What this reminds me of more than anything is the AI in Halo. You have a number of enemy types with comparatively simple behaviour rules, and if the game featured any one of them alone it'd be very dull indeed, like a game of Pacman where all the ghosts behave like Blinky. But the enemies are always presented in mixed groups - an Elite, several grunts, a couple of Jackals - and there's great synergy in the combination. If you can land a plasma shot on the Elite then you can take him down quickly and the group will disperse, but there are grunts firing on you and lobbing grenades. Grunts are an easy kill if you can get them in your sights, but the Elite is pounding you with plasma whenever you break cover - and the jackals' otherwise laughable defensive creep is turning into a serious flanking situation.
That's on Legendary, I'm obliged by law to specify.
Agree. I've got an R4 equivalent DS card. It has some pirated stuff on it, but the fact is (in my case) it just doesn't get played. There's too much of it, and no sense of investment. I try things out of curiosity and I do buy what I want to play, because I like games. I bought Warioware DIY at the weekend and I'm pleased to be able to support great releases like that. But even then, a single 2gb flash card beats the hey out of carrying a pile of official cards on trips, even given their size. And while I can now grab DS demos from the Nintendo Channel on my Wii, it's less hassle to grab a torrent of the full game. Why I can't download demos directly onto my DS I've no idea (as far as I can tell, the demos work the same way that multiplayer-from-one-card works - the DS receives the demo data into its live memory, and it's lost when you exit or power down. But the DSi has an SD card slot, so downloadable demos ought to be an option.).
DSiWare (and the SD card slot) is a move in the right direction. But then I'm hampered by Nintendo's single-unit lock-in. If I want to upgrade to a DSi XL, I've no way to carry my purchased games across. They could fix that the iTunes way, by allowing me to switch my games to another unit, say, three times a year. Or my tying purchases to my Club Nintendo account and letting me authorise a new unit. These things may well come in time, but until they do an R4 card or equivalent is arguably the best way to use a DS, whether you're interested in piracy or not.
Ah yeah, good point. I look forward to everyone turning on their original PS3s and being told they can't run PS2 games any more because someone discovered a console exploit using Rugrats Movie: The Game. The sad thing is, it really wouldn't surprise me and it very definitely ought to.
I believe a Wii account can be moved by Nintendo - I've seen reports where people have had repaired Wiis returned with their games, saves and leftover store points intact. On Nintendo's UK site, at least, they advise against returning faulty or problematic consoles to the store for this reason (explaining that transactions are tied to the physical console).
So if anyone has a problem with their Wii, Nintendo support is the way to go. I expect the same is true of the DSi.
As I recall the system update is mandatory to access the PSN store, so users who are banned from PSN won't be able to buy the game. Of course users who can buy it are then obliged to apply future updates if they want to keep playing it. That's sinister; if more games start using this system, users could well end up with a large library of games they don't want to lose, and have to weigh that against a system update they don't want to install.
That's interesting in that the author says that installers don't count towards the total. Perhaps this means that portable apps which don't run from a previously installed location won't count, either. Though personally I'd prefer it if you could run as many apps as you like as long as they were all called setup.exe.
if it was as influential as the article states, then why are the only games I can find now that are vaguely based off the GTA formula horribly inferior ripoffs with the same criminal motif?
Because very few developers are as good as Rockstar - it's hardly Rockstar's fault that their imitators lack the necessary vision and inspiration...
The Fast & Furious game idea you mentioned could actually be played out within GTA: San Andreas, which features many street racing events and car modding - all you'd have to do is ignore the rest of the game. Admittedly it's only a sidegame, so the depth isn't that great, but it's there, and it's a great example of why the GTA games are to be celebrated. There are two separate rhythm action games in San Andreas (one based around dancing, one around car hydraulics). There are casinos. Paperboy-style delivery missions. Shooting galleries. BMX stunt courses. Articulated truck simulations... the list does go on. This is what the imitators can't match, and it's why GTA's cities are a lot deeper than Shenmue's, if you give them a chance - and I love Shenmue (thanks to Shenmue, I can't walk past a forklift in GTA without going for a spin).
You're absolutely right that the copycats are by and large atrocious, or at least dull, because they're copying what's on the surface of GTA and missing the depths completely. But that's no reason to criticise GTA itself; if fifty percent of developers/publishers cared as much about making a decent game as Rockstar clearly do, we'd be in a true golden age.
GF: Why can't I just press the button on the keyboard?
Me (thinks): Thats a good question that doesn't really have a none technical answer...
Me:...because Steve Jobs says so!
I've often wondered why OSX doesn't allow you to use the eject button like that. It seems to me to be one advantage of not having the eject button located on the actual drive...
So if there's only one ejectable device located - CD, DVD, iPod, USB drive - it gets ejected, with visual feedback. If there's more than one device connected, some kind of option system is needed - maybe a variation of the semi-tranparent eject icon that already appears, with a key-driven menu there instead. And for convenience, a double-tap can always eject the CD drive.
Since OSX (rightly) insists on devices being properly ejected, using the eject button seems like a natural step...
Infact I can find hundrends of inconsistencies with the windows interface. Like for example to shut down your pc you need to click Start. Huh?
That's because whatever you might want to do in Windows, that's where you Start. I've never had any problem understanding this from my first day with 95. It makes less sense to click a large 'K' to shutdown, for example. But the Start menu is often held up as an example of Windows' inconsistencies and weaknesses; actually, I think it's one of its strengths. The desktop, quick launch bar and system tray dilute it, though...
Your Windows installation is particularly disingenuous, too, and you must be aware of this. I've seen many one/two click Windows installers; some have extra options you can use, but that's balanced by apt's tendency to install eight other packages at the same time as the one you want. You're writing up a worst-case Windows scenario and comparing it to a best-case Linux one. Ditto the directory structures - it's not just bin, it's bin, man, usr, etc. Packaging systems do help here, but on a typical user desktop system you don't want them to even worry about bin - just click an icon. And the same goes for Windows; the user shouldn't have to concern themselves with Program Files, just the Start menu.
This is a shame, because I think your first point, that 'fresh' users might take as well to Linux as Windows, has a lot of truth to it. But you seem to be fighting fire with fire, and that just leads to more flames.
Don't forget to grab an Xbox controller before you start the films. It makes the power loader fight ten times better. Although if you lose, gaming might not be your forte.
I hadn't noticed the lack of blood until you mentioned it here, actually - mostly because the game encourages you to use non-lethal, or at least non-bloody disposal techniques on your enemies. There may well be a lack of blood if you shoot someone in the face, I couldn't tell you, but it hasn't made any difference to my enjoyment at all.
If Ubisoft did put blood in, I'd imagine they'd want to integrate it into the gameplay - perhaps have bodies you've shot leave blood trails that other enemies can notice, and so on. Maybe the engine just can't handle this extra feature at the moment, or they didn't have time to do it justice...
The enemies may well spawn in the same place, but as the review above states, there's plenty of scope for emergent gameplay... If you retry and do everything the same, you'll get the same results, which can limit a game's appeal, but SC:CT counters this by giving you a wealth of options. You also get a percentage rating at the end based on non-lethal takedowns, number of times spotted, etc., so there's great replay value in trying to get 100% on each level at the various difficulty levels... but only if you enjoy the stealth dynamic. You can load up with an assault kit and play appropriately, but you'll score low. It can still be fun, though...
That's a mantra for C21st America if ever I heard one. Of course there's such a thing as 'free'. Yeah, someone pays, but if it ain't me, then it's free. If I end up with two copies of a book and I give one away, I've paid for both but the surplus copy is entirely free to whoever I give it to. If I help a friend out with their PC, I pay with my time, but the service is free to them. Things are sometimes done in kindness, or in the service of a better world, even in this day and age. Don't let 'them' convince you otherwise.
Of course, free iPod schemes are a different matter, and I'd imagine this kind of cynical appeal to the frugally covetous is what you're talking about. But I don't equate archive.org with the architects of those kind of schemes. It IS still possible to get something good and decent for free, and that's something to be thankful for.
Version 2 is certainly not 'shit', it's an excellent simple editor that costs nothing. Its one failing is that it limits you to DV or WMV output; I render to DV AVI and then encode externally. I've used iMovie a lot, and I do find that preferable in terms of integration with iLife and certain functions, Windows Movie Maker is still an excellent choice for anyone who's picked up a video camera, has a PC, and doesn't need to pay for or learn to use Premiere.
Importing, navigating, editing and adding effects and transitions are all very straighforward and easy to undo. It hasn't reached bloat stage yet. I think it's one of Microsoft's better offerings for the home user, to be honest. If it were a Linux app, I think it'd be hailed as a giant-killer.
Absolutely right. I recall moving from the 8-bit arena - Atari, Commodore, Sinclair - to an Amiga. The closest I'd come to navigating a GUI up to then was using a joystick in primitive paint programs. The mouse wasn't an intuitive device at all. It took time to learn proper control - not much time, but some time (mouse-driven games certainly helped). And that was an Amiga mouse, nothing like today's mice with their scroll wheels, flashing lights and bonus buttons. And now I use a Mac... hmm...
Yeah, I've had a few of these moments. Perhaps the best was the time when I was in my early teens and I'd been playing Laser Squad on the Spectrum (Timex) for hours and hours. I woke up in the middle of the night needing the bathroom, and for about a full minute I lay there trying to work out how many Movement Points it would take to get there and back - could I do it in one move? How about if I cut diagonal corners at the doorway? Then I snapped out of it, but for a brief period it was a very real concern.
And then plenty of times I'd notice a crack in a wall, or a blemish in the plaster, and immediately register it as a different 'texture', possibly a secret door or panel. Reflex action. I've admired the lighting model of streetlamps, too.
I think I'm better now, because I got nothing like that from Half Life 2 - no urge to play around with planks and bricks, for example. I can easily pass a barrel without wanting to hurl it at the nearest NPC, I mean bystander.
Sad thing is I'm on OS X now and I don't know any way to do that in Aqua.
Try Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager, and in that go to Users and your login ID. Under there, you'll see a setting for your Home directory that you can edit. I've never tried setting it to my Desktop or changing it at all, so maybe try it on a test account in case it all goes pear-shaped. But that's a way of doing it, anyway.
In 5 years, once the activation server is down, or in 10 or whatever, what you got is a pretty coaster because you can't activate your legally purchased game without a crack.
There are plenty of cases of software requiring online activation or registration having a 'master key' released when support or development have ended. There are a few instances of master keys (or corporate keys, or whatever) existing for current applications that would otherwise require some form on online checking. Valve may already have a system in Half-Life 2 to accomodate this, or they might add it further down the line, but there's no reason why a program that requires online activation today will still require it in five years' time.
I'm not a huge Steam fan, though it hasn't caused me any trouble at all. The situation you describe would be lamentable, but it's not a given, and there's plenty of examples of such situations being avoided in the past.
One of the first things I noticed when I read the installation instructions (knowing this would be a potential issue) were details of how to set HL2 to offline mode, so Steam is not required to run. This worked fine after the initial authorisation and my copy of Half Life 2 is now 'offline'. I don't have Steam running at startup and I don't need it active to play. All the details you need to sort this out have been made readily available by Valve and they're no trouble at all to follow.
Furthermore, how are you being treated like a criminal? Are you being arrested, prosecuted, tried or imprisoned? You should probably just relax. If you don't agree with Steam - and I can see why you might not, I'm not entirely happy with it myself - then don't give Valve and/or Vivendi your money. Seriously, don't support that which you find unacceptable. Your italicised outrage suggests your principles ought to be stronger than your urge to play a computer game.
Oh, easy; they'll just blame the lack of revenue on piracy and filesharing. I mean, they're bad enough now, and they're still making massive profits. Can you imagine what they'd be like if they really were losing money? They'd probably start having people whacked. EMI Death Squads on the streets.
FWIW, I'm waiting for Apple to pick up my 15" AlBook for the second time as I'm not happy with its performance; the hinge cracks when moved after it's been on for more than a minute (and becomes very hard to move eventually) and when the CPU usage is set to Highest the PB constantly emits an odd 'sizzling' sound, which several others on the Apple forums have noticed - although one moderator (I think) has announced that this is 'normal behaviour' - it's been brought up a few times in the past. The noise goes down (but doesn't vanish) when the CPU usage is set to automatic, but it's still there and in a quiet room it really bugs me.
On top of that, my screen has started warping, which I think was what convinced Apple to take it in - initially, they wanted me to take it to another town for checking before accepting it for repair, even though it was under warranty.
And on top of that, I had the potentially dangerous battery for several months before they replaced it.
Now, I also have an iBook, and although it had to go back for the logic board repair, it's an absolute joy to use compared to the Powerbook. I love OSX and I'll certainly be using it for the foreseeable future, but if I had the choice again, I'd buy a top-end iBook and take the drop in hard drive space and extra features...
I already use a near-perfect music store: bleep.com, Warp Records' online marketplace. Every song has a full preview (with occasional fade-out), the pricing is reasonable (99p / track wth hefty full album discounts), and the files are great quality and DRM-free. In terms of what they supply, that's everything I'm after. the downside is their annoying JavaScript-heavy interface, with scores of ridiculous custom scroll arrows and the like. but if you like Warp music and the like, you can't - surely - go wrong with Bleep. Unless you don't allow JavaScript or rely on a text browser...
So long as the analogy is based around playing a game, how about deciding the game is a rotten one to start with, that the rules are crooked, and you're not really interested in playing along properly? So long as your opponents (it seems like that kind of game) are still adhering to the rules, they're in the weaker position. I'd use One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a case in point, but, well, that doesn't really end that well. Unless the people of China are the Chief... Shame about Google McMurhpy, but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, and then mixing them up in a big bowl with all your metaphors.
Slashdot Mirror
What this reminds me of more than anything is the AI in Halo. You have a number of enemy types with comparatively simple behaviour rules, and if the game featured any one of them alone it'd be very dull indeed, like a game of Pacman where all the ghosts behave like Blinky. But the enemies are always presented in mixed groups - an Elite, several grunts, a couple of Jackals - and there's great synergy in the combination. If you can land a plasma shot on the Elite then you can take him down quickly and the group will disperse, but there are grunts firing on you and lobbing grenades. Grunts are an easy kill if you can get them in your sights, but the Elite is pounding you with plasma whenever you break cover - and the jackals' otherwise laughable defensive creep is turning into a serious flanking situation.
That's on Legendary, I'm obliged by law to specify.
Agree. I've got an R4 equivalent DS card. It has some pirated stuff on it, but the fact is (in my case) it just doesn't get played. There's too much of it, and no sense of investment. I try things out of curiosity and I do buy what I want to play, because I like games. I bought Warioware DIY at the weekend and I'm pleased to be able to support great releases like that. But even then, a single 2gb flash card beats the hey out of carrying a pile of official cards on trips, even given their size. And while I can now grab DS demos from the Nintendo Channel on my Wii, it's less hassle to grab a torrent of the full game. Why I can't download demos directly onto my DS I've no idea (as far as I can tell, the demos work the same way that multiplayer-from-one-card works - the DS receives the demo data into its live memory, and it's lost when you exit or power down. But the DSi has an SD card slot, so downloadable demos ought to be an option.).
DSiWare (and the SD card slot) is a move in the right direction. But then I'm hampered by Nintendo's single-unit lock-in. If I want to upgrade to a DSi XL, I've no way to carry my purchased games across. They could fix that the iTunes way, by allowing me to switch my games to another unit, say, three times a year. Or my tying purchases to my Club Nintendo account and letting me authorise a new unit. These things may well come in time, but until they do an R4 card or equivalent is arguably the best way to use a DS, whether you're interested in piracy or not.
Ah yeah, good point. I look forward to everyone turning on their original PS3s and being told they can't run PS2 games any more because someone discovered a console exploit using Rugrats Movie: The Game. The sad thing is, it really wouldn't surprise me and it very definitely ought to.
I believe a Wii account can be moved by Nintendo - I've seen reports where people have had repaired Wiis returned with their games, saves and leftover store points intact. On Nintendo's UK site, at least, they advise against returning faulty or problematic consoles to the store for this reason (explaining that transactions are tied to the physical console).
So if anyone has a problem with their Wii, Nintendo support is the way to go. I expect the same is true of the DSi.
As I recall the system update is mandatory to access the PSN store, so users who are banned from PSN won't be able to buy the game. Of course users who can buy it are then obliged to apply future updates if they want to keep playing it. That's sinister; if more games start using this system, users could well end up with a large library of games they don't want to lose, and have to weigh that against a system update they don't want to install.
That's interesting in that the author says that installers don't count towards the total. Perhaps this means that portable apps which don't run from a previously installed location won't count, either. Though personally I'd prefer it if you could run as many apps as you like as long as they were all called setup.exe.
if it was as influential as the article states, then why are the only games I can find now that are vaguely based off the GTA formula horribly inferior ripoffs with the same criminal motif?
Because very few developers are as good as Rockstar - it's hardly Rockstar's fault that their imitators lack the necessary vision and inspiration...
The Fast & Furious game idea you mentioned could actually be played out within GTA: San Andreas, which features many street racing events and car modding - all you'd have to do is ignore the rest of the game. Admittedly it's only a sidegame, so the depth isn't that great, but it's there, and it's a great example of why the GTA games are to be celebrated. There are two separate rhythm action games in San Andreas (one based around dancing, one around car hydraulics). There are casinos. Paperboy-style delivery missions. Shooting galleries. BMX stunt courses. Articulated truck simulations... the list does go on. This is what the imitators can't match, and it's why GTA's cities are a lot deeper than Shenmue's, if you give them a chance - and I love Shenmue (thanks to Shenmue, I can't walk past a forklift in GTA without going for a spin).
You're absolutely right that the copycats are by and large atrocious, or at least dull, because they're copying what's on the surface of GTA and missing the depths completely. But that's no reason to criticise GTA itself; if fifty percent of developers/publishers cared as much about making a decent game as Rockstar clearly do, we'd be in a true golden age.
GF: Why can't I just press the button on the keyboard? Me (thinks): Thats a good question that doesn't really have a none technical answer... Me: ...because Steve Jobs says so!
I've often wondered why OSX doesn't allow you to use the eject button like that. It seems to me to be one advantage of not having the eject button located on the actual drive...
So if there's only one ejectable device located - CD, DVD, iPod, USB drive - it gets ejected, with visual feedback. If there's more than one device connected, some kind of option system is needed - maybe a variation of the semi-tranparent eject icon that already appears, with a key-driven menu there instead. And for convenience, a double-tap can always eject the CD drive.
Since OSX (rightly) insists on devices being properly ejected, using the eject button seems like a natural step...
Infact I can find hundrends of inconsistencies with the windows interface. Like for example to shut down your pc you need to click Start. Huh?
That's because whatever you might want to do in Windows, that's where you Start. I've never had any problem understanding this from my first day with 95. It makes less sense to click a large 'K' to shutdown, for example. But the Start menu is often held up as an example of Windows' inconsistencies and weaknesses; actually, I think it's one of its strengths. The desktop, quick launch bar and system tray dilute it, though...
Your Windows installation is particularly disingenuous, too, and you must be aware of this. I've seen many one/two click Windows installers; some have extra options you can use, but that's balanced by apt's tendency to install eight other packages at the same time as the one you want. You're writing up a worst-case Windows scenario and comparing it to a best-case Linux one. Ditto the directory structures - it's not just bin, it's bin, man, usr, etc. Packaging systems do help here, but on a typical user desktop system you don't want them to even worry about bin - just click an icon. And the same goes for Windows; the user shouldn't have to concern themselves with Program Files, just the Start menu.
This is a shame, because I think your first point, that 'fresh' users might take as well to Linux as Windows, has a lot of truth to it. But you seem to be fighting fire with fire, and that just leads to more flames.
Don't forget to grab an Xbox controller before you start the films. It makes the power loader fight ten times better. Although if you lose, gaming might not be your forte.
I hadn't noticed the lack of blood until you mentioned it here, actually - mostly because the game encourages you to use non-lethal, or at least non-bloody disposal techniques on your enemies. There may well be a lack of blood if you shoot someone in the face, I couldn't tell you, but it hasn't made any difference to my enjoyment at all.
If Ubisoft did put blood in, I'd imagine they'd want to integrate it into the gameplay - perhaps have bodies you've shot leave blood trails that other enemies can notice, and so on. Maybe the engine just can't handle this extra feature at the moment, or they didn't have time to do it justice...
The enemies may well spawn in the same place, but as the review above states, there's plenty of scope for emergent gameplay... If you retry and do everything the same, you'll get the same results, which can limit a game's appeal, but SC:CT counters this by giving you a wealth of options. You also get a percentage rating at the end based on non-lethal takedowns, number of times spotted, etc., so there's great replay value in trying to get 100% on each level at the various difficulty levels... but only if you enjoy the stealth dynamic. You can load up with an assault kit and play appropriately, but you'll score low. It can still be fun, though...
I challenge ANYONE to show me ANYTHING that is "free".
Zen master holds up a mirror. When does this offer expire?
That's a mantra for C21st America if ever I heard one. Of course there's such a thing as 'free'. Yeah, someone pays, but if it ain't me, then it's free. If I end up with two copies of a book and I give one away, I've paid for both but the surplus copy is entirely free to whoever I give it to. If I help a friend out with their PC, I pay with my time, but the service is free to them. Things are sometimes done in kindness, or in the service of a better world, even in this day and age. Don't let 'them' convince you otherwise.
Of course, free iPod schemes are a different matter, and I'd imagine this kind of cynical appeal to the frugally covetous is what you're talking about. But I don't equate archive.org with the architects of those kind of schemes. It IS still possible to get something good and decent for free, and that's something to be thankful for.
Version 2 is certainly not 'shit', it's an excellent simple editor that costs nothing. Its one failing is that it limits you to DV or WMV output; I render to DV AVI and then encode externally. I've used iMovie a lot, and I do find that preferable in terms of integration with iLife and certain functions, Windows Movie Maker is still an excellent choice for anyone who's picked up a video camera, has a PC, and doesn't need to pay for or learn to use Premiere.
Importing, navigating, editing and adding effects and transitions are all very straighforward and easy to undo. It hasn't reached bloat stage yet. I think it's one of Microsoft's better offerings for the home user, to be honest. If it were a Linux app, I think it'd be hailed as a giant-killer.
Absolutely right. I recall moving from the 8-bit arena - Atari, Commodore, Sinclair - to an Amiga. The closest I'd come to navigating a GUI up to then was using a joystick in primitive paint programs. The mouse wasn't an intuitive device at all. It took time to learn proper control - not much time, but some time (mouse-driven games certainly helped). And that was an Amiga mouse, nothing like today's mice with their scroll wheels, flashing lights and bonus buttons. And now I use a Mac... hmm...
Yeah, I've had a few of these moments. Perhaps the best was the time when I was in my early teens and I'd been playing Laser Squad on the Spectrum (Timex) for hours and hours. I woke up in the middle of the night needing the bathroom, and for about a full minute I lay there trying to work out how many Movement Points it would take to get there and back - could I do it in one move? How about if I cut diagonal corners at the doorway? Then I snapped out of it, but for a brief period it was a very real concern.
And then plenty of times I'd notice a crack in a wall, or a blemish in the plaster, and immediately register it as a different 'texture', possibly a secret door or panel. Reflex action. I've admired the lighting model of streetlamps, too.
I think I'm better now, because I got nothing like that from Half Life 2 - no urge to play around with planks and bricks, for example. I can easily pass a barrel without wanting to hurl it at the nearest NPC, I mean bystander.
Sad thing is I'm on OS X now and I don't know any way to do that in Aqua.
Try Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager, and in that go to Users and your login ID. Under there, you'll see a setting for your Home directory that you can edit. I've never tried setting it to my Desktop or changing it at all, so maybe try it on a test account in case it all goes pear-shaped. But that's a way of doing it, anyway.
In 5 years, once the activation server is down, or in 10 or whatever, what you got is a pretty coaster because you can't activate your legally purchased game without a crack.
There are plenty of cases of software requiring online activation or registration having a 'master key' released when support or development have ended. There are a few instances of master keys (or corporate keys, or whatever) existing for current applications that would otherwise require some form on online checking. Valve may already have a system in Half-Life 2 to accomodate this, or they might add it further down the line, but there's no reason why a program that requires online activation today will still require it in five years' time.
I'm not a huge Steam fan, though it hasn't caused me any trouble at all. The situation you describe would be lamentable, but it's not a given, and there's plenty of examples of such situations being avoided in the past.
One of the first things I noticed when I read the installation instructions (knowing this would be a potential issue) were details of how to set HL2 to offline mode, so Steam is not required to run. This worked fine after the initial authorisation and my copy of Half Life 2 is now 'offline'. I don't have Steam running at startup and I don't need it active to play. All the details you need to sort this out have been made readily available by Valve and they're no trouble at all to follow.
Furthermore, how are you being treated like a criminal? Are you being arrested, prosecuted, tried or imprisoned? You should probably just relax. If you don't agree with Steam - and I can see why you might not, I'm not entirely happy with it myself - then don't give Valve and/or Vivendi your money. Seriously, don't support that which you find unacceptable. Your italicised outrage suggests your principles ought to be stronger than your urge to play a computer game.
Oh, easy; they'll just blame the lack of revenue on piracy and filesharing. I mean, they're bad enough now, and they're still making massive profits. Can you imagine what they'd be like if they really were losing money? They'd probably start having people whacked. EMI Death Squads on the streets.
FWIW, I'm waiting for Apple to pick up my 15" AlBook for the second time as I'm not happy with its performance; the hinge cracks when moved after it's been on for more than a minute (and becomes very hard to move eventually) and when the CPU usage is set to Highest the PB constantly emits an odd 'sizzling' sound, which several others on the Apple forums have noticed - although one moderator (I think) has announced that this is 'normal behaviour' - it's been brought up a few times in the past. The noise goes down (but doesn't vanish) when the CPU usage is set to automatic, but it's still there and in a quiet room it really bugs me.
On top of that, my screen has started warping, which I think was what convinced Apple to take it in - initially, they wanted me to take it to another town for checking before accepting it for repair, even though it was under warranty.
And on top of that, I had the potentially dangerous battery for several months before they replaced it.
Now, I also have an iBook, and although it had to go back for the logic board repair, it's an absolute joy to use compared to the Powerbook. I love OSX and I'll certainly be using it for the foreseeable future, but if I had the choice again, I'd buy a top-end iBook and take the drop in hard drive space and extra features...
I already use a near-perfect music store: bleep.com, Warp Records' online marketplace. Every song has a full preview (with occasional fade-out), the pricing is reasonable (99p / track wth hefty full album discounts), and the files are great quality and DRM-free. In terms of what they supply, that's everything I'm after. the downside is their annoying JavaScript-heavy interface, with scores of ridiculous custom scroll arrows and the like. but if you like Warp music and the like, you can't - surely - go wrong with Bleep. Unless you don't allow JavaScript or rely on a text browser...
What would worry me greatly is if Google filtered out dissedent sites from the worldwide Google results.
Ah, you mean if they did to you what they're doing to the Chinese? Yes, that would be a worry.
So long as the analogy is based around playing a game, how about deciding the game is a rotten one to start with, that the rules are crooked, and you're not really interested in playing along properly? So long as your opponents (it seems like that kind of game) are still adhering to the rules, they're in the weaker position. I'd use One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a case in point, but, well, that doesn't really end that well. Unless the people of China are the Chief... Shame about Google McMurhpy, but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, and then mixing them up in a big bowl with all your metaphors.
When I saw Batman whip out his "Bat Credit Card" in the middle of some crazy rave party with dancing gorillas,
Are you serious? And this is the worst movie you've ever seen? Because you've just sold it to me in half a sentence...