Quicktime is the exact reason that I have a dedicated VirtualBox VM just for iTunes.
Sure, it's a little larger than a standard iTunes installation, takes longer to start and the virtual USB driver doesn't always work, but it's infinitely less painful than having Quicktime on my system.
Shit like b.net is just built in DRM, so that when Blizzard inevitably closes their doors all their games cease functioning as well. So much for posterity.
The lack of LAN support for Hellgate London killed it dead overnight. Whether you loved it or loathed it, your only choice now is single-player. Me and my son used to really enjoy playing Hellgate London together, and now all we have is a couple of useless DVD's to stare at.
Since the closing of Hellgate, I haven't bought a single multi-player game that doesn't have LAN support - and that includes all MMO's and will now also include Starcraft II.
Heh, this discussion came up about a year ago in the ARPG "Hellgate:London".
The game is set in the London Underground, so naturally, there were posters *everywhere*, but some people didn't like it, because they felt they shouldn't have to pay a subscription fee to see adverts.
I thought that the use of real adverts in such a setting would have blended in perfectly, and could have been quite a good source of extra income for the publishers.
It's like people wanted fake subway adverts to create a sense of realism, when real adverts would have done the same thing.
Oh well, it's all water under the bridge now, for that game anyway...
What you say makes sense, but take my situation as a counter-example.
I commute 15 miles each way to work and my wife works from home. I drive a small car that gets 30mpg and she has a minivan for toting kids around, grocery shopping etc.
If we ever need to go anywhere that requires comfort, additional space or a long drive, we will take the minivan. For running to work or zipping around the neighborhood, we use the smaller car.
Try co-op games instead. Like you, I hate getting repeatedly owned by 15 year olds, but co-op is a whole other ball game.
Hellgate:London was my game of choice for the past year, but there's only about 10 days of that left now:( Some other free to play co-op games include Diablo 2, Titan Quest, Dungeon Runners, Guild Wars, Sacred 2 and many others.
Sure, you can play all these games solo, but they really come to life when there's a whole team of players helping each other out and kicking the crap out of the computer AI.:D
Throw a bowling ball at the screen. Which, incidentally, you fail at almost every time if you're sitting on the couch. So you stand up, 6 feet away from the TV and "throw" it at the screen.
No one is going to get 'seriously hurt' from a remote that gets away. There just isn't enough force behind it. You would need to throw that thing 90 MPH for someone to get seriously hurt. Woser case would be a black eye. It won't be any worse then mediocre punch
Have you ever played Boom Blox?
Some of the levels require you to throw a bowling ball at a tower of bricks. If you are trying to do this while sitting on the couch, you will miss. You have to stand up, 6 feet from the TV and heft a bowling ball at the screen, probably with an overarm action.
Sure, my 7 year old isn't going to break the TV, but a fully grown man throwing overarm at the TV is going to do some serious damage if the wiimote should fly out of his hand.
Boom Blox is not a game where the controller might get "gently tossed". It is a game where adults stand directly in front of the TV and throw things at it, as hard as they can.
I have a founders + regular sub account too, as well as a couple of extra dye kits and the coco-moko pet. All told, I've probably spent over $250 on this game, and I don't regret a moment of it. My wife on the other hand.... well, let's just say she can't wait for February 2009!
Playing Hellgate in Hardcore Elite mode (one life - when you're dead, you're dead. Lose all your stuff and start again) is one of the most intense gaming experiences you will ever have.
If you've never felt your heart pounding in your chest *before you've even seen the boss monster*. Or had your hands shaking and your palms are sweating after a particularly intense battle, you haven't really played it. I've walked away from the computer and been *scared* to continue playing...
The repetetive tilesets, shallow quests and daft NPC's don't matter a toss at the end of the day. When you stand to lose *weeks* of levelling a character through one silly mistake, you're going to play as though your life depends on it...
It's impossible to explain to someone that's never played hardcore, but HG:L is at the top of it's class for full-on, in-your-face, adrenalin-pumping, non-stop 3D demon-slaying.
Here's a short video made by one of our guild members: Burn in Hell. There are a couple of other vids on that page too.
It's a damn shame that such a great game just didn't make it, but I'll be playing until I see "server not found" when I try to log in...
It sounds like you need to check out Hellgate:London. Unfortunately, the game is in a bit of an "unknown state" right now, what with the studio closing down and all, but if you can pick it up from the bargain bin, it's well worth a look. It has its shortcomings, but from what you've said, you don't like those features anyway (no raiding, no "endgame" content, no forced grouping, no "ninja looting" of items etc). As I said, no-one really knows how long the servers are going to stay up, but in the worst-case scenario, you can play it offline in single-player mode.
It has a very futuristic theme (demons invading London in 2038), and if you like first person shooters with small missions, you should quite enjoy the hunter classes. You can play online and never interact with anyone, there's no raiding parties, and the entire game can be played solo or in groups, depending on your mood.
Most of the missions are quite short and are easily completed in half an hour or less.
Basically, imagine the 3D action of Doom 3 (with guns/swords/"magic" etc) combined with the item collection and leveling of Diablo2. As I said, it's worth a look, but don't expect the servers to be around forever...
Playing Hellgate in Hardcore Elite mode (one life - when you're dead, you're dead. Lose all your stuff and start again) is one of the most intense gaming experiences you will ever have.
If you've never felt your heart pounding in your chest *before you've even seen the boss monster*. Or had your hands shaking and your palms are sweating after a particularly intense battle, you haven't really played it. I've walked away from the computer and been *scared* to continue playing...
The repetetive tilesets, shallow quests and daft NPC's don't matter a toss at the end of the day. When you stand to lose *weeks* of levelling a character through one silly mistake, you're going to play as though your life depends on it...
It's impossible to explain to someone that's never played hardcore, but HG:L is at the top of it's class for full-on, in-your-face, adrenalin-pumping, non-stop 3D demon-slaying.
Here's a short video made by one of our guild members: Burn in Hell. There are a couple of other vids on that page too.
It's a damn shame that such a great game just didn't make it, but I'll be playing until I see "server not found" when I try to log in...
Thank you for explaining that, it was actually quite enlightening. But you did omit one point:
What happens if you try to run an application designed for a case sensitive file system on a case-insensitive file system? Is this just another example of the price you pay when you customize? We're not even talking about fundamental file system differences here either such as cluster size or type of file system (JFS, NTFS etc) - things which should be transparent to an application - we're talking about basic file names being recognized differently between otherwise identical systems
As an experiment, try explaining that above-mentioned procedure to the least computer-literate person you know.
I think I just did....
if you use JFS you can enable "OS/2 compatibility" with the -O option to jfs_mkfs, which will make it case insensitive. Then you can enable case insensitive matching in bash etc by editing your ~/.inputrc.
I'm assuming that part of that cryptic mess involves recompiling something called JFS. After which I can edit a file called ~/.inputrc and fiddle with some unmentioned setting in there to enable case insensitive matching.
Speaking as a computer professional with 15 years of Windows software development experience in C++ and now C#/.NET, I would not have a clue how to do half of that. Perhaps that's my own fault for using Windows almost exclusively for 15 years - or perhaps Linux ought to be just a touch easier to use. Sure, I could probably research it, look it up on forums, RTFM as so forth, but why would I bother? Recompiling the File System (I'm assuming that's what JFS is) is not something that is going to be done by anybody but the most die hard computer fanatic. It's certainly not going to be done by me.
How about a dialog box with a check-box on it for enabling case sensitivity? The fact that I need to recompile something called JFS in "OS/2 compatibiliy mode" and then manually edit a hidden config file is just staggering.
So to answer your question, it's not that Linux makes this possible, it's the totally inaccessible manner in which it makes it possible that is the problem. Accompany that with the fact that it can actually be case sensitive on some installations and not others, and your users and applications get completely confused as to the difference. Imagine an application written for a case sensitive version of this JFS thing and trying to run it on a case-insensitive version. Oh look, it's reading/writing the wrong files or files can't be found!
As an experiment, try explaining that above-mentioned procedure to the least computer-literate person you know. Then ask them if they even care about case sensitivity.
As long as Linux maintains this "oh, just recompile it on your system to get it to work" philosophy, Windows is perfectly safe as King of the Desktop and will be for years to come.
What bugs me about the Windows updates is that I can leave my computer at work on overnight, and in the morning find out that it has rebooted automatically, without my permission.
I think you'll find that you did give it permission.
You should probably familiarize yourself with this dialog box before spouting nonsense again.
That seems like an awful lot of work.
On my XP/Vista systems, I just shut them down and they automatically install any system updates before turning off.
if you use JFS you can enable "OS/2 compatibility" with the -O option to jfs_mkfs, which will make it case insensitive. Then you can enable case insensitive matching in bash etc by editing your ~/.inputrc.
Thread closed. If anyone needs further evidence why Linux isn't catching on, please pull your head out of your command-line buffer and take a look at the real world.
And suppose I wanted to find every enzyme with a sticky end (5' or 3') and no ambiguous nucleotides. With grep it's just: cat enzymes.txt | grep '[_^][AGCT]*[_^]' Can I do that in notepad?
I mean really! Are you for real? Suggesting that Linux is ready for the mainstream because scientists like yourself can use it for searching through enzymes using complex regular expressions? You are the exact reason that Linux will *never* be mainstream.
Arrogant ass.
Next you'll be suggesting that I need to recompile the kernel to make my movies play properly.
Linux isn't particularly harder to use than Windows. Heck even "find" is ridiculously simple; one look over the examples explains everything.
I don't recall needing "examples" to figure out how to use the find in any version of windows.
When you can stop thinking like an expert and start to think like a normal user, then we'll discuss getting Linux on the desktop. Until then, you're welcome to it.
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Quicktime is the exact reason why I run iTunes in its own Virtual Machine.
Quicktime is the exact reason that I have a dedicated VirtualBox VM just for iTunes.
Sure, it's a little larger than a standard iTunes installation, takes longer to start and the virtual USB driver doesn't always work, but it's infinitely less painful than having Quicktime on my system.
Any gamer who thinks they can beat me while using a laptop is in for one hell of a spanking.
ORLY? I'll take that bet:
Yeah, so that's my e-peen... where's yours, Mr. "One-Hell-Of-A-Spanking"? ;)
Shit like b.net is just built in DRM, so that when Blizzard inevitably closes their doors all their games cease functioning as well. So much for posterity.
The lack of LAN support for Hellgate London killed it dead overnight. Whether you loved it or loathed it, your only choice now is single-player. Me and my son used to really enjoy playing Hellgate London together, and now all we have is a couple of useless DVD's to stare at.
Since the closing of Hellgate, I haven't bought a single multi-player game that doesn't have LAN support - and that includes all MMO's and will now also include Starcraft II.
I agree. Except for these few side-effects, everything is great for me after my vasectomy 5 years ago:
Seriously though, the only real downside is the inability to repopulate the world in my image after a cataclysm.
GEM?
Heh, this discussion came up about a year ago in the ARPG "Hellgate:London".
The game is set in the London Underground, so naturally, there were posters *everywhere*, but some people didn't like it, because they felt they shouldn't have to pay a subscription fee to see adverts.
I thought that the use of real adverts in such a setting would have blended in perfectly, and could have been quite a good source of extra income for the publishers.
It's like people wanted fake subway adverts to create a sense of realism, when real adverts would have done the same thing.
Oh well, it's all water under the bridge now, for that game anyway...
What you say makes sense, but take my situation as a counter-example.
I commute 15 miles each way to work and my wife works from home. I drive a small car that gets 30mpg and she has a minivan for toting kids around, grocery shopping etc.
If we ever need to go anywhere that requires comfort, additional space or a long drive, we will take the minivan. For running to work or zipping around the neighborhood, we use the smaller car.
An electric car that would suit our lifestyle perfectly existed over ten years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
Try co-op games instead. Like you, I hate getting repeatedly owned by 15 year olds, but co-op is a whole other ball game.
Hellgate:London was my game of choice for the past year, but there's only about 10 days of that left now :( Some other free to play co-op games include Diablo 2, Titan Quest, Dungeon Runners, Guild Wars, Sacred 2 and many others.
Sure, you can play all these games solo, but they really come to life when there's a whole team of players helping each other out and kicking the crap out of the computer AI. :D
Boom Blox.
Throw a bowling ball at the screen. Which, incidentally, you fail at almost every time if you're sitting on the couch. So you stand up, 6 feet away from the TV and "throw" it at the screen.
I for one am glad it has a wrist strap...
Have you ever played Boom Blox?
Some of the levels require you to throw a bowling ball at a tower of bricks. If you are trying to do this while sitting on the couch, you will miss. You have to stand up, 6 feet from the TV and heft a bowling ball at the screen, probably with an overarm action.
Sure, my 7 year old isn't going to break the TV, but a fully grown man throwing overarm at the TV is going to do some serious damage if the wiimote should fly out of his hand.
Boom Blox is not a game where the controller might get "gently tossed". It is a game where adults stand directly in front of the TV and throw things at it, as hard as they can.
Raquetball raquets have a wrist strap on them, and it's proved its worth on a number of occasions.
Also, if my 7 year old son wasn't wearing the wrist strap while playing Boom Blox, I would probably be on my 15th TV by now...
However, I do agree with your last sentence.
Can you imagine how infuriating it would be to have to wait for a 3 minute timeout in between turns
I played Counter-Strike that way for months, you insensitive clod!
January 31st, 2009 :(
I have a founders + regular sub account too, as well as a couple of extra dye kits and the coco-moko pet. All told, I've probably spent over $250 on this game, and I don't regret a moment of it. My wife on the other hand.... well, let's just say she can't wait for February 2009!
..really.
Playing Hellgate in Hardcore Elite mode (one life - when you're dead, you're dead. Lose all your stuff and start again) is one of the most intense gaming experiences you will ever have.
If you've never felt your heart pounding in your chest *before you've even seen the boss monster*. Or had your hands shaking and your palms are sweating after a particularly intense battle, you haven't really played it. I've walked away from the computer and been *scared* to continue playing...
The repetetive tilesets, shallow quests and daft NPC's don't matter a toss at the end of the day. When you stand to lose *weeks* of levelling a character through one silly mistake, you're going to play as though your life depends on it...
It's impossible to explain to someone that's never played hardcore, but HG:L is at the top of it's class for full-on, in-your-face, adrenalin-pumping, non-stop 3D demon-slaying.
Here's a short video made by one of our guild members: Burn in Hell. There are a couple of other vids on that page too.
It's a damn shame that such a great game just didn't make it, but I'll be playing until I see "server not found" when I try to log in...
It sounds like you need to check out Hellgate:London. Unfortunately, the game is in a bit of an "unknown state" right now, what with the studio closing down and all, but if you can pick it up from the bargain bin, it's well worth a look. It has its shortcomings, but from what you've said, you don't like those features anyway (no raiding, no "endgame" content, no forced grouping, no "ninja looting" of items etc). As I said, no-one really knows how long the servers are going to stay up, but in the worst-case scenario, you can play it offline in single-player mode.
It has a very futuristic theme (demons invading London in 2038), and if you like first person shooters with small missions, you should quite enjoy the hunter classes. You can play online and never interact with anyone, there's no raiding parties, and the entire game can be played solo or in groups, depending on your mood.
Most of the missions are quite short and are easily completed in half an hour or less.
Basically, imagine the 3D action of Doom 3 (with guns/swords/"magic" etc) combined with the item collection and leveling of Diablo2. As I said, it's worth a look, but don't expect the servers to be around forever...
...really.
Playing Hellgate in Hardcore Elite mode (one life - when you're dead, you're dead. Lose all your stuff and start again) is one of the most intense gaming experiences you will ever have.
If you've never felt your heart pounding in your chest *before you've even seen the boss monster*. Or had your hands shaking and your palms are sweating after a particularly intense battle, you haven't really played it. I've walked away from the computer and been *scared* to continue playing...
The repetetive tilesets, shallow quests and daft NPC's don't matter a toss at the end of the day. When you stand to lose *weeks* of levelling a character through one silly mistake, you're going to play as though your life depends on it...
It's impossible to explain to someone that's never played hardcore, but HG:L is at the top of it's class for full-on, in-your-face, adrenalin-pumping, non-stop 3D demon-slaying.
Here's a short video made by one of our guild members: Burn in Hell. There are a couple of other vids on that page too.
It's a damn shame that such a great game just didn't make it, but I'll be playing until I see "server not found" when I try to log in...
Thank you for explaining that, it was actually quite enlightening. But you did omit one point:
What happens if you try to run an application designed for a case sensitive file system on a case-insensitive file system? Is this just another example of the price you pay when you customize? We're not even talking about fundamental file system differences here either such as cluster size or type of file system (JFS, NTFS etc) - things which should be transparent to an application - we're talking about basic file names being recognized differently between otherwise identical systems
As an experiment, try explaining that above-mentioned procedure to the least computer-literate person you know. I think I just did....Very droll.
I'm assuming that part of that cryptic mess involves recompiling something called JFS. After which I can edit a file called ~/.inputrc and fiddle with some unmentioned setting in there to enable case insensitive matching.
Speaking as a computer professional with 15 years of Windows software development experience in C++ and now C#/.NET, I would not have a clue how to do half of that. Perhaps that's my own fault for using Windows almost exclusively for 15 years - or perhaps Linux ought to be just a touch easier to use. Sure, I could probably research it, look it up on forums, RTFM as so forth, but why would I bother? Recompiling the File System (I'm assuming that's what JFS is) is not something that is going to be done by anybody but the most die hard computer fanatic. It's certainly not going to be done by me.
How about a dialog box with a check-box on it for enabling case sensitivity? The fact that I need to recompile something called JFS in "OS/2 compatibiliy mode" and then manually edit a hidden config file is just staggering.
So to answer your question, it's not that Linux makes this possible, it's the totally inaccessible manner in which it makes it possible that is the problem. Accompany that with the fact that it can actually be case sensitive on some installations and not others, and your users and applications get completely confused as to the difference. Imagine an application written for a case sensitive version of this JFS thing and trying to run it on a case-insensitive version. Oh look, it's reading/writing the wrong files or files can't be found!
As an experiment, try explaining that above-mentioned procedure to the least computer-literate person you know. Then ask them if they even care about case sensitivity.
As long as Linux maintains this "oh, just recompile it on your system to get it to work" philosophy, Windows is perfectly safe as King of the Desktop and will be for years to come.
I think you'll find that you did give it permission.
You should probably familiarize yourself with this dialog box before spouting nonsense again.
That seems like an awful lot of work. On my XP/Vista systems, I just shut them down and they automatically install any system updates before turning off.
Thread closed. If anyone needs further evidence why Linux isn't catching on, please pull your head out of your command-line buffer and take a look at the real world.
I mean really! Are you for real? Suggesting that Linux is ready for the mainstream because scientists like yourself can use it for searching through enzymes using complex regular expressions? You are the exact reason that Linux will *never* be mainstream.
Arrogant ass.
Next you'll be suggesting that I need to recompile the kernel to make my movies play properly.
oh, wait..
I don't recall needing "examples" to figure out how to use the find in any version of windows.
When you can stop thinking like an expert and start to think like a normal user, then we'll discuss getting Linux on the desktop. Until then, you're welcome to it.
Whooooosh!
That was sarcasm that just flew by. Shame you missed it.