This is something I always have to bring up when the bashing of steam comes up. While steam isn't without its faults (how many times do I need to delete clientregistry.blob...I mean really?) people act like steam is worse then the status quo. To that I say: Have you seen the status quo?! You've got CD checks that require the disk to be in the drive to play. Games that won't install if you have certain disk copying software installed! The disk has some new disk copyright protection that has to be broken in order to back up the game, requiring new disk copying software or a search for a crack. Oh, and silent install "drivers" like starforce that potentially screw up your system when all you wanted to do was play a game you bought for $20!
Again, steam isn't without its own issues. But I haven't ever needed a CD crack (I think early adopters did have to deal with this for a time when HL2 first came out though)...or had to hunt down a scratched disk from my drawer of a 1000 CDs. It doesn't get in the way of backing up my games...it has a utility to make them even! If I don't even want to make backups, I can always just re-download them in the even I need them. And it takes the burden of patching the game off my shoulders, for better or worse. I'll take the new devil, thank you very much.
I think your last point is the crux of it. Assuming your average home user even has broadband available, there's a good chance its crap. And with all the talk of limiting broadband bandwidth usage by ISPs instead of expanding it, it doesn't look like its going to get any better any time soon. I fail to see how using the often clunky and unreliable broadband connections that are present in only some of your average American's households as the backbone of a new operating system is going to be much of improvement for consumers.
I know Microsoft is eager to move to a different revenue model, as are a lot of software companies...but quite frankly, they are putting the cart before the horse.
Which really makes disney seem like kind of an irrelevant player in all of this. I don't think I've heard anyone say "Oh man! I can't wait to see Toy Story 2 in high def!" It seems like the bulk of the people who actually might even want these products are sitting on their hands, waiting until the endgame.
That game used the same 3D engine as the Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall...not sure which one came out first. But that game featured mouselook as well.
Mouselook became pretty common around 95-96. I don't think mouselook was available in wolf3d or doom though...it just turned and moved your character with no regard to the vertical axis. Although doom did feature different levels that could make use of it, it just relied on autoaiming on the vertical axis. Duke3d had it though. I'm not sure what the first title was!
There's always OpenGL, that works on windows XP and Vista...among other things. Of course, a lot of developers have put all of their eggs in the direct3D basket and now they're crying foul that microsoft broke the unwritten rule that all new versions would work at least on the last MS OS or two.
Time will tell if the disgruntled development houses will grin and bear it, eat the cost of developing for directx9 and directx10 or if they'll take a second look at OpenGL for a one stop source. In the past direct3d fit that purpose well enough, most of the PC gaming ran windows and windows always had direct3d.
Thats really the rub in all this though isn't it? None of them wanted to take the alternate distribution systems seriously, or invest any of their own money into one. But some one else did, And it worked well enough to become 'the standard'. And now they have the market and boo hoo! Poor NBC was to cowardly to expand outside their dinosaur business model and got left behind! So they're going to take their ball and go home. Which, might be a smart move if their ball wasn't deflated with gum stuck on it, and there weren't plenty of other kids with balls too.
They stole that idea from the intraweb, i.e. the terrible flash ads that replaced pop-ups. You know, the ones with the tiny close button that recoils when it senses a mouse cursor near it? They even steal their bad ideas!
The void will be filled. After EA gets done raping an aquired company, all thats left is the IP...which they will shelve next to the other hundreds of unused items. All the talented people that EA thinks that it buys with these acquisions aren't actually slaves attached to the purchased entity, they can just leave and go form another company. Look at the end run around the system shock IP that Bioshock was...the IP is worth something, but when you pull the people behind it out of the mix it quickly loses value.
I remember really liking MTV2 back in 96, 97 or so. A lot of cool music I hadn't heard before, different genres...and they played music all day. Then I didn't have TV for a few years, and when I got it again I switched on MTV2. "My God!" I said, "MTV2 has become...MTV...2."
They are a storm of locusts...destroying, devouring everything in their path...leaving nothing but a burnt out husk in their wake.
Is that really possible? Perhaps google is pretending to be good in its quest for world domination...but we *know* AT&T is just trying to ass rape us. I'll take my chances with the new guy, if I have any choice.
I agree. I don't think the console, at least the console with its current business model, can support user generated content in a meaningful way. MS and Sony both rely on the sales of licensed games to make their money...and while nintendo may turn a small profit on each unit sold, even it needs the game license fees to make any signfigant money. You think they're going to extra any money out of modders...that work for free? Thats assuming that a good amount of them will take the time make something worth downloading instead of things like "neo with purple lightsaber mod" that (sadly, necessarily) comprises the bulk of the available user generated content available for PC games. As mentioned, if they try to control what can and can't be released...that may get rid of the crummy mods...but it'll also kill the mod community to begin with. When some one makes a neo lightsaber mod and uploads it, he gains experience with the platform. Its garbage, but that doesn't mean his next project will be. And if people can't just toss their crap up there without having to pass inspection, they'll leave to somewhere else.
The PC gets away with this because you pay for your hardware and software, and then they cut you loose. Go ahead and release some trash, we already made our profit...business transaction finished. The console business model requires a lease.
They miss a few other things though. What were successful "mod platform" games for the PC (the type of success they're attempting to emulate)? Quake series...Unreal Series...Half Life series...Oh whoops! Those were all decent, big names games that would have turned a profit without their mods. Those games had enough momentum that they sucked the mod community up with them after gaining critical mass. Why does a guy make a mod for UT2004 and not some other game? Because there's a community around it to support the mods development...3rd party tools, multiple how-tos, example works to learn from and..."because everyone already has it."
Thats true, but for every one that does that there's probably several others that just choose another field. This is sort of what the article hints too. A lot of IT fields require constant updating of skills to remain competitive, above and beyond getting a degree and paying your dues to get that first bit of experience.
I can't fault a lot of people for going into plumbing or something instead. The money is good, the work is steady and you don't have to chase certifications all day in addition to your regular job responsibilities. A toilet is pretty much a toilet. No disrespect to plumbers, but they mostly aren't trying to master an ever changing skillset. (at least, I don't think so?)
That doesn't mean people can't, won't or shouldn't do IT...it just means a lot of people are going to do the math and decide that it doesn't add up.
There was a forum where around here a lot of businesses were bemoaning the fact that there weren't any people with technical skills available for them to hire. This state pretty much only has small businesses, ones that can't really afford to train new people (apparently). Of course, where do experienced people come from? They start at entry level. The entry level people leave the state looking for work, and then when they are experienced the vast majority never come back.
But you are absolutely correct about the cars. Say Yoshi is picked as the winner, by the video game god. You hate Yoshi because he always on your ass the entire game. So right as you're about to go over a jump in the center of the track you drop a banana peel on him, it blows his jump and he ends up a whole half a lap behind.
Now watch the map on the side, watch as Yoshi accelerates to 2000mph to return to his ranking defined by his destiny. He doesn't have endless mushrooms, the computer is just giving him extra speed! Its absolute bullshit.
The entire "play together" situation is a waste of time for the developers, because the market will just segregate itself afterwards anyway. Handicap PC players to even the odds for console players, PC players will either block console users from the game or not buy it. Give console players autoaim, some deal. Do nothing and console players will either not play or block PC users from their servers.
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This is something I always have to bring up when the bashing of steam comes up. While steam isn't without its faults (how many times do I need to delete clientregistry.blob...I mean really?) people act like steam is worse then the status quo. To that I say: Have you seen the status quo?! You've got CD checks that require the disk to be in the drive to play. Games that won't install if you have certain disk copying software installed! The disk has some new disk copyright protection that has to be broken in order to back up the game, requiring new disk copying software or a search for a crack. Oh, and silent install "drivers" like starforce that potentially screw up your system when all you wanted to do was play a game you bought for $20!
Again, steam isn't without its own issues. But I haven't ever needed a CD crack (I think early adopters did have to deal with this for a time when HL2 first came out though)...or had to hunt down a scratched disk from my drawer of a 1000 CDs. It doesn't get in the way of backing up my games...it has a utility to make them even! If I don't even want to make backups, I can always just re-download them in the even I need them. And it takes the burden of patching the game off my shoulders, for better or worse. I'll take the new devil, thank you very much.
I think your last point is the crux of it. Assuming your average home user even has broadband available, there's a good chance its crap. And with all the talk of limiting broadband bandwidth usage by ISPs instead of expanding it, it doesn't look like its going to get any better any time soon. I fail to see how using the often clunky and unreliable broadband connections that are present in only some of your average American's households as the backbone of a new operating system is going to be much of improvement for consumers.
I know Microsoft is eager to move to a different revenue model, as are a lot of software companies...but quite frankly, they are putting the cart before the horse.
She must have ruined it worse then you think, since Sharon Stone never played catwoman. :P Michelle Pfeiffer was catwoman in Batman Returns.
Which really makes disney seem like kind of an irrelevant player in all of this. I don't think I've heard anyone say "Oh man! I can't wait to see Toy Story 2 in high def!" It seems like the bulk of the people who actually might even want these products are sitting on their hands, waiting until the endgame.
Can you use virtual CC numbers for that setup?
That game used the same 3D engine as the Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall...not sure which one came out first. But that game featured mouselook as well.
Mouselook became pretty common around 95-96. I don't think mouselook was available in wolf3d or doom though...it just turned and moved your character with no regard to the vertical axis. Although doom did feature different levels that could make use of it, it just relied on autoaiming on the vertical axis. Duke3d had it though. I'm not sure what the first title was!
There's always OpenGL, that works on windows XP and Vista...among other things. Of course, a lot of developers have put all of their eggs in the direct3D basket and now they're crying foul that microsoft broke the unwritten rule that all new versions would work at least on the last MS OS or two.
Time will tell if the disgruntled development houses will grin and bear it, eat the cost of developing for directx9 and directx10 or if they'll take a second look at OpenGL for a one stop source. In the past direct3d fit that purpose well enough, most of the PC gaming ran windows and windows always had direct3d.
Thats really the rub in all this though isn't it? None of them wanted to take the alternate distribution systems seriously, or invest any of their own money into one. But some one else did, And it worked well enough to become 'the standard'. And now they have the market and boo hoo! Poor NBC was to cowardly to expand outside their dinosaur business model and got left behind! So they're going to take their ball and go home. Which, might be a smart move if their ball wasn't deflated with gum stuck on it, and there weren't plenty of other kids with balls too.
They stole that idea from the intraweb, i.e. the terrible flash ads that replaced pop-ups. You know, the ones with the tiny close button that recoils when it senses a mouse cursor near it? They even steal their bad ideas!
The void will be filled. After EA gets done raping an aquired company, all thats left is the IP...which they will shelve next to the other hundreds of unused items. All the talented people that EA thinks that it buys with these acquisions aren't actually slaves attached to the purchased entity, they can just leave and go form another company. Look at the end run around the system shock IP that Bioshock was...the IP is worth something, but when you pull the people behind it out of the mix it quickly loses value.
Or help DX10 adoption.
I remember really liking MTV2 back in 96, 97 or so. A lot of cool music I hadn't heard before, different genres...and they played music all day. Then I didn't have TV for a few years, and when I got it again I switched on MTV2. "My God!" I said, "MTV2 has become...MTV...2."
They are a storm of locusts...destroying, devouring everything in their path...leaving nothing but a burnt out husk in their wake.
Red Rings, Blue Screens...this is all just part of a broader strategy by Microsoft to gain a monopoly position in the colorful system failure market.
Is that really possible? Perhaps google is pretending to be good in its quest for world domination...but we *know* AT&T is just trying to ass rape us. I'll take my chances with the new guy, if I have any choice.
I agree. I don't think the console, at least the console with its current business model, can support user generated content in a meaningful way. MS and Sony both rely on the sales of licensed games to make their money...and while nintendo may turn a small profit on each unit sold, even it needs the game license fees to make any signfigant money. You think they're going to extra any money out of modders...that work for free? Thats assuming that a good amount of them will take the time make something worth downloading instead of things like "neo with purple lightsaber mod" that (sadly, necessarily) comprises the bulk of the available user generated content available for PC games. As mentioned, if they try to control what can and can't be released...that may get rid of the crummy mods...but it'll also kill the mod community to begin with. When some one makes a neo lightsaber mod and uploads it, he gains experience with the platform. Its garbage, but that doesn't mean his next project will be. And if people can't just toss their crap up there without having to pass inspection, they'll leave to somewhere else.
The PC gets away with this because you pay for your hardware and software, and then they cut you loose. Go ahead and release some trash, we already made our profit...business transaction finished. The console business model requires a lease.
They miss a few other things though. What were successful "mod platform" games for the PC (the type of success they're attempting to emulate)? Quake series...Unreal Series...Half Life series...Oh whoops! Those were all decent, big names games that would have turned a profit without their mods. Those games had enough momentum that they sucked the mod community up with them after gaining critical mass. Why does a guy make a mod for UT2004 and not some other game? Because there's a community around it to support the mods development...3rd party tools, multiple how-tos, example works to learn from and..."because everyone already has it."
They should just start giving the consoles and games away for free. Its always worked for them in the past.
Thats true, but for every one that does that there's probably several others that just choose another field. This is sort of what the article hints too. A lot of IT fields require constant updating of skills to remain competitive, above and beyond getting a degree and paying your dues to get that first bit of experience.
I can't fault a lot of people for going into plumbing or something instead. The money is good, the work is steady and you don't have to chase certifications all day in addition to your regular job responsibilities. A toilet is pretty much a toilet. No disrespect to plumbers, but they mostly aren't trying to master an ever changing skillset. (at least, I don't think so?)
That doesn't mean people can't, won't or shouldn't do IT...it just means a lot of people are going to do the math and decide that it doesn't add up.
There was a forum where around here a lot of businesses were bemoaning the fact that there weren't any people with technical skills available for them to hire. This state pretty much only has small businesses, ones that can't really afford to train new people (apparently). Of course, where do experienced people come from? They start at entry level. The entry level people leave the state looking for work, and then when they are experienced the vast majority never come back.
I'm sure there's significant demand for skilled technical workers willing to work at crummy wages compared to other, easier to learn fields.
In a related story, there is also significant demand for $1.00 lakefront homes.
...I'd really started to like Samsung stuff. Well, there's plenty of other parts available.
What about it? I used 2K up until last year, when I couldn't find the disk. I never had any problems with USB devices.
Battle mode was amazing, I loved that.
But you are absolutely correct about the cars. Say Yoshi is picked as the winner, by the video game god. You hate Yoshi because he always on your ass the entire game. So right as you're about to go over a jump in the center of the track you drop a banana peel on him, it blows his jump and he ends up a whole half a lap behind.
Now watch the map on the side, watch as Yoshi accelerates to 2000mph to return to his ranking defined by his destiny. He doesn't have endless mushrooms, the computer is just giving him extra speed! Its absolute bullshit.
The entire "play together" situation is a waste of time for the developers, because the market will just segregate itself afterwards anyway. Handicap PC players to even the odds for console players, PC players will either block console users from the game or not buy it. Give console players autoaim, some deal. Do nothing and console players will either not play or block PC users from their servers.
I was thinking the same thing. For all their controversy, it seems like they're doing fine.
Plus, all that stink over hot coffee and the like probably made a lot of people want their games even more. The forbidden fruit always tastes sweeter.
To be fair, its really not early in the process with regards to TF2...that game has been delayed repeatedly.