you drained and unable to run. Implants may be installed via Implant Terminals at the Sanctuary or friendly Bio Labs on any of the Battle Continents.
There is at least one MMOFPS out there - Planetside. I haven't played it myself so I'm not too sure how levelling up works, but I know that you do get some reward for playing.
There are absolutely no incentives for the developers of quality titles to create an MMO environment that encourages playing multiple games. If you feel you have the best (or even just a good) title, you would rather have subscribers locked into your service. The only people who wouldn't want openness is people who have created mediocre or sub-par games, who are desperately hoping for a few people to try their games out for a little while, since they can't hope to captivate their audiences.
So long as there is a point in the game that it is 'cooler' to be at than the starting point (eg. level whatever as opposed to level 1), people will trade money for the time taken, no matter how fun the intervening time is. They want to have more fun now, which to them means being 'cooler' and hence higher level. Basically this is a form of automated grinding, except that you are getting another person to do it rather than arbitrary code.
The same situation applies for coded grinders. Now, instead of paying money, you are paying with idle computer time... leave your machine grinding while you go to work. Again, irrespective of how fun the time ground might have been. So basically this kind of thing will never be eliminated.
Yes, it would basically be a widget with pins on both side, one plugging into the mobo and the other into the chip. Then, if you break a pin off, you just replace the cheap adapter. It also means chips would be less susceptible to static shock, since the contacts would not be as exposed.