One thing people seem to be forgetting is that level is supposed to represent skill of your character. Personally I believe balance is required--your character shouldn't be able to get new skills unless he or she masters her old skills. Some people will argue that low level skills are pointless at higher levels and some people just want to master the higher level content...but I see that as a problem of level based games in general vs. point-buy style games.
Unfortunately, making a game too challenging to enforce this idealism would drive away a large customer base. In fact, it would only attract a certain type of elitest/"hardcore" consumer that, given its naturally small base, would likely cause the game to die due to lack of players and income.
Some people will argue that making an ability harder to use might help this. Make it harder than a single click and people will have to practice mashing the keypad in a particular rhymthm...of course then one has to wonder what the point of calling these games "-RPGs" is in the first place. Most tabletop RPGs tend to reward creative players who can combine one of nearly countless amounts of skills, feats, attributes, etc... to get different types of abilities that are neither stronger nor weaker than other abilities. While this seems nearly impossible to do in an MMORPG (which, having access to the internet, would wind up with everyone getting the optimal abilities), it could be done with a complicated enough elemental/rock-paper-scissors type system. Of course, then the game becomes "you don't need skill to win, just the luck of having the right elemental caster at the right time".
But I see that as the core problem with MMOs in general.
Anonymity + Opportunities to Show Off + Ability to Use Other's Ideas = Everyone Being the Same
Correct. However, you can craft a portable hole inside of a bag of holding. The rules say "placed into". But if it comes to existance within said hole, technically nothing bad would happen.
Just don't remove it or you can't put it back in...you'll lose your cargo-space cheese.
Apparently you don't watch much TV; Apples entire advertising strategy is criticizing the competition for claims which, in many cases, simply fantasy (such as "1,000 years in the future, we will still be a superior machine").
I've never regretted a purchase since I just pirate everything.
Nah, I'm joking. I'm a tabletop gamer and supporter of my favorite industry, so yes...all too often I regret my purchases.
Obviously throw them on the desktop. Once it fills, throw them into a New Folder. Once your desktop fills with Folders, throw those in My Documents. Repeat until your computer crashes.
America has a very big "no touching" policy. Sometimes its racial ("unclean!"), germ-related ("unclean!") or (most commonly) lawsuit fueled ("Sexual Harassment!"). People are expected to keep at least 6 inches between them and the other people in front of them, and at least 3 inches between them and the people to their left and right (this changes if you happen to be standing back to back). If you stand face to face, you need to keep at least two feet between your faces, and at least 1 foot between your bodies. Touching is a huge "no-no", as it can offend and scare Americans. While I'm at it, don't stand face-to-face if you can help it unless you intend to talk with someone. You should also avoid eye contact if in any of the larger cities, as people are afraid of getting assaulted for intimidating the wrong kind of people ("gang members everywhere!") even if those people represent a minority of those living in the city. It also just pisses people off, and really any sort of heated confrontation is avoided at all costs (even just raising your voice to clarify something can be seen as hostile).
This rule is just the norm in "American white America". Small (usually racial) communities have their own customs ("Ghettos", Barrios, X-town, etc...) that differ from the norm usually *If* you can be perceived as a member of these communities.
Touching is also a huge no-no in central-east Asia, such as China and Japan. Especially Japan.
They can get a cut from my sales of used games when I get a cut from their sale of non-used games.
Yeah, I understand this is more focused towards large B&M places. But honestly the logic behind this is as unreasonable as the idea that Wizards of the Coast should be able to tax trades/sales of single Magic the Gathering cards. Or that Ikea should get a share of the profit when you sell their old furniture away at a garage sale. How far back can one go on this, though? Can the publisher ask for extra money? The people who made the physical units? The people who shipped the units? The voice actors?
Most pre-Judeo-Christian religions actually targeted the most successful, strongest and happiest in society. For example, a famous philosopher the Roman's loved (I forget his name at the moment) believed indulgence and joy thanks to material possessions was the key to ultimate happiness. It wasn't until the mass spread of Judeo-Christian values through the under-class of society that we came to accept "poor" and "weak" with "righteous". But at one point the poor of the world really just saw their position as a result of their own, their ancestors or their god's wills. They just kinda accepted their shitty positions and moved on...
This is why I like tabletop gaming. Because you aren't interacting with a machine. Machines are, while amazing things that can bring us wonders beyond our own imaginations, in the end as inbias as the people using them. They are fair. This means they are as fair to the gamers who want to level as fast as possible and get the best stats as they are to those who want to become heroes through complicated stories and plots and other things that make the fantasy genre of books entertaining.
City of Heroes is trying to emulate a series of books (in this case, comic books). But would anyone read batman if instead of solving interesting mysteries he just ran around beating up gang members 20 at a time? Of course not. What if he did it again and again with no properly explained reason? Also foolish.
RPGs, as technology stands right now, only works with either a low number of players, single players or in the medium of tabletop entertainment in which a real person (a GM) can rate the entertainment value of his or her world and include player created content at a consistent rate that doesn't exclude any players from achieving what they hope to achieve by playing the game.
For example, recently in my groups 3.X Eberron campaign I wanted to change characters. This has been done in the past by various members of the party...but as a character who has been in the group since the beginning it seemed kinda silly to just suddenly change. So I requested that the DM do a story arc with it (he was running a little low on ideas at the time anyway since we were at a "blah" stage of progression in our levels). So I gave him suggestions and he made it into a story arc (a "set of missions" if you will). It made the character transfer memorable for everyone and really let my character's backstory more interesting and notable by everyone at the table. At least moreso than another player who just joined the party as "random prisoner we find in our big bad evil genius' lair (tm)".
Hopefully the ESRB will lose its power in the industry and games will be able to flourish as movies did prior to their censorship by the MPAA. Putting a "18+" sticker on a game should be the responsibility of the game designers. Knowing if the game is appropriate for their children or not is a responsibility of the parent. Refusing to stock games with an 18+ sticker as a major retailer, however, only limits the already pretty limited (by technology and marketing) creative potential of game developers.
Explaining to your child why an adult game or movie or program isn't for him or her is surprisingly easy to. "Its not that these games will hurt you or control you or that your not smart enough to understand the material within these games. Its simply that they weren't designed for you. Like watching C-SPAN or the history channel or reading a book on Nietzche instead of a comic book. If you want to play these games, watch some adult television and read some of these books first. Your not missing out on anything."
9 times out of 10, that's the truth too. Honestly, I've enjoyed many "childrens" games just as much as "adult" games. Putting sexual, violent or otherwise inappropriate content into your game doesn't make it a better or worse game. Saying it does it like claiming science fiction settings are better than fantasy settings for roleplaying games...
Getting cards via trading with the online ticket system is generally cheaper. Most rares go for half a ticket (.50) whereas in real life most "crap shot rares" sell at stores for 1.00. $20 cards can be traded for $15 worth of tickets, etc...
However, getting booster packs for drafts is more expensive then buying packs in real life. Each pack is around $3.50-$4.00, depending on your source. The game has a valid and legal secondary and primary market, so when I made my above post I was referring to the expense of the primary market's sealed products compared to the relative cheapness of the secondary markets single cards.
Magic online is quite fun. The fact you can turn your set of online cards into a complete set of real cards makes it feel "worthwhile" (as you can earn something tangible). You can draft almost 24/7, get cards relatively cheaper online than in real life, find lots of card give aways and there's some online exclusive formats (avatar and pauper). Unfortunately, the UI leaves much to be desired (although it works pretty well) and your likely to lag out quite often (just switch between the store tab and game tab. If it says there's an error, close the program and rejoin and you'll usually find yourself back at your draft/game).
The game helps you with rules nicely as well (especially timing rules).
However, buying cards can get quite expensive since they sell packs at MSRP, which almost no card shop sells the packs at (the best around my house sell at around 60% MSRP actually).
No mention of tabletop games in the article what-so-ever. While the big companies are releasing more and more (Fight Klub, MTG2010, Celestial Edition, 4E PHB2), there are a slew of independent tabletop designers who have begun to take it upon themselves to grasp what they believe is a hobby dying in the unfortunate grips of economic woes (its generally more expensive per-game to produce an individual unit of a tabletop game as ink, cardstock, paper, plastic, lead and paint are more expensive than a CD). More and more of the big tabletop gaming companies are trying to integrate new technology and break into new markets but risk losing their diehard fans as a consequence of both the limitations of new mediums and the lure of designing exclusive content for these mediums that leave out those who prefer not to touch them (Warhammer Online; Magic for Xbox; Magic Online; Dungeons and Dragons 4E's online content).
I guess after this they can get to work on the *important* things. Like giving us wings, tails, claws, snake-slit eyes and other mostly cosmetic features...
I feel kinda sorry for the HIV Patients they are using as Guinea pigs though.
Well, the comma is un-questionably the sluttiest punctuation mark in the english language; personally I prefer the exoticism of the semi-colon, but people exclaim that I'm some kind of fetishist!
The best argument I've heard is: why would you want to pay money to sit around doing nothing? Its simply gluttonous to spend your free time wasting away and flitting away...its also very sad. It depresses me when I see my neighbor barely pass high school as he sponges off the government for welfare in a house his hardworking grandparents paid off generations ago. The time you spend smoking can be spent advancing your knowledge (reading a book or even watching some good TV), learning some trade or skill (hobbies like cooking, basketweaving or sewing come to mind) or just debating ethics online. Its easy to say "just let them have the freedom to waste their lives", but last time I checked suicide was still illegal and discouraged in this society. Some people believe you have a right to waste your life...I think its so sad that I'd rather not encourage them...
Slashdot Mirror
One thing people seem to be forgetting is that level is supposed to represent skill of your character. Personally I believe balance is required--your character shouldn't be able to get new skills unless he or she masters her old skills. Some people will argue that low level skills are pointless at higher levels and some people just want to master the higher level content...but I see that as a problem of level based games in general vs. point-buy style games.
Unfortunately, making a game too challenging to enforce this idealism would drive away a large customer base. In fact, it would only attract a certain type of elitest/"hardcore" consumer that, given its naturally small base, would likely cause the game to die due to lack of players and income.
Some people will argue that making an ability harder to use might help this. Make it harder than a single click and people will have to practice mashing the keypad in a particular rhymthm...of course then one has to wonder what the point of calling these games "-RPGs" is in the first place. Most tabletop RPGs tend to reward creative players who can combine one of nearly countless amounts of skills, feats, attributes, etc... to get different types of abilities that are neither stronger nor weaker than other abilities. While this seems nearly impossible to do in an MMORPG (which, having access to the internet, would wind up with everyone getting the optimal abilities), it could be done with a complicated enough elemental/rock-paper-scissors type system. Of course, then the game becomes "you don't need skill to win, just the luck of having the right elemental caster at the right time".
But I see that as the core problem with MMOs in general.
Anonymity + Opportunities to Show Off + Ability to Use Other's Ideas = Everyone Being the Same
Correct. However, you can craft a portable hole inside of a bag of holding. The rules say "placed into". But if it comes to existance within said hole, technically nothing bad would happen.
Just don't remove it or you can't put it back in...you'll lose your cargo-space cheese.
Apparently you don't watch much TV; Apples entire advertising strategy is criticizing the competition for claims which, in many cases, simply fantasy (such as "1,000 years in the future, we will still be a superior machine").
I've never regretted a purchase since I just pirate everything.
Nah, I'm joking. I'm a tabletop gamer and supporter of my favorite industry, so yes...all too often I regret my purchases.
Obviously throw them on the desktop. Once it fills, throw them into a New Folder. Once your desktop fills with Folders, throw those in My Documents. Repeat until your computer crashes.
America has a very big "no touching" policy. Sometimes its racial ("unclean!"), germ-related ("unclean!") or (most commonly) lawsuit fueled ("Sexual Harassment!"). People are expected to keep at least 6 inches between them and the other people in front of them, and at least 3 inches between them and the people to their left and right (this changes if you happen to be standing back to back). If you stand face to face, you need to keep at least two feet between your faces, and at least 1 foot between your bodies. Touching is a huge "no-no", as it can offend and scare Americans. While I'm at it, don't stand face-to-face if you can help it unless you intend to talk with someone. You should also avoid eye contact if in any of the larger cities, as people are afraid of getting assaulted for intimidating the wrong kind of people ("gang members everywhere!") even if those people represent a minority of those living in the city. It also just pisses people off, and really any sort of heated confrontation is avoided at all costs (even just raising your voice to clarify something can be seen as hostile).
This rule is just the norm in "American white America". Small (usually racial) communities have their own customs ("Ghettos", Barrios, X-town, etc...) that differ from the norm usually *If* you can be perceived as a member of these communities.
Touching is also a huge no-no in central-east Asia, such as China and Japan. Especially Japan.
They can get a cut from my sales of used games when I get a cut from their sale of non-used games.
Yeah, I understand this is more focused towards large B&M places. But honestly the logic behind this is as unreasonable as the idea that Wizards of the Coast should be able to tax trades/sales of single Magic the Gathering cards. Or that Ikea should get a share of the profit when you sell their old furniture away at a garage sale. How far back can one go on this, though? Can the publisher ask for extra money? The people who made the physical units? The people who shipped the units? The voice actors?
Most pre-Judeo-Christian religions actually targeted the most successful, strongest and happiest in society. For example, a famous philosopher the Roman's loved (I forget his name at the moment) believed indulgence and joy thanks to material possessions was the key to ultimate happiness. It wasn't until the mass spread of Judeo-Christian values through the under-class of society that we came to accept "poor" and "weak" with "righteous". But at one point the poor of the world really just saw their position as a result of their own, their ancestors or their god's wills. They just kinda accepted their shitty positions and moved on...
Oh no! Save yourselves! New York is being attacked by an 80 foot Ed Koch!
This is why I like tabletop gaming. Because you aren't interacting with a machine. Machines are, while amazing things that can bring us wonders beyond our own imaginations, in the end as inbias as the people using them. They are fair. This means they are as fair to the gamers who want to level as fast as possible and get the best stats as they are to those who want to become heroes through complicated stories and plots and other things that make the fantasy genre of books entertaining.
City of Heroes is trying to emulate a series of books (in this case, comic books). But would anyone read batman if instead of solving interesting mysteries he just ran around beating up gang members 20 at a time? Of course not. What if he did it again and again with no properly explained reason? Also foolish.
RPGs, as technology stands right now, only works with either a low number of players, single players or in the medium of tabletop entertainment in which a real person (a GM) can rate the entertainment value of his or her world and include player created content at a consistent rate that doesn't exclude any players from achieving what they hope to achieve by playing the game.
For example, recently in my groups 3.X Eberron campaign I wanted to change characters. This has been done in the past by various members of the party...but as a character who has been in the group since the beginning it seemed kinda silly to just suddenly change. So I requested that the DM do a story arc with it (he was running a little low on ideas at the time anyway since we were at a "blah" stage of progression in our levels). So I gave him suggestions and he made it into a story arc (a "set of missions" if you will). It made the character transfer memorable for everyone and really let my character's backstory more interesting and notable by everyone at the table. At least moreso than another player who just joined the party as "random prisoner we find in our big bad evil genius' lair (tm)".
So windows doesn't support any Operating Systems now?
Save Energy! Conversation is Cool! *Powers down server without telling anyone 12 hours before big final project is due.*
Any form of communication might be used for nefarious purposes. touch, sight, taste, smell.
What does "bomb X tomorrow?" taste like?
-USB Support -Global Win95 .exe support
-Micro Projector with extra and easily replaceable bulb.
-Projector keyboard.
Only medically and in areas in which "your heart stops beating" is considered "dead".
Hopefully the ESRB will lose its power in the industry and games will be able to flourish as movies did prior to their censorship by the MPAA. Putting a "18+" sticker on a game should be the responsibility of the game designers. Knowing if the game is appropriate for their children or not is a responsibility of the parent. Refusing to stock games with an 18+ sticker as a major retailer, however, only limits the already pretty limited (by technology and marketing) creative potential of game developers.
Explaining to your child why an adult game or movie or program isn't for him or her is surprisingly easy to. "Its not that these games will hurt you or control you or that your not smart enough to understand the material within these games. Its simply that they weren't designed for you. Like watching C-SPAN or the history channel or reading a book on Nietzche instead of a comic book. If you want to play these games, watch some adult television and read some of these books first. Your not missing out on anything."
9 times out of 10, that's the truth too. Honestly, I've enjoyed many "childrens" games just as much as "adult" games. Putting sexual, violent or otherwise inappropriate content into your game doesn't make it a better or worse game. Saying it does it like claiming science fiction settings are better than fantasy settings for roleplaying games...
PI IS EXACTLY THREE!
Getting cards via trading with the online ticket system is generally cheaper. Most rares go for half a ticket (.50) whereas in real life most "crap shot rares" sell at stores for 1.00. $20 cards can be traded for $15 worth of tickets, etc... However, getting booster packs for drafts is more expensive then buying packs in real life. Each pack is around $3.50-$4.00, depending on your source. The game has a valid and legal secondary and primary market, so when I made my above post I was referring to the expense of the primary market's sealed products compared to the relative cheapness of the secondary markets single cards.
Magic online is quite fun. The fact you can turn your set of online cards into a complete set of real cards makes it feel "worthwhile" (as you can earn something tangible). You can draft almost 24/7, get cards relatively cheaper online than in real life, find lots of card give aways and there's some online exclusive formats (avatar and pauper). Unfortunately, the UI leaves much to be desired (although it works pretty well) and your likely to lag out quite often (just switch between the store tab and game tab. If it says there's an error, close the program and rejoin and you'll usually find yourself back at your draft/game). The game helps you with rules nicely as well (especially timing rules). However, buying cards can get quite expensive since they sell packs at MSRP, which almost no card shop sells the packs at (the best around my house sell at around 60% MSRP actually).
No mention of tabletop games in the article what-so-ever. While the big companies are releasing more and more (Fight Klub, MTG2010, Celestial Edition, 4E PHB2), there are a slew of independent tabletop designers who have begun to take it upon themselves to grasp what they believe is a hobby dying in the unfortunate grips of economic woes (its generally more expensive per-game to produce an individual unit of a tabletop game as ink, cardstock, paper, plastic, lead and paint are more expensive than a CD). More and more of the big tabletop gaming companies are trying to integrate new technology and break into new markets but risk losing their diehard fans as a consequence of both the limitations of new mediums and the lure of designing exclusive content for these mediums that leave out those who prefer not to touch them (Warhammer Online; Magic for Xbox; Magic Online; Dungeons and Dragons 4E's online content).
Its Schrodinger's stimulus!
Wait...Ron Paul won?
I guess after this they can get to work on the *important* things. Like giving us wings, tails, claws, snake-slit eyes and other mostly cosmetic features...
I feel kinda sorry for the HIV Patients they are using as Guinea pigs though.
Well, the comma is un-questionably the sluttiest punctuation mark in the english language; personally I prefer the exoticism of the semi-colon, but people exclaim that I'm some kind of fetishist!
The best argument I've heard is: why would you want to pay money to sit around doing nothing? Its simply gluttonous to spend your free time wasting away and flitting away...its also very sad. It depresses me when I see my neighbor barely pass high school as he sponges off the government for welfare in a house his hardworking grandparents paid off generations ago. The time you spend smoking can be spent advancing your knowledge (reading a book or even watching some good TV), learning some trade or skill (hobbies like cooking, basketweaving or sewing come to mind) or just debating ethics online. Its easy to say "just let them have the freedom to waste their lives", but last time I checked suicide was still illegal and discouraged in this society. Some people believe you have a right to waste your life...I think its so sad that I'd rather not encourage them...