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Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 4 docks

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 04:27 PM CST

screen3_large.jpg


Stardock, mainly a name famous for their desktop enhancement products rather than their games, have today launched the forth phase in beta testing for their sci-fi real time strategy, Sins of a Solar Empire. The game seems to have some rather complex mechanics judging from some of the posts on their forum, yet the only way to access the beta test is to pre-order the game, which is slightly annoying, as personally I'd love to try it out, but not to pay and all.

Anyway, check out the forum topic here.
See article.



Need for Speed ProStreet hits the demo!

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 04:14 PM CST

need-for-speed-pro-street-01-l.jpg


FileFront has a demo up for the next installment in the aggressive street racing series that Need For Speed has become. What has happened to the old, non "street" Need for Speed games? They were good honest fun rather than the sometimes over the top tat that the "street" racers are.

Anyway, mini rant over, the demo runs in at a tad over 700mb, and should contain some fun racing, if you are into this kind of driving game. Give us an opinion if you tried it out!
See article.



Guitar Hero III May Fall Short of Demand

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 05:10 PM CST

Activision expects “unprecedented” inventory of the recently-released Guitar Hero III, but even at that, the firm warns of possible shortages of the smash hit.

Halo 3 Relates To Suicide Bombers

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 04:41 PM CST

BLOG—In a thought-provoking article, Wired’s Clive Thompson discusses how his lack of skill in Halo 3 has caused him to adopt a kamikaze kill method, musing on how the act is strangely parallel to real life suicide bombing.

Activision Announces Record Quarter, Forecasts $1 Billion On GH3 Success

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:01 PM CST

Activision has revealed financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2007, announcing net revenues for the second quarter of $317.7 million, driven by the success of the Guitar Hero franchise and Transformers, and marking a 69% increase over the same quarter in the previous fiscal year. Profits for the quarter were $4.9 million, compared to a net loss of $21.3 million for the second quarter of last fiscal year. The company saw ...

ProStreetPrj 2 | NFS11 Grip 模式的弯道指示器

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 11:52 AM CST

加班刚到家,简单的说一下这个东西。图片来不及了,改天奉上,倒时请务必再次赏光。引用上次一张图

ProStreet在Grip模式下,在弯位会有一条标记线来告诉玩家正确的,或者说最佳的行车线路。这个设计并非prostreet首创,规则也很简单。

最佳线路指示最早为大众所接受来自GT,赛道在最佳线路上标出一条等宽的虚线,一段一段的。蓝色覆盖的段落表示可以加速,红色覆盖的段落表示减速。白色的段落则自由安置或滑行。GT中线路的色彩是固定的。即最佳方式唯一。

Forza 继承了 GT 最佳线路指示系统,并作了改进。首先是颜色变化,绿色表示可以加速,红色表示需要减速。不使用白色填补空白,而是使用黄色作为过渡色。另外一个变化就是动态指示。所谓动态指示,变化的不是指示线的位置,而是指示线的颜色会随着玩家的驾驶变化。

在整个行驶路线中,每辆赛车在每个点都有其对应的最佳车速。当然,在直线上,这个速度为正无穷。当玩家的车速低于极限车速时,线路呈绿色。表示可以继续加速。而当速度高于极限速度时,线路呈红色。根据这个并不复杂的规则,玩家就会看到自己应该做什么……

当玩家看到绿色和红色的变化点的时候,那个点显然就是玩家需要进行动作的刹车点。而当红色变为绿色的点则为从减速转为加速的油门点。当车速越来越高时,速度高于极限的距离会越来越长,玩家就会看出来自己的刹车距离越来越长,反之亦然。

方法不错,因为动态的刹车油门提示可以适应玩家不同赛车的需要(GT的指示线并非适用全部车辆,只有针对一些车型准确) ,同时也可以在玩家没有保持住路线之后清晰的提示玩家应该做什么(GT中玩家常常在接近失控时发现引导线是蓝色,究竟是该减速还是加速毫无概念)。但反过来说,也有一些小问题。

最严重的就是动态基准的问题。因为红色和绿色的范围会在玩家行驶的过程中不断变化,所以玩家其实并不能清晰的明确正确的驾驶操作位置——究竟什么时候应该踩油门,究竟应该什么时候踩刹车。甚至最严重的情况是,在过弯过程中,一脚油门下去,线路红了。松开油门,线路又绿了。飘摆不定。用个简单的比喻,如何才能用一根有弹性的尺子来测量物体的长短呢?

ProStreet 沿用了大部分 Forza 的设计,并且进行了一些改进。取消了无限速部分的线路指示。

譬如当玩家的赛车从弯道行驶上直道之后,路面上的指示就消失了。因为此时此刻,路面不管怎样玩家总归是要踩满油门的不是……弯道上的部分和Forza保持了类似的设计。即根据玩家的赛车和车速来调整线路中的绿色和红色部分。玩家只需要按照指示器上的颜色来控制赛车的油门和刹车即可。

至于如何最佳化的利用这个指示。请关注介时刊登在《家用电脑与游戏》杂志上的对应指南。这里就先卖关子了。

这次就写到这里……睡觉去,睡觉去…… 

Activision Q2 revenues up 69 per cent

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 03:44 PM CST

Activision has announced financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2007, with a 69 per cent in net revenues

Guitar Hero Leads Activision's Record Q2

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 03:44 PM CST

Activision has beat its fiscal guidance on the success of Guitar Hero, Transformers and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, as expectations for the holiday quarter exceed $1 billion.

IGDA proposes game credits standards

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 03:20 PM CST

The International Game Developers Association is pushing for an industry-wide adoption of professional standards in game credits

Black Squirrel!

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 12:26 PM CST

Black_squirrel Yehuda (who is currently in Canada) included this picture on a recent blog post... this is precisely what I've been looking for all around the world, although alas not yet successfully. It's a grey squirrel, but with black fur. There are populations in several places (including Canada), but I have not been lucky enough to find one yet. I must find an excuse to visit Ontario again... If anyone else has black squirrels in their part of the world, please let me know!

Rock Band Goes Gold [Gold Dvd]

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 02:20 PM CST

gold_record_steve.jpgIt's not that Guitar Hero III is a complete abomination, though the head to head mode really does little for us; it's that Rock Band looks so f'ing good. So when we heard that Rock Band had just gone gold, our heart skipped a beat—right before we recreated certain scenes from Risky Business (...not that we've ever seen the movie, we swear) and scarred our cat for life.

So for the next 5 minutes, I'm going to forget that Rock Band bundles will be the only available incarnations of the game at release, and that the USB conglomerations for both PS3 and Xbox 360 fall somewhere between disappointing and horrendous. Hit the jump for the full press release, unadulterated by my killjoy nature.

Cambridge, Massachusetts- November 5, 2007 - Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) along with distribution partner Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced today that its highly anticipated music videogame Rock Band™ has gone gold, is in final production and manufacturing, and set for launch. The Rock Band Special Edition Bundle will be available in North America on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system November 20th for the suggested retail price of $169.99. In addition Rock Band for PLAYSTATION®2 computer entertainment system will be in stores on December 18th for the suggested retail price of $159.99.

"Rock Band is a true symbol of Harmonix's vision, dedication and passion for music and after two years of development, we are thrilled that Rock Band is finally ready to get in the hands of rock fans everywhere," said Alex Rigopolous, CEO of Harmonix. "We have a small army filling our warehouses with final product, ready for our November 20th ship date so players can fulfill their rock and roll aspirations. Now, our focus is putting together an amazing selection of downloadable music content for players so players can continue to further customize their Rock Band experience post launch."

Details on the Rock Band Special Edition Bundle:
· The Xbox 360 version of the Rock Band Special Edition Bundle will feature a wired drum kit, microphone and Fender Stratocaster guitar controller as well as a USB hub for easy plug-in access for all instruments.
· The PLAYSTATION 3 system version of the Rock Band Special Edition Bundle will feature a wired drum kit an d microphone, as well as a wireless Fender Stratocaster guitar controller, which will be interoperable between the PlayStation 2 system and PLAYSTATION 3 system.
· The Rock Band Special Edition Bundle for the PlayStation 2 system will feature a wired drum kit, wired microphone, wireless Fender Stratocaster guitar controller and a USB hub.
· Suggested retail pricing for standalone Rock Band software for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system versions will be $59.99.
· Standalone instrument peripherals for Rock Band, including a wireless guitar option for the Xbox 360, will be available at a later date to be announced.
· The standalone Rock Band software will support a variety of 3rd-party instrument peripherals as well as enable owners to share peripherals with those who o wn the Special Edition bundle.

Partnerships with instrument giants including Fender® Musical Instruments Corporation, Roland Corpation, BOSS, Ludwig, Line 6, Ernie Ball, Electro-Harmonix, Vic Firth, and Zildjian ensure authenticity of the look and feel of in-game play, while the Rock Band instruments, including the Fender Stratocaster® guitar controller, are designed by real world musicians.

Rock Band will ship in Europe in the first quarter of 2008 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 system and PLAYSTATION 2 system.

Rock Band is rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

EA will serve as the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Rock Band, managing distribution for the game in US, Europe and Australia.

Rock Band is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game chall enges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune - all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Built on unprecedented partnerships with artists, record labels and music publishers, the 58 tracks in Rock Band will span the full range of rock music and include original master recordings from the greatest songs and artists of all time. For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

[picture]

This Week's XBLA Releases Are Puzzling, In A Good Way [Releases]

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:40 PM CST

46971fc22ce6f_featured_without_text_Switchball_2007-03-30_15-04-29-06.jpgThis Wednesday, look for new releases Switchball and Word Puzzle on Xbox Live Arcade. While we don't know much about word-search-with-bombs title Word Puzzle, we really enjoyed our time with Switchball way back at E3. So for any marble game fiends, it's a promising download. Both games run 800 points (lesser known as $10).

On a side note, wouldn't a marble fiend fan group be fantastic? We could arrange lectures, readings and dicussions...all about marbles and their many incarnations in not-so-popular culture. Not interested? What if we tempt you with some matching embroidered polos? Yeah, thought so.

Xbox Live Arcade gets a double dose of puzzles
[siliconera]

MMO Magic: Turbine Talks Lord Of The Rings Online

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

Gamasutra sat down with Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel and Adam Mersky to discuss the state of MMOs and the company's own Lord Of The Rings Online, touching on gold farming, content expansion plans, working with Tolkien Enterprises, and the future of online games.

Antitrust Regulators Greenlight BioWare/Pandemic Acquisition

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 11:14 AM CST

Antitrust regulators have cleared Electronic Arts' $775 million purchase of BioWare and Pandemic Studios parent VG Holding Corp from Elevation Partners, a private equity fund which includes Bono among its investors. The Associated Press is reporting that the Federal Trade Commission included the deal on a list of transactions that received an "early termination" of their antitrust reviews, meaning that the review was completed prior to the end of a 30-day period mandated by antitrust ...

Ubisoft Acquires Japanese Hamsterz Life Developer

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 08:28 AM CST

Ubisoft has announced its acquisition of Digital Kids, the Japanese development studio that has worked on several titles for Ubisoft's Petz line of games, including Hamsterz Life. The studio, which has offices in Nagoya and Osaka, currently has a team of 20 developers who specialize in games for the Nintendo DS. According to Ubisoft, the acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of the 2007-08 fiscal year. The acquisition is part of what ...

Wednesday XBLA Update To Include Word Puzzle, Switchball

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 08:36 AM CST

Microsoft has announced that this Wednesday's regularly-scheduled Xbox Live Arcade update will see the previously-announced addition of two new titles: Interserv's Word Puzzle and Sierra Online's Switchball. Word Puzzle is an arcade update on the traditional pen-and-paper word search game, featuring 3D boards, exploding word bombs and various "synapse-melting" challenges and effects. It features five game modes and multiplayer support for up to four players and Xbox Live Vision Camera support, and is available for ...

Playlogic Closes $12.3m Funding Round

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 06:01 AM CST

Officials from Dutch publisher Playlogic (Age Of Pirates, Obscure 2) have announced that the company has secured $12.3 million in new equity through a private placement at the end of its third financial quarter. The publisher, which was recently granted publisher status by Sony Computer Entertainment America and signed a new publishing deal in North America with Ignition, has now completed a $10 million private placement, which included both the issuance of new shares and ...

Iwata Sees End of Traditional Console Cycles

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 05:38 AM CST

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has expressed in detail the company's evolving approach to creating new hardware formats, ruling out any early successor to the DS - and suggesting that the traditional five year cycle of new console generations may no longer be relevant. Following the company's record half year sales results, an extensive interview with Iwata has been translated into English on the company's website. With input from other Nintendo executives, including Shigeru Miyamoto and ...

GDAA Meets With Australian Government Over Tax Call

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 05:26 AM CST

The Game Developers' Association of Australia said that an Australian Government Minister for the Arts and Sport Senator George Brandis has met with a GDAA delegation headed by CEO Greg Bondar, and including game developers Mike Fegan, CEO of Melbourne-based IR Gurus and Martin Cooper CEO of Sydney's Team Bondi. The GDAA has been petitioning the Federal Government of Australia in a continuing effort to gain a 40 percent rebate for the games industry in ...

Analyst: Guitar Hero Vs. Rock Band, The Showdown

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 05:25 AM CST

Just ahead of Activision's fiscal results announcement, and in the wake of the release of Guitar Hero III, Citigroup analyst Brent Thill admits, "we tirelessly spent a week getting our licks in perfecting our face-melting solos." In that vein, the analyst details the firm's take on the title, weighing in on the upcoming Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band battle set to go down this Holiday season in retail. After giving Guitar Hero III a test-drive ...

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Nov 6, 2007, 6:14:19 PM11/6/07
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Dating Tips Based On Console Choice

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 05:13 PM CST

BLOG—A feature on MSN details what their experts think a man’s choice of videogame console says about who they are.

Jeff Vogel on Why Single-Player Games Are Here To Stay

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 05:03 PM CST

Jeff Vogel, indie RPG developer, has penned his tenth "View From the Bottom" article, this one on the reason single-player games aren't going to go anywhere in the mad rush for multiplayer or massively-multiplayer goodness.

View From the Bottom #10 On RPGVault

Do I disagree? Not in the least.

In fact, I get pretty bored playing multiplayer games against or with strangers. Granted, once you get to know the "regulars" of a game or join a guild they may cease to be strangers. But unless I can find existing friends to play with, I'd rather play a single-player game.

Did you enjoy this article? Be sure and check out past articles and the comments HERE.

Rampant Games: Games With Personality!

Our Newest Games: Virtual Villagers 2 and Cute Knight Deluxe

NCsoft purchases City of Heroes IP from Cryptic

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 04:08 PM CST

Cryptic Studios has sold its intellectual and proprietary rights to the City of Heroes and City of Villains franchises to MMO publisher NCsoft

Harmonix Rocks on iPod

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 03:13 PM CST

It seems natural that Hamonix is bringing the game Phase to the iPod.

<b>GalGame</b>全介绍

Posted: 26 Oct 2007 05:29 PM CDT

每次都有朋友问我GGM是什么意思,我总会微笑着告诉他,是GALGAME MIX的意思,接下来的问题更让我习惯却难以回答:“GALGAME是什么意思?”大部分情况下我都会苦笑着说可能是日本鬼子们那世界上最为难听的日式英语里“GIRLGAME”的发音,至于小日本那说出来和 ...

Credit Where It's Due: IGDA's Della Rocca Speaks Out

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 05:56 AM CST

The IGDA has recently begun a push for industry-wide adoption of crediting standards in games, in the wake of claims, originally broken by Gamasutra, that a number of Rockstar Vienna employees were missing from the credits of Manhunt 2. To that end, the company has released a public beta of its Credit Standards Guide, which was posted in September to the IGDA's members for feedback. The Credit Standards Committee chair, John Feil, will also host ...

工作日记

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 12:35 PM CST

在目前的公司推行的项目责任制。每个项目都由专人负责,经常有项目并行,一个人会在一个月内担负起3-5个小项目的责任。但经过两个月的适应和发现。目前的项目责任制出现了很多问题。

1.策划与项目管理的精力分配。从专职策划转型之项目管理有一定的适应期。在并行项目多的情况下,一天可能需要对几个项目同时开始一定沟通。对于策划与项目管理,目前自我感觉二者必须侧重其一。各用一半力,肯定两个都做不好。

2.部分项目前期需求收集阶段没有充分交流。导致在产品昨晚只有上层对产品提出的修改建议过多。

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The History of Atari: 1971-1977

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

Atari is the pioneer in the history of video games, yet its comprehensive history has never been compiled - until now. Gamasutra is delighted to present the first of Steve Fulton's canonical three-part history of the company, taking us from Computer Space to the VCS.

PlayLogic Revenues Up on SCEE Deal

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 02:13 PM CST

Publisher PlayLogic has reported higher sales and a return to profit for its fiscal third quarter.

CONFIRMED: EA Chicago Shuttering

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 02:13 PM CST

UPDATE - A leaked internal memo says that Def Jam and Fight Night studio EA Chicago is closing down due to lack of profitability.

Harmonix Debuts Phase for iPod

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 09:28 AM CST

Guitar Hero developer Harmonix, along with Viacom's MTV Games, has announced the release of a new interactive rhythm/music title, Phase, available on the iTunes Store for play on the video-enabled iPod Nano, iPod classic and the fifth-generation iPod. Phase works with the music already stored on a user's iPod, and the game is played using the iPod's click wheel to tap and glide along with the songs. There are two gameplay modes: QuickSpin, which lets ...

邪恶的是另外的人

Posted: 02 Nov 2007 12:42 AM CDT

布克曼:我认为Magnatune适合一切“人们希望在买之前品尝一下”的媒体类型,比如独立电影、独立游戏和书。 三联生活周刊:有人认为,CC协议是针对美国那种版权保护过度的国家,鉴于中国的版权情况,CC协议没什么用处,您怎么认为? ...

World Fantasy Awards Winners

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 12:24 PM CST

Locus Online  has the scoop.

And I haven’t read ANY of them. Yikes.

EA closing Chicago studio

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 12:58 PM CST

An internal memo from EA Games president Frank Gibeau confirms that the company is closing its Chicago studio

NPD Confirms Data Scale-Back

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 01:13 PM CST

The NPD Group has told Next-Gen why it has chosen to scale back the amount of game sales data released to non-paying customers, but not all hope is lost for Internet stat carnivores.

Analysts: Guitar Hero Will Remain Champ

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 01:13 PM CST

Analysts are predicting that the fledgling Rock Band will do little to impact the sales of the Guitar Hero franchise.

Breaking: EA Chicago Studio To Close

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 09:46 AM CST

Electronic Arts is to close its Chicago office (Fight Night, Def Jam series) with the loss of 146 jobs as part of its recently announced internal restructuring, according to an internal memo from EA Games head Frank Gibeau. The memo, which was passed on both to Reuters and Kotaku guest editor Geoff Keighley, who reprinted it in full on the popular weblog, reveals that the studio, which was opened in 2004 and was the subject ...

Denis Dyack on PS3 vs. Xbox 360 [Console Wars]

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 12:40 PM CST

too-human-20060809070708230.jpgI don't think that Dennis Dyack, fearless leader of Silicon Knights, is really a fan of any console platform that's different from another. But that's not going to stop him from weighing in on the epic, Xbox 360 Vs. PS3 processing power debates that we so enjoy.

The 360 and the PS3 are equal in power in my eyes. Maybe the PS has more processing power. The 360 has more available memory. It's pretty much a net, net.
Wait, the consoles are nets that are made to catch nets? But which net can catch nets better??

Developer Profile: Silicon Knights, And Where Is Too Human Anyway?
[via n4g]

EA Confirms EA Chicago is Closing [Breaking]

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 12:15 PM CST

kotaku_eachicago.jpg
EA Chicago has gone down for the count. I can exclusively report that EA is closing the studio effective immediately. Word is that EA is working hard to place many of the 150+ employees at its other studios around the world. What does this mean for the future of the Def Jam fighting franchise and the forthcoming Marvel fighting game? I'm still looking into that, but it sure seems like those games won't be coming anytime soon.

A source has also leaked me with the surprisingly honest memo sent to EA employees from Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games. In it he says:


"Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability....Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn't been able to meet that standard....Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I've made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there."

This was no doubt an extremely difficult decision for EA. I was at the Chicago studio this summer to tape an episode of Game Head on the new Marvel fighting game and it was a beautiful facility with very talented developers.

Read the full memo from EA after the jump...

FROM FRANK GIBEAU Today we are announcing the closure of our studio in Chicago. This is a difficult decision but we are convinced it's the right thing to do for the future of the Games Label and EA.

Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability. We recognize that games require large investments and extended development cycles. We're willing to take risks, make long-term investments, and to support teams and individuals between launches. But each team is responsible for staying on a reasonable path to profitability. Sticking to that strategy is what gives us the financial resources and flexibility to take risks on new projects.

Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn't been able to meet that standard. The location has grown dramatically in the past three years while revenue from the games developed there has not. The number of employees has grown from 49 in 2004 to 146 people currently in the new facility in downtown Chicago. As it stands, EA Chicago has no expectation of hitting our profitability targets until FY2011 or later.

Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I've made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there. I've enjoyed their games and consider GM Kudo Tsunoda to be one of the best creative minds in our industry. The people impacted by this decision will be treated fairly - we're offering relocation opportunities to many and there will be outplacement assistance and severance for all eligible employees.

I know this decision will be unsettling to many beyond those who work in Chicago. It's important that you understand that we are willing to take creative risks and make long-term investments in people and projects. But the city/state philosophy demands that every project be committed to delivering a reasonable expectation of profitability. It's a performance commitment that binds us together and ensures we have the resources we need to invest back into our people and creative output.

Finally, when EA announced our quarterly earnings last week, John and Warren referenced facility closures. We had planned to include Chicago in that communication but a personal tragedy in the studio - the death of a colleague - resulted in our delaying the announcement out of respect for his family and friends. I apologize for any confusion or concern that caused.

I think you'll find that in addition to tackling some serious challenges, we are making great progress on our business. Consumers have responded well to our new IP and quality scores are tracking up. We are proud of our recent hits, such as Skate and the success we have made in making a solid game with The Simpsons. And we're looking forward to breakout hits like Need For Speed Pro Street, Rockband, Burnout Paradise, Battlefield Bad Company, Army of Two, Crysis, and more in the future with Mass Effect and Mercenaries 2 World in Flames.

We're definitely headed in the right direction.

Frank

Fighting In Assassin's Creed [Clips]

Posted: 06 Nov 2007 12:00 PM CST

Assassin's Creed Creative Director Patrice Diselets delivers this installment of the AC developer diary, which focuses on the combat of the game, or what happens after you take down your target. He covers the control scheme, weapons, and most importantly - how to escape from an entire city chasing you through the streets, hell bent on tearing you to pieces. If only I had this knowledge back in 92...but that's another story.

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Double Fusion Announces Kuma, Aeria Deals

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 11:28 AM CST

In-game ad firm Double Fusion has announced two new deals, a multi-year agreement with episodic game producer Kuma Games to place ads in its free-to-play titles and a partnership with Aeria Games to drive advertising revenues for Aeria's Project Torque MMO. The deal with Kuma brings the publisher's original and television-based episodic titles, which include Kuma/War, DinoHunters, The History Channel's Dogfights and others into Double Fusion's ad network, enabling participating companies to advertise to the ...

EA Filing Reveals GameStop/Wal-Mart Reliance, SEC Options Settling

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 11:16 AM CST

Major publisher Electronic Arts has filed its 10-Q, with voluminous details regarding the company's finances for the quarter ended September 20th, 2007 - for which the firm recently announced results. Hidden in there are several interesting details on EA's product mix, retailer reliance, and other matters, which we're laying out as follows: Publisher Reliance On Specific Retailers? The company's filing revealed some interesting facts -- among them, that EA's direct sales to GameStop stores (its ...

GameStop Highlights Holiday Season Trends

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 08:33 AM CST

Citing growing consumer interest beyond the traditional audience, video game retailer GameStop has announced its top picks for the upcoming holiday season among some 500 titles, sorting audience by area of interest, in a move aimed at simplifying the gift-giving process for a new crop of game purchasers. For "The Music Enthusiast," GameStop recommends both Activision's Guitar Hero III and MTV Games' Rock Band, declining to back either horse in one of the biggest races ...

Zero Punctuation And The Phantom Hourglass [Clips]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 03:00 PM CST

This week's Zero Punctuation sees Yahtzee go head to head with Nintendo's reviewer masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, coming to the inevitable conclusion that the next Zelda game would be much better were it Okami. This is of course true for most games released these days, but I'm not going to point that out to him lest he disembowel me with a well aimed, super-speed tirade.

Zero Punctuation: Phantom Hourglass [The Escapist]

The Cake Goes To Portal's Commentary [Commentary]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 02:40 PM CST

cakefl3.jpgThe best part of Orange Box's Portal is, without a doubt, playing it. But the optional developer commentary comes in a close second. For those of you who've played the game but not taken the time to walk through the levels and click on the cleanly-interfaced word bubbles, we urge you to. Consider it the equivalent of a DVD commentary, but with the directors explaining how they subtly manipulated your perception instead of some actor's coke habit. You'll feel like the luckiest lab rat in town. But Portal got us wondering, why don't more games include commentaries?

If the industry wants to upsell us with special limited editions, why not look beyond the Master Chief helmets and DVD documentaries? The same goes for DLC. Why limit the imagination to strategical tactics and bonus missions when content can be offered to enhance a gamer's appreciation of what they already have...requiring less of an investment on everyone's part?

So studios, if you are listening, we want more commentaries. Let us know what geniuses you are, the impetus behind every little spec of bloom lighting. Because while the 10-minute documentaries are nice, why not exploit the interactive model that you already do so well?


PS3 Firmware 2.0 Interface Video [Clips]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 02:20 PM CST



While Sony's PS3 firmware 2.0 update mostly led to crying over a lack of in-game XMB in our comments, here's a sneak peak for the rest of you who are still interested in seeing the future. Check out the new playlist function—it seems like without much more work to the interface Sony could have combined music and photos for some simple pre-programmable slideshows. Sure, laugh it up. But in the Wilson household we love watching our photos in high def.

Video: Check out the new PS3 firmware [gamesradar]

NCsoft Thanks Players With CoH Goodness [City Of Heroes]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 02:00 PM CST

cohheroes.jpgYesterday NCsoft announced the purchase of full ownership of the City of Heroes games, and now they're thanking fans for their support in a big way. Since City of Villains release, players have had to purchase both in order to play for the other team, but now NCsoft has unlocked both sides for everyone! Players who only had access to one faction from now on have both. Neat! Other incentives include a complete debt wipe after the launch of the Episode 11: A Stitch In Time update, along with a Supergroup prestige bonus of 20,000 per character, amounting to up to 3,000,000. That's relatively insane. Finally they've announced that all players named Michael Fahey get to play the game for free forever, with the exception of Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, who gets more search results in Google than I do. Okay, that last one might have been a lie, but still! NCsoft loves their City of players!

GTA IV, You'll Get It When You Get It [Delays]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 01:40 PM CST

gta4-1.jpgIn a recent conference, Take 2 chariman Strauss Zelnick refused to be more specific on a release date for GTA IV than the vague February to April 2008 time frame offered following the game's delay. He explained:

We're going to give a firm date when we are utterly convinced that we have it and that isn't right now...we're not in the business of disappointing investors.
And it makes sense, because unless Zelnick can promise GTA IV by December, Take 2 won't be looking any better to investors or fans.

Take 2 refuses to pinpoint GTA IV release
[gamesindustry]

From Drawing Board To WiiWare [Feature]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 01:00 PM CST

nicwatt.jpgYou'd better believe there's money to be made on Nintendo's upcoming WiiWare. An already-massive installed base, cheap development costs and no retail middle-man? It's going to be like some kind of gaming goldrush (sans the toothless grins, fightin' words and corseted lady-folk of questionable morals). Want to know, then, how to get a piece of the action and get a game on the service?

Nic Watt (pictured above) knows. And he knows that if you're an aspiring developer with a big idea but a small bank balance, WiiWare might be just what you're looking for. Watt's Creative Director at startup Aussie dev Nnooo! Games, who are the team behind the recently-announced Pop for WiiWare. Being the first Wetern game announced for the service, and also being located in Sydney, I caught up with Nic and found out how he and his small team have turned a simple game idea from a lazy daydream into a real, honest-to-God WiiWare title.

Turns out the whole thing involved a bit of planning, a bit of know-how and, as is often the case, a bit of luck. Moving to Australia from the UK in 2006 to establish his own studio, but without a platform to develop on, Watt decided to get in touch with an old friend at Nintendo of America. See what was shaking. They got talking, and Watt got to asking about how the Wii was going with regards to an XBLA-ish downloadable games service.

He was told yes, actually, something like that was coming. So the two stayed in contact, and Nnooo ended up pitching a bunch of game ideas to Nintendo. Some "very complex", others very, very simple. None were functional demos, mind - they were just very rough, very general ideas. But Nintendo liked what they heard. So on the strength of naught but a bunch of game ideas, Nnooo signed some NDAs, were told about WiiWare and promptly sent a dev kit to get to work on.

Now they just needed a game. Of the 10-15 ideas which they pitched to Nintendo, they settled on Pop, a game Watt describes as drawing from influences like Every Extend Extra, Tetris, Lumines, Geometry Wars and even Elektroplankton.

"We are aiming for an experience which is simple to understand but gets under your skin and keeps you entranced for long periods of time", he says of the game's core ideas. After mocking up a PC version using mouse controls, which helped the team "get a feel for whether it would be fun or not", work began on Pop in April of this year, just before WiiWare's official announcement.

So why WiiWare? Easy answer: it's low-risk, high-return development. It works for people like Watt, who has a small team and a small budget. "The great thing about WiiWare and services like it is we can offer titles at a lower cost than their disc based counterparts" Watt says. "This means that an apparently simple title like Pop can be sold for a significantly less than the US$40+ one would pay for a disc based game."

OK, but why WiiWare specifically? Why not XBLA or PSN? The PlayStation Network especially has shown it's willing to take a risk on small games with big ideas. But Watt was sold on Nintendo's particular approach to the service. When it comes to WiiWare titles, it's ideas Nintendo are focusing on, not names, team sizes or budgets.

After all, Watt and Nnooo were sent a dev kit on the back of nothing more than a handful of game ideas. Not reputation (though the devs have been drawn from Nintendo, Visual Science, Sierra, SCi, EA and Team Bondi), not a large up-front investment and certainly not an expensive, risky and time-consuming demo. "Nintendo understand not only that small companies like ours cannot afford to create loads of demos in the hope of getting a game signed but also that the Wii is quite unique and you really need to get access to the hardware to be able to make a decent game, demo or prototype."

Which doesn't sound like the Nintendo we know. But then, Watt says at least some Western WiiWare titles are being groomed and overseen by Nintendo of America. So rather than simply acting as the traditional localiser and distributor for Japanese titles, NoA will be handling the acquisition and publishing of Western WiiWare titles themselves. Giving a non-Japanese division that kind of clout is an uncharacteristic step for Nintendo, and a welcome one for a company still struggling with its Japano-centric business strategies.

Other aspects of the service I asked about were either covered by Watt's NDA or are still undecided. They're still mulling over whether to include the ability to feature demos of titles, for example, while he couldn't tell me a Western release date or pricing structure for the games either (though you can expect the games to be cheap).

As we finish up I let Watt get one final plug in for the game by asking what exactly it's going be like. Mostly because their initial description came off sounding a little sparse, and led to a little bit of tongue-flapping.

"Like Every Extend Extra, Geometry Wars, Tetris and Lumines Pop has waves of gameplay which get progressively more challenging and fast paced", he says. "It also has deep mechanics in its scoring which allow experienced players to not only score high but also jump past easy levels quickly so they can get to the harder ones".

That make things any clearer? Pop should be out at, or very close to, the launch of WiiWare in the West. Which will be sometime next year.

Ubisoft Aiming For Nintendo Quality Next Year [Nintendoes]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 12:58 PM CST

rabbid2.jpgUbisoft CEO Yves Guillemot appears to be a pretty straight shooter. Because after explaining to Next Generation that his company had between 400 and 500 people developing for the Wii, he boasted (or admitted, depending how you read it) that Ubisoft will be making "Nintendo-like quality" games by next year. Of course, in saying that he implies that Ubisoft's big November Wii release Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is not of Nintendo caliber—for anyone who assumed the game was synonymous with Super Mario Galaxy. But at the same time, it's refreshing to hear third parties admitting imperfection and striving for quality on the platform (even if the justification is how much freakin' cash it will make them).

Ubisoft: We'll Have "Nintendo-Like" Quality
[nextgen]

Making The WiiSaber Is Hard [Noted]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 12:40 PM CST

nintendo-wii-lightsaber-star-wars-game-coming-this-fall-from-lucasarts.jpgWe already know that the WiiSaber (that's Wii lightsaber...learn it, live it, love it) is coming, but just how hard is the task of design? Very hard. Like, it will be tough to get right, hard. And it's not just because of the Wiimote itself—according to TT Games' Jonathan Smith—one major developer behind the original Lego Star Wars games.

...the way you have to tackle the animation for a character that can mimic your movements is quite intimidating...When I play a game I want to feel like I'm a Jedi, not like I'm some kind of imbecile who just keeps on stabbing stuff in the guts. You're not going to be able to fight with style because you won't know how to put the moves together.
It seems like we're in need of a standardized lightsaber battle curriculum. Time for community colleges to step it up.

Will we ever get complete control of Star Wars' lighty-up sticks? [gamesradar] [picture]


Official Word On Target Manhunt 2 Ban [Censorship]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 12:20 PM CST

targetban.jpgA couple of days ago the rumors started popping up: Target was pulling Manhunt 2 from store shelves across the country. Now GameSpot (must not type GameStop) has the official word from the company on the reasoning behind the ban.

"Target strives to provide merchandise that will appeal to a wide variety of guests. We also want guests to be comfortable with the purchasing decisions they make at Target. All video games and computer software sold at Target currently carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)--from early childhood through mature audiences. While Manhunt 2 was given a Mature rating by the ERSB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code. As a result, we have decided not to carry the game."
Note that I am no longer finding the game on Target's web site either, but they do still sell the guide in case you suck that badly.

Target pulls Manhunt 2 from shelves? [GameSpot]

Mass Effect Special Coming to SCI FI One Day Late [TV]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 11:40 AM CST

Picture-46.jpgUntil Mass Effect is released on Nov. 20th and faces our impossibly high geek expectations, we can only comb over press releases for nuggets of missed goodness. That's how we realized that we'd completely missed the announcement that SCI FI, who has partnered like crazy with the game already, will be airing the 30-minute special Sci vs. Fi: Mass Effect on launch day. As we willingly inject ourselves with advertisement for a game we could otherwise be playing, we'll see:

...more in-depth information about the game, exclusive interviews and exciting behind-the scenes footage.
While this is a really neat idea and many of us will still tune in (via DVR), why wouldn't SCI FI run the special before we're playing the game, like on the 19th?

Mass Effect on SCI FI [scifi]

Cory Barlog's Cryptic Blog Entry [Rumor]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 11:21 AM CST

kotaku_facts.jpg

We know Cory Barlog is leaving Sony Santa Monica, but what is he doing next? About an hour ago he posted two cryptic images on his blog. One is a screen shot of the failed Atari E.T. game, and the second one is a picture of the cast of the Facts of Life. What is he trying to say? It's the facts of life that movie games have sucked? Or do these images not tell us anything about where the God of War II director is headed next? What do you think? My sources tell me we will be hearing a lot more about Cory's plans in the near future.

[Cory Barlog's Blog]

Gamecock Endorses Colbert For President [Politics]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 11:20 AM CST

colbertforpresident.jpgStephen Colbert might have been turned down by South Carolina Democrats, but there is one group that vows to stand by their man's run in the 2008 presidential election. Those wacky guys at Gamecock Media have come forth publicly to offer Colbert their support.

"After conducting extensive polling and scrutinizing all the candidates' stances on various issues, we came to the conclusion that Stephen Colbert has shown strong leadership and best represents the interests of the video game playing community," said Gamecock CEO and Grand Champeen Mike Wilson. "Stephen Colbert had Will Wright on his show and he pummeled Nancy Pelosi's Mii in Wii Boxing. These decisive actions have earned our vote."
The press release goes on to call Colbert funnier than Clinton and Romney, which is a point I can't really argue.

The game publisher urges Stephen Colbert to not lose hope, suggesting that he come to their home state of Texas to continue his run for president and extend his endorsement deal with Doritos brand snack chips, the crunch heard round the world.

I myself cannot throw my support behind Colbert, mainly because of his campaign promise to South Carolina. "I promise, if elected, I will crush the state of Georgia." Georgia is where I keep all my stuff. Can't have that.

GAMECOCK ENDORSES STEPHEN COLBERT FOR PRESIDENT

Videogame Publisher Refuses To Accept "South Carolina Setback", Pushes for Texas Run

COCKPIT, Austin, Texas - November 7, 2007 - Gamecock Media Group, an Austin, TX based publisher of videogames, announced today the company's endorsement of Stephen Colbert for President of the United States of America and is encouraging him to begin his campaign in Texas.

"After conducting extensive polling and scrutinizing all the candidates' stances on various issues, we came to the conclusion that Stephen Colbert has shown strong leadership and best represents the interests of the videogame playing community," said Gamecock CEO and Grand Champeen Mike Wilson. "Stephen Colbert had Will Wright on his show and he pummeled Nancy Pelosi's Mii in Wii Boxing. These decisive actions have earned our vote."

"Politicians have long demonized videogames for short term gain," added Wilson. "This has, of course, been hilarious to watch. But Stephen Colbert will definitely be funnier than anything Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney can come up with."

South Carolina Democrats' decision to keep Colbert off the ballot will not stop Colbert's campaign, pledges Gamecock. "While the South Carolina Gamecocks are standing in the way of greatness, the Texas Gamecocks are fully behind Colbert. We encourage him to come to the elite state of Texas to launch his campaign, where 'his people' will undoubtedly support him. He can use the Gamecock office as campaign headquarters," stated Harry Miller, El Presidente of Gamecock.

In addition to this bold offer of help, Gamecock said it would get into the Colbert campaign's spirit of commercialism by encouraging gamers to check out its upcoming politically-charged party game, Hail to the Chimp, where animals duke it out to be president of the animal kingdom (www.chimplove.com). No other efforts will be made on the part of Gamecock to mobilize the tens of millions of voting-age gamers. "I wish the best for Mr. Colbert, but what do we look like, political strategists?" Miller concluded.

Sony Firmware 2.0 Comes Tomorrow [Upgrades]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

002-001.1.jpgThree Speech has just given us all the deets (is that how you spell that cool speak?) on PlayStation 3 firmware 2.0. Expect all these goodies, tomorrow:

Better Remote Play
Turn on and off PS3 from anywhere in the world with your PSP, but also stream hard disk movies, music and photos through the Internet. Hotness.

Playlists
Photos and musics can now have unlimited playlists.

More XMB Customization
While you could already add your own wallpapers, now you can change colors and brightness or use themes (interesting). There will possibly be new backgrounds on PSN, eventually (we're guessing they mean something better than the static wallpapers, like PS3 has out of the box). There will also be an Information Board added to the XMB with PlayStation news, and a category just for PSN.

PSN
Trend Micro Web Security...for parental "peace of mind."

Here's the full press release:

Latest PLAYSTATION®3 System Software Update Allows PSPTM to Turn PS3TM On and Off from Internet Connection for Enhanced Remote Play

Ability to customise XMB™ and add personalised playlists for both music and photos also enabled

London, 8 November 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today the availability of the latest version of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) system software. Version 2.00 features the ability to turn a PS3 system on and off remotely, using a PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) system via the Remote Play1 function, allowing for a truly mobile partnership between the two systems.

Building on the success and potential of the Remote Play functionality, Version 2.00 will cement the partnership between PS3 and PSP and create a truly global experience. With the ability to turn your PS3 on and off from Wi-fi connection, there is now the opportunity to listen to the music, look at the photos and watch the videos saved on the PS3 Hard Disk Drive, anywhere in the world.

To further enhance the PS3 offering, Version 2.00 allows for the creation of personalised playlists in both the music and photo sections. This simple to use function gives users an opportunity to create unlimited music playlists for all occasions, as well as sharing favourite photos in glorious high definition.

Continuing with the idea of a personalised PS3, Version 2.00 allows for customisation of the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) menu screen. Change the colour and brightness with the greatest of ease or have something completely different by setting a custom theme. With the potential for new backgrounds to become available on PLAYSTATION®Network in the future, Version 2.00 truly opens up a whole raft of options.

A host of other enhancements includes the addition of an Information Board on XMB to keep people up to date on the latest PlayStation® news, the inclusion of a new PLAYSTATION Network category and logo for easier navigation and Trend Micro Web Security, a free2, state of the art internet security system, designed to give parents peace of mind.It's so fulfilling to see the PS3/PSP integration slowly but surely coming to fruition after such a long tease. So what do you want in firmware 3.0?

FIRMWARE VERSION 2.00 - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE [threespeech]

Cake And Lies Below Your Thighs [Gamer Ink]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 10:40 AM CST

wcctat.jpgWe have witnessed the coming of the Weighted Companion Cube cake, as foretold by prophecy. Now the cycle is complete, as we witness the joining of cube and cake on the flesh of the one described in the ancient texts. And lo would appear a man, or possibly woman who holdeth leg hairs sacred, whose shins bear the ultimate truth of the universe. I'm pretty sure those are shins. You know what folks? The guy who said a picture is worth a thousand words had more descriptive pictures in mind. A paragraph of text along with a picture is worth like...a jillion words. Otherwise we have to speculate, and you wouldn't like us when we speculate. Thanks for the pic, Niki!

360 Family Timer Official, Jerry Rice Approves [Parental Control]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 10:20 AM CST

parentaltimer.jpgThe children at the Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington D.C. today got a real treat, as Microsoft Entertainment & Devices President Robbie Bach was joined by Parent Teacher Association President Warlene Gary and Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice to unveil new parental tools as part of the second year of the "Safety is no game. Is your family set?" campaign. One of those tools is the new 360 Family Timer, which allows parents to set a limit on the time their children spend gaming on Microsoft's console. I'm sure that went over well with the kids. Also included in the initiative is PACT, which is a family contract that allows parents and children to agree on the amount of access they have online and the amount of parental involvement in their gaming life. PACT is available at http://www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset, and conveniently crumbles into a wadded ball of paper later on whenever it becomes inconvenient for the parties involved.

"We've seen a tremendous response to the robust parental controls offered on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, and the Xbox 360 Family Timer will continue to deliver on our promise to provide safer, balanced and fun entertainment for everyone," Bach said. "Professionally, I am proud of my division's work in this area, and personally, as a parent of three school-aged children, I know how important it is to be engaged in an ongoing dialogue with my family in order to uphold our household screen time rules."
As for why Jerry Rice was there...did we mention he was a finalist on Dancing With The Stars?
Rice spoke to the middle-school crowd about how important it is to have balance to be successful. "I'm a Super Bowl champion and a 'Dancing with the Stars' finalist, but my most important accomplishment in life is being a father," Rice said. "I try to teach my kids that no matter what they do, they have to find a balance between work and fun. That's why it's so rewarding to join Microsoft and the PTA today to promote a healthy balance for our kids in this exciting digital age."
Personally I would have gone with a more colorful cartoon character than Rice, but when your options come down to Voodoo Vince or Blinx I suppose he is an acceptable alternative.

The 360 Family Timer should be available in early December.

Microsoft, PTA and Super Bowl Champion Jerry Rice Announce New Tools to Help Parents Manage Kids' Interactive Media Use

Xbox 360 debuts video game industry's first and only Family Timer.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nov. 7, 2007 -- Microsoft Corp., the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice joined forces today to unveil new parental tools as part of the second year of the "Safety is no game. Is your family set?" campaign. They include a PACT, a family contract intended to foster family discussion about screen time guidelines, as well as a new parental control feature, the Xbox 360 Family Timer. The Family Timer will enable parents for the first time to set the appropriate amount of gaming and entertainment time on the Xbox 360 for their kids, on a daily or weekly basis.

"As a leader in interactive entertainment, it's Microsoft's responsibility to provide parents with tools they can use to manage their children's video gaming and online experiences, and we have made that a priority from the very start," said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft.

Through this all-new educational partnership, millions of PTA members nationwide will receive information on the fundamentals of the campaign, which encourages a balanced approach to interactive media use and families to come to an agreement on how their children spend their screen time.

"As times change and technology advances, the role of the parent stays the same in raising a safe, healthy and successful child," said PTA National CEO Warlene Gary. "PTA is proud to partner with Microsoft to provide parents with more resources that keep them involved in their children's lives. Using the PACT will help parents and children talk about and agree on interactive media use."

The family PACT is a comprehensive, proactive approach to setting rules on media use, and asks parents and children to agree on the level of Parental involvement; the amount of Access children can have, including who they are allowed to play and interact with online; the types of Content children are allowed to play or watch; and the amount of Time children can use media. The family PACT is available for immediate download at http://www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset.

Another all-new parental tool unveiled today is the Xbox 360 Family Timer, an addition to the console's existing set of industry-leading parental control features. Similar to its Windows Vista counterpart, the new Xbox 360 Family Timer can restrict children's activity time and can be set on a per-day or per-week basis. Helpful notifications will appear to warn the gamer that the session is nearing the end, and the feature will automatically turn off the console when the predetermined time limit has been exceeded. The Family Timer feature will be available for download via Xbox LIVE in early December.

Microsoft expects the news of the Family Timer to be received very favorably by parents based on independent* research it unveiled today that showed 62 percent of parents would welcome a tool to control the amount of time children spend using the video game consoles in their homes.

Bach, along with PTA CEO Warlene Gary and Super Bowl champion and "Dancing with the Stars" finalist Jerry Rice, talked to more than 400 students and parents gathered at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, D.C., today, about the benefits of being a kid in the digital age and the challenges parents may face in navigating this complex new world.

The independent research sponsored by Microsoft released today asked parents a series of questions about their children's use of digital media and represented feedback from 800 parents of children between the ages of 5 and 17 who have a video game console in their home. The research showed that 45 percent of parents say that enforcing rules about their children's media consumption creates tension at home. Nearly all families (99 percent) have some rules, but less than half (47 percent) have comprehensive rules concerning access, content and time. The research revealed that only 16 percent of families actually put media-use rules in writing, and 40 percent of parents involve children in related discussions.

Rice spoke to the middle-school crowd about how important it is to have balance to be successful. "I'm a Super Bowl champion and a 'Dancing with the Stars' finalist, but my most important accomplishment in life is being a father," Rice said. "I try to teach my kids that no matter what they do, they have to find a balance between work and fun. That's why it's so rewarding to join Microsoft and the PTA today to promote a healthy balance for our kids in this exciting digital age."

Microsoft's Commitment to Families Is Ongoing

Xbox was the first video game and entertainment system with built-in parental controls for both online and offline use. Known as Family Settings, these controls allow parents and caregivers to set guidelines for which games work for them, make informed choices about content, and decide with whom their children can play online. Earlier this year, Windows Vista launched with a similar set of parental controls that allows parents to guide children's game playing, Web browsing and overall computer use. These controls help parents determine which games their children can play, which programs they can use, which Web sites they can visit -- and when.

"We've seen a tremendous response to the robust parental controls offered on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, and the Xbox 360 Family Timer will continue to deliver on our promise to provide safer, balanced and fun entertainment for everyone," Bach said. "Professionally, I am proud of my division's work in this area, and personally, as a parent of three school-aged children, I know how important it is to be engaged in an ongoing dialogue with my family in order to uphold our household screen time rules."

According to Bach, with more than 13 million Xbox 360 consoles sold, the company's drive to empower parents is a core Microsoft responsibility. Last fall, the company launched the "Safety is no game. Is your family set?" national grassroots campaign (http://www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset) with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Best Buy Co. Inc. to educate parents about the tools and resources available to help them manage their children's interactive entertainment experiences on both Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. Year two of the campaign will continue with the support of these partners and others such as the PTA.

Call Of Duty 4 Mobile [Mobile Gaming]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 10:00 AM CST

cod4mobile.jpgSure, you could spend hours playing Call of Duty 4 on your PS3, PC, or Xbox 360, marveling at the graphics and immersing yourself in your role as a modern-day warrior, but you'll have to restock on food sometime, and then what? Well yes, there's a DS version, but say your DS breaks. And your gaming laptop. And you're out of cash so you can't order in. No, they don't accept credit cards. I know it's barbaric. Well then Glu Mobile has got you covered! Call of Duty 4 is out for the mobile phone, delivering squad-based action to the tiny screen. All the elements are here: squad-based gameplay, modern weapons, sniping, varied mission types, etc. Plus it's the cheapest version of the game around, which is definitely a plus. Unfortunately it won't run on my new phone, which is apparently a music phone and not a gaming phone, but that's hardly Glu's fault. I just suck at picking phones. Visit www.callofdutymobile.com to see if yours makes the cut.

Glu Mobile Announces Global Launch of Call of Duty® 4: Modern WarfareTM Mobile Edition

London, UK - November 7, 2007 - Glu Mobile Inc. (Nasdaq: GLUU), a leading global publisher of mobile games, today announced the launch of the latest installment in the critically acclaimed Call of Duty® titles for mobile phones, Call of Duty®4: Modern Warfare™. The title was developed and published through Glu's exclusive worldwide partnership with Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI).

Available now, the mobile version serves as a unique prequel to the highly-anticipated Infinity Ward blockbuster by the same name. Featuring a distinct story, mission and objectives, Glu's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare mobile edition delivers the fast-paced, intense action of Call of Duty and arms gamers with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower.

"We are thrilled to bring modern warfare to fans of the Call of Duty franchise," said Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu. "Through advanced graphics and a new storyline, we've strived to deliver a unique experience that immerses players in the action, while creating an exciting and interesting experience for mobile phones."

The popular and critically acclaimed Call of Duty franchise is known for its cinematic intensity, epic battlefield moments and intense multiplayer action. The mobile version delivers a nine-mission campaign enlisting gamers as a member of the British S.A.S. and U.S. Marine forces, who are tasked with confronting a rogue enemy group threatening the world. Additional features include:

• Modern Warfare Theme - Battle through the chaos of modern warfare as told through an original story that lead up to the events of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

• Special Effects - Become immersed in battle with advanced special effects never before seen in a mobile game.

• Varied Mission Types & Objectives - Multiple ways to complete objectives in escort, stealth, sniping and assault missions.

• Use of Cover - The majority of objects in the environment can be used as cover to gain the upper hand over enemies.

• Modern Weapons - A variety of weaponry are available, including automatic rifles, sniper rifles, grenades, bazookas and C4 explosives.

• New Attack Types - Choose between different attacks such as up-close melee or long distance sniping.

• Squad support - AI squad mates assist in battle and come to your aid.

• Authentic Vehicles - Destroy enemy tanks and escort friendlies as support helicopters fly overhead.

For more information, visit www.callofdutymobile.com.

Spanish For Everyone - Act III [Clips]

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 09:40 AM CST

Oh come the hell on now! This cannot be real! Shawn bids adios to the talking bull, who seems to have accepted the inevitabilty of his own demise. As whoever is driving the truck belonging to his grandfather leaves him in a dangerous part of town at night, yet another stranger offers him a ride. Jeeps are cool!

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The Future of Game Consoles

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 08:21 AM CST

Consolecomboi_600big_3 Since the beginning of the home videogame industry, there have been battles for market share  - console wars. These wars have begun anew every four years  or so because of a recurring cycle bringing new hardware into circulation to take advantage of advances in technology and manufacturing, thus bringing more and more power into the homes of game players.

But now, the playing field is changing. On the one hand, the power consoles - such as Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 - have a great amount of graphics processing power, and for all that industry programmers may complain, graphics power is the greatest proven commercial contribution from a console's design. The pressure to continue to upgrade graphics power has been lessened in this generation of consoles in part because of Nintendo's bold decision not to significantly improve the graphics power of the Wii over their previous GameCube console - which has in no way hurt their sales, thanks principally to the Wii's innovative input device.

Part of the reason that the Wii has been able to get by without a huge step up in graphics is that mass market consumers are not so game-literate as to be able to truly appreciate the graphical step up between (say) the Xbox and the Xbox 360. Gamer hobbyists, who live and breathe videogames, have a highly refined judgement that can appreciate the extra shiny graphics - but they also know that for the shiniest graphics, the PC remains the horse to back, as its graphics power continues to increase every year as a result of the ever-upgraded graphics cards technologies.

Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata recently stated that the four-year console cycle is over, stating he was "doubtful that such a notion of platform cycles can be applied in the future". Iwata-sans view is that the technology curve that consoles were following has peaked - there is no longer a significant market advantage to be gained from constant replacement of consoles. Rather, platform licensors should examine the technology and consider when the "sweet spot" for a new console would be.

Meanwhile, EA's head of international publishing, Gerhard Florin, has stated that they want an end to format wars altogether. "We want an open, standard platform which is much easier than having five which are not compatible," he told the BBC. No surprising - EA could make a vast saving on development costs if they didn't have to foot the bill for their multiformat commitments. Florin
suspects that the growing power of set-top boxes and so forth will eventually usurp the dedicated platforms, noting "the consumer won't even realise the platform it is being played on."

While a single open-format is a nice fantasy for EA executives, we are a long way from such a place. As long as platform licensors like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are making a fortune from their proprietory formats, they will not give them up - and while powerful and generic home entertainment boxes are certainly on their way, the idea of a single open standard is ridiculous while there is no clear agreement on what such a standard should be.

Consider this: every advance in home console design (with the single exception of internet connectivity) has come from Nintendo. Sony's policy, as I've noted before, is to copy Nintendo's new ideas.  Nintendo are to the console space what Apple are to the home computer space - and dispite yielding a considerable share of the home console market to Sony after abusing their power in the 1980s, they never lost their domination in the handheld space, nor their genuine power to innovate - as both the DS and the Wii demonstrate.

Florin is probably imagining that the high degree of similarity between the PS3 and the 360 is evidence that an open standard is a possibility - why couldn't an open standard have been formed on this basis? Firstly, there's too much money to be made in proprietory standards,
and secondly the common elements of the Ps3 and the 360 (internet functionality excluded) all originated in Nintendo. A single open standard requires sufficient risk in competition to force an agreement on a common standard, and it requires the design problems relating to that standard to have been substantially solved. This is practically a given in (say) data storage, or video display - but it is far from the case with game consoles, where the design issues are still being explored.

We are still learning about the diverse needs of game players - Florin's comments demonstrate EA's general ignorance of the design problems the games industry faces, perhaps mistaking the centre of the current gaming audience for the whole of the audience. (They are by no means alone: almost every publisher in videogames is monstrously naïve about the videogame audience, habitually assuming its employees are examples of the audience at large). An open standard may indeed happen in the future - but only when the videogames consoles have an optimal control device (such as the mouse for PC) which is entirely resistant to improvement. The twin stick controller (Sony's refinement of an idea originating with Nintendo, of course) is certainly not it.

However, Iwata-san is almost certainly correct that the four-year cycle is over. This is principally a tribute to Sony's achievements with the PS2, the most successful console system to date (since recently passing the 120 million record set by the GameBoy), which effortlessly supported a much longer sales window, closer to a decade. But the console wars themselves are far from over. The battle to place an multi-purpose entertainment device into the home - the war between Sony and Microsoft - will continue, with Nintendo meanwhile profiting from their decision not to compete in this struggle. The only possibility for an open standard platform is if Sony and Microsoft can reach some kind of agreement - and right now, with Microsoft stealing the crown from its rival, the war is very much ongoing.

Help us study how people play games - take part in our Ultimate Game Player Survey and win the game of your choice! Thanks for your assistance!

Play with Fire at IndieCade

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 08:20 AM CST

Gamecityindiecade1_1 It's a great honour to report that Play with Fire was chosen as part of the IndieCade showcase, who recently put on a display of unusual and innovative independent games at GameCity in Sheffield, UK, along with many other fine works including our friends at Tale of Tales with The Endless Forest, who were picked as an example of the event by the BBC.

I was unable to make the event, but shared in some of the excitement the organisers had in trying to make the software chosen for the event run on the machines that had been rented. In the end, it all worked out for the best.

It's great that there are festivals like this showcasing and celebrating interesting projects from outside the high profile world of corporate -made videogames. Long may they continue.

New Campus for the Xbox Biz - Beer Included

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 01:19 PM CST

Microsoft is reportedly constructing a new “upscale campus” for its Zune and videogames operations, complete with a bar.

Nordic Game 2008 Announces Improvement Plans

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 08:19 AM CST

Event organizers have announced they are initiating "key improvements" for the 2008 Nordic Game conference based on constructive feedback received following prior incarnations of the event, which takes place annually in Malmö, Sweeden. Nordic Game 2008 is set to take place in May of 2008, with fewer presentations in favor of an emphasis on developer-oriented professional workshops and panel discussions. Delegates will be inspired by keynote guests, with content drawn both from within and outside ...

Nintendo Announces 'Check Mii Out' Channel For Mii Sharing

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 07:16 AM CST

Nintendo has announced the upcoming launch of the Check Mii Out Channel, a free downloadable from the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop channel, scheduled for November 11th. The new channel lets users show off their Mii character designs and view or vote on those others have made. In the channel's Posting Plaza, Wii users can browse other Miis by region, at random or by top-ranked favorite designs, and the Miis can be searched by ...

G*: Inside South Korea's Major Video Game Expo

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 05:59 AM CST

Gstar 2007, an international game expo with both business and consumer faces, began today in Seoul, South Korea - with a smaller number of exhibitors than previous years, but no less interest from attending parties. Business days are currently underway, with trade-only visitors for the 8th and 9th of November, and with consumers gaining access at the weekend, in a model that's similar to the yearly Tokyo Game Show in Japan. At this year's Gstar, ...

IGDA Leadership Forum

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 12:26 PM CST

I'm at the IGDA Leadership Forum this week. I'll be posting from their to the conference blog and cross-posting here.

I'm hosting a roundtable called The Role of Leadership in an Agile Environment and presenting a session called Cross Discipline Team Collaboration on Friday.

More to come...

The Road to Ensenada

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 12:24 PM CST

ensenada-panorama-sm.jpg

(Above, a photo of Ensenada’s harbor, with cruise ships docked, in the persistent light fog that is shrouding all of SoCal and Baja lately — you can click on it to get a larger image).

Yesterday I gave a magistral conference at CICOMP ‘07, in Ensenada, Mexico. This was my first time to Mexico, first time driving through Tijuana, seeing Baja California, etc.

The talk was basically a reworking, in Spanish, of material from other talks centered on A Theory of Fun and game grammar. Given the audience of mostly compsci students, it was mostly new to them. It was fun giving a talk in Spanish — it’s been well over a decade since I had reason to speak the language regularly. I only had to fumble for words a few times.

I have many observations about the experience overall:

  • Every country’s professors think their educational system is a disaster and fails to promote creative thinking.
  • Students are smart and eager everywhere.
  • Seeing Richard Stallman pecking away at a laptop at the deserted little restaurant where I had dinner (he gave the magistral conference the day before I did).
  • The cold water knob in the shower did indeed give cold water. So did the hot water knob.
  • I need a three-prong to two-prong adapter as standard equipment in my laptop case.
  • The crossing from the US to Mexico didn’t even involve slowing down at a booth.
  • The crossing from Mexico to the US  took hours. Dogs searching, the works. The lines are terrible despite there being like 15 lanes.
  • I wasn’t hassled, because I answered in English. The guys driving me were, because they spoke Spanish.
  • In fact, the lines are so bad, there’s street vendors selling shaved ice, churros, and souvenirs between the cars.
  • No, they’re worse — there were shops on the side of the highway there selling duty free items. They proudly announced “we deliver to your car.” People felt free to just park and go shopping.
  • The stark line of “money”  at the border is incredibly visible. And it manifests in terms of whether there is grass or just dirt. It takes money to water the ground, and this area is basically arid.

I’ll see about getting the slides posted up soon. Many thanks to UABC for inviting me, especially Daniel Gradilla.

Flemish Ministry of Culture invests in videogame

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 11:22 AM CST

CultuurInvest, a new Flemish investment fund founded by the Flemish Ministry of Culture, will be supporting the development of The Path, an upcoming game from Tale of Tales

日记 [2007年11月08日]

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 09:15 AM CST

    烂引擎的导出贴图问题已经解决了,终于被逼到不得不开始得时候了,因为已经没有什么可以说服自己的理由了...  实在是不想做啊  >_<
    准备跟师哥一起做他们的毕设了,锻炼锻炼,也增加了一次项目参与的机会,可惜我比较忙课比较多不能算“正式工”

Nintendo Announces 'Check Mii Out' Channel For Mii Sharing

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 07:16 AM CST

Nintendo has announced the upcoming launch of the Check Mii Out Channel, a free downloadable from the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop channel, scheduled for November 11th. The new channel lets users show off their Mii character designs and view or vote on those others have made. In the channel's Posting Plaza, Wii users can browse other Miis by region, at random or by top-ranked favorite designs, and the Miis can be searched by ...

Postmortem: Vicious Cycle Software's Dead Head Fred

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 06:42 AM CST

It's a bit hard to believe, but Vicious Cycle's PSP-exclusive Dead Head Fred was originally conceptualized as a light, Rayman-esque Gamecube title geared for a younger set. The developers determined, however, that the initial concept was "too edutainment" -- but they liked the game mechanic, and set out to retool it for an older audience. So where'd they begin? "We started by changing the tone of the story to something a bit darker and off-the-wall. ...

G*: Nexon Reveals Xbox 360 MMO Mabinogi, Talks Maple Story DS

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 06:01 AM CST

During this year's Gstar game show in Seoul, South Korea, Nexon has revealed to Gamasutra new details about Maple Story DS, as well as an Xbox 360 port of the company's Korea-only PC MMO Mabinogi, which was announced today. The recent Mabinogi announcement, which came on the first day of the major Gstar show attended by Gamasutra in South Korea, was relatively unexpected. The game is a more traditional, cel-shaded MMORPG with an interesting class ...

G*: Inside South Korea's Major Video Game Expo

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 05:59 AM CST

Gstar, an international game expo with both business and consumer faces, began today in Seoul, South Korea, with a smaller number of exhibitors than previous years, but no less interest from attending parties. Business days are currently underway, for the 8th and 9th of November, with consumers gaining access on the weekend. Nexon had by far the largest booth, and it almost felt as though the company had claimed the event as its own, holding ...

Sony Holiday Lineup Reveals 2007-Bound PSN Titles

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 05:36 AM CST

Sony Computer Entertainment America has unveiled its 2007 holiday line-up, listing all of its previously-announced first and third-party software titles, including software for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PSP, and its planned hardware bundles. However, the company also highlighted the holiday season releases planned for the North American version of the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network downloadable game service, a number of which have not been previously confirmed for a 2007 debut. The list includes High ...

Hirai: Removing PS3's Backward Compatibility Was 'Strategy'

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 05:33 AM CST

Major Japanese video game magazine Weekly Famitsu has published an interview with Sony president and CEO Kaz Hirai, rounding up some of the recent questions surrounding the future of the PlayStation 3 platform, with highlights from the discussion were translated by consumer site 1UP.com. When asked about the decision to remove backwards compatibility from the PS3, Hirai admitted the company discussed the issue at length, but decided, "What is more important is for the users ...

EA Donates SimCity To One Laptop Per Child

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 05:21 AM CST

Electronic Arts will donate the original SimCity city-building game to each computer in the non-profit One Laptop Per Child humanitarian initiative, which designs, manufactures and distributes inexpensive laptops to children around the world with the goal of giving every child in the world access to modern education. The SimCity franchise, which gives players the responsibility of building and maintaining a city, has sold more than 18 million games worldwide, according to EA. It demonstrates the ...

Beauty is Mii Deep on New Wii Channel

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 11:19 AM CST

Nintendo will be launching the “Check Mii Out” channel on Wii, which will turn avatar creation into a bit of a social game in itself.

One SimCity Per Child

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 11:19 AM CST

Electronic Arts’ original SimCity will be included in every laptop in the “One Laptop per Child” initiative.

策划和你看电影之二《放牛班的春天》——上篇(内测版)

Posted: 08 Nov 2007 06:59 AM CST

 

我很狡诈的分了个上篇,文字比较散,不好组织。看得有点累~

 

这部电影和GTO类似,一个本不该做老师的人, 成为了老师。教育的对象也都是问题学生,他们用自己的方式和周围的人建立起了沟通。与GTO不同的是,马图老师用的是音乐;相同的是,他们都有一颗“善良,宽容,耐心”的心。

还记得周董《不能说的秘密》中有句名言:不听音乐,是坏人。看了《放牛班的春天》,你会发现,音乐无国界,也不分好人坏人。

 

这个电影情节不复杂,也不需要太多的评论,我的文笔也不够好,更无法再现影片中的所表达的动词。这里便引用一段影评,假装是我自己写的罢:“不同于一般的运用悲情拼命煽情的悲情电影,或极尽夸张搞怪的爆笑喜剧,《放牛班的春天》是一部让人因为喜悦而泪流满面的电影。这也创造了法国电影新概念——阳光情感电影。这部没有美女、暴力;没有动作、凶杀和商业元素的好电影成为了本年度法国人的心灵鸡汤”。

 

==================================================

好了,业外的忙活完了,该做业内的事了。

一、歌曲的词本位和曲本位。

《放牛班的春天》中童生合唱的歌曲相信给大家留下了很深的印象(如果看过的话)。特别是离别的那曲《风中飞舞的纸飞机》,个人是很喜欢的,虽然歌词听不懂。藉此,gameres论坛上便生出了一个观点:有的时候,歌词对于一首歌来说是多余的。

于是,便有人提出了词本位和曲本位的说法。除却纯音乐,但凡有了词有了唱,这问题就开始出现了:一首好歌的创作,究竟是应该以曲为重还是以词为重?

    词本位的歌曲例如:赵咏华——《最浪漫的事》,相信说到这首歌,更多提到的则是其浪漫的歌词吧;曲本位的歌曲则例如恰克与飞鸟——《on your mark》,个人感觉,即便不懂歌词之意,也可以听出这首歌里对未来的向往之情。

    坛子上便有人接着提出了:有时候,任务对白也可以是多余的。当然,游戏里可以做个通讯工具,定时系统交代你各种报酬丰厚的任务,给个SB理由,爱看不看,你去完成便是了。相信许多玩家也是乐此不疲。

 

    不过,这些并不是我想讨论的主题,我考虑的是,玩家在我们的游戏中目标是什么,而我们除了传统的手段,还能通过哪些手段提供给他们所需要的?

比如说:打怪练级。如果它是词本位的玩法,那么我们有没有曲本位或者其他的方法,来达到相同的效果?

相信大部分的玩家在大多数MMORPG中,他们都在打怪练级,想要变得更强。如果你的游戏也需要玩家练级,那么是不是有东西可以替代呢。就好象歌曲一样。你可以重编曲而轻歌词,也可以反其道而行之。那么练级呢?1个小时,2个小时,3个小时下来,就算游戏节奏把握得再好,我也架不住了。这时候,你能给我干什么?让我下线歇一会?还是换个游戏玩?无论怎么选择,都是把玩家赶出游戏,那么,我们还能给玩家干什么?

 

    对于这问题,需要先想以下玩家为什么会去打怪练级?MMORPG中,不打怪的玩家算是屈指可数吧。打怪目前来看基本上是玩家在游戏中获得奖励,提升能力的最优途径。说白了,打怪就是让玩家花费一定的时间,从事某项活动,然后奖励给玩家经验,金钱或者装备。说的简单些:打怪本质上就是时间换奖励。玩家基本是通过这样的方式在游戏中成长。同时在打怪的过程中,也顺便满足了玩家的一些需求,例如探索,社交,发泄等等。

有经验的策划经常会规划出玩家的游戏总练级时间,然后将时间分配到各个等级上。其实这里就已经定下了时间和玩家人物的成长关系了。所不同的是,我们总是下意识的把时间按照打怪和任务来进行换算。在其他方面给经验时,又总是小心且谨慎的。给玩家体验了其他的系统和玩法,就不必给经验了吗。个人认为大可不必。只要玩家正常投入了我们所规划的时间,我们就可以将预订的成长奖励给出,又何必计较玩家做了些什么?做了些什么很重要吗,其实玩家都是在你的游戏中呆着,这就已经够了。

也就是说,玩家在游戏中几乎所有的行为,都可以给与奖励。

 

当玩家练级疲劳的时候,我们如果也能够提供其他的时间换奖励机制,让玩家有更多的成长选择,并满足玩家一些心理的需求,相信跳出杀怪的无间道还是有一定希望的。想来也挺搞笑,2年前,曾经开培训会讨论游戏为什么用打怪的方式成长;现在我背叛了,返回来讨论有没什么可以替代打怪。

 

    OK,那么还有什么可以考虑的时间换奖励形式?

    比如,知识问答。这就是现在很多游戏都在采用的方法。

比如征途的骑自行车和划龙舟,这种活动就可以做成时间换奖励的。激战的PVP竞技模式,也一样可以。甚至划出一张地图,就叫“聊天室”,进来的人,一段时间就收到一段验证码,填写正确的人马上获得奖励。

其实从上面,我们发现,可以针对不同类型和心理需求的玩家,设计一些简单易实现的时间换经验模式,让他们除了打怪之外,也多一些选择。

这里我们需要做的是:对玩家在游戏中的的行为进行归类:比如PK类的,则用“竞技”获得奖励;聊天交友类的就在“聊天室”中成长;需要发泄的就用街头霸王里的破坏模式……等等(相信这些大家都归类过了,我就不说了)。归类之后,根据游戏的实际情况,提供相应的服务措施。

当然,如此也可能存在一定弊端,就是会使原本聚集在一起打怪的玩家群被分散。如何保证游戏中玩家的聚集,又同时兼顾各种时间换奖励形式的并存,将会是一个需要研发的课题。而且,其他的时间换奖励模式,个人感觉做为一种补充的存在即可。

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Spike TV's 2007 Video Game Awards nominees revealed

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 02:17 PM CST

Spike TV has unveiled the list of nominees for its 2007 Video Game Awards

拿什么拯救你?我们的《实况足球》

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 08:02 AM CST

 

实况足球已经陪伴好多足球游戏迷度过整整十年了,很多FANS对实况倾注的感情已经超越了足球游戏本身,已然上升到自我认同的阶段了.即使今天实况遭遇了次世代以来的最大瓶颈,我们的FANS还是对实况足球的未来抱有希望.但是无论如何,我们都必须正视这样一个现实,FIFA足球已经不是当日的吴下阿蒙了,FIFA系列经过十年的磨炼,此所谓十年磨一剑,终于在这一次FIFA08的宝剑出鞘,而这一出手,一下子激起了广大足球游戏玩家的热烈反响,争议虽然依旧很大,但好评如潮的反馈明显已经大大高于以往任何一款FIFA作品.因此作为实况FANS的我们,也必须正视FIFA08这个对手的存在,FIFA08到底进步何在?实况系列是不是也应该借鉴一下呢?还是我们依然如故的,夜郎自大似的端坐井底呢?

拿什么拯救你?我们的《实况足球》

借鉴之一,游戏画面,这是一个老生长谈的问题,但也是一个无法回避的问题,实况足球自打进入次世代,游戏画面就已经越来越无法满足广大实况迷对次世代游戏画面的基本要求,虽然大体上看实况画面相比过去还是有进步的,但如果和竞争对手FIFA08相比,那差距立马显现出来,看看FIFA那逼真的球场草皮,一个个高质量的3D球员建模,再看看球衣贴合在身上的那种动态纹理褶皱,以及回放特写画面中球员以假乱真到的脸部肖像.两相对比,实况和FIFA在画面上的差距已经不是一心半点,而今后的实况也唯有在画面狠下功夫,要征服男人的心,首先要征服男人的胃,而要征服玩家的心,首先必须征服玩家的眼睛,实况任重道远.

借鉴之二,图像引擎效率,说起来这点看似和画面有关,但又好像和画面无关,按照一般常识判断,游戏画面越强,对保证画面流畅度的难度也就越大.但实况和FIFA进入次世代以后,好像这种情况正好相反.一方面,FIFA画面是越来越强,但流畅度令人难以置信的稳定,对比以前的FIFA作品,有改天换地的感觉,要知道FIFA过去虽然画面强,但帧速始终难以稳定.但再看现在FIFA08在场上踢球的感觉,流畅,流畅,还是流畅,没有丝毫的停顿和拖慢现象,而帧速始终稳定在60帧(不包括回放画面).但反观PES2008,PS3版存在严重拖慢现象,以至于玩家抱怨声不断,最后不得不放出补丁来勉强应付玩家.

拿什么拯救你?我们的《实况足球》

其实实况制作部早在开发之初就意识到这个问题的存在了,但一直没能找到追求画面效果和稳定帧速之间的平衡点,说到底这其实还是一个图像引擎利用效率的问题,EA作为全球最大的第三方游戏开发商,他们掌握了目前最前沿的图像引擎技术,因此他们能在画面和帧速之间找到最佳平衡点,而相比实况开发部门,始终抱着那个陈旧的游戏图像引擎不放,而在填充越多画面效果的情况下,效率越来越低下,以至于现在连神机版的流畅度都无法保证了,这不能不说是对KONAMI对PS3支持态度的一个最大的讽刺.因此今后解决之道就是,实况系列必须破四旧,重新制作全新的游戏图像引擎,充分保证游戏的流畅度.

借鉴之四,电脑AI,这好像是实况过去的强项,但看看今天的FIFA08,你不能不感叹,FIFA08的AI表现太强大了,尤其是在最高难度下,电脑进攻套路之丰富,逼抢围抢之凶狠(注意我用围抢),防守反击之犀利,临场变化之快速,以至于将玩家都逼到了防不胜防的地步.当然难度还不是衡量电脑AI强弱的唯一标准,更重要的一点是玩家在操控己方球队踢比赛时的感觉,在攻防转换节奏上,在无球队员的穿插跑动上,在进攻战术执行力上,而这些AI表现证明FIFA08无愧于目前最真实的足球游戏,反观实况足球,如果强化AI表现仅仅是在新版中增加一个假摔动作,或者象过去一样增加一个球员手球犯规判罚,而不从根本上调整比赛的攻防转换节奏,让进攻防守变得更趋于合理真实,这难道不能不说是实况裹足不前的一个最大的障碍吗?实况足球必须放下身段,借鉴对手的长处,才能有真正的进化.

借鉴之五,争取更多授权,看看今天的FIFA08的球队资料,球员资料,联赛资料,我们不能不感叹,难道FIFA足球系列是国际足球联合会官方指定足球游戏吗?其实完全不是这样,FIFA系列只是EA旗下一款商业游戏作品,之所以能够取得今天这样的授权地位,完全是自己争取得来的,对照NBA系列,我们看今天LIVE系列和2K系列得到了NBA联盟一样的官方游戏授权地位,而2K作为后来者之所以能够获得同样的资格,完全是因为2K自身争取的结果.反观实况足球有努力争取过官方授权资格吗?答案显然没有,KONAMI争取到的就是J联盟的独家官方授权,而且为此将EA的FIFA系列排除在外,因此今天在FIFA08中没有日本队,这也许是KONAMI争取到的最大成果.

拿什么拯救你?我们的《实况足球》

但缺少一个日本队和J联赛,但FIFA08却为玩家弥补了包括五大联赛在内全球各洲所有足球发达国家联赛的真实球队数据,几乎囊括了各FIFA的主要成员国的国家队真实资料,包括最新一期亚洲杯的中国队全部真实主力阵容都在内.虽然官方授权是FIFA系列一直引以为傲的资本,但实况系列其实完全可以去争取到相同的资格地位,但问题的核心是KONAMI从来没有想到为取得FIFA官方授权哪怕多付出一分钱的授权资格,也许过去实况有很多领先FIFA的资本,可能并不迫切需要,但今天如果实况还想继续成为足球游戏世界的NO.1的话,那相同的授权地位现在看来是必须的!

为了拯救实况足球的颓势,以至于在未来数年内不至于被FIFA系列反超,那以上五点必须是KONAMI的东京实况游戏制作部门认真对实况系列加以提高的基本要素,实况要继续成为最好的足球游戏,借鉴对手的优点只是第一步,更重要的是实况必需要大胆的创新,对足球游戏系统作一次根本性的革命,我相信到那时实况足球才能真正成为最好的足球游戏的代名词!

同城女玩家自述:我用身体换装备!(转载)

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 07:45 AM CST

    这是一个让人深思的故事,在写之前我一直都在犹豫,因为我不知道这样去揭露一个人的隐私好不好,在征求过当事人的意见之后,我才有勇气去面对这样一个让人无奈的话题。

  前言:
  小雪是我游戏里认识的女孩,胆怯、安静,和她在游戏里面杀人不眨眼的法师形象,有一点对不上号。我约她在1912的辛巴克见面的时候,她躲在一个不起眼的角落,脸色有点苍白,长发乱乱的垂在胸前。
  
  我开门见山的说,为什么要把这些事情告诉我,你认为我能帮你吗?
  她无奈的摇摇头,笑道:“我现在和妓女已经没有差别了,唯一不同的就是,她们要的是金钱,我要的是游戏里面的装备。”



同城女玩家自述:我用身体换装备!

  我拿出微型录音机,略带抱歉的说,这是我的职业习惯,如果你觉得不能接受,我可以用笔记录下来。
  
  她抿了一口咖啡,皱着眉头说:“没关系。”我能看见那纯黑色的液体中泛滥的那些苦涩的元素。

  她开始诉说她的故事,时间不长,就是从4.18日奇迹世界开服开始

  她开始了她的自述,而我只是一个安静聆听者。

  “我是一个普通的女大学生,今年上大二了,我和我的男朋友是同一个地方来南京上学的,我们从小就认识,我很爱他,为了他也来南京上学。”
  
  “大一的时候我们就同居了,呵呵,怎么说呢,可能是因为这边熟人不多,而他又是我那么熟悉的人,我对他很依赖。自从考上了大学我就很少上课了,每天都在我们自己租的房子里面,我给他洗衣做饭,而他喜欢玩游戏,那时候他很喜欢魔兽世界,可是我对游戏一窍不通,他玩的再开心,我都进不去他的世界。”
  
  “直到今年4月份,他说9C要开一个新游戏,画面很漂亮,很适合女孩子玩,他跟我说,他公会里的兄弟都有老婆陪着玩,就他是一个人,太寂寞了,当时我也不懂,就答应了。”
  
  “其实在我答应之后我就后悔了,可是为了他开心,我还是决定听他一次。他要我玩的职业是法师,虽然我根本就不知道法师是用来干嘛的,但是他说好,我愿意去玩。后来才知道他叫我玩的那个职业是很牛的一种职业,叫做双修法师。”

  她说着,嘴角不经意冒出一丝淡淡的微笑,淡的几乎让人很难捕捉。
  
  “我就这样既做奶妈,又当自然的带着他练级,因为他选的职业是格斗龙,很少有人愿意带,所以从1-60,都是我带他的,当时还没有开70级,我们就开始到处PK,他是一个很喜欢PK的,他们以前玩魔兽世界的一整个公会都过来玩奇迹世界了,在我的这个服务器,还是很有名的。PK的时候个个都是牛人,很早就穿着一身黄金装备晃悠。让人看了就特别羡慕,当时我们公会的会长,就是这么一个人。他对我特别好,因为知道我是一个MM。”
  
  她忽然看着我,说道:“你知道吗?我男朋友他,从来都没有在游戏里说过我是他老婆,就告诉别人,我是他妹妹。所以那个公会会长就开始猛烈追求我,我很生气,就把这件事情告诉了我男朋友,没有想到他不但没有生气,反而还告诉我说,如果你能把他搞定,以后就能要什么有什么。当时听了这个话,特别的生气,我想我们这么多年的感情,难道还不如游戏里面一个虚拟的物品。”
  
  她叹口气,继续道:“可是我们真的没有办法,因为我们是穷学生,根本没有办法和那些有钱人比。”
  “5.1的时候,我本来想回家,但是他们说他们公会有活动,会里的朋友都去上海玩,非要拉我一起去,我一想到要见那个会长,就想拒绝,可是怕他生气,还是答应了。那个会长真是有钱人,招待了我们一帮人,大概有八、九个,当时我们先是在KTV开了一个包间唱歌。我男朋友当着大家的面把我介绍给大家,说我是他妹妹,我没有啃声,但是我知道我的心很痛。”

    她一边说了,一边手足无措的拧着自己的头发。我给她叫了一杯热奶茶,放在她面前,她很感激的看着我继续说:“我记得那时候我唱了一首歌,歌的名字叫《白狐》,网络上很流行的那一首,其实我没有别的意思,就是想让他知道,我还爱他,不要这样对我,我不想做那只可怜的白狐。”
  
  “可是他根本就不在乎我,还拿我和会长开玩笑。晚上的时候会长请他们一起去喝酒,我也去了,我根本不会喝酒,在被灌了几杯之后就有一点迷糊了。其实那天我是故意喝多的,因为我真的很想考验他一下,我真的很想知道他还爱我吗?可是我错了,那天我喝多以后,不是他陪在我身边,而是那个会长,他把我送进了酒店开的房间,而其他人都去包夜了,包括他。”
  
  “当会长的身体压上来的时候,我很想反抗,可是一想到他白天对我的种种,忽然就想放纵自己一次,我想我和他彻底的完了,能把我推向另一个怀抱的男人,居然被我遇上了。”
  
  “我装作醉了一样一动也不动,任凭一个陌生的男人肆意的摆弄,我觉得我当时一定是死了,心死了,人也死了。”
  
  “第二天一早,我便自己坐车回到了南京,我以为一切就能这样结束了,该忘记的就忘记吧!没有想到他下午就追了回来,跪在我面前忏悔,要我原谅他,说他是因为被会长他们灌酒灌多了,才会被他们拉出去包夜,才会发生那种事情。”
  
  “看见他那样向我认错,我居然愚蠢的相信了,没有搬出我们一起租的房子。但是我坚决不想再上游戏,而他也答应了。”

那不曾忘记的天下2

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 11:31 AM CST

天下2, 作为精品游戏品质要求研发的2007年网易网游力作, 在公测了几个月后, 宣布重新回炉再造, 让人扼腕, 亦让人感叹: 国产3D, 精品到底该如何作?

我不是一个专业策划, 无法头头是道的说出一款3D游戏要想成功该如何作, 我只把自己作为一个普通玩家, 一个对网游甚至都不太熟悉的普通玩家对于天下2的所有感受总结一下:

先总结一下天下2吸引我的地方:
1. 它是公司主推产品, 自家的东西, 理所应当支持一下, 这是我刚开始关注天下2的真实原因;
2. 风景很漂亮, 音乐很美. 这是我初始接触天下2并被它吸引的主要原因.

其它的, 吸引我的, 没了.

再来总结一下天下2让我觉得郁闷的地方:

1. 世界观没有带入感, 让我不知道这个游戏的背景故事, 在游戏的过程中, 也没有因为故事而产生带入感, 让我觉得这就是一个风景公园;

2. 游戏角色的脸形非常难看, 简直不象中国人, 头发颜色也特别难看, 对于一个以宣扬传统文化的游戏而言, 我不明白为什么角色刚创建时默认的头发颜色不是黑色?

3. 游戏上手很困难, 这种困难体现在许许多多方面: 界面操作太专业, 组队打怪没有更有效的搓和方式, 仍然靠传统的喊口号.

也许, 很多人的说法是对的: 天下2定位的目标对象就是高素质玩家, 基本不考虑小白化设计. 呃, 是的, 如果真是这样的设计目标的话, 那我以上所说的所有郁闷的地方皆不成立, 因为, 我是一个小白.

当然, 正因为我是一个小白, 对于天下2这样"高素质的游戏", 我是拒之门外的, 耗不起那个时间, 也耗不起那个精力, 不想那么累, 也不想那么费神. 毕竟, 游戏只是我的业余消遣, 我不是一个专业玩家, 不靠打游戏生活, 不以打游戏为精神寄托.

但是, 我想问的是, 对于一个以商业化为目标的商品而言, 卖出去重要, 还是自我感觉良好重要? 卖给少数人玩好, 还是卖给多数人玩好?

Traveller's Tales managing director earns £100 million

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 01:01 PM CST

Traveller's Tales' managing director, Jon Burton, will reportedly earn GBP 100 million from the sale of his company

Blog Size

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 07:16 AM CST

Once again, I am taking a few weeks off from blogging in November. In the meantime, let me leave you with some alternative blogs you might chance to explore, and look at the differences between the blogs I read based upon the number of RSS subscribers they have. Have fun!


Greater than 1,000

Blogs change considerably as they grow in size. The blog I read with the highest number of readers is Seth Godin’s, which has some 9,000 subscribers, and presumably therefore perhaps 20,000 readers. (I only know the figure for RSS feeds, and am guessing roughly the same number visit the website as well). I rarely read the content, which is about marketing, but it’s good stuff, if a tad repetitive. At this size there are too many people for comments to be viable. Even disabling comments doesn’t stop the traffic though; Neil Gaiman’s Journal is frequently interrupted with posts containing nothing but answers to questions – not surprising given that he is a popular niche author with a firm fanbase.

 

300 to 1000

The threshold of reasonable exchange in comments appears to be around a thousand readers or so. All the blogs I read that are in this range are accompanied by vast volume of comments, too much that it is impossible for one person to respond. Greg Costikyan’s Games * Design * Art * Culture pulls in so much traffic that Greg himself can only read it, and rarely replies, while Terra Nova (the essential forum for online worlds) only manages conversation by having a troupe of authors. Dan’s astonishing Lost Garden seems to get by posting only rarely, but often posts rich, detailed discussions about the videogames industry or game design, which are justly celebrated.

 

101 to 300

Between one and three hundred subscribers is an odd middle ground. There seems little pattern here; there is lively discussion at Raph Koster’s blog (covering online worlds from his personal perspective), with about 200 subscribers, but my friend Matt Mower’s technical and political blog, Curiouser and Curiouser! has only 25 fewer subscribers and generates almost no comment traffic at all!

 

51 to 100

And now to my own weight class. The scale is set for me by Slashdot: games with its 81 subscribers. I’m right behind it on 59, occasionally gaining subscribers and – every now and then – scaring some away. If I pass Slashdot: games, I go into the century-class blogs, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to maintain the conversations I like at this “weight”, although I have a lot of lurkers, so perhaps like Matt’s blog I will get by.

There are two other blogs I read in my own weight scale. The first is Tea Leaves, which I rate as about the best blog by gamers that I read (that also happens to cover food and photography), and remains a recurring delight. The other, The Mahablog is a fiercely political blog from an entrenched left-wing perspective (anyone suggest a good entrenched right-wing blog for counter-point?) I skim it, mostly, but her Wisdom of Doubt series is must reading for people interesting in religious politics. Both are home to brisk dialogues, much like the ones here at Only a Game, although far livelier and less preposterous.

 

21 to 50

In the weight class I left behind not long ago, we find my old target – Daily Dilbert. It was a milestone for me when I passed this in subscriber numbers! Also noteworthy is Mildly Diverting, which is the blog of someone who came to one of my lectures in London, and posts only intermittently, and Design Synthesis, which is the largest of the “Blogs of the Round Table” (which I’ll explain in the next size group); its content is mostly about games, but often rambles further afield.

 

6 to 20

Below twenty subscribers, and we are getting to the point where the numbers don’t mean so much – many blogs at this scale have more people coming to visit the website than subscribing, so a blog with low numbers isn’t necessarily unread, it just doesn't have many RSS subscribers.

The two largest blogs in this block have 20 subscribers each. The first, and a consistent gem, is the photography posted at Always Curious, which is often close-ups of plants , or urban black and white still life. The other is Good Neighbours, which is attempting to foster dialogue between Israeli’s and Palestinians. One of its authors, Yehuda, writes another blog in this size, which is the only tabletop games blog I read. I’d like to find more like this one, but I haven’t found the time.

Also in this size are the “Blogs of the Round Table”, such as King Lud IC, Mile Zero, and The Dust Forms Words. These are so named because they participate regularly in the Round Table discussions about videogames which are hosted by Corvus Elrod’s delightful oddity Man Bytes Blog. Any of these blogs will be of interest to gamers, although the content is often wider.

There are also a few random blogs, such as Steve Ince’s Writing & Design, the rarely updated Casual Game Design, and The Rodeo (a personal blog from a Christian perspective). Last, but by no means least, is Chico’s Nongames, which is a touch intermittent but focused on a subject of great interest to me. It used to be the only blog I read from South America (and also my news source for the last world cup!) but now that Patrick Dugan has switched continent, King Lud IC is coming from Buenos Aires!

 

Under 5

Next, those blogs on the fringes of the blogosphere. Some are read by people on a website and just have low subscriber counts because no-one uses the RSS feed; some are genuinely obscure. The (marginal) king is zenBen Land, which could easily have more content if its proprietor wasn’t so monstrously busy writing comments here! Also of note, fellow Game Writers’ Special Interest Group demigod Rich Dansky’s personal blog, and SIG stalwart James Swallow’s Red Flag. Jim is a game and TV screenwriter and also writes an astonishing number of novelisations on all the top science fiction brands, including the various Star Treks, Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who. As for Ghosts in the Game – like it’s name, it is largely but a phantom...

 

Just me (on RSS at least)

Finally, there are a great many excellent blogs with just a single subscriber – namely me! These are oddities that have become caught in my net, some of which rely on web traffic for their visitors, while others are barely in existence (such as The World Cave), or are waiting to be discovered. There’s also some personal blogs belonging to SIG folks here, such as Christy Marx (who has an extraordinary collection of cats) and Lucien Soulban's Garbage Dump (from which I learned about the latest “gay Mario” scandal).

My personal pick of the bunch is Shoshanna Baeur’s blog, which showcases her artwork, some of which draw from Jewish themes. I used one of her images on a post; I find her watercolours especially beautiful. Two other favourites are Science is a Method Not a Position – a fiercely anti-Skeptic fringe science newsfeed – and Sinistre & Destre’s noumenal realm, which is a delightfully whimsical philosophy blog with purposefully ambiguous authorship, and a place I go often to ramble incoherently in someone else’s backyard for a change.

I will close with those blogs which are new to the scene and perhaps looking for readers. On the subject of games, I recommend Ophelia’s “Out There” (game journalism), and James Lillis’ The Kryptonite Cafe (game design) – both recently launched, and definitely worth a look if you’re into games. Ophelia is still finding her feet, while James has landed with both feet running.

I remember when Only a Game first launched, and I had no idea what I was doing, what I should talk about, or how often. Now, years later, I still have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I have some idea of when I’m doing it. I wish the newcomers all the best!

Addendum: it transpires the numbers listed are for RSS subscribers using just one specific blog reader (bloglines) - therefore, all the numbers given should be taken with a giant grain of salt. If your blog is listed, feel free to quote alternative subscriber values in the comments. I apologise for any misrepresentation!

Only a Game will return in December.

Konami First Half a Home Run

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 12:45 PM CST

Konami has posted a rise in first-half earnings and revenue thanks to a thriving games industry and strong performances from baseball videogames.

《Wii Fit》地铁广告

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 09:30 AM CST

预定12月1日在日本发售的《Wii Fit》开始了自己的宣传攻势,目前可以在日本的地铁里看到“平衡板”的宣传图。
 
 
这张图片没有多少提示,对于一直关注游戏业信息的人自然知道是什么东西,但对于普通大众来说肯定比较蒙。可想而知,接下去任天堂推出的广告就会慢慢揭晓这个“平衡板”的真正用处,让观众恍然大悟,以达到宣传效果。
 
——其实这样的宣传手法任天堂在去年宣传Wii的时候已经用过一次了:
 
 
类似这种在广告宣传策略上层层推进的手段,任天堂已经用得滚瓜烂熟,至于效果如何,等到12月1日之后再验证吧。听说的《Wii Fit》首批将在日本出货30万套,对于这样一个4公斤以上的商品来说,30万套运输起来也够费力的了。
 
相关链接:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b0100088r
我最期待的Wii软件
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000con
【E3 2007】《Wii Fit》公布
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000cpf
体重计和跳舞毯
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000edl
Wii平衡板的承重能力
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000eik.html
日本amazon接受《Wii Fit》预约
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000elj.html
《Wii Fit》给流通商制造的压力

Wii《生化危机Umbrella历代记》重回洋馆

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 08:50 AM CST

下面这段视频是Wii《生化危机Umbrella历代记》的第一章,以系列1代的故事为基础改编为光枪游戏,其实在4月份的时候就公布过一些图片了( http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000au2.html )。
 
 
我玩通过ngc版的《生化危机》1代,不过没有玩过第二次,就算有时候想重温一下,想着里面的难度对我来说还是有点大,于是屡屡退缩了。现在借助Wii《生化危机Umbrella历代记》来重温一下1代的洋馆,应该还是挺省事吧——连控制人物的移动都免了,电脑帮忙搞定。
 
事实上,《生化危机Umbrella历代记》这么血腥恐怖的风格也不太适合Wii的普通大众,所以目标用户终究还是那些“生化危机”fans。通过把系列0、1、3代的主要情节集合在一起做成一个游戏,再加点新故事,应该也有一定的吸引力。关键是:“生化危机”的fans现在还有多少?
 
capcom之所以挑选0、1、3代,是因为本作主要讲述S.T.A.R.S.小队和队长维斯克等人的故事——2代的男女主人公不是S.T.A.R.S.小队成员,4代实际上是发生在本作之后的故事,至于维罗尼卡为什么不收进来……就不知道了。
 
相关链接:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000au2
Wii《生化危机:Umbrella历代记》
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000dbd
Wii《生化危机:Umbrella历代记》发售日公布
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000do0
Wii《生化危机Umbrella历代记》新视频
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000efw.html
Wii《生化危机Umbrella历代记》包装
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000enu.html
《Ghost Squad》之后是《生化危机Umbrella历代记》

Wii《马里奥银河》美版电视广告

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 08:09 AM CST

吉田兄弟http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000dob.html继续代言Wii《马里奥银河》美版的电视广告:
 
 
美版《马里奥银河》将于11月12日发售,以Wii在美国9月份平均每周都还有10万销量( http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000ej4.html )的势头看来,美版《马里奥银河》的表现还是很值得期待的。
 
美国两大游戏网站——gamespot给《马里奥银河》的评分是9.5分,ign给《马里奥银河》的评分是9.7分(均为10分制),这样的评分已经证明了《马里奥银河》本身的素质是可以保证的。
 
我一直在等美版《马里奥银河》,下周就可以玩到了……
 
相关链接:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000e1w
Wii《马里奥银河》日版封面
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000dw4
马里奥的年末商战
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000dux
Wii《马里奥银河》、《大乱斗X》美版封面
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000dda
Wii《马里奥银河》特辑要点
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000ctp
Wii+光枪游戏(4)
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b010006pr
Wii《马里奥银河》前瞻
http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b01000edo
Wii《马里奥银河》新画面
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000egj.html
Wii《马里奥银河》宣传视频
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000ejd.html
官网放出的Wii《马里奥银河》介绍视频

游戏记实——暗黑之门:伦敦(一) 进入

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 11:05 AM CST

这几天一直在沉迷暗黑之门:伦敦,好久没有这么畅快的玩一把游戏了,而且还是这样精彩的游戏!比尔·罗伯真是没有让他的忠实玩家失望!

经过3日全天候的BT下载,总算DOWN完了暗黑之门:伦敦,首先游戏可圈可点之处是,暗黑之门提供了单机版,这给那些无法上网或是不愿玩MMORPG的玩家提供了娱乐的平台。在我把游戏安装完毕之后,可惜的是,无法顺利的进入游戏,因为虚拟光盘游戏程序并不能识别,提示我要光盘才能启动游戏。

大失所望之后,突然想到游侠网,游侠网果然是名副其实的破解大王,没多久我就在游侠上找到了免CD补丁。作为中国玩家,不得不庆幸中国有如此强大的破解组织!

感谢上帝,我活在中国,我总算进入了暗黑之门。随即我创建了一个blade master,如果按照习惯的翻译是……WAR3的剑圣,提到这个名字,很容易就想到剑圣那猥琐的面容。因为剑圣被WAR3称之为最贱的游戏角色。好了,我们暂时忘记WAR3的那个BLADE MASTER,我们来看看暗黑之门的剑圣吧!

暗黑之门的剑圣并不猥琐,而且,还特别的是帅气,并且还能变的十分的柔美,因为暗黑之门的角色可以选择男性或是女性作为你扮演的对象。

恩,OK!好色的蚊子终于在片刻的权重之下选则了女性剑圣,身高1.70,体重大概45,三维????

至于三维嘛,我暂时保密,不然就没悬念了,哈哈!

好不容易进入了游戏,因为LOADING时间太长,我WC之后才玩上。

好不容易玩上了,公司的GF7300GT显卡顶不住,一进入大型场景,画面就定格不动了。郁闷之下,把效果关了又关,直到能够顺畅的游戏才肯罢休……

TODAY

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 10:38 AM CST

TODAY,星期五,本周最后一天班,明天就是呼噜呼噜大睡的佳日了。今天游戏项目已经完成了刷怪、物品掉落以及获得经验值的调整,怪物外型的大小等表现也有了一定的改善,加上程序和美术修正的一些BUG,今天终于出了一个新的版本。

也不记得她是什么时候到公司来的新手策划了,条件和底子都很不错,数学系研究生,正好负责数值设计。很多细致的计算任务,也就毫无疑问的落到了她的身上,而我,则是她入门的指导者,直到现在,进展还算顺利,我的担子也因此轻松了不少。

尽管这位新手策划的专业技术能力挺不错,但是对游戏性的了解十分的欠缺,也许在常人来看,游戏性仅仅只是好玩的内容而已,但是对于中国的游戏策划来说,游戏性就意味着赢利,意味着公司的存活。没有赢利的游戏性,我们并不需要。这也是免费网络游戏的设计之道,一切都向着如何收费看齐。当然了,收费的外表则是糖衣。

我不清楚这位新手策划是否决定将自己以后的经历都附注到游戏上,但是我还是尽可能的将自己的经验共享,这或许对我以后再带新人策划或是自己带队也是一种帮助,不过我所发现的是,这位新来的策划的确学的很快,是我见过学习速度和入门速度最快的策划。从这里也可以看的出,作为一个新入门的游戏策划,首先的基础要求就是逻辑要清晰,懂得把不同的事物分类,并且系统化,而模糊的想法,不能出自一个策划之口或之手的。

说到策划人才,的确作为计算机毕业的学生有着先天的优势,如果曾经写过程序或是研究过游戏MOD、破解游戏的话,那更是条件不错的策划人才。而这些人才,相比游戏学院的学生,更容易具备有实际的作战能力。

好了,胡乱说了这么多,今天就是今天,我还要去过明天呢。

噢不,现在已经凌晨37分了。 委屈 

David Jaffe: GOW3 Promises To Be Best In Series [Blog]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

kotaku_jaffe_airport.jpg

David Jaffe was stuck in the San Francisco Airport yesterday so what did he do? Read Kotaku of course. And even better, he took a photo of Kotaku on his MacBook. (But one of my posts isn't featured in the photo....it's ok Jaffe, I get the hint). But he does say Kotaku "never lets [him] down with the goods." Well Jaffe you never let us down either. Yesterday he also posted an entry about the departure of Cory Barlog from the God of War team. His take? It's a good move for Cory and he thinks God of War 3 "promises to be the best game in the series." Read more over at Jaffe's blog.

Infinity Ward - It's Deep And It's Hard, Bitch [Clips]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 10:40 AM CST

I finished the single player mode of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare last night on the PS3, and instead of getting up for a celebratory dish of ice cream, I sat through the credits. I'm glad I did, as it introduced me to the Call of Duty 4 rap anthem, Deep and Hard, which contains the line, "This the third installment, Infinity Ward shit, don't soil your drawers cause it's deep and it's hard, bitch." Poetry! I decided to record the event for you folks to enjoy. Before you say it, yes, my camera is shit. We've established this. I need this song on my iPod immediately.

360 Outsells PS3 In Japan [Console Sales]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 10:20 AM CST

360ownjapan.jpgAll this time Microsoft has been trying to use the Japanese RPG market as a way into the country, when all they needed was a little Namco Bandai arcade jet fighting action. Fueled by the success of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation as well as recent price cuts, the latest Media Create numbers show Xbox 360 sales jumping from 3,718 in the previous week to a massive 17.673 units sold. The PlayStation 3, on the other hand, saw a drop that left them with only 17,434 consoles finding homes. That makes for the sweetest 239 Xbox 360 consoles Microsoft has sold in quite some time. Of course Nintendo continues to dominate them both, with 37,617 Wiis and 78,597 DS systems, but what I want to know is who are these 319 people buying the GBA SP? The future is now, people.

360 Beats PS3 In Weekly Japanese Hardware Sales [Gamasutra]

Nintendo World Store's Midnight SMG Launch [Super Mario Galaxy]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 09:40 AM CST

superlaunch.jpgNintendo is throwing open the doors to it's Nintendo World Store in New York City this Sunday at midnight for the star-studded launch of Super Mario Galaxy. Of course the stars are just the ones in the game, but there'll be plenty of other things to see as you hang out with irresponsible parents and their children in Rockefeller Plaza in the middle of the night. Kiosks will be set up with the game running in it, a DJ will be on hand complete with dancers, and I'm sure cosplay will likely be involved to some extent. They've got a velcro wall people. I don't have to write about this anymore. You all started ordering plane tickets as soon as you heard about the wall covered with velcro. Good thing I didn't mention the bungie run, or they'd have to call out the riot police. Festivities start at 8PM, though Nintendo cautions that fans will probably start lining up much earlier. Good luck, and godspeed.

European Uncharted Demo November 22nd [Region Locked]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 09:20 AM CST

drakeeurope.jpgI feel bad for all the Europeans who downloaded the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demo for the PS3 only to be disappointed by the whole region lock issue, especially now that I've played the superb demo myself. I'm beginning to see why Crecente loves this game so much. Great action, natural-feeling platforming moments. It even addresses my biggest pet-peeve about games, which is getting wet. When our hero gets wet, his clothes are noticeably wet, but only to the degree the water touches him. If he crosses a stream, only the bottom of his pants get wet. It's always bothered me how games handled this, generally by ignoring the water. Man, I wanna go play it again, right now. *sighs dreamily* Oh! Right. IGN has confirmed with Sony that the Euro demo for the game will be up on November 22nd. That's just 13 days away! Of course, we'll have the full game by then, so we'll be sure to let you know how it is.

UK Uncharted Demo on the Way
[IGN - Thanks Heliophage]

Mark Walhberg is Max Payne! Seriously. [Movie News]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 09:00 AM CST

kotaku_walhberg.jpg

Well Mark Wahlberg must feel like a man...with nothing to lose! Variety reports that he's signed up to star in the movie adaptation of the game Max Payne. This marks the first movie based on a Rockstar game. Personally I can't wait to see if the film script is as overwritten as the game. And while we're at it: Where the heck is Max Payne 3? Oh wait, it's called Stranglehold.


Mark Wahlberg to Star in Max Payne
[Variety]

Geoff's Last Day As Kotaku Guest Czar [Night Note]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 08:40 AM CST

To: Geoff
From: Ashcraft
RE: A Day of Rock

Wow. Has it been a week? Already? Shucks. Time does fly.

Your last day roaming the halls of Kotaku Tower! Geoff, we really appreciate you're coming by, breaking news and taking on the Guest Editor role while Crecente wanders the streets Down Under, picking fights with small children and old ladies. Enjoy your last day, don't steal any office supplies and hope you'll stop by again!

Oh, and Fahey's really looking forward to hosting your show while your gone. :)

What you missed last night
Japan not excited for Monster Hunter 3 Wii?
World's most expensive games
Contest cheater replies
Create custom PS3 themes

Smack Naughty Monkeys In PS3's Pain [Clip]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 08:20 AM CST


So you...slingshot yourself, and you have to hit the cheeky monkeys? Flying ragdoll cheeky monkeys? Fantastic. Where do we sign up?

"game" via 柠檬杀手 in Google Reader

unread,
Nov 10, 2007, 2:28:48 PM11/10/07
to cngame...@googlegroups.com

Guest Article: UFO:Extraterrestrials Do Over

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 12:55 PM CST

Bryan Brown wrote the very first "guest post" on Tales of the Rampant Coyote a couple of years ago. He took pity on me this week with my 12-hour workdays at the "day job" and wrote this article to save me some time. I'd thank him, except now I really, really want to play this game, and I know I don't have the time! In this article, Bryan describes some of the mods now available for the indie strategy game, the X-Com - inspired UFO: Extraterrestrials. In particular, several of the mods make the game even more like its classic inspiration.

UFO: Extraterrestrials is turn-based squad-level tactics game very similar to the historic XCOM: UFO Defense or XCOM: Terror from the Deep games. It basically pits a small government funded group of scientists, technicians and soldiers against an onslaught of alien invaders.

The game consists of two phases a global strategic phase where you manage bases, research, production of specialized equipment and inventories, as well as a tactical phase where a squad of your soldiers attempts to achieve tactical victories like salvaging UFO technology, capturing aliens or saving civilians.

The game as released was fairly well done – and I liked it. Partially because it was one of the better XCOM-like games to come along in years and years and years and partially because they did a good job putting their own spin on it. They created a new world, Esperanza, and a whole new hierarchy of aliens to lead the attack. I resented some of their design choices that greatly simplified the strategic phase but overall the game is well done and it has remained on my hard drive ever since being released.

XCOM Memories
I remember playing XCOM to the point that I’d turn corners in real life and have a momentary flash of a little red number down in the corner of my eye and for just a moment I’d wonder where the alien was. The game play was well paced as they slowly introduced new aliens and technologies and each mission left you hungering for the next. There were many nights when I told myself at 10:00 PM that just one more mission and I’d quit and then next looked at the clock at 1:00 AM wondering where the time went.

With game play like that it’s no surprise that XCOM is one of those games that attracted a small but dedicated following. Over the years since the games release it has been discussed and considered and replayed by those that loved it. The game has become legend in the history of computer gaming and the original XCOM: UFO Defense is even available in the public domain now from sites like The Underdogs.

A UFO: ET Makeover
This core group of followers quickly discovered that UFO:ET was user modifiable and mods for the game were released within days of the game being released. Many of the mods were designed to introduce elements from the original XCOM that were missing in UFO:ET.

For example, UFO:ET released with no ability to hire and fire soldiers as needed. Instead they were parceled out to you one a month. Modders quickly changed the game to allow you to not only hire as many soldiers as you needed but to select which soldiers you wanted from a pool of 100 candidates. Other modders added line of sight indicators missing from the game to help determine more effective shots. Still more modified the game to have the games built in day night cycles have a greater effect on tactical combat just like the original XCOM did. One modder added hot keys for common movements which was later incorporated in an official patch released by Chaos Concept, the studio that released the game.

Over time the modders produced hundreds of mods and multiple versions of the same mods as they refined and tweaked the game. I no longer play the game as released and I have no desire to go back to that. I play with a super-mod collection called BMANS Ease of Use Patch. It includes all of the game mods that I really wanted to see in the original release as well as quite a few I had never thought of packaged into one easy to install add-on. This mod re-introduces classic aliens. It modifies the UFOpedia entries to explain the presence of these aliens and creates new technologies and strategies that are required to combat them. Almost every modification can be enabled or disabled or configured using menus that are modded right into the UFO:ET game making using the mods a breeze.

It’s an amazing feat of combining old with new and making new jump through different hoops to completely change the game experience. I find the increased complexities and challenges of playing to be a much more satisfying experience than the un-modified game was.

Modifying a released game is probably sticky ground to be on. We’ve seen games re-rated because of user created mods and the recent threat of Manhunt 2 being re-rated for the same reason. Fortunately, most companies tend to turn a blind eye to the user mod communities. I think that is wise since it becomes free advertising for the product – but I can see how an overzealous company may want to restrict user modding in an effort to protect their IP.

In the case of UFO:ET the user mods have taken a good game and significantly improved it. If you bypassed this game on its initial release it might be time to reconsider your decision.


(Vaguely) related wannabe geek lit:
* Game Moment #3: X-Com
* My ALMOST Most Important Games List
* Guest Gaming Moment: Falcon 4.0
* Quick Strategy Games
.

Did you enjoy this article? Be sure and check out past articles and the comments HERE.

Rampant Games: Games With Personality!

Our Newest Games: Virtual Villagers 2 and Cute Knight Deluxe

【书评翻译】书评:游戏制作人手记

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 08:15 AM CST

文章源自Gamastra,以下是原文地址:
由于文章比较短,而且没有图片,这篇翻译文章就以纯文字的形式贴出来了
 
这篇文章是首篇发出的“书评类”的翻译
由于国外有很多好的游戏设计书籍,然而大家都不太了解里面的内容
于是打算以这种“书评类”的翻译来介绍国外的游戏设计方面的好书
 
闲话不多说了,以下是正文:
 
书评:游戏制作人手记

假如你在寻求一篇对游戏制作简短的指南的话,这篇文章就是了。

很难用简单几句话来描述完制作人的工作。在实际项目中,制作人是最终对计划、开发以及游戏的发布负责的人。制作人和整个制作流程的各个方面都相关,他持有对整个项目最广的视野,从最高的层面上编奏着整部乐章。

与此同时,制作也是同样无法以三言两语描述。在许多方面上,制作都是娱乐产业中最复杂和最多才多艺的工作,那些负责制作的人总是宣称自己的工作每天都不同,每个项目中的都不同。

既然是这样,你该如何进入这个如此广阔、如此复杂和如此充满诱惑的领域呢?这个问题并不是一个答案就能解决的,不过《游戏制作人手记》这本书的确是对你而言的一个很好的开始。

《游戏制作人手记》是对游戏开发中制作人这个角色的一本全面的、实际的指南。Dan Irish通过自己在《神秘岛》这个系列中作为制作人的亲身经历,全面地展示了游戏制作的方方面面,更把重点放在成为一个成功的制作人和开发出一个顺利运行的产品的过程和实际方法上。

欢迎来到制作人的世界

这本书以一个极受欢迎的问题开篇:“到底一个制作人是做什么的?”

Irish说到,一个制作人和他的团队是负责确保游戏产品能依循设计、准时依照计划表、在既定预算下、且在可接受的质量水平下开发出来。制作人就好像中央集线器那样,在团队、发行商、制作成员以及其他相关人士(例如其他工作室的执行者、承包者、市场协作者或者其他和整个开发过程有关系的人)之间进行沟通联系。
这在整个开发过程中实际上是极多的责任。从开发设计文档到对工具来源进行计划,制作人必须协助项目过程中有关联的所有重要的活动,同时平衡各种各样的任务,这些任务范围从极为普通到完全预料不到。

探讨这些不同领域的责任并详细地指出相应的处理最佳处理方法,这就是这本书的主要贡献了。

行业中最重要的职位

Irish使用了一些特殊的例子和技术,指出了开发中每一个重要的方面,以样例文档、Checklist和专业的陈述来对每一个主题做了深入的讨论。其结果是对游戏制作人工作的所有方面做了全面的描述。

以下是对整本书在各个领域上的概括性的总结。

最好的实用手段。大体上来说,作者指出了很多游戏制作中他总结出来的最好的实用手段——这些主要是帮助梳理制作和为开发带来高效和成功的一些技巧。其中包括每周的主管会议、加班的保守使用、每日的Delta报告、在计划表中加入休闲,以及利用事后检讨来持续提高效率等等。

设计文档。Irish极其强调创建清晰全面的设计文档的重要性。其中包括创建一个简明扼要的简要、对发行商传达清晰和充满热情的演示、创建足够的技术文档,以及在游戏的生命周期中有规律地重新审查设计文档等技巧。

计划。计划和资源分配在许多方面上都是制作人工作的核心。作者详细地讨论了开发的过程,包括创建可管理的计划表、设置现实可行的里程碑、跟踪人力资源、开发资源和最后期限之间的交互情况。其中还包括通过MS Project和MS Excel来关联信息的特殊技术。

预算。这部分讨论了游戏开发的财政管理,其中包括全局预算和部门预算的管理、固定费用和可变费用的差别、以及财政模型上的一些关键点(比方说利润状态和亏损状态)。Irish还提供了鉴别和计算风险的技术。

法律部分。在游戏制作的法律方面,这本书提供了各方面宝贵的信息,其中包括合同以及和第三方组织进行法律上的协约签署时需要保证的方方面面的基础和步骤。(对一份典型的工作室合同进行逐点详细的解释,这对于任何要和合同商谈打交道的人都是很有帮助的。)作者还谈到了与一些其他的人员有效的合同,包括承包人、代理人、临时雇员(包括演员公会(SAG)和非演员公会的演员)。

音效制作。可能这是游戏开发中最重要的方面,这本书列出了制作人可能需要参与的各方面的音效制作领域。其中包括挑选音乐、面试和雇用作曲家、管理音效资源、和配音人员一起工作,以及声效引擎的开发和授权方面。

工具。由于制作人最终是要对团队用来制作游戏的工具负责的,作者在书中也包括了对开发过程中一些关键的工具进行介绍。其中包括程序人员的工具(例如OpenGL)、美术人员的工具(例如Maya)以及一些行业特殊的工具(例如Valve公司的Source引擎)。书中还列出了使用工具集的正面和反面的例子。

QA。QA过程虽然在开发流水线上只是处于次要的地位,然而在书中也强调为开发过程中的一个关键的部分。作者讨论了建立一个有组织有系统的QA部门的重要性,同时建议在项目开发前期而不是末期进行问题修正。Irish还展示了一个典型的QA层级的分类以及常见的QA方法。

市场销售。最后,Irish指出了制作人和市场销售部门之间的关系以及把市场销售的需求列入预算和计划表的重要性。他讨论了一个强大的Demo的实际价值、一些好的截图的重要性、以及一些附属产品(例如游戏原声、游戏攻略)的计划方法。
作者还指出了制作人在游戏行业中应该理解的尺度,以更好地管理游戏的开发。这包括当今市场上的特定的技术和财政约束,同时还讨论了在制作和设计这两个角色之间如何平衡的与生俱来的挑战问题。

一本必不可少的手记

假如这本书放在游戏行业之外的书架上,那是不值一提的,尤其是在动画制作和数字电影制作领域上。制作的大体本质在整个娱乐行业中都是基本相同的,而这本书中的材料在相关章节中更多是为制作专家们准备的。

Irish还说到一个制作人的行为习惯会影响到产品的质量。在书中的多处地方,作者都提到了会使制作人走向成功的习惯和态度,然后说到如何把这些习惯和态度用回到开发和制作管理上。

假如真的要对这本书作出批评的话,那或许是作者在材料中过份地强调制作人的层级。Irish列出了制作人层级中的所有范围,从执行制作人和协理制作人一直到制作人助手和实习制作人——然而这些对制作人的强调最终只会使得没有经验的读者容易迷失了阅读的方向。

无论如何,Irish的确为专业游戏制作提供了一般极好的指南书,它足够详细地包含了游戏制作中每一个主要的方面,同时还在塑造一个强力的制作人的习惯和行为上提出了宝贵的意见。对于有经验的专家和正处于上升阶段的新人,《游戏制作人手记》是一本关于制作游戏的囊括艺术和科学的好书。这本书高度推荐给每一位对这个主题感兴趣的读者。

Mass Effect GT Exclusive Trailer [Clip]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 10:00 AM CST

The folks at Game Trailers have gotten their hands on another exclusive trailer. This time it's for the highly anticipated, jaw droppingly beautiful Bioware RPG, Mass Effect. There's not much to be said about Mass Effect that hasn't already been said a hundred times over, so just watch and bathe yourself in the velvety folds of space opera goodness.


Kotaku Originals: From Cheating Cheaters To a Chicago Closing [Orignal]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 09:00 AM CST

kotaku_eachicago.jpg Welcome to another fine collection of Kotaku Originals. This week Geoff Keighley was totally the boss of us, our contest was cheated by a cheating cheater who eventually apologized and big news came down that EA Chicago has gone the way of the Dodo.

Have a Look at the $3000 Prize Computer

Super Mario Galaxy In The House


25% 涂……

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 08:15 AM CST


蝸牛speed on!
……NND好人的節日居然被放鴿子!
看來吾輩只好自己過11.11光棍節了!!!

光棍萬歳!情侶去死XD!

《FIFA足球经理2008》(FIFA Manager 2008)硬盘版

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 04:14 AM CST

《FIFA足球经理2008》(FIFA Manager 2008)硬盘版
转自sharevirus
游戏名称:FIFA足球经理2008
英文名称:FIFA Manager 08
游戏制作:Electronic Arts
游戏发行:EA Sports
游戏语种:英文
游戏类型:Soccer Management
官方网址:http://www.electronicarts.co.uk/games/11377/
【游戏简介】
EA今天宣布了其最新足球游戏作品《FIFA Manager 08》(FIFA足球经理08)。拥有真实联赛和球员授权一向是EA的最大优势,《FIFA足球经理08》也将延续这一点,提供20多个不同国家的52个联赛,并且每名球员都具备42种独立的属性。
【游戏截图】


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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

《后院美式足球2008》(Backyard Football 2008)硬盘版

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 03:59 AM CST

《后院美式足球2008》(Backyard Football 2008)硬盘版
转自sharevirus
製作:Atari
发行:Atari
语言:英语
类型:Sports
网址:http://www.atari.com/us
【游戏简介】(原创翻译:FlyingMonkey@VeryCD)
后院美式足球08是热卖的儿童电视游戏的第六代,是唯一一款获得NFL和NFL玩家授权的游戏。后院美式足球08的主角是小孩形式的NFL巨星,其中包括两次超级碗MVP Tom Brady,他同时也是游戏的封面人物。后院美式足球08通过夸张的动作来表现真实的NFL玩法和策略,带给年轻的美式足球爱好者一个真实、有趣的运动体验。游戏允许孩子们控制风格,站位,速度和策路,同时,通过多人模式,菜鸟玩家很容易地就可以向老鸟发起挑战。
【游戏截图】(THX Jackpot)




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 ² °°° °²² °  
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Backyard Football 2008 (c) ATARI

Ripped: Movies Release date: 09/11/2007
Files: 15x5.00MB Language: English

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      ²      
² °°    °° ²
° ²²²²²² °   ° ²²²²²² °
²² ² ²²²² ²²²² ² ²²
²   RELEASE   ²
²° ²  NOTES  ² °²
   
 
Backyard Football '08 is the sixth iteration of the best
selling children's football video game. The only kids' game
to hold the NFL and NFL Player's Inc. licenses, Backyard Football
'08 features a roster full of current NFL Superstars as kids
including two-time SuperBowl MVP Tom Brady as the cover/highlight
athlete. Backyard Football '08 combines authentic NFL plays and
strategies with the wild and whacky antics of the Backyard gang
to give young football fans a realistic, fun sports experience.
The game gives kids total control of the style, location, pace,
and strategy. And, with multiple levels, is easy enough for rookie
players yet mega challenging for more seasoned veterans.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Unzip & UnRAR
2. Run Setup.bat
3. Run Autorun.exe
4. Play!!!

° ° ° °
     
      ²      
² °°    °° ²
° ²²²²²² °   ° ²²²²²² °
²² ² ²²²² ²²²² ² ²²
²   GROUP   ²
²° ²  NOTES  ² °²
   
 




 
 
² ALiAS GREETS ²
   
² ²
°°² DiViNE - RELOADED - SiLENTGATE ²°°
 ² RESTORE - BAMBOOCHA ² 
 ²° BACKLASH °² 
 ° ° 
² ²   ² ²
²²     ²²
²² °²      ²° ²²
²  ² ² ²  ²
²²²² ²  ² ²²²²
 ²²²² ²²²² 
 ² .. ASCii DOPE BY .. ² 
   
  NERV/SAC!  
 
 
 
 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

《一掷千金》(Deal or No deal)欧版[Bin]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 12:36 AM CST

《一掷千金》(Deal or No deal)欧版[Bin]
转自TLF
游戏名称:一掷千金
英文名称:Deal or No deal
游戏制作:Global Star Software
游戏发行:Global Star Software
游戏语种:英文
游戏类型:Game Show(游戏秀)
游戏平台:PC
游戏容量:1CD
官方网址:http://www.dealornodeal.com

【游戏简介】(以下内容转自“人民网”)
游戏情节是这样的,一名游戏者随机从20个盒子里挑选一个,每一个盒子里面有一个标有钱的标签,从1便士到最高250000镑不等。游戏者每一轮打开3--5个盒子从剩下的19个盒子里,与此同时这些打开的盒子里面的钱就不归游戏者了。每一轮结束后有一个banker会打来电话提供给游戏者一定数量的现金,来换取游戏者手上的那个盒子,banker提供的现金数是跟没有被打开的盒子里面的标签大小而定的。换句话说就是,钱越多的盒子越晚被打开,banker每次提供的现金数就会越大,但是一定会比最高的钱数的一半要少。这时候主持人会问游戏者Deal or No deal。如果游戏者说Deal,那么banker提供的现金就是游戏者的了,如果游戏者不满意banker提供的现金数,就会说No deal,游戏会继续进行。直到最后还剩两个盒子的时候,一个是游戏者自己挑的,还有一个是19个盒子里面剩下的最后一个没打开的盒子。这时候banker可能会打电话来让你选择可以交换两个盒子,如果不愿意交换,最后打开游戏者手上的盒子后,里面有多少钱,就归游戏者所有。
【游戏截图】









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▀ █████ ▓ █ ▄ ████
█▀▓██ ░ PROCYON ▓ █ ████
▓ ░ █ ░ ▒ █ ████
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████ █ ████
████ ▓ . Release #83 ░███
████ ▒ ▀█
████ ░ Deal Or No Deal (c) Focus Multimedia
███░ ░
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. Game Information
Release Date...: 11/09/2007 Discs........: 1
Game Type......: Gameshow Protection...: None
Image Type.....: .bin/.cue Archive Type.: .rar
. Game Summary
Join host Noel Edmonds in the Dream Factory and experience
nail-biting gameplay that's identical to the TV show.
In an exciting new twist your can also compete against friends
and family to see who wins the most money.
With 22 identical boxes and a quarter of a million pounds at
stake, you'll be desperate to have "just one more go"
(not me, i would rather f**king play COD4). Especially as
every player's performance is recorded for prosperity on the
Deal or No Deal leaderboard! (whoop).
Feeling devious? Then you'll enjoy playing as The Nigger and
tempting contestants into accepting the lowest offer possible.
There are six game modes, including the Forfeit Game where you
can customise the prizes, the famous 'Shoot the Nigger' prize
game, and the Cash Game which lets you play against friends
and family for smaller amounts
. Installation Notes
- Unpack, Mount/Burn, Install
- If prompted for part no. use: FFB101
- Play
.READNFO Note
This is the European version of Deal Or No Deal and differs from
the .us version which had a retail release in 2006. This version
features the uk host 'Noel Edmonds' who is an idiot.



▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ We are the result of your laws. ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
▀█████▌ ░ We are the result of your democracy. ░ ▐█████▀
▓███▓▌ ▓ We are the result of your corruption. ▓ ▐▓███▓
▐███░▌ █▄ ▄█ ▐░███▌
░ ███▀▀ ▀▀▀ We are PROCYON - bringing you the finest quality! ▀▀▀ ▀▀███ ░
█▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄█
▀ ▀
▓ .asc/elle<VNS> PROCYON / 2007 ▓
▒ ▒
░ ░


.__________________________.-..__.-...-..___.-..________________________///.
|.:.MisterX & MisterY.:.:.. \/ // | ||/| ||::.::.:::.Site Scripts V2.0:|
`--_______________/---------___//--|_||//|_||---------_________________/'

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《办公室》(The Office)破解版[Bin]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 12:35 AM CST

《办公室》(The Office)破解版[Bin]
转自TLF
游戏名称:办公室
英文名称:The Office
游戏制作:MumboJumbo
游戏发行:MumboJumbo
游戏语种:英文
游戏类型:Simulation(模拟游戏)
游戏平台:PC
游戏容量:1CD
官方网址:http://www.mumbojumbo.com/game/game/83

【游戏简介】(以下内容转自“电玩巴士”)
本作改编自艾美奖最佳剧集《办公室》(The Office),并由英国游戏开发商MumboJumbo负责开发。游戏将以迷你游戏合集的形式出现。

【游戏截图】




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The Office (c) Mumbo Jumbo

11/2007 :..... RELEASE.DATE .. PROTECTION .......: -
1 :.......... DISC(S) .. GAME.TYPE ........: Simulation

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Think you can survive and conquer the zany workplace scenarios featured in
NBC's The Office? Get ready to put the absurd to the test with an all-new
game based off the Emmy Award-winning television series.
In The Office game, players are immersed in the hilarious environment they
know and love from the NBC series. By maneuvering through the quirkiness,
whether it's a dysfunctional fax machine or the idiosyncrasies of oddball
co-workers, they'll be able to spend a year at the Scranton branch of the
Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The frenzied fun of The Office game has
players competing to be the best paper salesman and playing pranks to slow
down rival players who might be getting ahead!
Key Game Features:
* Cast bobble-head caricatures
* The Office show set design
* Season variations at the Scranton office
* Computer-controlled rival competition
* Humorous rival-specific or Dwight and Michael-enabled pranks

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1. Unrar.
2. Burn, or mount with Daemon Tools.
3. Install.
4. Play the game.


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《后院美式足球2008》(Backyard Football 2008)破解版[Bin]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 10:17 AM CST

《后院美式足球2008》(Backyard Football 2008)破解版[Bin]
转自FTiR
製作:Atari
发行:Atari
语言:英语
类型:Sports
网址:http://www.atari.com/us
【游戏简介】(原创翻译:FlyingMonkey@VeryCD)
后院美式足球08是热卖的儿童电视游戏的第六代,是唯一一款获得NFL和NFL玩家授权的游戏。后院美式足球08的主角是小孩形式的NFL巨星,其中包括两次超级碗MVP Tom Brady,他同时也是游戏的封面人物。后院美式足球08通过夸张的动作来表现真实的NFL玩法和策略,带给年轻的美式足球爱好者一个真实、有趣的运动体验。游戏允许孩子们控制风格,站位,速度和策路,同时,通过多人模式,菜鸟玩家很容易地就可以向老鸟发起挑战。
【游戏截图】(THX Jackpot)



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▓█████████▓▓▒▒▓▓██████████████░ Release Info ░██████████████▓▓▒▒▓▓█████████▓
▓██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████▓
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▓███████████████▓▓▓▒░ ░▒▓▓▓███████████████▓
▓███████████▓▓▒░ Backyard Football 2008 ▒▓▓███████████▓
▓████████▓▒░ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ░▒▓████████▓
██████▓░ ░▓██████
████▓ ▓████
███▓ Release Date..: 11/09/2007 Genre.......: Sports ▓███
██▓ Retail Date...: 2007 ██
█▓ Protection....: None Company: Atari █

File Size.....: 395mb RAR Count...: 25x15mb

█ Info......: www.atari.com
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▓████████████████████████████░ Game Info ░░████████████████████████████▓
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Backyard Football '08 is the sixth iteration of the best
selling children's football video game. The only kids' game
to hold the NFL and NFL Player's Inc. licenses, Backyard Football
'08 features a roster full of current NFL Superstars as kids
including two-time SuperBowl MVP Tom Brady as the cover/highlight
athlete. Backyard Football '08 combines authentic NFL plays and
strategies with the wild and whacky antics of the Backyard gang
to give young football fans a realistic, fun sports experience.
The game gives kids total control of the style, location, pace,
and strategy. And, with multiple levels, is easy enough for rookie
players yet mega challenging for more seasoned veterans.

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Hey, this is a kiddie game. What's with all the other groups
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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

What do we mean by ‘computer game’?

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 08:27 AM CST

When we talk about computer games we are picking out a set of things in the world. Typically we will think of PC games, console games, flash games – that sort of thing. However I think that there is vagueness when we think about boundary conditions and, more interestingly, that these boundary cases tell us something about how we conceptualize games.

At a brief glance it looks to me that there are two areas in which we might find necessary conditions for something to be a computer game. These are: display of action and decision-making.

[Three posts in a row, I’m sure I just heard a gong from the side of the stage]

Display of Action
An obvious definition of a computer game seems to be that that a necessary part of the game is that actions are displayed by technology. A broader argument would be that the game is mediated by technology.

The latter of these definitions seem weak. We might play a game of chess by email but here the mediation seems ancillary to the game and thus not something that would determine its categorisation.

The notion of display also seems too limited. We need to work out what we mean by technology and display here – something may be displayed on a TV and most TV’s these days are effectively computers, they certainly are technology. So mere display of action especially when that display is just a picture of the acts seems insufficient for our needs.

What I think people are getting at when they talk about display is representation. When we interact with a computer game our acts are displayed on technology and generally through some form of representation. We act on an interface device and the act is represented by a block or a ship or a wolf or something acting in either direct or indirect response to us.

But again I don’t think that representation is sufficient. The reason is that acts can be represented but the representation can be in direct relationship to the act i.e. we simply replace video display noted above with some kind of rendered display – motion capture would seem to fall under this definition. Also there are Eye Toy games where there is simply the image of us as a player.

It looks like the key point in the notion of display or representation that has been lurking back there is the fact of the necessity of interface, but again I think that all the counter examples above include the fact of an interface.

But I do think that interfaces have something to tell us.

What I think underlies these ideas is not display, representation or interface but rather boundedness. That is, it seems to me that the defining quality behind these notions that video games are those things where the affordances provided by the technology (interface, representation, code) are a necessary and essential boundary to game acts.

Decision Making
An alternative approach to the definition of a computer game is by looking at the role of technology in decision making, or more properly, in determining game outcomes.

We might argue that if decisions in a game are determined wholly by technology then that game is a computer game. We may then as whether partial decision-making also counts.

Here the argument would go that if decision making in a game is determined by technology then that is a computer game. One motivation behind this as a definition is that we picking out those practices where technology is essential to the outcomes practice. We might also argue further that such practices have a distinct character (at least within the general set of games) because of the character of the outcomes or their mode of determination.

This character is derives from the fact of technology making a decision as we can say that a characteristic of technology based decision making is that there is a strict relationship between input data and outcome. Thus for any set of conditions C there will be decision D, and that for every instance of the conditions C the decision will always be D.

This one might argue is different from games were humans make the decisions because while in the ideal case we might think that conditions C would lead to D, in practice humans have a much higher bandwidth so, in practice, there may never be absolutely identical conditions and / or there will be interpretation of those conditions leading potentially to different outcomes.

Thus there seems to be a difference in the contingency and the expectations about contingency between the cases where humans are making decisions and computers are.

A challenge to this comes in the potentially hypothetical case of functional equivalence, and here we reach into all kinds of philosophical arguments about what matters behind what we can see and know – so I’m thinking about Turning tests, Searle’s Chinese room, Chalmer’s Zombies etc.

The argument would go like this: suppose that decision making is done by computer but that that computer system uses techniques such as AI to replicate human decision making to such a degree that under observation the nominal referee would pass the Turing test i.e. we would not be able to determine from function whether a human or machine were making the decisions.

In this case does it still mean anything to say that one instance is a computer game and one is not – if so, what it is that is important that we are picking out; or do we simply have games and the technological component is neither hear nor there.

Bounds and decisions
Here I want to re-introduce the idea of the computer as a necessary boundary of the game. We might say that one way in which a computer can provide a boundary is by it being outcome determining. In this way we are giving primacy not to the functional aspects of the boundary but to its technical nature.

But I wonder if this works, even in the case where there is not functional equivalence (assuming here that where we see computers as being distinct in the way that they make decisions then something certainly appears to be a computer game to a degree that the functionally equivalent machine would not). Let’s take racing as an example – and here I’m being generic about the genre of game, it can be athletics, horse racing, F1, rally – what ever. Suppose that the outcome of the race is determined by a sensor picking up that at least one participant has gotten over the finish line, the sensor triggers an image being taken or the use of some other sensing device, the input from this is processed and the processor determines which of the participants was in fact the first over the line. So it’s a photo finish where image detection is determining what ‘won by a head’.

A specific example of this is the use of ‘Hawkeye’ technology in tennis to help determine whether a serve was out or not. Thought at present it is used only as an aid not as the decision maker – but we can imagine a rule shift to it primacy - as evidence seems to suggest that it is more accurate than line judges (also even in this case the technology is determining only part of the outcome of the match – though it may be crucial)

Here technology is outcome determining. What’s more we can see cases where the technology would certainly not be functionally equivalent to a human – a human may react in very different ways to effetely the same circumstance they may also participate in negotiation over the outcome. 

My sense is that determination of outcomes is not essential to the notion of computer game, because even in the examples given above where there might be a computer determined non-negotiable outcome, the acts involved in the game e.g. tennis, are not bounded by technology – thus it feels that the game is actually not a computer game despite this use of computers.

A refinement might be how replaceable the technology is. So in the examples given above we are in situations where the technology could be replaced by a human (as the examples posited are hypothetical where we have gone the other way). But there might be games where all the acts are completely non-mediated but the game is constructed on the notion that the outcomes that those acts lead to are and only are determined by computer.

Here I think we get harmony with the definition that started to emerge above because here we have a boundary that is not merely based on technology but is essentially based on technology the fact that the boundary happens to be related to outcomes seems not to the important point.

Negotiation
Lastly I want to touch on negotiation. I think that it seems inherent in the idea of the essential nature of the computer that the acts or the meaning of the acts is in the act of play non-negotiable.

However we must take into to account cases which are common in MMOs where players argue with GMs or argue on forums about the meaning of acts and whether they fit within the rules of the game or not, they also argue about aspects of the game itself.

I think we would agree that MMOs are computer games. But there is also negotiation – very like arguing over line calls in tennis.

What I think that this shows is that something can be a computer game under this definition and outcomes can be negotiable, that is I don’t think the that point has anything like the force that it seems to have when it’s examined in the context of practice.

Proposed Definition
I thus arrive at this very simple notion of what a computer game is:

    A computer game is a game where at least some of the bounds of game-acts are essentially controlled by information technology.

A Day With Charlie Junior

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 08:17 AM CST

I had an opportunity the other day to do some game playing with my son - so I had the constraint that the games had to be playable by a 7 year old, meaning favourites of mine like Fish Fillets were generally ruled out.

First up was the ever-popular Super Tux. The young lad was an experienced campaigner at this so it didn't hold his attention for too long. However, whilst we were playing, I did notice a number of things that I think need addressing in the game:

  • Complete lack of originality
    They have copied Mario down to the core. It's a clone with different graphics. Every Mario aspect (gameplay, enemies, etc) has a "skinned" equivalent in Super Tux. Really, it's one thing to be inspired by another game, but to clone it down to the last detail? I don't know, maybe I'm being harsh (after all, I'm a Freeciv fan) but I feel there's a big room for improvement in this regard. I especially don't like the fire flower; can't we come up with some good alternative upgrades?
  • Very unbalanced levels
    The first level is really easy - as it should be. However that quickly changes. After 3 or 4 levels I'm starting to struggle to complete them. After 7 or 8, I find myself quitting the game in frustration at missing another long-jump-to-narrow-platform. The game is completely unbalanced and way harder than it should be at an early stage. One of the reasons the Mario games worked so well is because they were very well balanced. The game never really got hard until about half-way through (and that's a lot of levels). There is far too much acrobatic jumping required in Super Tux. They need more levels where the acrobatics required are compensated for by having a floor to catch you so you don't die repeatedly. The level designs are just too unforgiving.

Moving on, we went with Super Tux Kart. This went down quite well with the young'un initially but interest quickly waned. Again, the culprit is the design of the levels/tracks, which are generally atrocious. One of the keys to the addictiveness of Mariokart was the simplicity of the majority of the tracks. They had straights and few tight corners, meaning you zipped around them, the nuance being in how to get around them with minimum slowdown. Super Tux Kart levels have no straights (none of them) and are all mazes. Just staying on the track can be a challenge. The AI itself is not challenging at all. The physics is diabolical (but this has been fixed in STK SVN which now uses the bullet physics engine). Still, a lot of work needs doing.

Funguloids

Going for something simpler but more complete, I installed Barrage and Those Funny Funguloids. I was having a great time but then I got a jab in the ribs and a stern look, so we moved on.

Bomb Attack (happypenguin entry) was the first game we played that he really got into. It is a well executed bomberman clone with cute graphics, although it is still a bit incomplete.

NJAM also was popular. It manages to give Pacman depth, an accomplishment in itself. Whilst he played those two games I had enough time for a nap!

Next up was Freedroid RPG. This game has some really lovely graphics - although the main character graphics look awful. It was a good game but there's a lot of reading required, a lot of talking. Also it's not exactly obvious what you need to do - places are mentioned but are not easy to find. The level of gaming knowledge required was just a level too high to retain the attention of a 7 year old.

The final and most popular game of the lot was Blob Wars: Metal Blog Solid. This 2D platform game looks nice, is fun to play, and is not so difficult that you find yourself repeating the same few seconds of gameplay over and over again - yet isn't so easy that it is boring to play.

All being said, I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't come up with more good Free gaming options. Other than stuff like GCompris and Tux Paint which he is starting to grow out of, it was difficult to find him a good Free Software game that held his attention yet didn't require a degree of experience beyond the reaches of a typical 7 year old. In the end, he spent most of his time on the Play Station 2 with Lego Star Wars (which was actually a lot better than I expected it to be).

Are there any obvious open source games I missed out? Suggestions welcome. :-)

(title unknown)

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 05:35 AM CST

《IF》给我们带来的...

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 04:12 AM CST

发表者:水晶石数字教育学院 黑板报小组 James

  自从《Believe》的出现,我们有了一个目标,那就是做学生自己原创的片子。要知道这...

INTERVIEW: Hitman Takes Aim at Hollywood

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 03:51 AM CST

Next-Gen speaks with the producer of the upcoming Hitman movie to see how this property could put videogame movies back on Hollywood's list of top priorities.

FEATURE: PlayStation 3's New Hope

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 03:51 AM CST

Sony thinks inside the box for its newest iteration of PS3. Can less really mean more? Edge conducts an in-depth interview with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe managing director Ray Maguire.

PREVIEW: Ninja Gaiden 2

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 03:51 AM CST

You’ve got red on you - Ryu Hayabusa sharpens up his act for a 360-exclusive sequel, while Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, like the initials, fits perfectly on to the DS.

Microsoft Game Studios Built On Quicksand? Whatever, Says Microsoft [Microsoft]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 12:30 AM CST

pbfmonkey.jpgSo what if top-shelf developers are fleeing the good ship Microsoft. So what if Microsoft Game Studios has been described as sitting on "quicksand". So what if we get some rad Wu-Tang and Anthrax jokes out of the whole mess. Think any of that matters to Microsoft? Course it doesn't. MGS General Manager Phil Spencer doesn't need Bizarre, or Bungie, or even BioWare on the books any more. Not when they've got Fable! And...Banjo Kazooie!

I will say - and I mean it respectfully - that I find it all a little humorous. I don't think people sometimes completely understand the relationship between a publisher and a developer. But I know what our relationships with our partners are, and I know the collaboration.

I think speculation is fine - it's good to have smart people talking about what's going on. But I think this time next year, when we're sat here talking about a great Banjo game or a great Fable game, or other upcoming games, it will all be a distant memory. I understand the speculation - but quicksand in our foundations? No way. Phil, you're so right. Forget Halo, Mass Effect and PGR, all you really need are more Rare Xbox exclusives. Those things are great.
Game On - Part 1 [Develop] [Image]


How I Chose My New Game Development Tools

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 02:11 AM CST

In yesterday’s post about end of Edoiki development I promised to tell you about selecting the new development tools. The decision to end Edoiki development was finalized after roughly a month (this week was my deadline). I have some theoretical experience (and little practical) from object-oriented programming and I know the basics, but I have never really got into OO in practice. As I’m starting the new project, I’m taking the leap to the world of object oriented programming.

The process I used to choose a new development platform was pretty simple (although took some weeks):

  • First I decided what I needed
  • Then I listed out potential engines
  • After that I made lots of testing, reading & learning and simply chose the engine

First I decided what I need
Before I started picking the engines, I had some requirements for the engine. Object-oriented development was a must. It had to be 3D. I also wanted it to be bit more powerful than Blitz3D which uses DX7. The engine must need to be well documented and have an active community. Proven projects (so that somebody has actually made something else than “tech demo” with the engine) was also a necessity. Price had to be “reasonable” (something around “not five number price, hopefully less than 4 number price”). Most of the possible indie engines seemed to be around $100 or $200 (which is extremely cheap as you think of it).

Edoiki was never for “casual gamer moms” (same goes for the new project), and many engines seemed to be using DirectX9. The fact that DirectX9 is already very widely spread made it easier for me to start development with a engine that uses DX9. See also some system requirements stats, which is taken from Steam.

Candidates
I checked out Devmaster.net for engines and put about dozen engines on my list of candidates. Many were dumped after seeing that they would lack some crucial features, and only a few survived to the “final round”.

Irrlicht was one potential candidate, but in my (humble) opinion, the engine I picked seemed to have better documentation, articles and tutorials than Irrlicht. Engine itself was pretty okay, but I was bit worried on how they will continue developing and supporting the engine. active community is fine, but since the engine is done on someone’s “spare time” as Nikolaus Gebhardt - the author - says, I think Irrlicht is not for me.

Truevision3D was my second alternative, and actually the engine itself is fine. Basically there weren’t any problems with the engine, but there were other factors that made me skip it. The fact that they said in 2005 that “version 6.5 is here within months”, and it wasn’t until October 2007 when “pre-release of 6.5″ was published. Since the engine itself was nice, this wasn’t a major problem, but still something that bothered me. They also say that “you can use their engine with any language” (Blitz, C++, C#… you name it). They say it’s an advantage - but I say it spreads the documentation. Now if they want to write tutorial for animating a character, they need to have like half a dozen variations for each language. There is no enough documentation for languages, so it was tough for me to learn their system. Also the bit strange licensing system (read more about that on their site) didn’t seem very user-friendly, although they promised to improve it the last time I checked it out. I also heard that the community can be bit intrusive for new people, and these type of rumors had some kind of impact on my decision (although not the final reason why I didn’t choose Truevision). In my opinion, Truevision3D is a great engine - but the community, tutorials and documentation aren’t what I’m after.

Next I checked out Power Render. Engine seemed pretty nice, but the fact that the 7.0 is not out yet and there weren’t good public documentation (nor community) made me skip it. I’m sure many people can find it a great tool, but I wanted something more established (in terms of documentation, tutorials and community).

Microsoft’s XNA was one of my candidates. It seemed very good (or “almost right” for me), but the XNA version 1.0 isn’t quite right for me (no networking, art pipeline was giving some headache, no proper way to publish for Xbox, .NET download overhead when publishing to PC). 2.0 should appear by the end of the year - but still I’m not sure how well the art pipeline will work, or how good is their network system, or if they’ve dealt with the other issues. Maybe after 6 months the situation is different, but I’m not going to take the risk and hope that it will be a good solution for me. XNA uses C#. While C++ can be more difficult than C# (one could say that C# as a “higher level” language can be “easier to use” - at least in theory), I think C++ is rock solid language for games development, while C# is “making its appearance”. I won’t get into the C++ versus C# wars, and I won’t say which one people should use. I simply say that “it depends what you want and what your project needs” and leap to the next candidate.

3D Game Studio was another engine I checked. The name reminds bit of a “game maker tool”, but after testing it I could see that it’s very easy to use (for those with some programming skills) and very nicely done. There were only 2 problems with the engine. First of all the networking system is in amateur level (especially if you compare the rest of the engine features), and it lost the quick comparison in speed with my last candidate. If your game needs network play, then 3D Game Studio (at least at the moment) is bit of a problematic, but otherwise I think the engine is well tested and there’s a solid company doing the development - not to mention active community and lots of articles and tutorials they have. (Those interested in how networking is done in 3D Game Studio, I simply say that they use “wait 1 sec” type of commands to ensure that players are in game.)

The last candidate - which I ended up selecting
I ended up benchmarking Ogre3D (which is a graphics engine, not a game engine) and using various libraries for the development. Ogre3D is a tested rendering engine that I can count on. It has the features I need (although the art pipeline isn’t exactly the easiest to use), the documentation is superb and the community is active. The installation process is painful even for experienced programmer (friend of mine - a top notch C++ coder who uses Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition - mentioned that he tried to test it in the past but couldn’t get it working), not to mention for those with less experience. By carefully reading the tutorial on how to install Ogre3D I finally managed to get it working. I tested samples and even got my own animated model and shadows to appear in the right places. While not easiest the install (and with “not so good” art pipeline), Ogre3D is very powerful graphics engine and their site is filled with articles and their forums are a great place to get guidance.

Ogre3D is not a game engine, so I need to pick libraries for different usage (such as for input, networking and so on), but there are several games made using Ogre3D and the tutorials, documentation and community are excellent. Ogre3D uses C++, and that’s what I’m learning right now.

If you liked this entry, feel free to visit GameProducer.net to read more similar articles.

360 BioShock Widescreen "Fixed" In Next Update [Bioshock]

Posted: 09 Nov 2007 11:30 PM CST

biotv.jpgWell, POV cry-babies, your squeaky wheel is about to get well and truly greased. 2K will be fixing the game's widescreen "problems" as part of the game's next update, which we're promised will be "out soon". So rest easy tonight, kids, safe in the knowledge your indignant vigil over this critical issue, which left one of the year's best games utterly unplayable, has paid off.
wheres the 360 WS-patch? [2K Forums, thanks Chito!]


"game" via 柠檬杀手 in Google Reader

unread,
Nov 11, 2007, 1:55:16 PM11/11/07
to cngame...@googlegroups.com

Hollywood Goes Gaming [Starz]

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

starzhgg.jpg While wasting some time watching Scary Movie 4 (do people actually like this stuff?) and not laughing once, I happened to catch an ad for a Starz special called Hollywood Goes Gaming. From the short clip, it was hard to tell if it was going to suck or not, but the list of interviewees was pretty impressive including the likes of Clive Barker, Don Bluth, Nolan Bushnell, Jordan Mechner and everyone's favorite smiling game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto. As the title implies, the show will discuss the growing relationship between Hollywood and gaming ranging from classic stinkbombs like the Super Mario Bros. Movie to more recent collaborations. The show premiers on Nov. 26 at 9pm so set your DVRs, grit your teeth and hope for the best.


Website downtime

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 12:29 PM CST

Apologies for the downtime yesterday — my host decided to move me from one machine to another, more powerful machine. But they literally gave me no notice. I got the email telling me about it after the site was already unavailable to me! As a result I wasn’t able to warn anyone or put up any redirectors or anything.

Service seems to be back to normal, so we’ll see.

Games Japan Festa 2007 in OSAKA

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 08:03 AM CST

这个周末(11月10日、11日)在日本大阪又有一年一度的“Games Japan Festa 2007 in OSAKA”活动,去年的可以参见“Games Japan Festa 2006 in OSAKA”( http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b010007o3 )。本次展会有任天堂、微软、capcom、konami、square-enix、sega等26个游戏厂商参加,大约有100款游戏提供试玩。
 

——Wii宅男软件《NO MORE HEROES

 

——Wii《NiGHTS》

 

——Wii《mario和sonic在北京奥运会

 

——《Wii Fit》在日本首次面对公众展出

 

——《Wii Fit》的试玩台不少

 

——ps3《鬼泣4》

 

——nds《勇者斗恶龙4》

 

——nds“樱花大战”新作

 

——sce没有出展,但这些游戏(大众高尔夫5、Ratchet & Clank future)是哪里来的?

 

——ubi的《刺客信条》

 

——xbox360《失落的奥德赛》

 

——ps3《Metal Gear Solid 4》

 

——konami的psp游戏展台

 

相关链接:

http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b010007o3

Games Japan Festa 2006 in OSAKA

2007年11月11日,ps3“二次首发”

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 07:33 AM CST

ps3“二次首发”这种提法不是官方说的,只是在tgfc论坛看到的。这一天正好是去年日版ps3的首发日,而且“吉祥三宝”——39980日元的40GB版ps3( http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4938f71b01000ecb.html )、《真三国无双5》、振动手柄的同日推出,理所当然会被寄予厚望。
 
 
根据日本媒体的报道,由于今天突然下雨,天气转寒,所以并没有出现去年那样壮观的排队( http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/4938f71b010007mu )。不过在游戏店购买“吉祥三宝”的用户还是不少,至于具体统计数字要下周才能看到了。
 
 
日本“Yodobashi Camera多媒体Akiba”也在门口摆开了试玩台供路人体验,日本人玩《真三国无双5》的比较多,而欧美人玩《GT赛车5序章版》的比较多,不同地区的用户倾向也挺有趣的。
 
 
相关链接:

[NetShowBT][国内首发][世纪最强之作][Crysis][孤岛危机][EN][DVD9] (大小:6.03G 人气:282 下载:167 完成:- 种子:1)

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 11:57 AM CST

发布简介:PCrysis-Razor1911孤岛危机破解版/P< />P【游戏封面】游戏名称:孤岛危机英文名称 :Crysis游戏制作:Crytek&&&&& 游戏发行:EA Games&&am p;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&amp ;&&&&&&&&&&&&& 游戏语种� 河⑽挠蜗防嘈停篠ci-Fi First-Person Shooter&&&&&&&amp ;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& & 官方网址:A ef="http://www.ea.com/crysis/home.jsp"http://www .ea.com/crysis/home.jsp/A更多游戏请访问:gamebt.ali213.net/P< />P&/P< /> P游戏安装指南及版本说明:*该游戏为Securom7+Se ...
下载地址:http://gamebt.ali213.net/download-spot-1-424.html

庆祝CLONE WIIKEY成功升级,并成功玩到马银

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 10:14 AM CST

1.刻录WIIKEY1.9G的JPN ISO

2.放入WII升级WIIKEY

3.升级完成后分别实验美版的WII和GC游戏成功

4.刻录马银

5.放入WII又升级主机

6.重启后成功进入游戏,开始马银的旅程.

今天拿到了2个星,有点当初刚玩到MARIO64的感觉.确实是只有在WII上且只有任天堂才能做的出的游戏.


类别:默认分类 查看评论

IGDA Leadership Forum - Wrapup

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 11:01 AM CST

The forum is over. Hats off to Jason Della Rocca, Mike Capps and all the other IGDA folks that pulled it off. I really enjoyed it.

Trent Oster's presentation Agile Implementation was very informative.

I've posted my slides from the Cross-Discipline Collaboration presentation.

World of Datecraft [Warcraft]

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 10:00 AM CST

datecraft.jpg Yes, you read that correctly. Some enterprising folks have put together a Warcraft social networking site with the specific purpose, as they put it, of " Provide[ing] a simple and intuitive website which assists and facilitates the building of relationships between World of Warcraft enthusiasts." Now given the name of the site, one would assume that these "relationships" are meant to be romantic in nature although whether they are meant to be real life or in-game dates is unclear. Maybe both? I just wonder if they'll be able to drag people away from the game long enough to actually go on dates.

World of Datecraft


Silent Hill Ringtones From Verizon [Cell Phone]

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 09:00 AM CST

silenthillart02.jpg I've been playing quite a bit of Silent Hill: Origins lately and was lucky enough to have met Yamaoke himself at E for All, so when Kotakuite Jesterhead369 dropped me this note in my inbox it piqued my interest. If you have a Verizon phone, you can download several Silent Hill ringtones including the popular Theme of Laura. Each ring will set you back $2.99 for the privilege of carrying a bit of creepy town with you. Unfortunately , I don't have a Verizon phone, but hopefully with the iPhone I hope to get for Christmas and my SH2 soundtrack CD (autographed even!), I can cobble together my own SH ringtone to disturb passers by.


Manager In A Strange Land系列:里程碑有害吗?

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 09:11 AM CST

原作者:Jamie Fristrom
译者是自GAMASUTRA的链接上看到这篇文章的
链接地址如下:
 
原文如下(由于字数限制,这里只能贴出一部分,详细麻烦大家点入链接内查看。
译文在原文之后,烦点击进去阅读):
 
Manager In A Strange Land: Milestones Considered Harmful?

We didn't have milestones for Spider-Man 1. Well, we did…we had a schedule of month-by-month deliverables with lists of items that were supposed to be delivered by when. But we rarely looked at that document during the project. And nobody from upper management ever said, "Why isn't item A, which was supposed to be done this month, not done?" And yet we still managed to ship on time.

 

以下省略
 
-------------------------
以下译文
 
点击图片放大
 

Gstar拉开大幕 目标软件受邀登台

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 06:28 AM CST

   11月8日,韩国国际游戏展Gstar2007在韩国国际展览中心(KINTEX)正式拉开帷幕,中国顶级游戏研发厂商目标软件应邀参加本次展会,并将展示旗下《MKZ》、《天骄Ⅲ》等数款力作。

  据Gstar组委会负责人介绍,2005年首次举办的Gstar已经成为作为韩国最大的游戏展览会,每年举办一届,在全球具有较大的影响力。届时不仅韩国国内的知名游戏厂商会带着自己的游戏产品参加,世界各地的知名游戏企业和投资商也将云集于此。该负责人还透露,目前共有超过150家的全球著名企业和投资商参加了本次展会。
而作为受邀参展的国内知名游戏研发企业中的元老,目标软件副总裁王莹表示,公司已经有12年的研发经验,拥有优秀的研发团队和成熟的游戏开发环境,具有良好的玩家基础。同时,目标也非常重视本次展出的机会,一方面希望借此展示自己的作品、证明自身的研发实力;另一方面也希望通过Gstar这个平台,加强企业之间的相互交流与合作。更重要的是,目标软件希望能吸收业界和玩家对于游戏产品的不同意见和建议,为国内玩家和全世界的游戏爱好者制作更多、更优秀的游戏作品。

cosplay秀

cosplay秀

  展会期间,目标软件将正式对外展出《MKZ》、《天骄Ⅲ》等5款作品。其中《龙腾世界》、《凤舞天骄》和《傲世》已经上市,玩家可以进入游戏体验虚拟世界中的多彩人生;《天骄Ⅲ》作为一款神话与英雄类的大型3D网游,预计将于明年6月跟玩家见面。而对于即将面市的国产FPS网游——《MKZ》,玩家和众多厂商给予了更多的关注。目标软件副总裁毛海滨介绍说,区别于以往的专业竞技游戏,《MKZ》中丰富的武器、载具系统可以为玩家提供更真实的现代战争体验;自由进出比赛及短时间复活的功能将使玩家体验更紧凑、更自由的战斗模式;而不同兵种之间的配合和支援也使得游戏具有丰富的策略因素,从而为玩家带来更多的游戏乐趣。

  据了解,目前已有不少游戏运营厂商对《MKZ》表示出极大的兴趣,并已经向目标提出代理运营的要求。

《孤岛危机》(Crysis)破解版[ISO]

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 06:24 AM CST

《孤岛危机》(Crysis)破解版[ISO]
转自FTIR
游戏名称: 孤岛危机
英文名称: Crysis
游戏制作: Crytek
游戏发行: EA Games
游戏语种: 英文
游戏类型: FPS
官方网址: http://www.ea.com/crysis/
【游戏简介】
《孤岛危机》(Crysis)故事讲述:地球,2019:一颗庞大的小行星在地球坠毁。朝鲜政府迅速封锁了事发岛屿,并且声称这颗小行星归属朝鲜。美国也立即派遣了一个三角洲精英小组前往观察形势。就在美朝政府关系日益紧张之际,神秘的小行星突然爆开,飞出一只高度2km的超大外星飞船。这只飞船制造出一个庞大的圆形力场,冻住了小岛的大部分地区,并且极大地改变了地球气候。外星人开始入侵地球……
  随后,昔日的敌人变成了盟友,美朝两国开始联手抵御外星人的进攻,拯救人类的命运。玩家将在游戏中带领一个爆破小组进入茂密的热带雨林,残酷的冰封之地,最终进入外星飞船的心脏地带和异型展开殊死搏斗。
【游戏视频】(DEMO高效果视频)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJebSVxPX6g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si3LzwF-aV0
【游戏截图】












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ßßßÛßßßßßßßßßßßÛÜÜßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜ ÜÜß ÜÜÛ Ûßßßßß ßßÜÜÜ ßßß Üß
ßßÛÜÜÜ ßßßßÛÛÛÛÛßß ÜÛß ßßßßß
ßßßßßßÜÜÜÜÜÜÜßß 1 9 1 1 <JED>
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³ Razor 1911 proudly presents: ³
³ Crysis ³
³ (C) Crytek/EA ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ Date: 2007-11-11 ³ Game Type : Shooter ³
³ Size: 1 DVD ³ Protection: SecuRom + Serial ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
Game Notes
~~~~~~~~~~
From the makers of Far Cry, Crysis offers FPS fans the best-looking, most
highly-evolving gameplay, requiring the player to use adaptive tactics and
total customization of weapons and armor to survive in dynamic, hostile
environments including Zero-G. Earth, 2019. A team of US scientists makes a
frightening discovery on an island in the South China Sea. All contact with
the team is lost when the North Korean Government quickly seals off the area.
The United States responds by dispatching an elite team of Delta Force
Operators to recon the situation.

* A unique three-act structure forces the player to use real-time armor and
weapons customization to adapt constantly to an ever-changing world.
* Encounter a frightening and totally original alien species—they use their
senses intelligently and work together to present the most challenging
enemy yet in an FPS.
* Control of a variety of land, sea, and air vehicles including trucks,
tanks, boats, and helicopters.
* Explore a living, dynamic world where earthquakes, breaking ice,
landslides, and tornados pose an ever-present threat.
* 32-player multiplayer with real-time armor and weapons customization, plus
an all-new multiplayer mode that combines player modification and tactical
objectives.
* Emergent gameplay means that in-game actions affect future outcomes and
give each player a unique experience.
* Highly robust and easy-to-use mod toolset allows players to create their
own expansive levels for both multiplayer and single-player modes.
* The CryENGINE 2 engine delivers the most realistic environments,
spectacular special effects, physics game engine, lighting system, and
enemy Al.
Install Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Extract RARs
2. Mount or Burn iso
3. Install
4. Use the keygen from the Razor1911 dir on the disc
5. Copy crack
6. Play and regret that you didnt save money to buy a new pc!
Razor 1911 Greetings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To the honorable competition.

/\
Razor 1911 /__\ Since 1985
/\ /\
/__\/__\
SUPPORT THE COMPANIES THAT PRODUCE QUALITY SOFTWARE!
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PRODUCT, BUY IT! SOFTWARE AUTHORS DESERVE SUPPORT!!


.__________________________.-..__.-...-..___.-..________________________///.
|.:.MisterX & MisterY.:.:.. \/ // | ||/| ||::.::.:::.Site Scripts V2.0:|
`--_______________/---------___//--|_||//|_||---------_________________/'


This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

[开源] 在pbrt里添加的bidirectional path tracing

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 07:12 AM CST

以前上学时写的。现将源代码公布。
mljack.googlepages.com/bidirectionalpathtracing

MLJack 2007-11-11 21:12 发表评论

我的博客我做主!

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 04:56 AM CST

点击在新窗口中浏览此图片

http://www.feedsky.com/cha...

投票地址:http://www.feedsky.com/cha...

      其实本来没想过会参加这么个活动,不过鉴于最近更新频率下降,事务繁忙,没有闲暇观看影片,玩游戏,看动漫,所以自然那些和Blog相关的东西都写不出来。所以就决定参加这个活动。30天30个主题,而且看起来蛮有创意。

      写博客是为了什么?很早的时候是为了记录心情。曾经在MSN SPACE建立了自己的乐土,虽然疏于打理,但是至今还是保留着,偶尔更新一下,只是为了那些曾经的故事。但是不甘于SPANCE缓慢的速度,以及SOHU之流BSP的孱弱,所以决定自己独立出来。这个独立,已经不但但是为了记录心情,而是用来分享的,希望更多的人知道自己喜欢的东西,分享自己的快乐。大概很多人也是这么想吧?

      在这个博客上挂了几个广告,而且小有几十大块的收入。所以对这个命题来说,其实用博客来赚钱能不能实现的问题已经不存在,而是能赚多少?你是否肯为了用博客赚钱而投入大量的时间和精力?我想对于大部分人来说是不可能纯粹为了用博客赚钱而拼命的努力的,除非你真的把这个当成一个事业。

      加入过“总统”建立的一个博客赚钱交流群,里面经常会有一些博客赚钱经验的讨论和推荐,“总统”本人也通过博客赚过成百上千块。当我看到付出了如此努力的“总统”,一个月只赚得这么钱的时候,就觉得,用博客赚钱,对于国内环境来说实在太难了。

      相信对于很多人而言,都会在博客上挂个广告,期望能够有人点击或者通过注册之类赚取少量金钱来弥补博客独立运营中的资产损失,其实当时我就是抱着这个想法来的。那么同样的,大家应该都有和我一样的困惑,其实广告是很少有人点的。大部分人点了广告可能根本就是手误,或者广告很多人根本都看不到就被软件屏蔽了。根据以前从事工作的经验,几个几百IP流量的页面上的广告,几天时间能有一次点击就不错了,除非广告质量相当好,或者很“诱人”,才有可能被点击。所以除非作弊,或者你流量真的大的惊人,或者跟你熟识的人或者后来跟你熟识的人都慢慢习惯于帮你不定时间的点击才会有收入。但说起来,除了流量大的点击高之外,其他的应该都算作弊吧?

      不过要承认,“阿里妈妈”是个好网站,这样把博客主和广告商直接挂钩的办法,而且能够以周计费这种方式发布广告,其实正是博客主最大的福音。对于广告商来说,其实广告只要展示次数够多,已经达到了宣传的目的,起码混个眼熟,就是不点击,人家也知道有这么回事,难保回头有一天要用的时候不会想到。对于发布者来说,只要用心经营博客就是了,而且可以选择是否发布这个广告,如果广告牌质量烂,不审核就是。也能保证广告质量,起到美化博客的作用。

      其实不管怎么说,都是自己的博客,广告挂的多了,难免有人不喜欢,看的人少了也就失去了博客展示自我,分享自我的意义。自己的博客自己做主,即便不是用来赚钱,也可以挂一个没花一下界面吧!

Tags - 博者神龟 , 拼博到底

好人Happy!

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 06:05 AM CST

11.11~好人滿塞!
光棍滿塞!!!


工口本計&#21010;進行中,貌似對H不感冒……無欲無求GJ!

自繪團民那干&#21543;喋!

好人節失落中……買了好吃的,可是還是想找點樂子……除了練級!
SD刷花半天,升到33級〜好累,精神上。

《聪明的孩子之矮种马乐园》(Clever Kids Pony World)破解版[Bin]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 05:59 PM CST

《聪明的孩子之矮种马乐园》(Clever Kids Pony World)破解版[Bin]
转自sharevirus
中文名称:聪明的孩子之矮种马乐园
英文名称:Clever Kids Pony World
游戏开发:midas
游戏发行:midas
游戏类型:Puzzle
【游戏简介】
让我们前往马棚,探寻矮种马的世界。 在游戏中学习知识并成为马场主人,这是一个充满乐趣与教育意义的游戏:照料矮种马、测试知识、区分马匹差别,、设置矮种马迷题。。。等等丰富的游戏内容! 聪明的孩子系列游戏适合各年龄层的玩家。
【游戏截图】



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关于思想, 关于写博, 关于理论与实践

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 05:18 AM CST

前记:
在完整阅读本文前, 本博主先向大家事先声明:
1. 本文的行文风格仍与本博主之前文章的行文风格相同: 强调第一的主观感受, 强调突出重点, 不求圆满, 不求四平八稳, 不求平衡;
2. 既然是主观感受, 就必然不客观, 而我们一直追求的所谓的客观, 在我的眼中也只是"相对的主观", 事实上, 客观这个概念是虚造的, 没有意义.
3. 你可能会不赞成本文及本博观点, 但你的不赞成不会影响我的继续. 如果有一天, 我停止写了, 那是因为我想停止或者有了更重要的事去作而无暇写了, 而不是因为你的那对于我来说微不足道, 不足挂齿的所谓的"意见".

正文:

写博的人, 有很多种, 多得我无法列数, 我只说明我自己的写博目的:

第一, 在一段相对有空的时间里, 能总结总结自己的想法, 概括概括自己的实践经验和实践体会, 这样, 当自己有机会重新阅读时, 也能更好的明白自己当时那样作是因为什么.

第二, 这里记录了我的成长历程: 如何从不专业变成专业, 如何从不职业变成职业, 如何从个体观念变成团队理念, 如何从依赖变成独立, 如何从只看局部变成关注整体, 如何从只顾眼前变成预测趋势. 总之, 就是如何从不成熟变成成熟.虽然这种成长经历, 是我一个人完成的, 但是, 记录下来, 发布出来, 可能也对作着同样事情的人会有所借鉴, 有所补充.

第三, 通过写博, 让我身边的人, 也让不在我身边的人, 了解我近期的状况, 能让大家有更多的共同语言.

第四, 我自认为是一个始终在坚持着奋斗的人, 也自认为是一个具有超强信念的人, 所以, 可能一些无聊的人在阅读本博的时候会受其感染, 也开始自己的奋斗之路, 当然, 这对于本博而言, 自然也是一件开心的事;

与实践相比, "写博"对于我, 更多的象是在干着"思想总结"方面的东西, 当然, 也有人说我有点象传道士. 但是, 对于我自己而言, 我从来没想过把自己的这些想法灌输给别人, 甚至, 我也没有兴趣把这些想法向其他人灌输. 我按着我的想法和计划推动着我自己的工作, 其他人, 如何想, 如何作, 除非他跟我是同一个团队的, 否则, 我根本不关心. 所以, 如果你发现自己对本博中的观点颇持异见, 请你选择离开, 我也没有兴趣跟你进行所谓的"深入讨论", 因为我不想浪费我自己的精力, 我的精力要用来作我自己的工作, 而不是干这种无聊的事. 请记住: 我只是在作自我总结, 而不是在跟你讨论, 来证明你是对的还是我是对的, 我没必要进行证明.

博, 之所以有内容可写, 一是因为自己每天都在作着实实在在的事, 而不是整天无聊, 如果是整天无聊, 那可能就整天只能评论评论什么花边新闻的了, 但是, 那样, 似乎就把博客当作了一种WEB化的QQ. 博, 于我的作用, 是对于我本身的促进, 而不是相反. 本博中提出的诸多观点, 总结的诸多经验, 都是我实践过程中的总结, 我在有心的在作着这样的总结, 我之所以现在这么用心的在作着这样的总结, 是因为我还没有真正成熟起来. 如果有一天, 我已经完全成熟起来, 我想, 很可能我也不会写博了, 而是一门心思去按照自己已经形成的非常牢固的世界观去作自己该作的事, 所以, 对于读者而言, 幸运的是, 我现在还有心思和精力来总结着这些东西.

下面可能会讨论两个严肃的问题, 没有兴趣的就不要看了.

一. 关于理论与实践的关系问题.

辩证法告诉我们: 理论指导实践, 实践产生了理论. 以辩证法一向无敌的思维体系, 它说的任何东西, 都会是对的. 但其实, 我们当初在学校学到的那些所谓的辩证法, 放在我们以后的社会实践中, 是那么的让人不可操作, 是那么的让人觉得理论化.

关于这二者的关系, 我切身的体会是什么?

0. 辩证法没有错, 但那只是辩证法, 读过后就可以烧掉了, 忘掉它, 因为它对我们没有帮助;
1. 实践重于理论;
2. 只有实践过的人, 去重新学习理论, 才会更有价值.

我最欣赏马列思想的一点是: 它强调了万事万物的发展都有其客观规律. 在实践过程中, 我认同这一点, 也基本按照这一点来思考.

那么, 说到理论与实践的关系.

一个理论者, 如果没有过实践经验, 如果只是记住了, 理解了书上的所谓理论, 那么在他的实践过程中, 这些理论所发挥的作用往往并没有我们想象的那么大, 所有该经历的他都要经历, 所有该吃的亏他仍然要吃, 所有该犯的错他仍然要犯, 这时的理论, 在他的脑中, 充其量, 只是一种记忆, 甚至连这种记忆都没有, 因为在他遇到很现实的困难时, 他可能连那些自己曾读过的理论都忘掉了.

而对于一个已经有了实践经验的人而言, 如果能在实践到某一阶段后, 去有意识的学习一下理论, 让自己的实践经验更加系统化, 将会极大的推动他的实践效果. "理论"是什么? 理论是经验的总结, 是哪些人总结出了这些经验? 当然是已经有了经验的人总结出来的, 所以, 理论==前辈经验总结.

既然理论是前辈的经验总结, 那么, 这个总结, 就总结的过程和手段方面, 可能是含有主观成份的, 也就是说可能是带有总结者个人色彩的. 换句话说, 这种总结, 是不可被完全相信的, 它只是一个参考, 只是提供了一种可能更宽更广的思维方式, 仅此而已.

那么, 我们学习理论, 是学习它的哪些方面? 内容, 当然是要看, 要学的, 但不要完全相信, 但是, 更重要更重要的一点, 还要学习包含在这个理论中的思维方式! 后面的这一点, 甚至比内容本身更重要, 甚至对于我们的指导意义会更大!

我们要根据前人总结出来的这些理论, 分析前人当时的思维方式是怎样的? 这些思维方式放在当下的环境里, 要如何变通才能更有用!

理论里的内容仅仅是表象, 而包含于理论中的前人的思维方式, 才是本质! 是人的本质!

Medium: Detective for the Dead by Lotus

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 02:52 AM CST

Overview
Medium is a contemporary, supernatural adventure game focused around a single player character and her unique ability to see and speak to the dead. Ghosts cluster thickly in Medium, from the sad and human remnants of the unhappily deceased to the wild, impossible remnants of places, ideas and times, and each has a story, a mystery, and a tragic and terrible reason for not having passed on. Medium is an adventure game; its focus is on exploration, puzzle-solving and the unraveling of stories and mysteries, rather than straight combat. While the potential for injury and even rude fighting will exist, these will be the exceptions rather than the rule, highlighting the unfortunate inevitability of violence around the terminally curious.

Setting and Atmosphere
Medium is set in the present day (20XX; dating the game would impair its ability to age gracefully), in the fictional metropolis of Crossroad City. The city is active, multicultural and crowded, aimed at being a generalized representation of Western cities, rather than a copy of an actual place. It's full of all the trappings of modern society: instant communication, rampant consumerism, ready entertainment, grinding hardship and soaring potential. Small, closely-clustered ethnic communities crowd around each other like multicultural salad, and opportunity lies everywhere - for employment, amusement, improvement, and disaster. But, given the nature of the game, this modern panoply is only the world as others see it - to the player, it is a garden of the dead.
Ghosts crowd Crossroad City, hauntings its hospitals, prisons, subways and parks, following their chosen targets and hungering for the world they can see and hear but no longer be a part of. Some are aware of each other; others live only in their dazed personal projections of reality, so consumed with avarice, apathy or obsession that the outside world becomes unimportant. And it's not only people who add to the numbers of the dead: the ghosts of places, ideas, even times spring up in the shadows of Crossroad City, all damnably imperceptible to the average person, but nevertheless affecting the world in their own strange way - and all wanting something so desperately that even death is not a barrier.

Story
Your main character is Iris Mackenzie, a clever twentysomething jerked out of college after her mother, who she hadn't seen since her parents' divorce when she was three, passes away - with Iris set to inherit the considerable fortune of her estranged mother. Upon arrival at the palatial but strangely empty Mackenzie Manor, a series of odd events culminate in the sudden appearance - and just as sudden disappearance - of her mothers' horrific specter. This encounter seems to trigger a change in Iris, and just as if a pile of wreckage that long dammed a river is suddenly swept free, Iris is suddenly awakened to the existence of her city's dead.
The afterlife, it seems, is a fickle thing - most people pass on when they die, appearing as a ghost for only a very brief period before continuing to the great, mysterious place all souls flow to. Some, though, get stuck, caught around an idea, person, place or personal obsession, unable to pass on until their spirits are soothed and they are spiritually ready. Those few ghosts who aren't very young tend to be irreparably insane - it is a maddening thing, being caught in the world while being at the same time unable to influence it, and when they find out Iris is capable of seeing, speaking and acting for them, most ghosts are desperate for her intervention. Their abilities, strength, and even their visual presentation are all reflections of each ghost's individual spiritual makeup - some reflect the way they died, some reflect who they were in life, and others present themselves as how they wish they were.
The story progresses through the solving of Mysteries - quests, essentially. Almost every ghost has a problem that only Iris seems capable of solving, and they will trade every piece of desperate information they've scrabbled together to ransom for it. Some provide practical information, locations of stashed treasure or hints to other Mysteries. Some very few may even have insight into Iris' own situation, though no one seems to be able to explain the clumped spectral hands that only seem to be able to touch her and her family...

Character Progression and Gameplay
Medium is an adventure game with slight RPG overtones, mostly used for defining your character and her capabilities. Iris Mackenzie is capable of improving a number of skills and personal attributes, many of which are necessary to solve certain mysteries, do certain activities and succeed at certain jobs. Similarly, Iris has a number of supernatural Talents, each of which may be expressed either on their own or through learned-through-gameplay applications. These are much more specialized than her other skills; they apply only to the business of perceiving and influencing the dead, and as such, are a lot more difficult to learn - but affect a greater slice of the core game once they're known.
Being as Medium is an adventure game, there is no system of combat as there is in many other games. Iris can still be injured however, and this shows in her condition - she can get scraped, cut or lacerated, have bones broken and joints sprained, get sick, get really really sick, catch frostbite or heatstroke. She can get hungry or tired, and if this goes on too long, become starving and exhausted. She has no hit points or other way to easily track her health - common sense must be used. If you leave Iris out in a snowstorm while she's wearing her nightgown, she's going to freeze quickly and die. If she gets a serious laceration, stumbles through the back alleys and passes out, she's probably going to die. If the ghost of Communism is coming after her wielding its hammer and sickle... well, you get the idea.
Medium is contemporary: as such, a lot of how Crossroad City operates will have a contemporary basis. Iris has a cell phone, which she can use to store numbers and follow leads. Iris does not drive, and running everywhere WILL exhaust her, but she can acquire a bike, ride a taxi and make use of the city's extensive (and creepy when it's shut off at night) public transportation system. While Mackenzie Manor is originally fairly empty, Iris can purchase furniture and decorations for the house. She can purchase clothing as well (and does start the game with a few outfits), and change clothes whenever she sees fit - and yes, clothing items CAN get dirty, ripped, sweat-stained or covered in blood. Customization is a feature rarely seen in single-player games, and one that often goes sorely missed; its absence in Medium would definitely be felt, and would assuredly take away from the game's charm.
The progression of time will NOT be handled by counter - time will not progress automatically, as I feel that limits exploration, but proceed as Iris travels and indulges in certain activities. Days and seasons will pass, with no upward limit on how long the game might progress, though certain holidays will happen on certain days of the year.

In Summary
If Harvest Moon, VtM: Bloodlines and the Sims had an orgy and by some freak accident of genetics ended up with a collective child, that child would turn up somewhat like Medium. If you miss the adventure genre, have a love for contemporary settings, and hunger for the painful stories only the dead can tell, then Medium will make you happy - and if you're a game developer with a million or two to throw around, for the love of Odin contact me and we can sketch together some happiness.

Weekend Design Challenge: Learn something new

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 01:25 AM CST

This is going to be an easy design challenge: go learn something new. It doesn't even have to be about game development.

Learning new things is the best way to get exposed to different ideas. What I learned today is after the break.

I spent some time learning about the Wizard of Oz books. My better half decided to read the book Wicked, which is a different take on the main Wizard of Oz tales. I started reading it as well, and it's reminded me about the Oz books I read as a kid. I didn't know exactly how many books there were, but a bit of researched told me and I remembered more about the books I had read. It's interesting to see how someone else has taken a story that's in the public domain and made something new and interesting with it.

If you feel up to it, post what you learned new today. It might inspire someone else. :)

《一掷千金》(Deal or No Deal)硬盘版[欧版]

Posted: 10 Nov 2007 10:49 PM CST

《一掷千金》(Deal or No Deal)硬盘版[欧版]
转自sharevirus

游戏名称:一掷千金
英文名称:Deal or No deal
游戏制作:Global Star Software
游戏发行:Global Star Software
游戏语种:英文
游戏类型:Game Show(游戏秀)
官方网址:http://www.dealornodeal.com

【游戏简介】(以下内容转自“人民网”)
游戏情节是这样的,一名游戏者随机从20个盒子里挑选一个,每一个盒子里面有一个标有钱的标签,从1便士到最高250000镑不等。游戏者每一轮打开3--5个盒子从剩下的19个盒子里,与此同时这些打开的盒子里面的钱就不归游戏者了。每一轮结束后有一个banker会打来电话提供给游戏者一定数量的现金,来换取游戏者手上的那个盒子,banker提供的现金数是跟没有被打开的盒子里面的标签大小而定的。换句话说就是,钱越多的盒子越晚被打开,banker每次提供的现金数就会越大,但是一定会比最高的钱数的一半要少。这时候主持人会问游戏者Deal or No deal。如果游戏者说Deal,那么banker提供的现金就是游戏者的了,如果游戏者不满意banker提供的现金数,就会说No deal,游戏会继续进行。直到最后还剩两个盒子的时候,一个是游戏者自己挑的,还有一个是19个盒子里面剩下的最后一个没打开的盒子。这时候banker可能会打电话来让你选择可以交换两个盒子,如果不愿意交换,最后打开游戏者手上的盒子后,里面有多少钱,就归游戏者所有。
【游戏截图】




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 ² °°° °²² °  
² ² °²²  
   °  
   ²² ²°
  ²° ²²  ²²
nerv      ²²² 
/sac  ²²   ° 
²      °² ²
     ² ²
 ²²  ²² ²  
² ²²  ²²²²
²²²²  ² ²² 
° °  ²² ² ° °
   ²² ²²²²   
      ²      
² °°    °° ²
° ²²²²²² °   ° ²²²²²² °
²² ² ²²²² ²²²² ² ²²
²   RELEASE   ²
²° ²  iNFOS  ² °²
   
 
Deal or No Deal (c) Focus Multimedia

Ripped: - Release date: 10/11/2007
Files: 11x5.00MB Language: English

° ° ° °
     
      ²      
² °°    °° ²
° ²²²²²² °   ° ²²²²²² °
²² ² ²²²² ²²²² ² ²²
²   RELEASE   ²
²° ²  NOTES  ² °²
   
 

Join host Noel Edmonds in the Dream Factory and experience
nail-biting gameplay that's identical to the TV show.
In an exciting new twist your can also compete against friends
and family to see who wins the most money.
With 22 identical boxes and a quarter of a million pounds at
stake, you'll be desperate to have "just one more go"
Especially as every player's performance is recorded for
prosperity on the Deal or No Deal leaderboard!
There are six game modes, including the Forfeit Game where you
can customise the prizes, the famous 'Shoot the Nigger' prize
game, and the Cash Game which lets you play against friends
and family for smaller amounts



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Unzip & UnRAR
2. Run Setup.bat
3. Play!!!

° ° ° °
     
      ²      
² °°    °° ²
° ²²²²²² °   ° ²²²²²² °
²² ² ²²²² ²²²² ² ²²
²   GROUP   ²
²° ²  NOTES  ² °²
   
 




 
 
² ALiAS GREETS ²
   
² ²
°°² DiViNE - RELOADED - SiLENTGATE ²°°
 ² RESTORE - BAMBOOCHA ² 
 ²° BACKLASH °² 
 ° ° 
² ²   ² ²
²²     ²²
²² °²      ²° ²²
²  ² ² ²  ²
²²²² ²  ² ²²²²
 ²²²² ²²²² 
 ² .. ASCii DOPE BY .. ² 
   
  NERV/SAC!  
 
 
 
 

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GameFly Charts: Call of Duty 4 Stays Dominant Amid Little Change

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 11:38 AM CST

This week's top rental charts from U.S. game rental company GameFly, representing the most requested games for the week ending November 5th, highlight both to-be-released and already released games in a unique demand-specific chart. Last week's top five all-platform requests maintain their hold on the charts, with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare still at the top for its first week and Assassin's Creed spending its second week at number two. Last week's number three, ...

Omegame Releases Menus Master 2.6

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 09:07 AM CST

French developer Omegame has announced the latest version of Menus Master, including a number of enhancements and additions including 2D and 3D masking, improved texture management, and an improved interface. Menus Master is a bundle of three products: Menus Master Studio, Menus Master Data Generator and Menus Master Development Kit. Menus Master Studio is dedicated to the artists; it allows the quick and easy creation of any kind of game UI through its user-friendly visual ...

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Launch Date: November 19th

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 02:00 PM CST

Hi all - this is my first PlayStation Blog post so let me first introduce myself - I work in Software Product Marketing and lucky enough to be working with Naughty Dog on Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

I’m sure you’ve heard some rumors that Uncharted will be hitting stores November 15th. As much as we’d love to get the game in your hands earlier, just wanted to let you guys know that we are still on schedule to be in-store November 19th…so you’re going to have to wait 6 more days ;-). But hopefully the demo and DJ Shadow track will keep you going till then.

Research: Orange Box Eating into Halo 3 Sales

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 01:58 PM CST

One industry watcher says the increasingly crowded shooter market is falling victim to some significant sales cannibalization among top-tier titles.

Task Switching

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 01:51 PM CST

One hindrance to my productivity that I've found is task-switching. When one task (usually programming, since that's both the day job and the side-job) is complete, I find myself either lingering overlong to "gold-plate" it, or seeking distractions, rather than moving on to the next job.

Am I spending too much time just patting myself on the back, or rewarding myself with distractions? Quite likely. I've noticed that with Frayed Knights, that between the Torque Game Engine / Torque Game Builder "Frankenengine" and the groundwork I've already laid in the game's architecture, a lot of the tasks I've set for myself actually take less time than I expect. When I get on a roll, I can cross off a lot of jobs off my list, and see enormous progress on the game.

Having that written list (which I've begun maintaining a lot more meticulously over the last week or so) is one of the keys to maintaining that productivity. I have found that I stall out a lot on "deciding what to do next." Being able to consult the list - particularly if it has already been prioritized - really helps remove this one mental block.

A trick I used during Void War's development - which I haven't yet implemented in Frayed Knights (though I may be fast approaching that stage) was to arrange the tasks in "triples" - a task I was really looking forward to doing, a task that really needed to be done to keep progress moving forward, and a major bug-fix that I really felt like putting off. The trick was that I couldn't do any other tasks (usually) until I finished all three of the "triplet." This meant I had to finish some annoying tasks before I could move back to a fun one.

Once I get going on a task, if I can get "in the zone," I do pretty well. It's just those naughty little transitions --- getting started on the next task --- that keeps tripping me up. Any ideas for how I could do to fix this?


(Vaguely) related yammering:
* Productivity Tip: The List
* Fighting Procrastination: The "Local Maxima" Problem
.

Did you enjoy this article? Be sure and check out past articles and the comments HERE.

Rampant Games: Games With Personality!

Our Newest Games: Virtual Villagers 2 and Cute Knight Deluxe

来自噗哟的问卷。。。。。

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 01:24 PM CST

Q1.如果你是哆啦A夢,有一天當你要去找大雄時,打開房間發現小叮鈴跟大雄脫光光在被窩裡,旁邊還有用過的保險套,你會? 

   机器猫。。。怎么脱?脱光光的静香是藏在壁橱内么?翻!

Q2.一早醒來,發現身邊的人都變成了殭屍企圖吃掉你,你拼命的逃命,結果在一個小暗房裡發現了紀錄點,你會? 

   有没有物品箱?箱里有没有色带?

Q3.你在公廁裡上大號,正當進行到一半時,馬桶忽然開始進行引爆的倒數,你會?

   擦屁股

Q4.今天的午餐附上了小布丁,正當你要吃它時,布丁不斷抖動,還發微小的聲音"不要吃我....",你會? 

   查看小布丁的顶端是否有一个小突起


Q5.咖哩味的大便跟大便味的咖哩你要吃哪個? 

   查看该物品类型以及属性值 

Q6.有一天,你在媽媽的衣櫃裡發現了蜘蛛人套裝?

   妈妈啊。。。原来你也有苗条的过去

Q7.你最愛看的連續劇在最精采的時候忽然停播換成美食節目,你會?

   电视?连续剧?北京人在纽约?

Q8.你在學校圖書館的陰暗角落發現了死亡筆記本,你會?

   这玩意现在和谐版叫《死了都要记》、《小本本在人间》,捡到的肯定是盗版


Q9.有天你收到了不記名的信,裡面寫著某星雲總站被外星人襲擊,要你拿著這封信到最近的雜貨店裡報到立刻加入支援,你會?

哦!任務!佣金如何?

Q11.一天醒來,你養的娃被換上了愛妻圍裙,而且圍裙底下什麼也沒有,你會?

   企鹅。。。 =3=

Q13.只吃草莓的話,會拉出草莓嗎? 

   如果这样的话,为了拉出粑粑来,就只能吃。。。。 

Q14.傳給你這個問卷的人愛妄想嗎? 

   除了范特西外她还能有啥? 

Q15.老師穿了墨西哥裝來上課,還想教大家彈墨西哥琴,你會? 

    我不哈这口。。。嘛跌,墨西哥辣妹是穿啥的?

Q16.早上起來變成花媽捲,怎麼辦? 

   找记录点

Q17.書包變成任意門,你想去哪?

   公司

Q18.眼鏡可以發出死光,你想把誰幹掉? 

   这个装备我可以装备么?有没有组合技? 

Q19.你喜歡玩老爺好壞的遊戲嗎? 

   要看我是转人的还是被转的。。。 

Q20.為了喜歡的人,你下定決心要找到四片葉的苜蓿草,好不容易找到了,螞蟻朋友卻告訴你,要是帶走了它,世界就會毀滅...此刻你面臨了艱難的二選一,你會? 

   复制更多的这玩意儿 

Q21.OPEN將的頭那麼大,為什麼不會摔倒?

   我頭也很大,你瞧不起頭大的人麽!

Q22.鼻毛長出了善良又會說話的小花花,你忍心將它拔掉嗎? 

   让她去和小果冻聊天 

Q23.點七個人吧,不然鼻毛會長出小花花的!

   果冻,小花,老师,草莓,僵尸,机器猫,大雄


Q24.即將接力的几個人,如果變了性(男→女,女→男)請各自形容他們

   关   我   屁   事

The NPD Will Publish Console Figures After All [Whining Works]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 12:20 PM CST

cheeringkid.jpgLast week's decision by the NPD Group to discontinue posting monthly reports on console hardware sales didn't go over too well. The gaming press hated it because the NPD console numbers are an excellent resource. Gamers hated it because console sales numbers are an excellent source of angry, gloating forum posts. NPD PR rep David Riley was caught unawares by the backlash, but now he's back with good news.

The NPD had been waiting to hear back from the console manufacturers, and now Riley has informed GameDaily BIZ that the "Big 3" are in fact on board. Therefore the NPD will continue to provide media with the monthly hardware sales tally ...
Ah sweet, sweet console sales numbers are now ours to behold each month indefinitely, and everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

NPD to Continue Providing Hardware Data [GameDaily]


Ad-Supported Casual Games [Casual Games]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 12:00 PM CST

cheapskate1.jpgI've always thought that $20 is an awful lot to spend on a casual game. One of the reasons the conversion rates from trials to purchases are so low (around 2%) is that there's often enough pleasure in the trial to satisfy.

Advertising to the rescue. MostFun.com is offering free online versions of popular casual games like Diner Dash 2, Chocolatier, and Luxor 2 with no time limits. All you have to do is watch a pre- and post-play ad. Is it worth it? You'll have to be the judge; their player doesn't work yet on my Mac (or yours either).

Free Unlimited Premium Games [MostFun.com]


Girl-on-Girl Gets Mass Effect Banned In Singapore [Star-crossed Lovers]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 11:40 AM CST

Picture-51.jpgYou know all that female on quasi-female alien action in Mass Effect? Don't play dumb, pervs. We all know it's the hottest quasi-female alien scene since Total Recall (and before that, probably the original Star Trek). Anyway, according to GameAxis, that juicy content has gotten Bioware's game banned in Singapore. And as far as we're concerned, restricting mature audiences from enjoying the fruits of love's labor between two hot, anatomically-compatible humanoids is outright un-American.

REPEAL 177@55 3FF3C7 [via cvg]


Fun For Our Troops Sends Gaming Relief [Game Charity]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 11:20 AM CST

armygames.jpgWhile a lot of us are safe at home playing Call of Duty 4 on our game consoles, a sizable portion of the US military is overseas right now living it - but that doesn't mean they aren't gamers. There are tons of video game addicts in the military, and now there's an organization dedicated to getting them their fix. Created by military wife Stephanie Doctor Shea, whose own husband was just redeployed to Iraq, Games For Fun is an organization that plans on raising money to supply our troops with video game goodness. She and partner Dana Blackman Brady believe that the comfort of video games will do our forces a world of good.

"What they really appreciate over there is the true comforts of home," Blackman Brady said. "The stress relief and the escapism involved in these games, we really think could be beneficial."

While currently just a small-town operation, Fun For Our Troops has the potential to get pretty huge, especially considering how generous the gaming community is as a whole. They are currently accepting donations of money, gift cards, and games released in 2005 or later.

No matter how you feel about the war itself, the troops in the Middle East are there doing a job for their country that not many other people would do. Check out the organization's web site to see how you can contribute to the overseas, under fire gaming community. Hang onto your copies of COD 4 though. Think they've got that covered.

Wii bit of fun for troops [Bucks County Courier Times via Game Politics]


Jack LaLanne's Physical Conditioning [Collecting]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

jacklalanne.jpgI find collecting to be a very weird activity. Why amass expensive, arcane objects that just get stored away? So my own videogame collecting has been motivated mostly by my research and design interests. One of the things I thought I would do this week is share a few weird items from my personal videogame collection. Here's the first: Jack LaLanne's Physical Conditioning for the Intellivision.

Jack LaLanne is a fitness and nutrition expert. He was born in 1914, and at 93 years old he's still going strong. His accomplishments are many. He started one of the first health club chains, which he later licensed to Bally (they became Bally Total Fitness). He hosted "The Jack LaLanne Show," the first television exercise show. He set a number of world records, mostly by swimming irrational distances with large weights shackled to his body.

As part of their image of "intelligence" (remember the George Plimpton commercials?), Intellivision promised a Keyboard Component for the device, to be released soon after the console's 1979 launch. It was a disaster. The device was delayed again and again, and disgruntled consumers who had bought the Intellivision "Master Component" specifically in anticipation of the promised Keyboard filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC launched a fraud investigation. After finding the complaints valid, the FTC began fining Mattel $10,000 per day for the violation. Mattel finally canceled the Keyboard Component and introduced the Entertainment Computer System add-on instead.

The Keyboard Component was to have a cassette drive for loading and saving data, and a number of games were advertised in the 1980 catalog on cassette. Most were educational titles, including Conversational Spanish, Stock Analysis, BASIC Computer Language, and this one, Jack LaLanne's Physical Conditioning. From the catalog:

Now that you've stimulated your mind, let the Jack LaLanne Physical Conditioning program help shape your body. With an exercise program custom-tailored to fit your needs. And your goals. It even gives you progress reports. In a few short months, you'll be ready for any beach, including St. Tropez.
Copyright date on the cassette I have is 1979, making this the first health game, by my best estimation.

Intellivision 1980 Brochure [Intellivision Lives]
Official Jack LaLanne Website [JackLaLanne.com]


Life Imitates Games [VIdeo Game TV]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 10:40 AM CST

lifepersia.jpgI always love it when network television uses video gaming as a plot device. Take this past week's episode of NBC's Life, for instance. Life is a cop show featuring a quirky police detective who just got out of prison after 14 or so years after being framed for a murder he didn't commit. It's an excellent show most of the time, I promise. Last week's show revolved around a family of Persians (not the cats) whose son had been kidnapped and ransomed for some drug money. When they searched the son's computer they found reference to a file called 'Farah Level 10', but couldn't find the file. The crafty detective Charlie Crews then brings in the son's Xbox, which boots up Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. What follows is a montage of the game, complete with fake titles like the one seen above. When they finally get to level 10? A spreadsheet opens! AHA! Now I'm going to have to take all my drug money spreadsheets off of my Xbox. Damn TV writers.

Watch The Entire Life Season So Far Online [NBC.com]


After You're Done With SMG [Vc Update]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 10:20 AM CST

axelay.jpgThree brave games add their strength to the Wii Virtual Console this week, desperately trying to help maintain its relevance to Wii gamers in the face of today's release of the system-defining Super Mario Galaxy. On the NES front we have Volleyball (500 points), a lovely little version of the sport from back when you didn't need realistic breast physics to make a v-ball game. Often considered one of the greatest shooters of all time, Axelay for the SNES (800 points) brings some classic shmuppage to the table. Finally we have the ultra colorful Blue's Journey for the NEOGEO (900 points), a side-scrolling platformer that features the insectarian Blue from the planet Raguy, who sets off to save his world from the Daruma tribe armed only with a pretty flower. When you're done playing Galaxy...play it again. These three will still be there when you get done.

WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Nov. 12, 2007

Winter vacation may be weeks away, but there's no need to wait for a fun-filled escape. The latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel can take you to places as familiar as a gymnasium or as fantastical as faraway planets. Fans of sports games, space-age shooters and intergalactic action will all find something to love in this week's lively lineup.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Volleyball (NES®, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Step onto the court in one of the first volleyball games ever made. Select either the men's or women's competition, choose from one of eight available countries to represent, and prepare for some intensely fun game play. The straightforward controls include all the moves you'll need to effectively direct your six-person team. Take some time mastering them in the training mode, though, because you'll need all the practice you can get when competing against challenging computer opponents. If you feel like some multiplayer action, take on a friend in the two-player mode and see whose skills are more polished. Block, set and spike your way to victory.

AXELAY® (Super NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Mysterious aliens have invaded the Earth-like planet of Corliss, slowly draining the planet's resources. Take control of the prototype Axelay ship and use its wide range of advanced weaponry to battle enemy forces. Play through multiple stages of action --from other planets to space stations -- all on your way to destroying the alien headquarters. You are Corliss' last line of defense, so be careful not to be too distracted by the excellent graphics (including great scrolling effects) and rocking music. Pilot the Axelay using Konami's famously tight play control and experience what many consider to be a classic of the shooter genre.

BLUE'S JOURNEY (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 900 Wii Points): The planet of Raguy has been invaded by the Daruma tribe, changing it from a beautiful and peaceful place into one filled with pollution. Released in 1991, this horizontally scrolling action game tells the story of an insectarian named Blue and his quest to save the planet and keep its inhabitants from being turned into slaves. Use Blue's main weapon, a leaf, to flip enemies onto their heads and then throw them at other members of the Daruma tribe, defeating anyone in your way. Additional weapons, such as bombs and boomerangs, are also available, or you can collect flowers to purchase other special items like honey or swim fins. Blue also has the special ability to change his size at will -- if he's too big to fit in a particular area, then shrink him. The bright, colorful graphics, combined with lots of hidden items to find, ensure an enjoyable experience with plenty of replay value. Help Blue muster all his strength and eliminate the Daruma tribe.


$8.25m for Health Games Research [Games For Health]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 10:00 AM CST

re-mission-large.jpgGames for Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have announced $8.25 in new grants for Health Games Research. The grants are intended to "support research to enhance the quality and effectiveness of interactive games that are used to improve health."

According to the press release, the foundation will award up to $2 million of the total for studies on effective health game design. Proposals are due January 29, 2008. Another $2 million round is expected in 2009. The program will be directed by Dr. Debra Lieberman at UC Santa Barbara. Among her prior work include SNES games on asthma and diabetes.

Here's hoping this will improve the quality of health related games, not just the number of swings at the ball.

Health Games Research [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation]


Infinity Ward Fixing PS3 COD4 Online [Broken]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 09:40 AM CST

codps3multi.jpgWhile Xbox 360 owners have been enjoying the hell out of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's multiplayer, owners of the PlayStation 3 version like myself have been getting an altogether different definition of deep and hard. Players are reporting long wait times for matches, with connection issues plaguing servers once the matches do start. According to Inifinity Ward, the problem lies with servers getting slammed with far greater traffic than they had anticipated. Fortunately the PS3 server team is on the job.

The server team has been working on this all weekend, and will be working through the night. They're upgrading all server hardware as well as dedicated an individual database to each functionality to improve performance and handle the traffic hitting the servers.
Hurry up guys, I have embarrassing amounts of dying to do!

Update: PSN Matchmaking [Infinity Ward Forums]


Ian Bogost Signing On [Guest Editor]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 09:00 AM CST

ibogost_mii_color_sm.jpgWhile Crecente's off in Australia buying Kevin Bloody Wilson albums, he invited a few people to fill in as guest editors. I'm happy to be here all week disrupting Kotaku with my perverse interests (hint: not cake).

About me: I'm a professor of digital media at The Georgia Institute of Technology, and I'm the co-founder of Persuasive Games, a small independent game studio that makes games about social and political issues. I've written two books about games and culture, and I'm just finishing another one up literally this week. I also write about games in a few other places. As a designer, I make mostly strange games about airport security and copy stores and nutrition and oil and stuff.

In addition to the usual fare, I've got a few things planned for each day I'm here, hoping to break up the eternal nowness of games coverage with some looks back into unusual games and game-related curiosities of yore. You know, like, there were games before the PS2 and stuff.

Ian Bogost - official site [bogost.com]


Thanks for Frying My Brain Contestant Bastards [Night Note]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 08:40 AM CST

To: Ian
From: Ashcraft

Welcome Ian!

This is gonna be super short: I spent literally five or six hours today doing *just* contest stuff. It nearly killed me. My brain is mush. For those of you who think it's hard to finish the contests, trying holding one. Today is the last day to enter. THANK GAWD.

What you missed last night


Last Day to Enter for $3000 Computer! [Contest]

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 08:30 AM CST

blacksitecomputerschwaglastday.jpg If you want this (and want it bad), make sure you read this. Contest closes to entries November 12th at midnight EST. That's TONIGHT. To all those who entered, good luck!


天空一声巨响,老子闪亮登场.

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 08:52 PM CST

  "天空一声巨响,老子闪亮登场....哎呀,闪腰了!"

  不容易啊,最近连续加班,颈椎和肩部又开始持续的酸痛,疲劳到一个临界点了吧,哟哟喂~还年纪轻轻的哒,职业病就已经开始折麽上我了.长时间的面对电脑是没办法避免的,看来只得加强锻炼了.

  今天去打探了下运动技术学院的场子,操场还是草地的,可以进去跑步踢球,有时间一定要强迫自己多锻炼了.

SupCom Conquers Xbox 360

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 12:57 PM CST

The acclaimed PC real-time strategy game Supreme Commander will now be conquering Microsoft's console.

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Celebrating 5 years of Xbox Live

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 12:21 PM CST

In recognition of Xbox Live's 5th anniversary, Microsoft has announced a pair of giveaways and a new download service

Download Xbox games via Xbox Live

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 11:48 AM CST

The Official Xbox Magazine is reporting that the next Xbox 360 dashboard update will allow owners to download original Xbox games

Stars Celebrate tomorrow’s Assassin’s Creed PS3 Launch

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 12:28 PM CST

Masi Oka at the Maxim party for Assassin's Creed

In celebration of tomorrow’s launch of Assassin’s Creed for PS3, last week Ubisoft and SCEA hosted a red carpet event at Opera, one of the hottest night clubs in Los Angeles. Hundreds of attendees and an impressive contingent of celebrities turned up, including, Greg Grunberg (Heroes), John Hensley (Nip/Tuck), Lauren Conrad (The Hills), Masi Oka (Heroes), Shawn Pyfrom (Desperate Housewives) and Zachary Levi (Chuck).

They were on hand to get exclusive hands-on time with the game before launch. Heroes’ Kristen Bell, whose mysterious role is an important part of the game’s storyline, co-hosted the event and spent the evening dancing to DJ Cubeechee who opened up the set on the turntables and DJ Vice who closed the party down – much to everyone’s dismay. Check out a few photos from the event, and be sure to pick up the game when it hits stores tomorrow.

And if you haven’t seen it before, watch the Assassin’s Creed PS3 TV spot here.

Kristen Bell at the Maxim party for Assassin's CreedKristen Bell at the Maxim party for Assassin's Creed

Xbox Live Hits 8 mln

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 12:59 PM CST

Five years after its inception, Microsoft announced that the Xbox Live user base exceeds 8 million.

Marvel Offers Comics Online [Superheroes]

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 12:20 PM CST

mdcomics.jpgMarvel Ultimate Alliance, X-Men Legends, Marvel VS. Capcom - you've played the games - now read the comics - online! Marvel Comics has launched a new subscription service called Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, which allows you to traipse through their back-issues via a web-based browser. $9.99 a month ($4.99 yearly) gets you unlimited access to around 2,500 comics available now, with 20 more released each week thereafter. While you won't be able to stay current - it'll be at least six months before new comics are eligible for inclusion in the service - you will be able to catch up with your favorites without having to pay through the nose for back issues. As a fan that used to shell out upwards of $50 a week on comic books, this is an unbelievably awesome deal. You can test out the reader for free right now at the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited Website. Just keep in mind the service just launched, and they are getting slammed.

Marvel, other comics go online [Yahoo! News via Evil Avatar]


Xbox LIVE Turns Five, Gives Away Carcassonne [Freebies]

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 12:00 PM CST

10854.jpgWe've long been waiting to hear what Xbox LIVE would be pulling out for their fifth anniversary. Now we know. Carcassonne, an already released XBLA board game, will be available for free download between 12:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 15 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. In addition, members of LIVE who've been faithful since 2002 will be gifted 500 points.

Also, our new press release has mentioned that Psychonauts is coming to XBLA as a classic Xbox download with the fall update. Score. Here's the full press release:

As Xbox LIVE Turns Five, Microsoft Announces Next Wave of Social Fun

Xbox LIVE membership soars past 8 million mark, Microsoft unveils new download service for Xbox games direct to your living room beginning Dec. 4.

REDMOND, Wash. -- Nov. 13, 2007 -- On Nov. 15, Microsoft Corp. will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Xbox LIVE. In addition, the company notes that the latest membership figures show more than 8 million members are now actively engaged in the largest social entertainment network on TV. Xbox LIVE has grown from a small community of gamers in two countries, playing a handful of games online with their friends, to a worldwide social entertainment network offering online access to gaming, music, movies and TV shows. As friends across 26 countries and nine languages have connected on Xbox LIVE, it is their feedback and active participation that has guided the service to become what Wired magazine recently called "the king of the online arena." As a gesture of thanks to the gaming community, all 8 million members will have the opportunity to download a free Xbox LIVE Arcade game,* available for downloading between 12:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 15 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16.** In addition to this, every active member who joined the service in 2002 will receive 500 free Microsoft Points.

Starting on Dec. 4, all Xbox LIVE members will receive a free system update with a host of new features and enhancements. Included in this update will be the launch of Xbox Originals, which, for the first time, will enable consumers to download and own full Xbox games, such as "Halo," "Psychonauts," "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge" and "Fable," among others, directly to their Xbox 360. This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games.

With no disc necessary, and at just 1,200 Microsoft Points per game, Xbox LIVE members can easily rediscover these hit titles, or check out a game they missed the first time around. This launch lineup is only the beginning, as Xbox 360 owners can expect to see a growing catalog of Xbox games to download and own over the coming year.

"In just five short years, Xbox LIVE has revolutionized the way friends and family have fun in the living room," said John Schappert, corporate vice president of LIVE, software and services at Microsoft. "On its fifth birthday, Xbox LIVE truly is the place for hanging out with friends and enjoying downloadable TV shows, movies, videos, game add-ons and now downloadable Xbox games on demand."

More information can be found online about the downloadable games available on Xbox LIVE, the evolution of Xbox LIVE or the Xbox LIVE is 5IVE member rewards at http://www.xbox.com.


Amazon Delaying Super Mario Galaxy Pre-Orders? [Ouch]

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 11:40 AM CST

super-mario-box-art2.jpgThis isn't good. From our faithful reader Ben, it looks like at least some Amazon pre-orders of Super Mario Galaxy are going to see a delay of one whole week.

I pre-ordered Super Mario Galaxy 2 weeks ago from Amazon.com. Today I received this in my inbox:

"We wanted to let you know that there is an unexpected delay with your video game order (Order# ###-#######-#######) you placed on October 25 2007 09:26 PDT. Unfortunately, we are unable to ship the product(s) as soon as we expected and need to provide you with a new estimate of when they may be delivered:

"Super Mario Galaxy" [Video Game]
Estimated arrival date: 11/20/2007

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay."

I canceled my order so I can buy it tonight at a brick&mortar store tonight after work. No pre-order coin for me, I guess.

Ouch. Did anyone else get screwed by an Amazon pre-order of SMG?

TimeShift Multiplayer Demo Tomorrow [Xbox Live]

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 11:20 AM CST

timeshiftmpd.jpgTomorrow Xbox 360 owners will get a chance to experience TimeShift's unique multiplayer experience without the hassle of actually having to go out and buy TimeShift. Sierra has announced that a multiplayer demo of their time-twisting title will be up on Xbox Live tomorrow. I've tooled around a bit with TimeShift's multiplayer, though I have to say I was less than impressed. The gameplay is certainly solid, but with the much more robust multiplayer of Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 readily available it just couldn't keep my interest. Had they released the game a year ago it would have been awesome, but TimeShift just had ironically bad timing. Don't take my word for it though - download the demo tomorrow and see for yourself.

TIMESHIFT™ XBOX360 MULTIPLAYER DEMO AVAILABLE ON MARKETPLACE ON 11/14

Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that a multiplayer demo for TimeShift will be available via Xbox Live download.

Developed by Saber Interactive and published by Sierra Entertainment, TimeShift is a first person shooter (FPS) video game that allows players to master the flow of time, to become the ultimate weapon in war-torn environments. Armed with the experimental time-manipulating Beta Suit and a huge arsenal of weaponry and vehicles, players have the ability to slow, stop and reverse the flow of time, allowing them to control several aspects of each battle sequence. Intuitive time controls give the player the ultimate advantage in avoiding attacks, correcting mistakes and outsmarting the enemy.

With a comprehensive online 16-player multiplayer mode, featuring time grenades, 14 different maps and over 40 different features, TimeShift gears itself to the players' unique style of gameplay by allowing matches to be completely customizable. Players can battle it out in a tight, well-balanced multiplayer experience that implements several aspects of the time-manipulating gameplay element found in the single-player campaign.

TimeShift has an ESRB "M" for Mature rating. For more information, please visit the game's official website at www.TimeShiftgame.com


New Anthology on Player Experiences []

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

videogameplayertext.jpgAs I promised yesterday, during my run as Bizarro Brian I want to share some recent activity in the field of game studies.

Videogame, Player, Text is a new anthology with articles focused on player experiences in games. Barry Atkins and Tanya Krzywinska are the editors, and contributors include Marie-Laure Ryan, Matteo Bittanti, Henry Lowood, Jesper Juul, and others. These are some of the names you might want to Google around for if you're interested in the academic study of games.

Table of contents after the jump.

Contents
Introduction: Videogame, player, text - Barry Atkins and Tanya Krzywinska
1. Beyond Ludus: narrative, videogames and the split condition of digital textuality - Marie-Laure Ryan
2. All too urban: to live and die in SimCity - Matteo Bittanti
3. Play, modality and claims of realism in Full Spectrum Warrior - Geoff King
4. Why am I in Vietnam? - The history of a video game - Jon Dovey
5. 'It's Not Easy Being Green': real-time game performance in Warcraft - Henry Lowood
6. Being a determined agent in (the) World of Warcraft: text/play/identity - Tanya Krzywinska
7. Female Quake players and the politics of identity - Helen W. Kennedy
8. Of eye candy and id: the terrors and pleasures of Doom 3 - Bob Rehak
9. Second Life: the game of virtual life - Alison McMahan
10. Playing to solve Savoir-Faire - Nick Montfort
11. Without a goal - on open and expressive games - Jesper Juul
12. Pleasure, spectacle and reward in Capcom's Street Fighter series - David Surman
13. The trouble with Civilization - Diane Carr
14. Killing time: time past, time present and time future in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Barry Atkins

Videogame, Player, Text [Manchester University Press]


WoW Patches To 2.3, Fixes Dustwallow [Patch Day]

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 10:40 AM CST

wowpatch.jpgWorld of Warcraft players rejoice - Dustwallow Marsh doesn't suck as much anymore! Oh sure, you might be more excited about the other changes going live today with patch 2.3, such as the introduction of guild banks so we can free up those bank character slots, or the new 10-man level 70 dungeon of Zul'Aman in the Ghostlands. They've made it easier to level from 20 to 60, which makes no sense whatsoever. My 70 warrior roommate informs me that Warrior DPS got a significant boost in this patch as well, meaning I won't be seeing her for a few weeks. Tons of sweeping changes across all classes abound, but I am most excited about Dustwallow. Man that place sucked. You had the witches hut, Onyxia, and the dragon for the UBRS key quest, and that was pretty much it. Now there's a new Goblin town and over 50 new quests in the area. Could it be time for me to restart my subscription again?

Download World of Warcraft Patch v2.2.3 - v2.3 (English) [FilePlanet]


Aion's Space Angel Battle Trailer [Clips]

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 10:20 AM CST

Here's NCsoft's GameStar 2007 trailer for their forthcoming MMO Aion: The Tower Of Eternity, featuring the Elyos and Asmodian races locked in battle somewhere deep in the Abyss. For me it brings to mind pre-release trailers for games like Codemasters' RF Online and NC's own Lineage II. Not only is the look similar - Aion could very well be renamed Lineage II in Space judging by this clip - but all three games had trailers that depicted these massive, dynamic battles that were in no way indicative of the final gameplay. Dear Korea, could we possibly get a new artistic style going? Thanks.

炫动中国2007校园巡讲第三站:青岛软件园抢滩登陆

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 12:09 PM CST

发表者:水晶石数字教育学院北京中心 黑板报小组 Annie
http://blog.tyou.com.cn//uploadfiles/snc11921_81987.jpg

“一千个人眼中有一千个莎士比亚,你眼中的青岛是什么样子的?。”
11月12日...

Trilogy Logistics contracts with 505 Games

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 11:12 AM CST

Trilogy Logistics, an independent logistics provider to the UK entertainment market, has secured a contract as primary service provider to 505 Games

Microsoft To Launch Downloadable Xbox Game Campaign

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 08:25 AM CST

Microsoft has announced that it will soon offer downloadable Xbox titles including Halo and Psychonauts as part of a new "Xbox Originals" campaign, as well as free Xbox Live Arcade titles in celebration of the previously announced fifth anniversary of the Xbox Live service. November 15th marks the five year point of the service, and and company has said that, "as a gesture of thanks to the gaming community," all Xbox Live gamers will get ...

Endorphin Integrated Into German Games Academy Program

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 08:13 AM CST

NaturalMotion has announced a partnership with the Games Academy of Germany to integrate Endorphin, its 3D animation tool, into the Academy's course curriculum, giving students early access to upcoming 3D technologies from NaturalMotion along with the company's support for select academic projects. Endorphin is based on what Natural Motion refers to as "Adaptive Behaviors", which it says are more interactive than standard animation data, allowing animators to direct scenes in real-time. NaturalMotion says the company ...

Warner Bros., TT Games Detail Lego Batman

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 08:07 AM CST

Following its acquisition of TT Games, Warner Bros. has announced that Lego Batman will arrive on next- and current-gen platforms as well as PC in 2008, also revealing the first details on the game itself. The title was first announced in March of this year, with Warner Bros. still at the helm of publishing duties for the now-subsidiary TT Games developed title. Like its similar Lego Starwars games, Warner and TT say Lego Batman will ...

Online Documentation Is Great Unless…

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 10:56 AM CST

…your internet connection happens to get cut off.

I experienced that today (luckily was taking day off - so it didn’t really matter). There were several hours long maintenance work being done by our internet service provider, and I couldn’t access anywhere. My game development relies heavily on the Ogre3D online documentation, Wiki and their community forums.

If the Internet connection is not available, then the docs won’t be available.

What are you doing to deal with this kind of issue?

If you liked this entry, feel free to visit GameProducer.net to read more similar articles.

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

The 'sleeper hit' of the MMO business in the last few years has been space trading game EVE Online, now with 200,000 active subscribers - and Gamasutra visited the EVE Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland to analyze the event and talk in-depth to CCP CEO, Hilmar Pétursson.

K2 Network To Use Pando Networks' P2P Services

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 07:57 AM CST

Peer-to-peer distribution service provider Pando Networks has announced that online game publisher K2 Network (Knight Online, Granado Espada) will use Pando technology to support MMORPG downloads from K2's portal. The companies say the Pando P2P network will accelerate game downloads and performance for K2's games, which sometimes exceed 3 gigabytes in size, to K2's audience of 16 million users, in addition to new players. K2 Network will also use the Pando Publisher toolset to publish ...

DivX support coming to consoles

Posted: 13 Nov 2007 10:50 AM CST

DivX Inc. has announced that its video technology will be integrated into the PlayStation 3 via a future firmware update

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Vivendi Q3 Sales Up 19%, WoW Userbase Hits 9.3m

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 09:50 AM CST

Publisher Vivendi has announced that its games division's sales have rised nearly 19 percent to 216 million euros ($315.2 million) in its third quarter, on the "continued momentum" of World of Warcraft and initial sales of Massive's World in Conflict. The third quarter sales are up from last year's sales of 182 million euros ($265.6 million). For the first nine months, Vivendi has seen its total sales rise 50 percent over 2006 to 716 million ...

GDC Management Issues Statement On GDC Russia

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 08:28 AM CST

The management of Game Developers Conference event series at the CMP Game Group has issued a statement on the upcoming GDC Russia, due to take place later this month in St. Petersburg, revealing that it is an unauthorized event and that the company is "exploring our legal options" regarding the situation. According to a statement released by CMP (also the parent company of Gamasutra.com), and attributed to Jamil Moledina, the Executive Director of the Game ...

Next Gen/EDGE interview

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 01:44 PM CST

I did this interview a while ago, and forgot I had done it. Today, here I am at a business meeting, and someone says “nice interview.” Huh. :) Anyway, here it is.

Salsipuedes: leave if you can

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 07:07 AM CST

In Baja California, on the way to Ensenada, there is an exit marked “Salsipuedes.” You can’t really see where it leads — the exit turns steeply off the highway, and the area is tall mud cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Somewhere down below, you can catch a glimpse of dusty pickup trucks and maybe a few dwellings.

Salsipuedes means “leave if you can” in Spanish.  It struck me because of the possible readings: you can’t leave because it’s so beautiful; you want to leave because it’s so horrible; you can’t leave because it’s too hard to get out.

Seems like most virtual worlds are kind of the same way.

It’s interesting how environments created as consumer spaces are designed to be as close to Klein bottles as we can get. Casinos don’t give you line of sight to the doors, even though from the outside, the doors are glaringly large and provide great views of a tantalizing interior. Grocery stores place tempting impulse buys at eye level right where you are most obliged to move slowly: rounding corners and standing in a queue. World of Warcraft places quest hints right in your path to keep you from straying. It is all very “Hotel California” — you can check in, but you can never leave.

From the designer side, of course, there’s reasons. It’s about retention, it’s about force-feeding the consumer activities and purchases. Once you have managed to entice your customer to set foot in your space, you want to ding them as much as you can before they leave. There are no straight lines in theme parks, and instead around every corner, there’s a new zone with new challenges.

There’s a few curious effects from this. Theme parks become a bit of a chore after a while. “Have we done this one? And this one?” A checklist of places to visit. Grocery stores become obvious in their tapping of hunter-gatherer brain stems, until we learn to control our impulse for that candy bar. The endless chiming of casinos wears on you. And so does the grind.

This makes for an interesting contrast to social networking services, which are premised not on you hanging out there, but on your leaving and then coming back. Oh, don’t get me wrong — they are still like Klein bottles. The difference is that instead of stuffing yourself into the bottle, you stuff all your friends in the bottle, and then you get visitation rights. You hear their plaintive cries — or pokes, or twitters — and stop by to peer in the opening, and maybe toss a few notes in and some stale bread.

It strikes me that third places in the real world aren’t flypaper. There’s a few characteristics that set them apart from the way we build all these environments:

  • They aren’t events. Events happen there from time to time, but they aren’t “peak moments” the way something like a theme park is.
  • They aren’t driven by content. Content is the lubricant for social interaction. No one speaks of running out of content at the bowling alley or the bar.
  • They aren’t exclusive. You don’t have the issue of stuffing your friends in one bottle. In real life, we have many overlapping social circles that we interact with in many different ways; we don’t maintain categories or tag systems for people, and our friends surprise us.
  • They aren’t desperate. By this I mean that they don’t go to absurd lengths to keep us there. There’s a lack of fear, essentially, that the people will leave. Provide a great experience, and don’t worry about blocking the exits.

One wonders why it is that we don’t seem to create that sort of experience for most of our users. Why are we more like theme parks than the neighborhood bar? Is it because we pursue volume? (Inarguably, these Klein bottle spaces seem to maximize revenue; arguably, over user satisfaction).

And one also wonders whether the “stuff your friends in the bottle” effect is something that we don’t understand when we try making synchronous spaces. A lot of it is just about presence — knowing that your security blanket of people interested in you is out there, listening, knowing that you can hear them rustling around. It’s like the comfort of hearing other people moving about your house. That’s a very different sort of “interaction” than raiding together.

One core feature that differentiates real life from all these spaces is the insistence on the part of stores and services that they are the only space that matters. In practice in real life, we place-hop without losing our network of friends. We intersect with them in surprising locations, we try new places for the sake of novelty.

Would the experience of virtual places of all sorts be better if we were less hung up on getting people to stay, and more hung up on getting them to come back, more hung up on serendipitous encounters, more interested in creating a space which operates socially like real life?

Study: Online Content Can Double Game Sales

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 01:23 PM CST

A new study shows a significant correlation between higher game sales and downloadable content from console storefronts, but game companies may be under-utilizing the opportunity.

Game Design Cognition: The Bottom-Up And Top-Down Approaches

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 11:00 AM CST

In this in-depth article, designers Lopes and Kuhnen look at two major approaches to video game design - from the bottom (in-game actions) up, and from the top (story) down - and discuss the pluses and minuses of creating a game with both methods.

Teen arrested for "virtual" theft

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:31 PM CST

Dutch police have arrested a teenager for stealing virtual furniture from Habbo Hotel

Flashman Studios hires former Capcom exec

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:18 PM CST

Flashman Studios has announced the hiring of Tony Periera as its director of business development

[转载]转:项目经理和产品经理的区别

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:22 PM CST

有一句话说的很精辟:

  产品经理——靠想。产品经理是做正确的事,其所领导的产品是否符合市场的需求,是否能给公司带来利润的。

  项目经理——靠做。项目经理是把事情做正确,把事情作得完美,在时间,成本和资源约束的条件下完成目标。

  从管理的角度讲,项目经理是纵向的,而产品经理是横向的

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[转载]产品策略基础知识

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:18 PM CST

产品策略是市场营销4P组合的核心,是价格策略、分销策略和促销策略的基础。从社会经济发展看,产品的交换是社会分工的必要前提,企业生产与社会需要的统一是通过产品来实现的,企业与市场的关系也主要是通过产品或服务来联系的,从企业内部而言,产品是企业生产活动的中心。因此,产品策略是企业市场营销活动的支柱和基石。

一、产品的概念

      企业的一切生产经营活动都是围绕着产

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[转载]晋升之道,跟上司唱双簧

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:16 PM CST

加入职业场后,很快的,我们就发现在职业场里晋升如此艰难。在小公司还好些,但当我们进入一些中型企业或者大型企业,工作了一段时间后,原来渴望晋升的念头,象被迎头泼了一盆冷水,那些师兄师姐们,正一个劲的努力的排好队,等着晋升!看起来,如果自己加入排队行列去,即使排了个十年八载的,也不定有什么指望。

  ●切入职场晋升点

  在职场竞争中,我们很容易迷失自己,当我们发现晋升之路不再,渴望升职的路变得越来越渺茫时。这个时候,你告诉他应该如何做,才有升职的机会。可以确信的是,八成情况下, 阅读全文
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[转载]项目管理的20条锦囊妙计

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:15 PM CST

即使在最完美的条件下,管理一个软件项目也是很困难的。这里有20个成功的管理经验仅供参考,不过,只依靠某一两条“妙计”是无法顺利完成项目的。
  即使在最完美的条件下,管理一个软件项目也是很困难的。不幸的是,许多新项目经理实质上没有受到任何就职培训。这里有20个成功的管理经验供项目经理参考。不过,只依靠某一两条“妙计”,是无法顺利完成项目的。
  1.定义项目成功的标准
  在项目的开始,要保证各方对于判断项目是否成功有统一的认识。通常,跟紧预定的进度是唯一明显的成 阅读全文
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[转载]读解产品经理

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:14 PM CST

什么是产品经理
      自1927年,美国P&G(宝洁)公司出现第一名产品经理(Product Manager)以来,产品管理(Product Management)制度逐渐在越来越多的行业得到应用和推广,并且取得了广泛的成功。
      最近,国内多家领先企业相继采用产品经理管理模式,走出了产品研发的“象牙塔”,使产品的研制开发有的放矢,快速地满足客户的需求。2003年开始启明星辰公司成立了PMO(Product Manager Office),开始

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[转载]产品经理的职责

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:12 PM CST

产品经理的职责可以定义为以下三个主要方面:

  一是分析市场。正确地搜集和分析市场信息是解决问题的前提。市场分析主要解决四个方面的问题。产品大类吸引力分析要解决的是产品大类的规模、最少近三年的市场增长、这一类产品的生命周期、销售的季节性和周期性、新进入品牌的威胁、主要的竞争对手及其资源、还包括政治、技术、经济、法律、社会等方面的因素;竞争者分析解决的是竞争者目标的确定、其营销战略分析和评价、它的技术战略以及是否建立了差异化优势;消费

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[转载]读"军师、参谋、产品经理"后的一点点想法

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:07 PM CST

在联盟的网站上看到一个PK的话题“产品经理应该是消防员吗?”,并且有一个调查,到目前为止,一共有208个朋友投票,投票结果看下图:

看了这个结果,我感觉很有意思,这

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[转载]产品经理,你做到了多少?

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:03 PM CST

转自:http://www.chinapm.com.cn/theory/articleShow.asp?c_id=4&s_id=42&id=1267

从事网络产品工作也有几年了,对于自主研发新产品或功能一直是持坚定态度的,多数产品经理认为自己是一个夹在中间受气的主,为什么会这样,是不是你做错了什么?如:

  出现争执,与产品经理争执的主要是两种人,设计及技术;
  重复讨论,这个讨论的环节不是在决策初期,而

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[转载]对于用户,应该是引导还是迎合?

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:00 PM CST

作为产品经理,在每次进行产品设计的时候,都肯定会遇到以下这样的情景:


      从这个简短的对话中,可以归纳出两个个问题:
      1) 需求到底是什么?是否包括用户使用习惯的需求?
     2) 对于用户的需求,我们是

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[转载]项目管理与监理案例分析

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 11:52 AM CST

凯茜·布福德(Cathy Buford)是一个项目团队的设计领导,该团队为一个有迫切需求的客户设计一项庞大而技术复杂的项目。乔·杰克逊(Joe Jackson)是一个分派到她的设计团队里的工程师。

一天,乔走进凯茜的办公室,大约是上午九点半,她正埋头工作。“嗨,凯茜,”乔说,“今晚去观看联赛比赛吗?你知道,我今年志愿参加。”“噢,乔,我实在太忙了。”接着,乔就在凯茜的办公室里坐下来,说道:“我听说你儿子是个非常出色的球员。”凯茜将一些文件移动了一下,试图集中精力工作 阅读全文
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Source: Marvel Universe Canned

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:59 PM CST

A reliable source has confirmed to Next-Gen that Microsoft is cancelling the superhero MMO Marvel Universe Online.

How Good Shoes Can Boost Your Productivity

Posted: 14 Nov 2007 12:23 PM CST

I’m ill today. I have a horrible flu: I’m sneezing all the time, I feel bit faint and have some sort of fewer. My brain doesn’t work at the moment (at least it feels that way): I cannot think any complex issues. I have spent some hours staring my game code today, but couldn’t really put my mind into it.

Basically cold and productivity doesn’t go together. When you are ill, you simply are not 100% effective.

And that’s where the good shoes come to play.

The reason I’m ill today is (most likely) because I wore wet, leaky shoes the last weekend while I was driving a long distance. In addition it was close to zero celcius degrees outside. My feet were wet, and I managed to get myself a cold.

Thanks to those leaky shoes I’m now in such condition that my productivity isn’t at the level where it should be.

Do yourself a favor. Take care of your health.

Buy good shoes.

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