There is still a couple of issues from CRZ: 1. You may see a resource node or rare spawn, and spend time to take a detour to take advantage of it, while someone else beats you too it. This can be paticularlly an issue where you have rare NPCs that spawn which require multiple people to take down. It kind of sucks to call your friends over to help you, only to get beaten by some other group. 2. Even if there is faster spawning rate, people see the nodes they don't get too, it harder to understand that there is a balancing act in place.
Since the number of expansions have increased, and leveling speed has gone way up, the leveling zones have had a much reduced population (along with imbalance of realms) This causes the game to be more single player like, so in order to fix this issue they introduced CRZ. This reduced the perceived player opportunity (which went up when the zone population went down). This in turn caused some people to become upset.
CRZ is a solution that caused other problems... Blizzard simply hasn't come up with a solution to fix the new issue that was caused, or is hoping that the fuss will die down.
Yes, it is nice if you have the developers actively communicate with the fan base, but many times, those fans that post on forums the most end up making demands, and in many cases don't fully appropriate the fact that the game developers know what they are doing much more so than the fans do.
Blizzard has CMs (community managers) that act as a buffer between the developers and the fan base. They are trained and hired to deal with the various disagreeing opinions, while being able to recognize when there is a clear consensus that is sensible and something the devs should be aware of. Most people know 2 of the developers: Greg Street, who has taken it upon himself to meet this challenge, and Chris Metzen who primarily works on Art, voice, and lore, which people generally don't complain about too much (although it does happen).
I see way too many game companies let their developers just openly communicate with the fan base unbuffered, and they need to take a hint from Blizzard to let the professionals handle it.
Probably the same, as that is another one of the issues I have. The realization that it takes me longer to comprehend words than most people was one of the things I learned later in life. If I can predict what is being said I can maintain a 1 on 1 conversation, or at least not pause too long to make it look awkward. If it is in a group, I have difficulty jumping in too add discussion before someone else comments.
My GPA went up when I stopped taking notes (but that also could have been since I was taking higher level classes). Personally, when I did take notes I wasn't able to remember anything in class, and going back to my notes didn't help me much.
I do have a neurological audio processing disorder though that makes it difficult to comprehend spoken words as quickly as most people. Math was pretty much the only subject I excelled at, since Math teachers are pretty good about writing everything important on the board.
Your playing a different MMO, one that appeals to what you want more. If there weren't alternatives, there would be a higher chance that you wouldn't quit, or if you did you would return.
Aside from the game being too easy at the beginning, the end game "content" can be done at various difficulty levels... kind of like many other games. Heroic difficulty raids are hard enough that even after 3 1/2 months of the content being out, only 2% of players who actually seriously try that content have managed to clear it, and that is including the fact that you get better gear to make it easier as time goes on. The first players to defeat everything this current content took just under a month to do so (and not for lack of gear, but for lack of hours in a day).
It's not so much the game as the competition. They are getting better and better at taking pieces of the WoW market. WoW is still far ahead, and it simply can't appeal to everyone at the same time.
Wow can't play the "I've eared my gear though lots of gameplay" as well as it used too. With facebook games and the like abusing that angle for as much as it's worth the general public has wisened up to the continual formula that this proposes. So, for now they have to ease up on that approach and allow people to catch up, meaning they are primarily keeping players who like pve/pvp content for the pure challenge of it, and those that get a kick of controling the economy by buying and selling off the auction house.
Can't; your too much of a coward to show your handle.
The correct way to make pissy threats at people is not to threaten their mortal life. E.g.
For Jusus FUCKing Christ people, I will pray to god everyday that when you meet your maker, you are given a 1-way, express trip, to the inner most circle of hell where demons will eat your still beating heart as you are drinking pure lava all while having to listen to Justin Beaver.
The issue is that the reduced funding for schools (both K-12 and college) has resulted in corruption in the degree. The schools cannot properly evaluate much less teach the concepts to students. There is a large amount of "don't let anyone fail" that puts pressure to simply let those that can't get though school or don't try hard enough to pass anyways. Someone that is getting a degree in the department I work for (at a university) will most likely get a PhD despite not really even being qualified for a BS. Why? His family is rich and is willing to fund grants.
Java has wrapper classes that (for the most part) do the same thing. E.g. Integer num = 17; String str = num.toString();
In.NET int "inherits" from Object in that when you cast a struct like int to Object; it wraps it in a reference type, which can be assigned to null. The main thing Java is missing (in this example) in this is that int[] isn't assignable to Object[], but you can assign an int value in Java to an Object reference.
That's not to say Java isn't missing other features (which give c# more ways to do things, but also make it more complex). E.g. there is no pass by reference in Java, only pass by copy of reference (and primitives). And this is not to say that c# has everything that Java has. E.g. Enums in Java are reference based, while c# is based on a primitive type (Java lets you give different implementation of each enum value for a method). In Java you will only see instances of an enum that is explicitly listed, while c# you can see unlisted ones, or ones that are "or" together.
Ultimately, Java ends up being more verbose and easier to follow step-by-step logic, while c# is more compact, easier to write and express higher level concepts. If given a choice between c# and Java: For "Nuclear launch missile control" - Java, its easier to mathematically verify that it is doing what is expected (In reality FORTRAN is the way to go) For "Quick one time script" - C#, easier to write and you can avoid some boiler plate code that Java would require (Python/Ruby probably is better).
I don't see how a wow tax would work. It is against the ToS to exchange wow money for real world money or other out of game compensation. Transactions that don't involve the auction house or trade window are unsupported. Transactions where real world goods are included are banned.
What would the IRS do with the money anyways? In order to convert any of their taxes to $$, they would need to violate the ToS, or perhaps mandate that they be allowed too? Force Wow into a allowing real money transactions? Tell the game devs to automatically take taxes out of the game when players loot? Take that money and auction it off to the highest bidder?
What about non simple currency? Will they tax crafting materials as well? Would Wow simply move away from a reliance on their current system for a different one?
Steam allows the developer to distribute steam keys on their own at no cost (I think not 100% sure though). They can set any price they want too and subcontract out to other agencies. This is different from Apple which charges for every key you distribute on your own. If Amazon and the developer agrees to sell the game at a reduced price when its on special, then Amazon and the developer make money (but maybe the developer lost money by not having steam do the selling). Many developers will sell their game directly from their website as they get a bigger profit doing that. FTL (http://www.ftlgame.com/) has a buy link right on their page that the devleoper updates to match steam price whenever their game goes on sale.
Still, threatening 15,000 times the cost as punitive is over doing it. Typical willful infringement I think is triple the cost.
The cost these people should pay under a fair interpretation of the law is below the threshold to take them to court for. The burden of proof required is also too high to make it viable to try and prove that they offended (its not like you can catch them shoplifting candy from a store). These companies will simply have to realize that trying to stop people from downloading by using legislative means isn't going to work, and is simply toxic to their image to try and do so.
Most of their lost subscribers are in the Asian area, probably China. And with China its anyone's guess what is happening. Also they pay a lot less for wow than the American/European regions.
So? Finger printing does a pretty good job as it is. And why anyone would want to clone me is beyond my understanding. Not that I would care much; who I am is far more dependent on environment than my genetic makeup.
Is the cost to maintain the machine. They are much more expensive to maintain than a stand up arcade; even games like DDR are cheaper. With the shift of gaming from arcades to consoles pinball has naturally also declined as you can't get an authentic pinball experience from a virtual display. Now, if there was a rise to bring arcades back, then you would see games that have a unique advantage in the arcade over a home console rise in popularity within the arcade.
P.S. If you like virtual pinball games check out little wing
Some of the amendments (in addition to the original) have aged well over time, and I agree with mostly. Others I disagree with. Others still are simply irrelevant in today's time (like the 3rd). I won't let the decisions of past people define the proper way for civilization to be run. Any law, or guideline has a limit to how long it is relevant as long as society changes. In 100 years many of our laws work seem barbaric, short sighted and simply ones that can't be used in the light of changing technology.
Screw the constitution. It is out of date, but people keep standing behind it trying to justify their stance. The constitution is difficult to change and enough people will lose power if any part of it does that they can put a stop to it changing. Some parts I approve of, but that is no excuse for people to keep treating it as the absolute unchanging principal that defines the United States.
I do agree with allowing tax of online sales should not be different than local stores, but I disagree with your reasoning. By your reasoning, virtual services like purchasing software online should be taxed less as it is very cheap to produce and sell online vs buying a box from a physical store. The tax should simply be fair, and the market will punish the less efficient systems. Besides, what is more efficient? The goods have to get to the stores in some way. Making the extra trip to each house to deliver as opposed to a bunch of people driving to the store and back sounds more efficient to me.
Audit *all* genes? That is like asking someone to determine if a database has hidden data when all you can do is use a SELECT statement. In other words, you aren't going to find anything bad unless you know what to look for.
Yes, I know I'm completely missing the point of the comment.
1. I think this is required as part of the GPL. And Valve hasn't tried to stop running their games on other distros. 2. Not possible. Some distributions will simply be incompatible by their design. It would be up to each distro to ensure compatibility. 3. Their DRM is their DRM. As per #1 and #2, I don't think they will do any hardware DRM integration. 4. I don't think they will include a keyboard and mouse, so a developer that requires one would face an uphill battle. I don't think Valve will completely ban those devices though.
You want a game to succeed with a small dev team? The roguelike random levels element is IN. Just combine it with existing game models and profit: Contra + roguelike = profit Tetris + roguelike = profit Super Mario Bros + roguelike = profit Your favorite FPS + roguelike = profit DDR + roguelike = wtf (maybe profit)
PS I did see a draft gameplay for Blizzards TCG which is similar to the way roguelikes work.
Since in my mind, the money would be tax free until you cash out. From my understanding you have: 1. The D3 received account. This contains all profits from auctions and can be used to buy stuff on the D3 auction house or cash out on paypal (after fees). 2. The Battle.net Balance. You can deposit real money into this account, transfer money from the D3 received account, and spend it on various digital Blizzard stuff (excluding wow time) including the D3 AH. You can't cash out this account, and you have a limit of around 250 USD for each currency type. Basically its like Microsoft or Nintendo points, except that they keep track of the actual money you put in.
Now there is a limit to how much you can have in your account at once before you have to cash out. However, you can't sell any one item on the D3 Auction house for more than 250 USD. Unless these kids have their own paypal account, I really doubt they would be subject to the taxes.
I'm making much more than 16K a year, but I don't spend anywhere near what I make.
I'm not sure what kind of car you have that requires $200 per month. Maybe you mean per year? And if needed I could ditch my car. I really only use it for shopping on the weekends, and I could just take a bus instead. Food for me runs around $140 per month. Rent is $365 per month (screw good apartments, they are too expensive). Internet is $50 (yea I can't really get a better price in the town I'm in), cell phone is $35 a month. All in all, I spend less than $1000 per month (except on Christmas).
Slashdot Mirror
There is still a couple of issues from CRZ:
1. You may see a resource node or rare spawn, and spend time to take a detour to take advantage of it, while someone else beats you too it. This can be paticularlly an issue where you have rare NPCs that spawn which require multiple people to take down. It kind of sucks to call your friends over to help you, only to get beaten by some other group.
2. Even if there is faster spawning rate, people see the nodes they don't get too, it harder to understand that there is a balancing act in place.
Since the number of expansions have increased, and leveling speed has gone way up, the leveling zones have had a much reduced population (along with imbalance of realms) This causes the game to be more single player like, so in order to fix this issue they introduced CRZ. This reduced the perceived player opportunity (which went up when the zone population went down). This in turn caused some people to become upset.
CRZ is a solution that caused other problems... Blizzard simply hasn't come up with a solution to fix the new issue that was caused, or is hoping that the fuss will die down.
Yes, it is nice if you have the developers actively communicate with the fan base, but many times, those fans that post on forums the most end up making demands, and in many cases don't fully appropriate the fact that the game developers know what they are doing much more so than the fans do.
Blizzard has CMs (community managers) that act as a buffer between the developers and the fan base. They are trained and hired to deal with the various disagreeing opinions, while being able to recognize when there is a clear consensus that is sensible and something the devs should be aware of. Most people know 2 of the developers: Greg Street, who has taken it upon himself to meet this challenge, and Chris Metzen who primarily works on Art, voice, and lore, which people generally don't complain about too much (although it does happen).
I see way too many game companies let their developers just openly communicate with the fan base unbuffered, and they need to take a hint from Blizzard to let the professionals handle it.
Probably the same, as that is another one of the issues I have. The realization that it takes me longer to comprehend words than most people was one of the things I learned later in life. If I can predict what is being said I can maintain a 1 on 1 conversation, or at least not pause too long to make it look awkward. If it is in a group, I have difficulty jumping in too add discussion before someone else comments.
My GPA went up when I stopped taking notes (but that also could have been since I was taking higher level classes). Personally, when I did take notes I wasn't able to remember anything in class, and going back to my notes didn't help me much.
I do have a neurological audio processing disorder though that makes it difficult to comprehend spoken words as quickly as most people. Math was pretty much the only subject I excelled at, since Math teachers are pretty good about writing everything important on the board.
Your playing a different MMO, one that appeals to what you want more. If there weren't alternatives, there would be a higher chance that you wouldn't quit, or if you did you would return.
Aside from the game being too easy at the beginning, the end game "content" can be done at various difficulty levels... kind of like many other games. Heroic difficulty raids are hard enough that even after 3 1/2 months of the content being out, only 2% of players who actually seriously try that content have managed to clear it, and that is including the fact that you get better gear to make it easier as time goes on. The first players to defeat everything this current content took just under a month to do so (and not for lack of gear, but for lack of hours in a day).
It's not so much the game as the competition. They are getting better and better at taking pieces of the WoW market. WoW is still far ahead, and it simply can't appeal to everyone at the same time.
Wow can't play the "I've eared my gear though lots of gameplay" as well as it used too. With facebook games and the like abusing that angle for as much as it's worth the general public has wisened up to the continual formula that this proposes. So, for now they have to ease up on that approach and allow people to catch up, meaning they are primarily keeping players who like pve/pvp content for the pure challenge of it, and those that get a kick of controling the economy by buying and selling off the auction house.
There done. Come get me, faggots.
Can't; your too much of a coward to show your handle.
The correct way to make pissy threats at people is not to threaten their mortal life. E.g.
For Jusus FUCKing Christ people, I will pray to god everyday that when you meet your maker, you are given a 1-way, express trip, to the inner most circle of hell where demons will eat your still beating heart as you are drinking pure lava all while having to listen to Justin Beaver.
The issue is that the reduced funding for schools (both K-12 and college) has resulted in corruption in the degree. The schools cannot properly evaluate much less teach the concepts to students. There is a large amount of "don't let anyone fail" that puts pressure to simply let those that can't get though school or don't try hard enough to pass anyways. Someone that is getting a degree in the department I work for (at a university) will most likely get a PhD despite not really even being qualified for a BS. Why? His family is rich and is willing to fund grants.
See no evil
Hear no evil
Speak no evil
Think no evil
These are what the 3 monkeys advice. There are only 3 monkeys.
Java has wrapper classes that (for the most part) do the same thing. E.g.
Integer num = 17;
String str = num.toString();
In .NET int "inherits" from Object in that when you cast a struct like int to Object; it wraps it in a reference type, which can be assigned to null. The main thing Java is missing (in this example) in this is that int[] isn't assignable to Object[], but you can assign an int value in Java to an Object reference.
That's not to say Java isn't missing other features (which give c# more ways to do things, but also make it more complex). E.g. there is no pass by reference in Java, only pass by copy of reference (and primitives). And this is not to say that c# has everything that Java has. E.g. Enums in Java are reference based, while c# is based on a primitive type (Java lets you give different implementation of each enum value for a method). In Java you will only see instances of an enum that is explicitly listed, while c# you can see unlisted ones, or ones that are "or" together.
Ultimately, Java ends up being more verbose and easier to follow step-by-step logic, while c# is more compact, easier to write and express higher level concepts. If given a choice between c# and Java:
For "Nuclear launch missile control" - Java, its easier to mathematically verify that it is doing what is expected (In reality FORTRAN is the way to go)
For "Quick one time script" - C#, easier to write and you can avoid some boiler plate code that Java would require (Python/Ruby probably is better).
I don't see how a wow tax would work. It is against the ToS to exchange wow money for real world money or other out of game compensation. Transactions that don't involve the auction house or trade window are unsupported. Transactions where real world goods are included are banned.
What would the IRS do with the money anyways? In order to convert any of their taxes to $$, they would need to violate the ToS, or perhaps mandate that they be allowed too? Force Wow into a allowing real money transactions? Tell the game devs to automatically take taxes out of the game when players loot? Take that money and auction it off to the highest bidder?
What about non simple currency? Will they tax crafting materials as well? Would Wow simply move away from a reliance on their current system for a different one?
Steam allows the developer to distribute steam keys on their own at no cost (I think not 100% sure though). They can set any price they want too and subcontract out to other agencies. This is different from Apple which charges for every key you distribute on your own. If Amazon and the developer agrees to sell the game at a reduced price when its on special, then Amazon and the developer make money (but maybe the developer lost money by not having steam do the selling). Many developers will sell their game directly from their website as they get a bigger profit doing that. FTL (http://www.ftlgame.com/) has a buy link right on their page that the devleoper updates to match steam price whenever their game goes on sale.
So...
Masters in CS
Make 35K a year
Health benefits
Matching retirement
Free bus (parking is super expensive)
Why do I work this job? Simple
1. I get to do cool shit.
2. It's academics.
Still, threatening 15,000 times the cost as punitive is over doing it. Typical willful infringement I think is triple the cost.
The cost these people should pay under a fair interpretation of the law is below the threshold to take them to court for. The burden of proof required is also too high to make it viable to try and prove that they offended (its not like you can catch them shoplifting candy from a store). These companies will simply have to realize that trying to stop people from downloading by using legislative means isn't going to work, and is simply toxic to their image to try and do so.
Most of their lost subscribers are in the Asian area, probably China. And with China its anyone's guess what is happening. Also they pay a lot less for wow than the American/European regions.
So? Finger printing does a pretty good job as it is. And why anyone would want to clone me is beyond my understanding. Not that I would care much; who I am is far more dependent on environment than my genetic makeup.
Is the cost to maintain the machine. They are much more expensive to maintain than a stand up arcade; even games like DDR are cheaper. With the shift of gaming from arcades to consoles pinball has naturally also declined as you can't get an authentic pinball experience from a virtual display. Now, if there was a rise to bring arcades back, then you would see games that have a unique advantage in the arcade over a home console rise in popularity within the arcade.
P.S. If you like virtual pinball games check out little wing
Some of the amendments (in addition to the original) have aged well over time, and I agree with mostly. Others I disagree with. Others still are simply irrelevant in today's time (like the 3rd). I won't let the decisions of past people define the proper way for civilization to be run. Any law, or guideline has a limit to how long it is relevant as long as society changes. In 100 years many of our laws work seem barbaric, short sighted and simply ones that can't be used in the light of changing technology.
Screw the constitution. It is out of date, but people keep standing behind it trying to justify their stance. The constitution is difficult to change and enough people will lose power if any part of it does that they can put a stop to it changing. Some parts I approve of, but that is no excuse for people to keep treating it as the absolute unchanging principal that defines the United States.
I do agree with allowing tax of online sales should not be different than local stores, but I disagree with your reasoning. By your reasoning, virtual services like purchasing software online should be taxed less as it is very cheap to produce and sell online vs buying a box from a physical store. The tax should simply be fair, and the market will punish the less efficient systems. Besides, what is more efficient? The goods have to get to the stores in some way. Making the extra trip to each house to deliver as opposed to a bunch of people driving to the store and back sounds more efficient to me.
Audit *all* genes? That is like asking someone to determine if a database has hidden data when all you can do is use a SELECT statement. In other words, you aren't going to find anything bad unless you know what to look for.
Yes, I know I'm completely missing the point of the comment.
1. I think this is required as part of the GPL. And Valve hasn't tried to stop running their games on other distros.
2. Not possible. Some distributions will simply be incompatible by their design. It would be up to each distro to ensure compatibility.
3. Their DRM is their DRM. As per #1 and #2, I don't think they will do any hardware DRM integration.
4. I don't think they will include a keyboard and mouse, so a developer that requires one would face an uphill battle. I don't think Valve will completely ban those devices though.
You want a game to succeed with a small dev team? The roguelike random levels element is IN. Just combine it with existing game models and profit:
Contra + roguelike = profit
Tetris + roguelike = profit
Super Mario Bros + roguelike = profit
Your favorite FPS + roguelike = profit
DDR + roguelike = wtf (maybe profit)
PS I did see a draft gameplay for Blizzards TCG which is similar to the way roguelikes work.
[citation]?
Since in my mind, the money would be tax free until you cash out. From my understanding you have:
1. The D3 received account. This contains all profits from auctions and can be used to buy stuff on the D3 auction house or cash out on paypal (after fees).
2. The Battle.net Balance. You can deposit real money into this account, transfer money from the D3 received account, and spend it on various digital Blizzard stuff (excluding wow time) including the D3 AH. You can't cash out this account, and you have a limit of around 250 USD for each currency type. Basically its like Microsoft or Nintendo points, except that they keep track of the actual money you put in.
Now there is a limit to how much you can have in your account at once before you have to cash out. However, you can't sell any one item on the D3 Auction house for more than 250 USD. Unless these kids have their own paypal account, I really doubt they would be subject to the taxes.
I'm making much more than 16K a year, but I don't spend anywhere near what I make.
I'm not sure what kind of car you have that requires $200 per month. Maybe you mean per year? And if needed I could ditch my car. I really only use it for shopping on the weekends, and I could just take a bus instead. Food for me runs around $140 per month. Rent is $365 per month (screw good apartments, they are too expensive). Internet is $50 (yea I can't really get a better price in the town I'm in), cell phone is $35 a month. All in all, I spend less than $1000 per month (except on Christmas).