Also, the mainstream news organizations have to realize by now that the show that has surpassed them in credibility has done so by blatently making fun of them. You'd think it would be pretty easy to realize all they have to do is stop producing content that can be ridiculed. Yet they still do it...
Re:Sounds like a Dot com bussiness plan..
on
SBC Might Buy AT&T
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· Score: 1
As an SBC employee, I can tell you that they are running fiber to homes, which you must understand takes time, and they are offerring tv servicees right now via Dish Network.
That said, we're all kind of scratching our heads at the layoffs in conjunction with aquisition rumors. SBC is currently trying to get a foothold in the VOIP market before it leaves them behind, so I guess devouring AT&T would be a logical move.
Oops. Don't I feel stupid now.
Yeah, I guess there really is no excuse on Blizzard's part then. I got nothing.
Carry on, slashdotters. Nothing to see here. (except maybe a sleep-deprived moron who doesn't know when to avoid simple mathematics)
$9,000,000 a month in monthly services charges. With that much money, there should be no reason that I repeatedly run into server problems, such as lag, or having the server kick me for no reason.
Keep in mind there are already almost 100 servers active that the 600,000 players are spread out across (and I would bet they're going to add more). This would work out to roughly 9,000 dollars per server.
For 24/7 support, including monitoring, administration, and the inevitable hardware failures...along with the moderator/GM staff, this number is less of the huge profit you are speaking of. Granted, that's a respectable budget, but you also have to factor in content development (which is the most important piece). Just becaususe Blizzard's revenue will be astronomical on the game it doesn't mean you won't be bothered by common annoyances like lag and disconnects.
So...when they get Halo to run on this thing, which one will run better: the PC version or the emulated X-Box version? I only say this because the current PC release runs like it's emulated already.
I do know that Miyamoto had a hand in Prime, so I assumed he had done the previous ones as well. I wouldn't take someone of Miyamoto's calibur to be the one to pick up a sequel, but I guess Yokoi's death would kind of require it.
And I could have SWORN that he was behind Pokemon (that was already out in Japan back in the days of the original NES, if I remember correctly)
As for Prime, I know that the Metriod in development for the 64 was supposed to be a FPS-style game, but the capabilities of the hardware just didn't live up to what was envisioned, so it was held off until something better (Gamecube) came around.
Thanks for clearing all of that up.
And I still think Nintendo needs to have a large say in how this (possible) movie is going to be presented. Woo could make it work...but he can also completely fail it and dissappoint everyone.
The only things flying around Samus when she squares off against Mother Brain had better damn well be those firey ring things protecting the energy tanks. Doves simply will not work here!
The only instance of any Metroid-related material on the N64 that I can think of is Samus Aran's appearance in Super Smash Brothers.
You're correct. That is the only one. They actually had Prime in production for the N64 (FPS style instead of the "classic" 2D of the franchise), but Nintendo tanked it because the N64 simply wasnt a powerful enough piece of hardware to present the game that Myamoto(sp?) envisioned. They were correct, in my opinion, to hold it off for the Gamecube.
I really, REALLY hope that Myamoto(sp again?) gets a say in the movie alongside Woo, because it is him, not Samus nor Mother Brain that makes Metroid what it is. He's also the creator of Pokemon, the Zelda series, and even Mario. I think he not only deserves a hand in this movie, he's OBLIGATED to help produce it.
I hope this catches on and the special CDs/DVDs become prominent. I'd shell out the extra dime per disk for this, just as long as they have plans to keep producing them. This looks really badass!
It's a cheap ripoff of Dave Mirra/Tony Hawk/That Inline Skate Game With The Guy Who's Name I Can't Remember.
Uh....BMX:XXX was going to be Dave Mirra 4 until he pulled his name off of it. It's not a ripoff, it WAS going to be the actual name-attached game until he saw the (use Kyle's mom's voice here) FILTHY TOILET HUMOR.
That said, yes, the game sucks. And, yeah, I bought it....used. Mostly because I collect games...but hey, 15 bucks...heh.
Ah, so all porn is completely public domain, and not at all copyrighted?
I could be wrong here (seriously, not being sarcastic here...), but I don't think I've heard one complaint from the porn industry about the blatant violations of their copyrights on p2p networks. In fact, I think I read somewhere awhile ago that their business is thriving more now than it ever has. (too lazy to google any of this.)
Mind you, I'm one of those people who thinks that p2p is keeping the music industry alive - not destroying it like they are currently howling about.
Please, correct me if I'm wrong here...
Well, there is no uncrackable code.
No? Tell me what this means...
duiedl2aiaisadiieakeiawieaupqa
I can do that. No complex mathematical algorithms needed, either!
I'll just need your home address and photos of any immediate family members....
joke. laugh.
Seriously, though, I think Mitnik (sp?) would have something to say about security vulnerabilities and human weakness. Which is why keys generated and used by computers (and usually unknown to the human using them) will ALWAYS be more secure than even the most obscure, cracked-out codes people can think of in their own heads.
You're right. Locke was pretty hardcore on his own.
But, unless I'm mistaken, no enemy in the game has more than 80,000 hitpoints (and I KNOW that Kefka did not). Sad, but true.
The only thing you'll accomplish by distributing your power is that someone else got to do the one-hit-kill-anything attack.
and since locke was my favorite character, he got to be the supergod. If only they (square) had allowed us to break the 9999 rule a couple games earler (than FF8)...I shudder to think of what was possible in 6.
And, yes, it's been awhile for me, too...maybe 5 years or so
I'd like to see them go bankrupt as well.
Their main purpose (promotion) is no longer effective enough compared to alternatives (i.e. the internet) to justify the B.S. they put thier clients (artists) or customers (us) through.
Seems like a pointless middleman to me. And to re-state my original point, they are not going to survive until/unless they learn to identify the real threat to themselves.
The RIAA is either going to re-invent themselves and implement a radical shift in business practices (unlikely) or they are going to die (likely). It's as simple as that.
And, as before, they'll just use their diminished profits as evidence of a vast piracy problem.
That homeless crack addict downtown will bitch about society keeping him down, too. But we all know that it is going to take him breaking his addiction before he'll be able to turn his life around. He can complain about this as much as he wants, but until he actually changes his own ways, he's going to be out on the street with little or no hope. (yes, I know it's more complicated than that, but it fits for argument's sake)
Perhaps the RIAA needs to experience this for awhile before they realize that they're bitching about the wrong problem. Screw them! They can go completely bankrupt for all I care.
You don't alienate your customers if you want them to buy from you! Marketing 101.
Perhaps he played constantly but the little thing called life got in the way for a while. When he tried to go back, he couldn't.
2 seperate occasions where more than 3 months has passed. Thats 2 times played in a total of 6 months....half of a year. thats beyond casual gaming.
my point was that multiplayer gaming (aside from LAN parties) requires at least some form of dedication. Again, not 18 hours a day, but surely more than even one session a month. To have the lifestyle where sometimes you'll go a quarter of a year without playing, you won't enjoy a MMOG as much as a traditional single-player game or a more casual and impersonal type of multiplayer game, such as a FPS (hell, Planetside might even work if it has to be massively multiplayer)
Let me be clear here: there is absolutely nothing wrong with not playing games every day...most people seem to think that it is actually a good thing. But, games like SWG, EQ, AO, etc are made to appeal to people who will play a few hours a week or more, not a few hours a month. You just won't get the enjoyment out of it. It is not possible, IMO.
I'm the guy that had characters deleted from Diablo II on 2 separate occassions because I didn't log on in 3 months. They really need to make a pay as you play type of system for the casual gamers like myself
look, if you're going to play a game once every three months, maybe you should look into some non-multiplayer ones....I can only laugh at your experience with diablo 2 as the single player experience is really no different than the multiplayer if you don't have any friends to play with regularly (and I'm assuming you didn't for how little you must have played)...just hire some mercs and start clicking away on those thousands of mobs!
One of the major features of MMOGs is the social aspect. When you don't play on a regular basis (I'm not talking about 18 hours a day....but obviously more than once every three months), you're not going to meet anyone to play with...and without that, all you have is a single player game with really, really good AI. And why the hell would you want to pay monthly for that?
maybe you should look into KOTOR or JKII? They are both excellent single player games...or if you must have multiplayer, why don't you find a nice game that doesn'r rely on social interaction....like UT2003 or Quake or something ::rolls eyes::
It seems to me that the sheep here are the people who are going to buy this in droves without reading reviews, simply because it's a Star Wars (tm) product.
ok, so you're skeptical because it's a star wars product and people are going to buy it no matter what. that is actually a good attitude to have....but you're still going on others' opinions instead of your own. how about you decide if the game is "leveraging happy childhood memories to cover up a fundamental lack of gameplay" instead of taking p0w3r64m3r1337's opinion off of the forums. Don't like the idea? Keep your 50 bucks. Think it might be a good game? Then spend that.2% of your 18 grand and try it out for the free month and see if it's worth playing. That is the point I was trying to make originally, nothing more.
But $50 to try it? For a months play that sounds like it's the same 5 minutes play repeated ad infinitum?
well, just tell mommy and daddy to give you a few weeks' allowance in advance. And don't forget to get their credit card number so you can register...and don't forget to tell them the first month is FREE with the game. Ritalin not included.
Oh, and if you miss the "content" from Diablo II or something (by the way, whoever told you SWG has less than D2 is wrong and/or stupid), you should probably go play it with the rest of the 12 year old 1337 5k!11z kiddies. I'm sure you'd be welcome over there as they are quickly running out of people to grief the shit out of.
Seriously, you can't be bothered to spend 50 bucks on a game you might not like? I doubt that 50 bucks is something that you can't afford (if it is, in fact, too expensive for you, you should probably re-think your life...maybe get a job or something), so I'm going to assume that you are just scared to try something new. So you'll only buy a game that someone else says is good? Do you have opinions at all? Are you a sheep? Why is it so tough to make a decision for yourself?
50 bucks (let alone 14) is CHEAP for a month's worth of entertainment
The beta testers' reviews of SWG weren't complimentary at all.
of course they weren't! think about it this way: how many people who were really enjoying the game do you think there were who took the time to stop playing, go to the public forums and write a glowing review? Compare that to the number of people who were upset with the game and didn't want to log in anyway. Of course most of the "user reviews" were negative: everyone who likes the game was too busy playing the damn thing to come out and write a review thread for all the fanboys who sit on the forums all day every day bitching about how they aren't in beta! sheesh!
now, I (fortunately? unfortunately?) was never part of everquest, but I can say with a little confidence that the game is/was successful. But, at the same time I'll bet their message boards are overflowing with negative threads....
my advice to you is this: try the game yourself before you decide if it is good or not.
don't let people who will bash the game no matter what decide that for you.
After that, the dev team will get mad and make it impossible to everyone else, while Jedi P0w3rd00d goes off and "ownz stuff lol."
you know how the dev team says they're sticking with the storyline, and that it is set shortly after the events of ANH? And that roleplaying is going to mean something? Well, they meant it.
Know what happens to a jedi with a big mouth when a very large and determined force is out HUNTING THEM TO EXTINCTION?
Oh, and there is plenty reason to fear death as a jedi. And out of fear of breaking the NDA, I'll stop there and let you fill in the gaps.
A jedi in the hands of a "1337 power-gamer" is going to be a hilarious spectacle.
Slashdot Mirror
A 4 billion dollar perk, eh? I don't think Exxon needs a new CEO at the moment, but good luck with that app =)
There's nothing more objective than the truth.
Also, the mainstream news organizations have to realize by now that the show that has surpassed them in credibility has done so by blatently making fun of them. You'd think it would be pretty easy to realize all they have to do is stop producing content that can be ridiculed. Yet they still do it...
As an SBC employee, I can tell you that they are running fiber to homes, which you must understand takes time, and they are offerring tv servicees right now via Dish Network.
That said, we're all kind of scratching our heads at the layoffs in conjunction with aquisition rumors. SBC is currently trying to get a foothold in the VOIP market before it leaves them behind, so I guess devouring AT&T would be a logical move.
Oops. Don't I feel stupid now.
Yeah, I guess there really is no excuse on Blizzard's part then.
I got nothing.
Carry on, slashdotters. Nothing to see here. (except maybe a sleep-deprived moron who doesn't know when to avoid simple mathematics)
$9,000,000 a month in monthly services charges. With that much money, there should be no reason that I repeatedly run into server problems, such as lag, or having the server kick me for no reason.
Keep in mind there are already almost 100 servers active that the 600,000 players are spread out across (and I would bet they're going to add more). This would work out to roughly 9,000 dollars per server.
For 24/7 support, including monitoring, administration, and the inevitable hardware failures...along with the moderator/GM staff, this number is less of the huge profit you are speaking of. Granted, that's a respectable budget, but you also have to factor in content development (which is the most important piece). Just becaususe Blizzard's revenue will be astronomical on the game it doesn't mean you won't be bothered by common annoyances like lag and disconnects.
just sayin'
:snip:...took a picture every minute...:snip:....1 frame per mile
I hope you stayed out of the fast lane doing this, grandpa!
kidding...kidding...
So...when they get Halo to run on this thing, which one will run better: the PC version or the emulated X-Box version? I only say this because the current PC release runs like it's emulated already.
Well, I stand corrected then.
I do know that Miyamoto had a hand in Prime, so I assumed he had done the previous ones as well. I wouldn't take someone of Miyamoto's calibur to be the one to pick up a sequel, but I guess Yokoi's death would kind of require it.
And I could have SWORN that he was behind Pokemon (that was already out in Japan back in the days of the original NES, if I remember correctly)
As for Prime, I know that the Metriod in development for the 64 was supposed to be a FPS-style game, but the capabilities of the hardware just didn't live up to what was envisioned, so it was held off until something better (Gamecube) came around.
Thanks for clearing all of that up.
And I still think Nintendo needs to have a large say in how this (possible) movie is going to be presented. Woo could make it work...but he can also completely fail it and dissappoint everyone.
The only things flying around Samus when she squares off against Mother Brain had better damn well be those firey ring things protecting the energy tanks. Doves simply will not work here!
The only instance of any Metroid-related material on the N64 that I can think of is Samus Aran's appearance in Super Smash Brothers.
You're correct. That is the only one. They actually had Prime in production for the N64 (FPS style instead of the "classic" 2D of the franchise), but Nintendo tanked it because the N64 simply wasnt a powerful enough piece of hardware to present the game that Myamoto(sp?) envisioned. They were correct, in my opinion, to hold it off for the Gamecube.
I really, REALLY hope that Myamoto(sp again?) gets a say in the movie alongside Woo, because it is him, not Samus nor Mother Brain that makes Metroid what it is. He's also the creator of Pokemon, the Zelda series, and even Mario. I think he not only deserves a hand in this movie, he's OBLIGATED to help produce it.
I hope this catches on and the special CDs/DVDs become prominent. I'd shell out the extra dime per disk for this, just as long as they have plans to keep producing them. This looks really badass!
It's a cheap ripoff of Dave Mirra/Tony Hawk/That Inline Skate Game With The Guy Who's Name I Can't Remember.
Uh....BMX:XXX was going to be Dave Mirra 4 until he pulled his name off of it. It's not a ripoff, it WAS going to be the actual name-attached game until he saw the (use Kyle's mom's voice here) FILTHY TOILET HUMOR.
That said, yes, the game sucks. And, yeah, I bought it....used. Mostly because I collect games...but hey, 15 bucks...heh.
Ah, so all porn is completely public domain, and not at all copyrighted?
I could be wrong here (seriously, not being sarcastic here...), but I don't think I've heard one complaint from the porn industry about the blatant violations of their copyrights on p2p networks. In fact, I think I read somewhere awhile ago that their business is thriving more now than it ever has. (too lazy to google any of this.)
Mind you, I'm one of those people who thinks that p2p is keeping the music industry alive - not destroying it like they are currently howling about.
Please, correct me if I'm wrong here...
Well, there is no uncrackable code.
No? Tell me what this means...
duiedl2aiaisadiieakeiawieaupqa
I can do that. No complex mathematical algorithms needed, either!
I'll just need your home address and photos of any immediate family members....
joke. laugh.
Seriously, though, I think Mitnik (sp?) would have something to say about security vulnerabilities and human weakness. Which is why keys generated and used by computers (and usually unknown to the human using them) will ALWAYS be more secure than even the most obscure, cracked-out codes people can think of in their own heads.
You're right. Locke was pretty hardcore on his own.
But, unless I'm mistaken, no enemy in the game has more than 80,000 hitpoints (and I KNOW that Kefka did not). Sad, but true.
The only thing you'll accomplish by distributing your power is that someone else got to do the one-hit-kill-anything attack.
and since locke was my favorite character, he got to be the supergod. If only they (square) had allowed us to break the 9999 rule a couple games earler (than FF8)...I shudder to think of what was possible in 6.
And, yes, it's been awhile for me, too...maybe 5 years or so
even better (or worse):
fully leveled locke
atma weapon and theif dagger equiped
Genji Glove and offering relics equiped
8 hits per round, 9999 per hit
kefka dead in one attack from one person.
I was so dissapointed.
yes. I'm a dork.
I'd like to see them go bankrupt as well.
Their main purpose (promotion) is no longer effective enough compared to alternatives (i.e. the internet) to justify the B.S. they put thier clients (artists) or customers (us) through.
Seems like a pointless middleman to me. And to re-state my original point, they are not going to survive until/unless they learn to identify the real threat to themselves.
The RIAA is either going to re-invent themselves and implement a radical shift in business practices (unlikely) or they are going to die (likely). It's as simple as that.
And, as before, they'll just use their diminished profits as evidence of a vast piracy problem.
That homeless crack addict downtown will bitch about society keeping him down, too. But we all know that it is going to take him breaking his addiction before he'll be able to turn his life around. He can complain about this as much as he wants, but until he actually changes his own ways, he's going to be out on the street with little or no hope. (yes, I know it's more complicated than that, but it fits for argument's sake)
Perhaps the RIAA needs to experience this for awhile before they realize that they're bitching about the wrong problem. Screw them! They can go completely bankrupt for all I care.
You don't alienate your customers if you want them to buy from you! Marketing 101.
It's true though, radio stations do have to pay for the music they play.
::wink::
yeah...and webcasters don't get payola either....oh wait. neither do the radio stations.
Perhaps he played constantly but the little thing called life got in the way for a while. When he tried to go back, he couldn't.
2 seperate occasions where more than 3 months has passed. Thats 2 times played in a total of 6 months....half of a year. thats beyond casual gaming.
my point was that multiplayer gaming (aside from LAN parties) requires at least some form of dedication. Again, not 18 hours a day, but surely more than even one session a month. To have the lifestyle where sometimes you'll go a quarter of a year without playing, you won't enjoy a MMOG as much as a traditional single-player game or a more casual and impersonal type of multiplayer game, such as a FPS (hell, Planetside might even work if it has to be massively multiplayer)
Let me be clear here: there is absolutely nothing wrong with not playing games every day...most people seem to think that it is actually a good thing. But, games like SWG, EQ, AO, etc are made to appeal to people who will play a few hours a week or more, not a few hours a month. You just won't get the enjoyment out of it. It is not possible, IMO.
I'm the guy that had characters deleted from Diablo II on 2 separate occassions because I didn't log on in 3 months. They really need to make a pay as you play type of system for the casual gamers like myself
look, if you're going to play a game once every three months, maybe you should look into some non-multiplayer ones....I can only laugh at your experience with diablo 2 as the single player experience is really no different than the multiplayer if you don't have any friends to play with regularly (and I'm assuming you didn't for how little you must have played)...just hire some mercs and start clicking away on those thousands of mobs!
One of the major features of MMOGs is the social aspect. When you don't play on a regular basis (I'm not talking about 18 hours a day....but obviously more than once every three months), you're not going to meet anyone to play with...and without that, all you have is a single player game with really, really good AI. And why the hell would you want to pay monthly for that?
maybe you should look into KOTOR or JKII? They are both excellent single player games...or if you must have multiplayer, why don't you find a nice game that doesn'r rely on social interaction....like UT2003 or Quake or something
::rolls eyes::
g0++4 60 1v1 50 ! c4n c45+ 73h 1337 fr06 p146u3!!!!! 0n1y 10,000 m0r3 3xp p01n+5!!!
j35u5 r0xx0rz!!!
It seems to me that the sheep here are the people who are going to buy this in droves without reading reviews, simply because it's a Star Wars (tm) product.
.2% of your 18 grand and try it out for the free month and see if it's worth playing.
ok, so you're skeptical because it's a star wars product and people are going to buy it no matter what. that is actually a good attitude to have....but you're still going on others' opinions instead of your own. how about you decide if the game is "leveraging happy childhood memories to cover up a fundamental lack of gameplay" instead of taking p0w3r64m3r1337's opinion off of the forums. Don't like the idea? Keep your 50 bucks. Think it might be a good game? Then spend that
That is the point I was trying to make originally, nothing more.
But $50 to try it? For a months play that sounds like it's the same 5 minutes play repeated ad infinitum?
well, just tell mommy and daddy to give you a few weeks' allowance in advance. And don't forget to get their credit card number so you can register...and don't forget to tell them the first month is FREE with the game. Ritalin not included.
Oh, and if you miss the "content" from Diablo II or something (by the way, whoever told you SWG has less than D2 is wrong and/or stupid), you should probably go play it with the rest of the 12 year old 1337 5k!11z kiddies. I'm sure you'd be welcome over there as they are quickly running out of people to grief the shit out of.
Seriously, you can't be bothered to spend 50 bucks on a game you might not like? I doubt that 50 bucks is something that you can't afford (if it is, in fact, too expensive for you, you should probably re-think your life...maybe get a job or something), so I'm going to assume that you are just scared to try something new. So you'll only buy a game that someone else says is good? Do you have opinions at all? Are you a sheep? Why is it so tough to make a decision for yourself?
50 bucks (let alone 14) is CHEAP for a month's worth of entertainment
The beta testers' reviews of SWG weren't complimentary at all.
of course they weren't! think about it this way: how many people who were really enjoying the game do you think there were who took the time to stop playing, go to the public forums and write a glowing review? Compare that to the number of people who were upset with the game and didn't want to log in anyway. Of course most of the "user reviews" were negative: everyone who likes the game was too busy playing the damn thing to come out and write a review thread for all the fanboys who sit on the forums all day every day bitching about how they aren't in beta! sheesh!
now, I (fortunately? unfortunately?) was never part of everquest, but I can say with a little confidence that the game is/was successful. But, at the same time I'll bet their message boards are overflowing with negative threads....
my advice to you is this: try the game yourself before you decide if it is good or not.
don't let people who will bash the game no matter what decide that for you.
After that, the dev team will get mad and make it impossible to everyone else, while Jedi P0w3rd00d goes off and "ownz stuff lol."
you know how the dev team says they're sticking with the storyline, and that it is set shortly after the events of ANH? And that roleplaying is going to mean something? Well, they meant it.
Know what happens to a jedi with a big mouth when a very large and determined force is out HUNTING THEM TO EXTINCTION?
Oh, and there is plenty reason to fear death as a jedi. And out of fear of breaking the NDA, I'll stop there and let you fill in the gaps.
A jedi in the hands of a "1337 power-gamer" is going to be a hilarious spectacle.