Are you sure it was a GT? Even at my wholesale prices I can get a 6600 for about $75-80, however the 6600 GT's go for about $125-130 and retail low at $145.
Honestly when I first read the article I thought it seemed plausable, but the more I think about it the less sure I am. What I really think causes the coverage of Apple is the constant stream of new products, MS really hasn't released anything new or different in many years... even Vista really isn't different enough for the average person to care.
Apple times its releases at specific times and as such ensures coverage at intervals throughout the year. I think it is actually a result of the fact that Apple is a Consumer Electronics/OS/Hardware manufacturer that gives it three times the coverage of other companies which only are in one or two markets.
1 million copies sold != million players. I play GW regularly. Most people are bored and have left the game. Most cities are quite empty as opposed to closer to release. It has no monthly fee so people kind of meander back into the game here and there and leave for a month or so. The real number is pretty nebulus, but I'd say it is most likely closer to 300,000 players based on some math on how many people per district at peak times. Not too shabby but not 1 million for sure... Unless we're talking "Million Man March" math, then it's way over a million:)
and exactly where am I wrong, may I ask? His last news stories all fall under my comments. What do you think I have some agenda, I'm stating the turth of what is going on. Not only thatbut I include commentary and discussion on the issue.
So true. Unfortunately/. is filled to the brim with hypocritical folks. They back free speach, open source, and the rest, but in reality support the EXACT OPPOSITE. They hate MS, but an Xbox or 360 is hot shit... and then they try to rationalize it by saying MS is "losing money" on the sale not factoring anything else into the equation blindly. They love free speach, but god forbid if you hold a contrary opinion on a matter... they can't mod you a troll/flamebait/overrated fast enough. They Love open source but then support Apple, MS, Dell, Sony, etc. The PS3 should be on every single persons boycott list based on their so called "ideals." And you have the Revolution which aims to offer OPENNESS to small indie developers or even single people... but it is of course a piece of crap and for kids, blah, blah... and it has not 10% of the DRM/Brand Lock-in/Proprietary-ness of the other two. Oh, and the Korean made GPX32 handheld which was a true hackers dream??? Yeah, given short shrift in favor of the PSP.
I don't mean to politicise things, but it is common hippie/liberal tactics. Say, and not just say - scream! for what you "believe" in and then do exactly the opposite because it is too difficult to stick to your guns when things get too tough or it is too much of an inconveinience.
I have no qualms about stating I refuse to use Linux on a desktop PC, I've been using Linux since '95. Have installed so many distro's and packages "trying" to make it feasible, but in the end you are just fooling yourself. Now in a server environment, I'm all for Linux. Webserver, DB server, Load Balancing, Firewall, etc. it is the bee's knees. I do everything in my power to not feed predatory companies that I don't believe in. Not perfectly, but to the best of my abilities. I also don't shout from the mountaintops about things I don't follow myself.
Somehow Zonk manages to throw in a real news item with a completely unsubstantiated blurb at the end, every time.
The fact of the matter is the POPULAR bundles which were initially alotted (at a fairly low number due to the actual uncertainty of how many each store will receive) are all spoken for. The ultra-insane bundles are still available at $1k+ This has NOTHING to do with any real shortages. Of an arbitrary low estimate of how many units EB will receive, the most common bundles have all been reserved. Wow, really?
Well, I've been here for many years on many UID's and I personally have NEVER seen the coverage of games so poorly managed as it has been in the past month or so. The inception of a Games section initially was filled with very solid news, and then Zonk happened. Opinonated with no credibility, patently false at times, 1UP.com whoring, and "reviews" that a small website/local town newspaper wouldn't see fit to print. It is not up to any journalistic standards, and, quite frankly, stinks.
Even the regular news has turned into news for lawyers, shit no one cares about. What happened to science news? What happened to cool hacks? What happened to neat gadgets, not advertisements? What happened to tech. news? If all there is now is Apple, Firefox, next-gen console speculation, 1up.com, lawsuits, and patent arguments... count me out.
The GBA product was one that was so easy to sell because it fills the portable markets needs almost exclusively... even above the DS and PSP In my opinion especially when battery-life, game library, and durability are considered. The first outing sold extremely well, but the lack of backlight and Castlevania began the torrent of anger.
They rebounded with the SP, but it was what the GBA should have been all along. And I believe what Nintendo had in mind the entire time but backed out of for profit reasons and other business matters. No way they designed the SP completely in the short timeframe after the GBA debuted.
Then came the word of the micro GBA, which is very cool but fairly impractical. The market is already fairly saturated, and there is no real market for this device.
Now comes the brighter backlight. Which makes an amazing difference over even the regular SP. Who will buy them? The market is so flooded with so many GBA variants that no one is sure of what way to go, or to hold out for the *next* revision.
Overall, a very bad release by almost any standards. And with the slower release schedule for GBA titles lately, what reason is there for anyone to change GBA's let alone buy a new one?
Not Nintendo-like at all, and really a puzzling release roadmap that no one could be happy about.
I've lost most of my Karma stating this to over the past few weeks, and don't really care. This site is on the fastest downward spiral I've ever seen for a well established, hugely popular website.
If these people were being managed in ANY way half of the recent crap could never go on. Between Zonk's opinion only takeover of the games section, it is useless, and the lack of direction and focus on NEWS FOR NERDS anymore what purpose is there to visit/.?
Remember back when the day was filled with really cool hacks people thought up, and neat gadgets (not just slashvertisements for Apple), great science news, etc?
Now we get Lawsuit, Lawsuit, This blah blah blah, 1UP.com link of the day, dupe, dupe of dupe, Apple, Microsoft, Firefox, lawsuit, opinion piece, and some random legal matter to round out the day.
Slashdot everything BUT news, for lawyers and non-geeks!
I mean... the example of Aeris is a good one....then you go on to state how she is so one-dimensional and who cares, blah, blah, blah.
So which is it?
I wholeheartedly agree that most RPG's have pretty cliche and tired storylines and characters. No innovation in well over 20 years does that to a genre. FFVII was a very engaging storyline and well written. The shock value and attachment to Aeris was palpable and not to be understated.
The Guardian Gamesblog has a look at the research. From the article: "Of course it could be argued that RPGs simply attract more emotionally unstable gamers, and that if these same players were forced to try Microsoft Flight Simulator, they'd cry like babies when their Cessna crashed into a pylon during a failed runway approach. Sadly, Bowen does not appear to explore this possibility."
The story was fine on its own merits, this is simply to incite a reaction.
RPG's attract unstable gamers, eh? How any site such as "The Guardian Gamesblog" can make such insane statements is beyond me, and then to get placed in the same post as a well researched factual article boggles the mind.
When was the last time a flight simulator had enough storyline to make anyone care or become attached to a character or a plane? Never. Save maybe the Wing Commander series. *gasp* maybe it is the fact that RPG's are story driven, and can be very immersive and draw the player in very close. I defy anyone who played FF VII to have not been emotional when Aeris dies. Maybe not box-of-kleenex tear gusher, but evoking some emotional response.
This was simply not needed and detracts heavily from the real "news," a well researched and well written article.
Price cuts are a tool companies use to bolster slow or lagging sales. They hurt the bottom line and they are not something companies wear as a badge of honor. This is probably the single most important sign of wavering confidence in this console war - yet the media is generally giving it a free pass.
Microsoft is backpedaling and stuttering like a scared little boy. On one hand they just the same day claimed how their console costs less to produce! Then they say they will be making yearly major price cuts. These two things do not jive in marketing. If you have a superior product that costs less to manufacture than your direct competitor you have the upper hand without price cut tactics. So something is massively wrong here. This should be raising red flags in every single persons mind, and shows some serious weakness in some aspect of their product to resort to price cutting and pulicising price cuts.
Honestly Microsoft just put a nail in their own coffin on this misstep. Consumers who are on the fence will now pass on the initial release to wait for Sony to release and compare the products, especially since they know now by waiting a year they will be saving money *and* have the chance to weigh their options. Many seasoned gamers will also play the wait game as they know that not much happens in the first year beyond one or two solid launch titles.
I can go on with more from every genre available if you would like me to. Not only that but in almost every one of those examples Nintendo not only offers the base standard but a ton of replayability and extra "content" over their competitors.
There is no such thing as a company trying to abstain from competition in a genre. Especially Nintendo. They generally offer super-refined control schemes on top of the providing the standard gameplay in the genre, all while adding content and replayability as well as a twist or two to differentiate themselves. Just because it may not appeal to *you* or so-called "Hardcore" gamers who are really just immature narrowly focused individuals, doesn't mean that they don't have a presence in every genre out there.
I brought up the other positions I've held because you stated, and I quote: my "crappy writing credentials" were all I had to prove my expertise. And yes, I'm not your average geek in that I am a boxer as well as train in MMA... something you claim an interest in and I routinely travel for fights so I figured you may want to put your money where your mouth is next time me or a friend has a MMA fight somewhere near your location. See, people like you are offended when someone backs up their statements with their credentials. There are tons like you on the internet. If someone makes a claim, you will bash it because they have no credibility to make said claim and ask for proof... but then when someone explains their credibility to make a statement you bash that as "ego" and dismiss its importance. Which way do you want it then? People like you make my blood boil, and yes... in real life you probably would have been a broken mess if you would act the way you have towards me on this site.
See, it is YOU who are on a high horse. You try to trip people up in your tangle of "I WANT NUMBERS AND FACTS AND CREDIBILITY!" and then when it is given you shout "YOU ARE A LIAR, THOSE CREDENTIALS MEAN SHIT, WHAT DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE MATTER OVER MY COMPLETE SPECULATION!" I know you will not hear any of this or see the error in your ways, but its worth a shot. All I've done is use my experience and extensive knowledge of the subject matter to show *WHY* this guys articles don't get widespread press and why he is certainly not a "genius." To make such a bold statement I must give my authority, and I did. Sorry your are offended by that, for the life of me I can't see why it would. If I was in a discussion on here about medicine and someone spoke up and said "thats bullshit, I'm a doctor and have been one for 4 years and here is why..." I would accept this and move on, not bash the guy as an obvious fraud and still try to asssert my superiority on the subject matter.
Again, Stylistic games cost more to produce. They involve tons more artistic work. Tons more attention on minute details. Tons more focus on gameplay and controls. and many more artists. Again, the abstract example stands. It is much easier to mimic reality than it is to do something new and unique. Try it yourself. Without looking at a picture draw a sketch of a whale. Now, get a picture of a whale and draw it from the picture. Which was easier and quicker? And more importantly accurate. PLEASE, for all that is holy... do some research on this online or ask in a forum that has active game artists/texture artists. I can talk until I'm blue in the face and you won't believe it... so to prove it, go ask anyone with any knowledge of the subject. Please. That is how sure I am, and how much you will relaize you and the guy who wrote that article is wrong.
haha, boy sure are defensive now that the cover of anonimity is lifted a bit... aren't we?
Crappy writing credentials. Yep, that's all I got. I guess playtesting, market analyst, editor in chief, sales, and design don't count. Oh, yeah that's right, you simply dismiss those too as mere child's play. I do claim to be an expert, because I am, not to boost my ego or show off... but to lend a different perspective to the same usual replies that stories around here get. Notice how I don't use an account name or link to any professional venture of mine? I *must* be trying to further my agenda by using a one-off slashdot ID that has no personal gain linked to it.
Wake up man. And if by "stalk" you you mean typing in your PUBLIC EMAIL ADDRESS into google, then I guess I am a stalker. Man, I sure use some hard nosed tactics!
Oh, and way to dodge the MMA question. If you are an expert in MMA and grappling I would think you would *love* to showcase your skillz, I would. Oh, that's right... I'm just a phoney though who makes stuff up on an internet website to inflate my ego... I almost forgot.
My stupid game vs. your stupid games == Checkmate Cocksucker.
I submit to you the fact that you are an angry little troll: Mr. orangetrashface who also posts at Ars and has to attempt to assert himself there as well in such eloquent replies as these:
Yeah, which is exactly why my point that they haven't exactly shown us anything new still stands. If they've shown some new games- please show me where that is a FACT and not just a RUMOR.
Until then you can climb down off your high goddamn horse.
And gems such as this from around the net: actually, you are mistaken. mammals evolved, like reptiles and amphibia, from fish. fish originated from single-celled organisms. or do you think whales were once elephants.
there are still fish swimming deep under the sea of South Africa, almost extinct, with the bone structure of mammals (evolved fish dont have bones). The human foetus, in fact, at one stage has gill ridges, that later turn into the ear.
Priceless. You are a total tool. Nice sideburns. And I like your semi-attempt to fancy yourself a MMA/grappling expert. *Please* tell me this is true and where your gym is in Norman Oaklahoma. I've fought MMA for some time and I'd love to actually get the chance to make good on my claims, we can settle this un-geeklike.
So "Docta Watson"/"Orangecrushface" do you really want to keep this up? I suggest you slink back to your very insightful evolution speaches (which you obviously are an expert on), and self-indulgent posts trying to discredit someone with actual industry experience while supporting a blatantly non-factual article, and go back to being a "paralibrarian," bass playing, misfit asshole.
You are an idiot. You actually are now going to go back through a day old thread and threadcrap on it to make yourself feel better, eh? Nice.
And you are wrong. Coming up with the initial concept and bringing it to life is where the cost is, sure both have to invest in the same machinery but the second guy has a model to work from drastically reducing his workload and expense in the R&D dept. Most of game costs are in R&D, the example is the same and holds up quite well.
I'm giving you one last minute of my time and I am through with you.
A personal threat is not discrediting you in any way, it is an honest statement. In real life, if I had the chance I would kick your whiny ass up and down. You are simply the type of person I can't stand. And BTW I'm 6'3" and since you want to bring up credentials I was also Golden Glove ranked... not a fat slob whiny geek. So your pasty, pimply ass wouldn't stand a chance. Lucky thing, that internet anonimity.
You keep making attacks towards me simply because I HAVE worked quite closely with this industry for a LONG time. You may call this insignificant, easily biased, rarely insightful, whatever you want to... I ask, where is your proof? My posts are always modded insightful (notice that every post I make besides my rants on Zonk - another loser around here - are modded insightful, interesting, and quite highly). I worked as a game reviewer, I only worked for independent review sites and freelance projects which involved NO BIAS whatsoever. As a reviewer and playtester, objectivity is the #1 quality required, I wouldn't have got very far if your claims were true, now would I?
Oh, and my statement was: Trying to disagree just to contradict me is just stupid. And it is. To simply overlook the obvious flaws in that article just to try to discredit me is stupid. Read into that article whatever you want to, it is totally false and if you passed it by anyone in the industry they would laugh at it. Plain and simple. The person who wrote it has no clue to the true workings of the industry.
Because Microsoft games cost more to produce means nothing in terms of artwork. They are higher cost due to the programming effort required and the lack of a solid development environment. Working in a limited color palette and keeping things vivid and not washed out is the most difficult thing in the world. Much harder than realism. You wouldn't know though because you base your statements on thin-air and your limited understanding of the subject matter. Again, don't take my word for it ask anyone with experience here.
Again my example: Paint me an abstract painting, now paint me a *good* abstract painting... hell of a lot easier to just paint a tree isn't it?
I'm not even answering your tirade on my Nintendo fanboyism as you claim. It is quite clear that I am not. I also refuse to answer any more of your rhetoric and childishness. So long and thanks for all the fish.
Yahoo OWNS Intermix through Overture who has lost some massive court cases involving spyware. So this is no real surprise. Intermix was ordered to pay 7.5 Million in a seattle case. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/43894.html
Heh, it is quite funny how many people think they know all about game development and what goes into it. I think it is a losing battle trying to make people understand how easy it is to do realism.
My favorite example: Go paint an abstract painting... now go paint a *GOOD* abstract painting... yeah, hell of a lot easier to just paint a tree, isn't it?
Unless people have done it they will always think that detail is difficult, the real difficulty is working in a simplistic color palette and not having everything end up washed out.
Eh, I'm done trying to make all the "experts" around here understand the reality of the matter. Better luck to you NanoGator.
What is your problem? Why do you select my posts (when you are already a Foe and Enemy) to keep whining about me? Obviously I hate you and would slit your throat if we met in real life, fuck off. You are a little whiny bitch who wants so badly to discredit me but you and I both know damn well what my credentials are. Want me to back my claims up with numbers, you got it asshole. And BTW, I will use quotes directly from the *source article* that show exactly the opposite of what you claim. Trying to disagree just to contradict me is just stupid. I seriously think you are jealous and you are acting like a kid. No matter if you want to admit it or not, my work in the industry is pretty extensive and my accomplishments are fairly impressive. I'm proud of my work, and it must be pretty good to have been in demand for 4 years... yes including Maxim and Stuff which I am similarly proud of.
Here's the quote: The cost of creating a genre king early in the genre life cycle is low. You can rely on things like simplified graphics and limited amounts of content. This is totally false, I need no numbers to back my claims this is simply wrong.
Also he claims this is part of "portfolio management" this person has no idea about what he is speaking. He is using big words and fancy terms to make himself seem intelligent and an authority. Notice how he *doesn't* have ONE NUMBER TO BACK HIS CLAIMS? Oh, but how quick you are to jump on me for not using exact numbers. Dickhead.
What happened here was you drank the kool aid and were drawn in by his fancy terms and it actually shows your *lack* of intelligence to be suckered in as others were. Take a look at the majority of replies to my statements about this column, they all concur my sentiments exactly. Know why? Because they are TRUE.
The numbers of development are 100 to 500 Million yen at the moment. The 360 and PS3 will push development costs to close to 1 billion yen. That is what game development costs. In American development it is about $822,000 for the PS2, GC, and PSP. $1.82 million for Xbox. Nintendo is consistently in the upper ranges of these numbers proving that it is not "cheaper" to produce more simplistic graphics or the first in a genre. Also Nintendo has been restructured from the ground up recently and is one of the most streamlined and profitable as a result. So if their costs are high, it is not due to bloat or laziness, it is the actual cost of development. Oh, and you now see you were wrong about me not being an analyst as well.
You're looking worse and worse, want me to continue? I can back every single claim up with fact, I can back my entire career up with fact. I can dispell an assclown like you with little difficulty all day long. You are out of your league, and you don't have a leg to stand on. So I would kindly respect that you stay out of my threads unless you would like me to continue to discredit you. Which isn't too hard.
Very well stated and quite true. I absolutely agree with every word you posted. I just wish more people would have the cojones to not hide behind AC on issues like this. For a site and people who "Claim" to be for free speach it sure doesn't come off that way.
Re:Yay! another Zonk review...
on
Review: Darkwatch
·
· Score: -1, Offtopic
Look, I know how a news site runs. Have you also noticed that I post my comments about Zonk LOGGED IN? It is because I believe in what I am saying and not hiding behind AC. The reason I am capable of posts like the one you linked is because of my familiarity with the business and I am not happy with the current direction of Slashdot as a whole. A big part of this downward spiral is Zonk. I am not against an editorial piece, BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME AN EDITORIAL WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF YOUR NEWSPAPER? Yeah, never. Let alone an editorial based on blatantly untrue statements like "The gamecube was a failure."/. is not a news outlet per-say but a link to relevant news in a number of categories to sites all over the internet. Lately it has been pretty much 1UP.com, Apple, Firefox. I'm sick and tired of 1up.com being the only site linked to anymore. It is out of hand. This is NOT news./. used to be full of insightful news links to cool projects and accomplishments and geek stuff, now it is basically litigation, advertisements, and product announcements.
Maybe stop to think about the fact that when someone who posts such informative and thoughtful stuff to this site on a regular basis is pissed off enough to voice their opinion and slowly moving away from the entire site that it is a BAD THING!(tm)
Slashdot Mirror
Are you sure it was a GT? Even at my wholesale prices I can get a 6600 for about $75-80, however the 6600 GT's go for about $125-130 and retail low at $145.
Honestly when I first read the article I thought it seemed plausable, but the more I think about it the less sure I am. What I really think causes the coverage of Apple is the constant stream of new products, MS really hasn't released anything new or different in many years... even Vista really isn't different enough for the average person to care.
Apple times its releases at specific times and as such ensures coverage at intervals throughout the year. I think it is actually a result of the fact that Apple is a Consumer Electronics/OS/Hardware manufacturer that gives it three times the coverage of other companies which only are in one or two markets.
This is only a test, be not afraid.
1 million copies sold != million players. I play GW regularly. Most people are bored and have left the game. Most cities are quite empty as opposed to closer to release. It has no monthly fee so people kind of meander back into the game here and there and leave for a month or so. The real number is pretty nebulus, but I'd say it is most likely closer to 300,000 players based on some math on how many people per district at peak times. Not too shabby but not 1 million for sure... Unless we're talking "Million Man March" math, then it's way over a million :)
and exactly where am I wrong, may I ask? His last news stories all fall under my comments. What do you think I have some agenda, I'm stating the turth of what is going on. Not only thatbut I include commentary and discussion on the issue.
So true. Unfortunately /. is filled to the brim with hypocritical folks. They back free speach, open source, and the rest, but in reality support the EXACT OPPOSITE. They hate MS, but an Xbox or 360 is hot shit... and then they try to rationalize it by saying MS is "losing money" on the sale not factoring anything else into the equation blindly. They love free speach, but god forbid if you hold a contrary opinion on a matter... they can't mod you a troll/flamebait/overrated fast enough. They Love open source but then support Apple, MS, Dell, Sony, etc. The PS3 should be on every single persons boycott list based on their so called "ideals." And you have the Revolution which aims to offer OPENNESS to small indie developers or even single people... but it is of course a piece of crap and for kids, blah, blah... and it has not 10% of the DRM/Brand Lock-in/Proprietary-ness of the other two. Oh, and the Korean made GPX32 handheld which was a true hackers dream??? Yeah, given short shrift in favor of the PSP.
I don't mean to politicise things, but it is common hippie/liberal tactics. Say, and not just say - scream! for what you "believe" in and then do exactly the opposite because it is too difficult to stick to your guns when things get too tough or it is too much of an inconveinience.
I have no qualms about stating I refuse to use Linux on a desktop PC, I've been using Linux since '95. Have installed so many distro's and packages "trying" to make it feasible, but in the end you are just fooling yourself. Now in a server environment, I'm all for Linux. Webserver, DB server, Load Balancing, Firewall, etc. it is the bee's knees. I do everything in my power to not feed predatory companies that I don't believe in. Not perfectly, but to the best of my abilities. I also don't shout from the mountaintops about things I don't follow myself.
Somehow Zonk manages to throw in a real news item with a completely unsubstantiated blurb at the end, every time.
The fact of the matter is the POPULAR bundles which were initially alotted (at a fairly low number due to the actual uncertainty of how many each store will receive) are all spoken for. The ultra-insane bundles are still available at $1k+ This has NOTHING to do with any real shortages. Of an arbitrary low estimate of how many units EB will receive, the most common bundles have all been reserved. Wow, really?
Well, I've been here for many years on many UID's and I personally have NEVER seen the coverage of games so poorly managed as it has been in the past month or so. The inception of a Games section initially was filled with very solid news, and then Zonk happened. Opinonated with no credibility, patently false at times, 1UP.com whoring, and "reviews" that a small website/local town newspaper wouldn't see fit to print. It is not up to any journalistic standards, and, quite frankly, stinks.
Even the regular news has turned into news for lawyers, shit no one cares about. What happened to science news? What happened to cool hacks? What happened to neat gadgets, not advertisements? What happened to tech. news? If all there is now is Apple, Firefox, next-gen console speculation, 1up.com, lawsuits, and patent arguments... count me out.
The GBA product was one that was so easy to sell because it fills the portable markets needs almost exclusively... even above the DS and PSP In my opinion especially when battery-life, game library, and durability are considered. The first outing sold extremely well, but the lack of backlight and Castlevania began the torrent of anger.
They rebounded with the SP, but it was what the GBA should have been all along. And I believe what Nintendo had in mind the entire time but backed out of for profit reasons and other business matters. No way they designed the SP completely in the short timeframe after the GBA debuted.
Then came the word of the micro GBA, which is very cool but fairly impractical. The market is already fairly saturated, and there is no real market for this device.
Now comes the brighter backlight. Which makes an amazing difference over even the regular SP. Who will buy them? The market is so flooded with so many GBA variants that no one is sure of what way to go, or to hold out for the *next* revision.
Overall, a very bad release by almost any standards. And with the slower release schedule for GBA titles lately, what reason is there for anyone to change GBA's let alone buy a new one?
Not Nintendo-like at all, and really a puzzling release roadmap that no one could be happy about.
I've lost most of my Karma stating this to over the past few weeks, and don't really care. This site is on the fastest downward spiral I've ever seen for a well established, hugely popular website.
/.?
If these people were being managed in ANY way half of the recent crap could never go on. Between Zonk's opinion only takeover of the games section, it is useless, and the lack of direction and focus on NEWS FOR NERDS anymore what purpose is there to visit
Remember back when the day was filled with really cool hacks people thought up, and neat gadgets (not just slashvertisements for Apple), great science news, etc?
Now we get Lawsuit, Lawsuit, This blah blah blah, 1UP.com link of the day, dupe, dupe of dupe, Apple, Microsoft, Firefox, lawsuit, opinion piece, and some random legal matter to round out the day.
Slashdot everything BUT news, for lawyers and non-geeks!
Why so quiet now? Did you give up? I was looking forward to reading your response. Pity.
Well you're AC, but I'll feed the troll.
...then you go on to state how she is so one-dimensional and who cares, blah, blah, blah.
Umm, contradict yourself much?
I mean... the example of Aeris is a good one.
So which is it?
I wholeheartedly agree that most RPG's have pretty cliche and tired storylines and characters. No innovation in well over 20 years does that to a genre. FFVII was a very engaging storyline and well written. The shock value and attachment to Aeris was palpable and not to be understated.
Why this was needed to be added?
The Guardian Gamesblog has a look at the research. From the article: "Of course it could be argued that RPGs simply attract more emotionally unstable gamers, and that if these same players were forced to try Microsoft Flight Simulator, they'd cry like babies when their Cessna crashed into a pylon during a failed runway approach. Sadly, Bowen does not appear to explore this possibility."
The story was fine on its own merits, this is simply to incite a reaction.
RPG's attract unstable gamers, eh? How any site such as "The Guardian Gamesblog" can make such insane statements is beyond me, and then to get placed in the same post as a well researched factual article boggles the mind.
When was the last time a flight simulator had enough storyline to make anyone care or become attached to a character or a plane? Never. Save maybe the Wing Commander series. *gasp* maybe it is the fact that RPG's are story driven, and can be very immersive and draw the player in very close. I defy anyone who played FF VII to have not been emotional when Aeris dies. Maybe not box-of-kleenex tear gusher, but evoking some emotional response.
This was simply not needed and detracts heavily from the real "news," a well researched and well written article.
Price cuts are a tool companies use to bolster slow or lagging sales. They hurt the bottom line and they are not something companies wear as a badge of honor. This is probably the single most important sign of wavering confidence in this console war - yet the media is generally giving it a free pass.
Microsoft is backpedaling and stuttering like a scared little boy. On one hand they just the same day claimed how their console costs less to produce! Then they say they will be making yearly major price cuts. These two things do not jive in marketing. If you have a superior product that costs less to manufacture than your direct competitor you have the upper hand without price cut tactics. So something is massively wrong here. This should be raising red flags in every single persons mind, and shows some serious weakness in some aspect of their product to resort to price cutting and pulicising price cuts.
Honestly Microsoft just put a nail in their own coffin on this misstep. Consumers who are on the fence will now pass on the initial release to wait for Sony to release and compare the products, especially since they know now by waiting a year they will be saving money *and* have the chance to weigh their options. Many seasoned gamers will also play the wait game as they know that not much happens in the first year beyond one or two solid launch titles.
Bad move.
Metroid Prime. geist. - FPS
Zelda. Paper Mario. - RPG
Super Smash Bros. - Fighting
Mario Baseball Allstars/golf/tennis. - Sports
F-Zero. - Racing/wipeout
Battalion Wars. - RTS
Advance Wars - Turn-based strategy
I can go on with more from every genre available if you would like me to. Not only that but in almost every one of those examples Nintendo not only offers the base standard but a ton of replayability and extra "content" over their competitors.
There is no such thing as a company trying to abstain from competition in a genre. Especially Nintendo. They generally offer super-refined control schemes on top of the providing the standard gameplay in the genre, all while adding content and replayability as well as a twist or two to differentiate themselves. Just because it may not appeal to *you* or so-called "Hardcore" gamers who are really just immature narrowly focused individuals, doesn't mean that they don't have a presence in every genre out there.
I brought up the other positions I've held because you stated, and I quote: my "crappy writing credentials" were all I had to prove my expertise. And yes, I'm not your average geek in that I am a boxer as well as train in MMA... something you claim an interest in and I routinely travel for fights so I figured you may want to put your money where your mouth is next time me or a friend has a MMA fight somewhere near your location. See, people like you are offended when someone backs up their statements with their credentials. There are tons like you on the internet. If someone makes a claim, you will bash it because they have no credibility to make said claim and ask for proof... but then when someone explains their credibility to make a statement you bash that as "ego" and dismiss its importance. Which way do you want it then? People like you make my blood boil, and yes... in real life you probably would have been a broken mess if you would act the way you have towards me on this site.
See, it is YOU who are on a high horse. You try to trip people up in your tangle of "I WANT NUMBERS AND FACTS AND CREDIBILITY!" and then when it is given you shout "YOU ARE A LIAR, THOSE CREDENTIALS MEAN SHIT, WHAT DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE MATTER OVER MY COMPLETE SPECULATION!" I know you will not hear any of this or see the error in your ways, but its worth a shot. All I've done is use my experience and extensive knowledge of the subject matter to show *WHY* this guys articles don't get widespread press and why he is certainly not a "genius." To make such a bold statement I must give my authority, and I did. Sorry your are offended by that, for the life of me I can't see why it would. If I was in a discussion on here about medicine and someone spoke up and said "thats bullshit, I'm a doctor and have been one for 4 years and here is why..." I would accept this and move on, not bash the guy as an obvious fraud and still try to asssert my superiority on the subject matter.
Again, Stylistic games cost more to produce. They involve tons more artistic work. Tons more attention on minute details. Tons more focus on gameplay and controls. and many more artists. Again, the abstract example stands. It is much easier to mimic reality than it is to do something new and unique. Try it yourself. Without looking at a picture draw a sketch of a whale. Now, get a picture of a whale and draw it from the picture. Which was easier and quicker? And more importantly accurate. PLEASE, for all that is holy... do some research on this online or ask in a forum that has active game artists/texture artists. I can talk until I'm blue in the face and you won't believe it... so to prove it, go ask anyone with any knowledge of the subject. Please. That is how sure I am, and how much you will relaize you and the guy who wrote that article is wrong.
haha, boy sure are defensive now that the cover of anonimity is lifted a bit... aren't we?
Crappy writing credentials. Yep, that's all I got. I guess playtesting, market analyst, editor in chief, sales, and design don't count. Oh, yeah that's right, you simply dismiss those too as mere child's play. I do claim to be an expert, because I am, not to boost my ego or show off... but to lend a different perspective to the same usual replies that stories around here get. Notice how I don't use an account name or link to any professional venture of mine? I *must* be trying to further my agenda by using a one-off slashdot ID that has no personal gain linked to it.
Wake up man. And if by "stalk" you you mean typing in your PUBLIC EMAIL ADDRESS into google, then I guess I am a stalker. Man, I sure use some hard nosed tactics!
Oh, and way to dodge the MMA question. If you are an expert in MMA and grappling I would think you would *love* to showcase your skillz, I would. Oh, that's right... I'm just a phoney though who makes stuff up on an internet website to inflate my ego... I almost forgot.
My stupid game vs. your stupid games == Checkmate Cocksucker.
I submit to you the fact that you are an angry little troll: Mr. orangetrashface who also posts at Ars and has to attempt to assert himself there as well in such eloquent replies as these:
Yeah, which is exactly why my point that they haven't exactly shown us anything new still stands. If they've shown some new games- please show me where that is a FACT and not just a RUMOR.
Until then you can climb down off your high goddamn horse.
And gems such as this from around the net:
actually, you are mistaken.
mammals evolved, like reptiles and amphibia, from fish. fish originated from single-celled organisms. or do you think whales were once elephants.
there are still fish swimming deep under the sea of South Africa, almost extinct, with the bone structure of mammals (evolved fish dont have bones). The human foetus, in fact, at one stage has gill ridges, that later turn into the ear.
Fish don't have bones, eh? You sure are smart!
And best of all we have: http://www.myspace.com/orangetrashface
Priceless. You are a total tool. Nice sideburns. And I like your semi-attempt to fancy yourself a MMA/grappling expert. *Please* tell me this is true and where your gym is in Norman Oaklahoma. I've fought MMA for some time and I'd love to actually get the chance to make good on my claims, we can settle this un-geeklike.
So "Docta Watson"/"Orangecrushface" do you really want to keep this up? I suggest you slink back to your very insightful evolution speaches (which you obviously are an expert on), and self-indulgent posts trying to discredit someone with actual industry experience while supporting a blatantly non-factual article, and go back to being a "paralibrarian," bass playing, misfit asshole.
Thank You, That is all.
You are an idiot. You actually are now going to go back through a day old thread and threadcrap on it to make yourself feel better, eh? Nice.
And you are wrong. Coming up with the initial concept and bringing it to life is where the cost is, sure both have to invest in the same machinery but the second guy has a model to work from drastically reducing his workload and expense in the R&D dept. Most of game costs are in R&D, the example is the same and holds up quite well.
I'm giving you one last minute of my time and I am through with you.
A personal threat is not discrediting you in any way, it is an honest statement. In real life, if I had the chance I would kick your whiny ass up and down. You are simply the type of person I can't stand. And BTW I'm 6'3" and since you want to bring up credentials I was also Golden Glove ranked... not a fat slob whiny geek. So your pasty, pimply ass wouldn't stand a chance. Lucky thing, that internet anonimity.
You keep making attacks towards me simply because I HAVE worked quite closely with this industry for a LONG time. You may call this insignificant, easily biased, rarely insightful, whatever you want to... I ask, where is your proof? My posts are always modded insightful (notice that every post I make besides my rants on Zonk - another loser around here - are modded insightful, interesting, and quite highly). I worked as a game reviewer, I only worked for independent review sites and freelance projects which involved NO BIAS whatsoever. As a reviewer and playtester, objectivity is the #1 quality required, I wouldn't have got very far if your claims were true, now would I?
Oh, and my statement was: Trying to disagree just to contradict me is just stupid. And it is. To simply overlook the obvious flaws in that article just to try to discredit me is stupid. Read into that article whatever you want to, it is totally false and if you passed it by anyone in the industry they would laugh at it. Plain and simple. The person who wrote it has no clue to the true workings of the industry.
Because Microsoft games cost more to produce means nothing in terms of artwork. They are higher cost due to the programming effort required and the lack of a solid development environment. Working in a limited color palette and keeping things vivid and not washed out is the most difficult thing in the world. Much harder than realism. You wouldn't know though because you base your statements on thin-air and your limited understanding of the subject matter. Again, don't take my word for it ask anyone with experience here.
Again my example: Paint me an abstract painting, now paint me a *good* abstract painting... hell of a lot easier to just paint a tree isn't it?
I'm not even answering your tirade on my Nintendo fanboyism as you claim. It is quite clear that I am not. I also refuse to answer any more of your rhetoric and childishness. So long and thanks for all the fish.
Yahoo OWNS Intermix through Overture who has lost some massive court cases involving spyware. So this is no real surprise. Intermix was ordered to pay 7.5 Million in a seattle case. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/43894.html
Heh, it is quite funny how many people think they know all about game development and what goes into it. I think it is a losing battle trying to make people understand how easy it is to do realism.
My favorite example: Go paint an abstract painting... now go paint a *GOOD* abstract painting... yeah, hell of a lot easier to just paint a tree, isn't it?
Unless people have done it they will always think that detail is difficult, the real difficulty is working in a simplistic color palette and not having everything end up washed out.
Eh, I'm done trying to make all the "experts" around here understand the reality of the matter. Better luck to you NanoGator.
What is your problem? Why do you select my posts (when you are already a Foe and Enemy) to keep whining about me? Obviously I hate you and would slit your throat if we met in real life, fuck off. You are a little whiny bitch who wants so badly to discredit me but you and I both know damn well what my credentials are. Want me to back my claims up with numbers, you got it asshole. And BTW, I will use quotes directly from the *source article* that show exactly the opposite of what you claim. Trying to disagree just to contradict me is just stupid. I seriously think you are jealous and you are acting like a kid. No matter if you want to admit it or not, my work in the industry is pretty extensive and my accomplishments are fairly impressive. I'm proud of my work, and it must be pretty good to have been in demand for 4 years... yes including Maxim and Stuff which I am similarly proud of.
Here's the quote: The cost of creating a genre king early in the genre life cycle is low. You can rely on things like simplified graphics and limited amounts of content. This is totally false, I need no numbers to back my claims this is simply wrong.
Also he claims this is part of "portfolio management" this person has no idea about what he is speaking. He is using big words and fancy terms to make himself seem intelligent and an authority. Notice how he *doesn't* have ONE NUMBER TO BACK HIS CLAIMS? Oh, but how quick you are to jump on me for not using exact numbers. Dickhead.
What happened here was you drank the kool aid and were drawn in by his fancy terms and it actually shows your *lack* of intelligence to be suckered in as others were. Take a look at the majority of replies to my statements about this column, they all concur my sentiments exactly. Know why? Because they are TRUE.
The numbers of development are 100 to 500 Million yen at the moment. The 360 and PS3 will push development costs to close to 1 billion yen. That is what game development costs. In American development it is about $822,000 for the PS2, GC, and PSP. $1.82 million for Xbox. Nintendo is consistently in the upper ranges of these numbers proving that it is not "cheaper" to produce more simplistic graphics or the first in a genre. Also Nintendo has been restructured from the ground up recently and is one of the most streamlined and profitable as a result. So if their costs are high, it is not due to bloat or laziness, it is the actual cost of development. Oh, and you now see you were wrong about me not being an analyst as well.
You're looking worse and worse, want me to continue? I can back every single claim up with fact, I can back my entire career up with fact. I can dispell an assclown like you with little difficulty all day long. You are out of your league, and you don't have a leg to stand on. So I would kindly respect that you stay out of my threads unless you would like me to continue to discredit you. Which isn't too hard.
Very well stated and quite true. I absolutely agree with every word you posted. I just wish more people would have the cojones to not hide behind AC on issues like this. For a site and people who "Claim" to be for free speach it sure doesn't come off that way.
Look, I know how a news site runs. Have you also noticed that I post my comments about Zonk LOGGED IN? It is because I believe in what I am saying and not hiding behind AC. The reason I am capable of posts like the one you linked is because of my familiarity with the business and I am not happy with the current direction of Slashdot as a whole. A big part of this downward spiral is Zonk. I am not against an editorial piece, BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME AN EDITORIAL WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF YOUR NEWSPAPER? Yeah, never. Let alone an editorial based on blatantly untrue statements like "The gamecube was a failure." /. is not a news outlet per-say but a link to relevant news in a number of categories to sites all over the internet. Lately it has been pretty much 1UP.com, Apple, Firefox. I'm sick and tired of 1up.com being the only site linked to anymore. It is out of hand. This is NOT news. /. used to be full of insightful news links to cool projects and accomplishments and geek stuff, now it is basically litigation, advertisements, and product announcements.
Maybe stop to think about the fact that when someone who posts such informative and thoughtful stuff to this site on a regular basis is pissed off enough to voice their opinion and slowly moving away from the entire site that it is a BAD THING!(tm)
hahaha, guess you were "lucky" enough to have a significant other who enjoyed that gem of a title too. :)
Just reading that was like chewing on tinfoil with fillings. Thanks a heap!