Good point. I see the advantage to Monster cables for some applications involving audio or video, but they're not needed everywhere. They make good stuff, but really, it's not needed for 95% of the applications they'd like you to use it for.
The problem is that when the people in the local government have the power to deny, they abuse it. Hence, in NYC, most of CA, MD, and many other places that still use the "may issue" stance, the people are denied their rights, no matter how good their reason is. I know of several instances in which women have had restraining orders against ex's, the ex has violated the restraining order, made a death threat against her, and she's gone to the police for a permit, and been denied. All because the police have the power to deny.
In "shall issue" states, such as my home state of NH, they can only deny you if they have good reason, such as a violent criminal record. None of that "you got a parking ticket 20 years ago" crap. That's the way it should be. You have a right until you abuse it, then you lose it.
I'm not sure on the number, I thought I heard 40 somewhere, after Kansas and Nebraska passed CCW laws. Either way, the number of states is increasing rapidly, as can be easily seen in this image. Only a few states are holding off.
I only wish more states (such as NH) would go the route of Vermont and Alaska when it comes to carrying concealed.:)
Despite PA's stance on concealed carry though, I hear that Philly is giving you guys a bad rep. Sorry to hear that, hope you can manage to convince them they'd be better off as a part of NY.;)
Especially in California, New York, and Maryland, there are widespread stories of people being declined for any number of reasons, from "You got a parking ticket 20 years ago" to "You look weird." The problem is that the local authorities have too much arbitrary power in this area in "may-issue" states. What's nice about "shall-issue" like in 40 states (including my home state of New Hampshire) is that a person may only be denied for valid reasons. Violent crime convictions, history of violence, that sort of thing. This makes sure that all of the bad people are rejected, while all of the "good guys" are still able to carry, assuming that they keep up their record of being good, law-abiding citizens. Permits can be (and are) easily revoked for offenses that disqualify them.
That's not how it works. If a state passes laws that restrict rights and privlidges of the people, the feds are supposed to remind them they can't do that. Other than that, the feds are supposed to stay off the states' backs and let them do their own thing. (IE, it could be argued that cars don't need to be registered in the state of Hawaii, and Hawaii is free to pass a law to that effect if they wish)
Valve started work on Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 simultaneously. This is why they have enough content available at Ep. 1's release that they were actually able to make a trailer for Ep. 2. This is also why a release date for #2 that's six months after #1 isn't that hard to swallow. This is also why #3 is slated for next Christmas, cause they're probably just starting work on that one now.
I think most of you have no idea what goes into making a game, in terms of skills, time, anything like that. As an experienced mapper, it takes me probably a good 40 minutes (not including compilation) to make a basic Iceworld clone for CS:S, and about 2-3 hours if I want to make it look good, and slightly original. To make a map like DOD:S's "Orange_fight", that would take about 10 hours, at least. To make a basic multiplayer map like cs_office, complete with all of the models (even if most of them are pre-made, original ones still must be made) would take a mapping team at least a few weeks, if not months. Hell, as we've seen, it takes a mapping team quite a long time even to just add HDR to maps that are already complete, it's not just a matter of hitting a checkbox that says "Use HDR" and recompiling.
It's also unrealistic to expect Valve to move people over from the coding team over to the mapping team. The coders write code, and the mappers make maps. If you want to put a coder on map-making, you might as well just hire a new person, cause you'll easily be able to get someone with more experience. So the engine's done? Ok, time to make it better. Add more options so that the guys with dual 7950 GX2s can't complain that their hardware isn't being properly utilized. If you don't, they might start buying games from EA (or whoever) instead of Valve. Episode 1 came with engine optimizations, and added some more graphical features for this precise reason (and so that people with lower-end hardware could still play!)
Episode 2 also needs more engine upgrades, or else it'll look like crap. Ever notice that so far, all HL2 maps have involved relatively enclosed spaces? The sole exception was the Coast levels, but even they were always enclosed on one side by a cliff, and on the other by water (which you couldn't go in for fear of leaches, and therefore could easily utilize the 3D-skybox). In Ep 2 you're going to be able to roam considerably more, since it's going to take place in a mountain range for at least part of the game. In order to deal with this greatly increased draw-distance, they're going to need to tweak the software.
The main point: making a game takes a long time, no matter how long or short it is, and no matter how many textures and models you're reusing. The guy who makes Minerva had it right. Make your own map if you think it's easy. The software is out there, as are some very good tutorials.
Valve has publically stated many times that if they were to ever go out of business they would release a final patch for Steam making your games accessible without logging in to the central network, in case that helps stem any fear you might have.
I agree that Valve makes excellent games. I do think that they are going the right way with Steam though. It's much easier to ship a product to people using only bandwidth and not a truck. Not only that, without the publisher being in the way, they cut out the middle man and use the reduction in cost either for themselves (having a larger budget on their next project), or by reducing the price of their games. Sounds good to me...
Here's the thing: if you sell your mod, not as many people will own it, but it'll be advertised MUCH better. Think of it this way: there were about 50 servers running Dystopia soon after it came out, but last I checked (last week) that number was down to about 7-10. And this is one of the more popular 3rd-party mods for HL2. Now take a look at HL2DM, a game that is arguably poor-featured, and the server count is huge (last I saw, over 70). And this is 1 1/2 years after release. Now granted, CS:S and DOD:S have much higher counts than that, but those games are much more popular.
In a situation of this sort, the crime could have been stopped right then, instead of merely writing a letter to the city council the next day. If the criminals had intention to harm people, the police would not have been able to respond in time to prevent injury.
a murderer could deny police access to their premises because they would find a body in her freezer that would incriminate her
Actually, a murderer can deny access to the premises if there's no warrant. Read up on your rights. In fact, it's my personal advice that all of you (even as law-abiding citizens), deny police entrance to your house without a warrant. If they'd like to talk to you, tell them you'll talk to them on your porch (if the weather's good), at the station, or at another location (coffee shop?).
If anything, this is actually one of my favorite comics. It has a storyline, it's well-executed, it's creator shows his audience how he does some of the trickier things, and some of the jokes don't even require playing the game to get. Most do, but why'd you read the comic if you never played?
Hell, as much as I love Penny Arcade, I don't get half their jokes because they're either obscure references, or references to games in genres I don't play (Everquest, Prince of Persia, etc.).
When I was younger, my parents limited the amount of time I could play video games. If our homework was done, they sent me outside to play baseball/croquet/whatever with my brother, or had us do other things like play a board game, or maybe even try to get us engaged in a new hobby, like woodworking. Now that I'm in college, I know how to limit my time spent playing games, although online multiplayer games haven't helped with that...;)
Any parent who doesn't provide alternative activities in which their children can engage is doing a piss-poor job.
Yeah, average people know jack shit about what they see and hear. I know some people (even musicians!) who are just fine with listening to 64kbps mp3s, and can tell the difference between that and 192kbps, but don't care enough to prefer 192. Meanwhile, I can still hear the difference between 128 and 192.
Many of the guns get into Canada from the US, where the gun laws are not as strict. Certainly, and rightfully so, the Canadian government would be offended if the US government funded a program with the goal of getting more guns into Canada.
Damn those Americans for lowering your crime rates, eh?;)
On the other hand, this is exactly the reason why the Youth Protection policy exists. One youth and one adult may, under no circumstances, be alone together. Ever. Private conferences are allowed, but must be within line-of-sight of other people.
Male-female interaction is also already regulated in the BSA. Basically, two people of the opposite gender may not be alone together, regardless of age, unless they are married. I don't know if you were striving for this, but in your post you made it sound like there were no female leaders. This is definitely not the case, and troops can (and do) even have all-female adult leadership sometimes.
And if it makes anyone feel better, several councils (including, from what I hear, Boston Minuteman), have enacted "don't ask, don't tell" policies despite what National is doing.
TWO middlemen are cut out by selling directly to customers. First, you have the retailer (e.g. Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop). Second, you have the publisher. Just look at Valve and Vivendi. Why do you think there was/is a lawsuit? Cause Valve is selling games through Steam, and Vivendi's pissed that they don't get a cut of those sales. I say Valve developed the game on their own, all they did after that was send Vivendi a copy to be burned to disc.
As for pricing, I think Valve was restricted by Vivendi on the price of HL2, but other than that they seem to be doing fairly well. So far several third-party games have been released over Steam, all at very reasonable prices. Rag Doll Kung Fu - $15. Darwinia - $20. Dangerous Waters - $40. Space Empires IV - $20.
As for Valve's own games, Half-life 2 is now down to $30 if you don't buy a package deal. Aftermath is supposedly going to cost $15-20, while I seem to recall Opposing Force and Blue Shift each being $30 or more. Seems like we're getting a deal, and at the same time, making sure the developers aren't being paid peanuts, thereby encouraging them to keep up their quality work.
Next to the title of each mod they had an icon for the original game. Mouse-over to see the title if you don't recognize the icon. For example, the mod you're taking about was based on Battlefield 1942.
Also, if you clicked on the links to those mods' pages, it says it there.
I dunno about you, but I find immense replay value in any well-made game. A few single-player missions for HL1 and HL2. I've played through Opposing Force at least three times, Blue Shift three times, and the original HL1 countless times (both by myself and with Sven Coop). I've ran through HL2 at least five times the whole way through, and I've played individual segments countless times as well, including for the project Half-life 2 Done Quick. Hell, even on my first run through the game there were several segments that I found so fun that I used quicksave/quickload over and over. Then when Lost Coast came out, I played it three times in one night.
I doubt all this is just because I'm in the target audience for episodic content. I think that this series (as well as HL2: Aftermath) will do very well.
I disagree, especially after reading an article by the creator of 8-bit theater. Here's an excerpt:
Now some of you are probably saying "Oh Brian, you're just stupid because you are so obviously biased against 3D games!!!!!!11" Nope. For instance, here's a quote from Craig, an avid FF7 and 8 fan who e-mailed me about the FF series. In fact, our correspondence became the basis of this very essay. Craig says, "Indeed. FF6 was so bright and shiny and expansive and pretty compared to FF4 that nobody really realized that they were playing the same game in a lot of respects. Now, of course, many people have twigged to it. Ever since FF4 or 5, combat and interaction in FF has sort of been in a lull; whereas other series try to shake things up a bit (like Xenogears or Vagrant Story), FF seems content with same-old same-old gameplay. that is the problem." I'm inclined to agree with him. If a fan of those games can speak out against them using the same sorts of criticisms I am, then I'm not very biased. Also, I love MGS and the entire Mega Man Legends (MML) series specifically because of their 3D elements. It's games that apply 3D graphics for no other reason than to look pretty that I'm biased against. I know a lot of people enjoyed FF7/8/9. Good for you. If you can enjoy them despite the fact that they use 3D graphics for no real reason, then more power to you. Have fun. Seriously, don't let me and my opinions stand in the way. Playing games you enjoy is a blast, that's why we do it. Personally, I can't stand the recent FFs. Maybe I'm harder to please, maybe I expect more from my games. All I know is that when I play those games, all I see is what the developers didn't do; what the developers didn't try at the expense of making a pretty looking game. Am I being unfair? Maybe. But considering there are games out there that do push the envelope of storytelling in video games, I think it's fair to point out when a company that's supposed to be on the cutting edge isn't.
It was originally posted on his site, but the link is broken, so here's a repost by someone who saved it.
Slashdot Mirror
Good point. I see the advantage to Monster cables for some applications involving audio or video, but they're not needed everywhere. They make good stuff, but really, it's not needed for 95% of the applications they'd like you to use it for.
The problem is that when the people in the local government have the power to deny, they abuse it. Hence, in NYC, most of CA, MD, and many other places that still use the "may issue" stance, the people are denied their rights, no matter how good their reason is. I know of several instances in which women have had restraining orders against ex's, the ex has violated the restraining order, made a death threat against her, and she's gone to the police for a permit, and been denied. All because the police have the power to deny.
In "shall issue" states, such as my home state of NH, they can only deny you if they have good reason, such as a violent criminal record. None of that "you got a parking ticket 20 years ago" crap. That's the way it should be. You have a right until you abuse it, then you lose it.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/ is a good site for CCW info.
:)
;)
I'm not sure on the number, I thought I heard 40 somewhere, after Kansas and Nebraska passed CCW laws. Either way, the number of states is increasing rapidly, as can be easily seen in this image. Only a few states are holding off.
I only wish more states (such as NH) would go the route of Vermont and Alaska when it comes to carrying concealed.
Despite PA's stance on concealed carry though, I hear that Philly is giving you guys a bad rep. Sorry to hear that, hope you can manage to convince them they'd be better off as a part of NY.
Especially in California, New York, and Maryland, there are widespread stories of people being declined for any number of reasons, from "You got a parking ticket 20 years ago" to "You look weird." The problem is that the local authorities have too much arbitrary power in this area in "may-issue" states. What's nice about "shall-issue" like in 40 states (including my home state of New Hampshire) is that a person may only be denied for valid reasons. Violent crime convictions, history of violence, that sort of thing. This makes sure that all of the bad people are rejected, while all of the "good guys" are still able to carry, assuming that they keep up their record of being good, law-abiding citizens. Permits can be (and are) easily revoked for offenses that disqualify them.
That's not how it works. If a state passes laws that restrict rights and privlidges of the people, the feds are supposed to remind them they can't do that. Other than that, the feds are supposed to stay off the states' backs and let them do their own thing. (IE, it could be argued that cars don't need to be registered in the state of Hawaii, and Hawaii is free to pass a law to that effect if they wish)
This article's server has officially been PWNED by /.
Valve started work on Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 simultaneously. This is why they have enough content available at Ep. 1's release that they were actually able to make a trailer for Ep. 2. This is also why a release date for #2 that's six months after #1 isn't that hard to swallow. This is also why #3 is slated for next Christmas, cause they're probably just starting work on that one now.
I think most of you have no idea what goes into making a game, in terms of skills, time, anything like that. As an experienced mapper, it takes me probably a good 40 minutes (not including compilation) to make a basic Iceworld clone for CS:S, and about 2-3 hours if I want to make it look good, and slightly original. To make a map like DOD:S's "Orange_fight", that would take about 10 hours, at least. To make a basic multiplayer map like cs_office, complete with all of the models (even if most of them are pre-made, original ones still must be made) would take a mapping team at least a few weeks, if not months. Hell, as we've seen, it takes a mapping team quite a long time even to just add HDR to maps that are already complete, it's not just a matter of hitting a checkbox that says "Use HDR" and recompiling.
It's also unrealistic to expect Valve to move people over from the coding team over to the mapping team. The coders write code, and the mappers make maps. If you want to put a coder on map-making, you might as well just hire a new person, cause you'll easily be able to get someone with more experience. So the engine's done? Ok, time to make it better. Add more options so that the guys with dual 7950 GX2s can't complain that their hardware isn't being properly utilized. If you don't, they might start buying games from EA (or whoever) instead of Valve. Episode 1 came with engine optimizations, and added some more graphical features for this precise reason (and so that people with lower-end hardware could still play!)
Episode 2 also needs more engine upgrades, or else it'll look like crap. Ever notice that so far, all HL2 maps have involved relatively enclosed spaces? The sole exception was the Coast levels, but even they were always enclosed on one side by a cliff, and on the other by water (which you couldn't go in for fear of leaches, and therefore could easily utilize the 3D-skybox). In Ep 2 you're going to be able to roam considerably more, since it's going to take place in a mountain range for at least part of the game. In order to deal with this greatly increased draw-distance, they're going to need to tweak the software.
The main point: making a game takes a long time, no matter how long or short it is, and no matter how many textures and models you're reusing. The guy who makes Minerva had it right. Make your own map if you think it's easy. The software is out there, as are some very good tutorials.
Yet another reason not to move to CA...
Valve has publically stated many times that if they were to ever go out of business they would release a final patch for Steam making your games accessible without logging in to the central network, in case that helps stem any fear you might have.
I agree that Valve makes excellent games. I do think that they are going the right way with Steam though. It's much easier to ship a product to people using only bandwidth and not a truck. Not only that, without the publisher being in the way, they cut out the middle man and use the reduction in cost either for themselves (having a larger budget on their next project), or by reducing the price of their games. Sounds good to me...
Here's the thing: if you sell your mod, not as many people will own it, but it'll be advertised MUCH better. Think of it this way: there were about 50 servers running Dystopia soon after it came out, but last I checked (last week) that number was down to about 7-10. And this is one of the more popular 3rd-party mods for HL2. Now take a look at HL2DM, a game that is arguably poor-featured, and the server count is huge (last I saw, over 70). And this is 1 1/2 years after release. Now granted, CS:S and DOD:S have much higher counts than that, but those games are much more popular.
Someone did for them. ;)
I know, I'm mean.
Yet another testament to Concealed Carry.
In a situation of this sort, the crime could have been stopped right then, instead of merely writing a letter to the city council the next day. If the criminals had intention to harm people, the police would not have been able to respond in time to prevent injury.
a murderer could deny police access to their premises because they would find a body in her freezer that would incriminate her
Actually, a murderer can deny access to the premises if there's no warrant. Read up on your rights. In fact, it's my personal advice that all of you (even as law-abiding citizens), deny police entrance to your house without a warrant. If they'd like to talk to you, tell them you'll talk to them on your porch (if the weather's good), at the station, or at another location (coffee shop?).
If anything, this is actually one of my favorite comics. It has a storyline, it's well-executed, it's creator shows his audience how he does some of the trickier things, and some of the jokes don't even require playing the game to get. Most do, but why'd you read the comic if you never played?
Hell, as much as I love Penny Arcade, I don't get half their jokes because they're either obscure references, or references to games in genres I don't play (Everquest, Prince of Persia, etc.).
When I was younger, my parents limited the amount of time I could play video games. If our homework was done, they sent me outside to play baseball/croquet/whatever with my brother, or had us do other things like play a board game, or maybe even try to get us engaged in a new hobby, like woodworking. Now that I'm in college, I know how to limit my time spent playing games, although online multiplayer games haven't helped with that... ;)
Any parent who doesn't provide alternative activities in which their children can engage is doing a piss-poor job.
If I'm looking for value, I'll go to Walmart, with full knowledge that if I get a no-name brand, I'm almost always getting less quality.
College student's budget FTW.
Yeah, average people know jack shit about what they see and hear. I know some people (even musicians!) who are just fine with listening to 64kbps mp3s, and can tell the difference between that and 192kbps, but don't care enough to prefer 192. Meanwhile, I can still hear the difference between 128 and 192.
Many of the guns get into Canada from the US, where the gun laws are not as strict. Certainly, and rightfully so, the Canadian government would be offended if the US government funded a program with the goal of getting more guns into Canada.
;)
Damn those Americans for lowering your crime rates, eh?
On the other hand, this is exactly the reason why the Youth Protection policy exists. One youth and one adult may, under no circumstances, be alone together. Ever. Private conferences are allowed, but must be within line-of-sight of other people.
Male-female interaction is also already regulated in the BSA. Basically, two people of the opposite gender may not be alone together, regardless of age, unless they are married. I don't know if you were striving for this, but in your post you made it sound like there were no female leaders. This is definitely not the case, and troops can (and do) even have all-female adult leadership sometimes.
And if it makes anyone feel better, several councils (including, from what I hear, Boston Minuteman), have enacted "don't ask, don't tell" policies despite what National is doing.
TWO middlemen are cut out by selling directly to customers. First, you have the retailer (e.g. Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop). Second, you have the publisher. Just look at Valve and Vivendi. Why do you think there was/is a lawsuit? Cause Valve is selling games through Steam, and Vivendi's pissed that they don't get a cut of those sales. I say Valve developed the game on their own, all they did after that was send Vivendi a copy to be burned to disc.
As for pricing, I think Valve was restricted by Vivendi on the price of HL2, but other than that they seem to be doing fairly well. So far several third-party games have been released over Steam, all at very reasonable prices. Rag Doll Kung Fu - $15. Darwinia - $20. Dangerous Waters - $40. Space Empires IV - $20.
As for Valve's own games, Half-life 2 is now down to $30 if you don't buy a package deal. Aftermath is supposedly going to cost $15-20, while I seem to recall Opposing Force and Blue Shift each being $30 or more. Seems like we're getting a deal, and at the same time, making sure the developers aren't being paid peanuts, thereby encouraging them to keep up their quality work.
Next to the title of each mod they had an icon for the original game. Mouse-over to see the title if you don't recognize the icon. For example, the mod you're taking about was based on Battlefield 1942.
Also, if you clicked on the links to those mods' pages, it says it there.
I dunno about you, but I find immense replay value in any well-made game. A few single-player missions for HL1 and HL2. I've played through Opposing Force at least three times, Blue Shift three times, and the original HL1 countless times (both by myself and with Sven Coop). I've ran through HL2 at least five times the whole way through, and I've played individual segments countless times as well, including for the project Half-life 2 Done Quick. Hell, even on my first run through the game there were several segments that I found so fun that I used quicksave/quickload over and over. Then when Lost Coast came out, I played it three times in one night.
I doubt all this is just because I'm in the target audience for episodic content. I think that this series (as well as HL2: Aftermath) will do very well.
And by your definition, someone who's a vegetable is not a person.
From Penny Arcade:
The Timesink Cavern
Timesink Cavern is a four-hundred man raid instance that requires seventy-six consecutive hours to complete.
"LF399M TTC PST"