At 11/18/07 04:08 PM, jmtb02 wrote: So we can all agree that there is an infinite amount of time to choose from, by which to make a frame move to another frame?

Not really - Flash and computers have upper limits on numbers. We can just agree that the maximum amount of time is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very long.

Anyway, new topic.

Debate time

"Given the huge quantity of films, animations, games, e.t.c already in existence, something which contrives to be completely original will inevitably be inferior to something which acknowledges its sources and goes along with them."

Discuss.

OMFG I'M ON TEH INTERWEBS RANTING ABOUT HOW A GAME BOX IS MISLEADING!!!

So I was looking around and I found THIS article by a guy named Jonas Falcon, who is a dumbass. I read a good portion of the stuff, but one of his posts pushed me over the edge and I had to reply. The post in question is included in quotes in my reply, as well as I answered his original complaint thoroughly. Here was my reply:

Well, I may be a bit late to the party, but I have to completely disagree is Jonas. I have the box sitting right here in front of me.

It says it's a sequel, it says it has some new features and then, in big letters it says "OVER 55 ROCKIN' TRACKS, INCLUDING:

- You Really Got Me
- War Pigs
- Beast And The Harlot
- Crazy On You
- Carry On Waywayd Son
- Heart-shaped Box
- Killing In The Name Of
- Sweet Child O' Mine
- Message In A Bottle
- Shout At The Devil
- Surrender

AND MORE!!"

Pulled right from the back of the box.

Now, what does that say to me?

It says "Hey Jeremy, these songs are in the game. You can play them."

I'll agree to that it doesn't say I might have to unlock songs, but it doesn't say that I won't have to unlock them. ALL IT IS SAYING IS THAT THE SONGS ARE IN THE GAME!

The fact that you bought the game under a preconceived notion that YOU CREATED YOURSELF that you could automatically play any song that you wanted is solely YOUR fault and has almost nothing to do with the company. They might not have come out and said "Hey, you might have to unlock this shit," but they sure as hell didn't mislead you about the songs being in the game, which is all that is says.

Point is, that you... created this idea that you would start off being able to play any song you wanted. Why? It never says anything anywhere like that. YOU thought it up, therefore YOU lied to YOURSELF. It's not the company's fault that you are an idiot who made speculations about a game that turned out to be incorrect and then got pissy about it. That's all on you, sport.

Also, I'm going to discet one post that you made that really botherd me and is pretty much the reason I'm writing this post now.

"Yes, Guitar Hero II is a GAME. A *game*. Which means, I *play*. I do not *work*. I want to *enjoy* myself. I want to do what *I* want to do." -JonasFalcon

Good. this is America. Freedom of all that and whatnot. What says you can't enjoy work? And what says that work is not play? You're purposefully being vague and it's backfiring. If you aren't enjoying the game, then get a new one. nobody is making you play it.

"You see, most kiddies under 23 don't seem to understand that people play games to have fun. Fun is subjective. However, I have a limited time to play games, so I want to get maximum enjoyment out of my gameplaying." - JonasFalcon

I really, REALLY have to say that this pissed me off. not only have you offended me as a gamer, you offended me as a person. You are telling me that because I'm 17, that I am an inadequate gamer who has no true concept of what gaming is, and that I am stupid. Well fuck you. I have a job, so I can see your dilemma in not having time to finish a game. That's your fucking problem. Find some time to enjoy a game. On that note, I have school and a job, so I have barely any time to play either, but I fucking love video games. So, before you start to insult large demographs of the population, shut the fuck up and think before you type.

"Kiddies treat these games like jobs. They don't actually HAVE jobs yet." -JonasFalcon

That's fucking bullshit. I have never once sat down and said "Okay, today my job is to play Final Fantasy XII and I expect to get paid." No. Kids see video games as another medium of entertainment. You are just a dumbass who doesn't remember what it's like to be a kid anymore. shut up.

"Dance Dance Revolution allows you to play nearly every song you desire, regardless of difficulty. Does that mean people will just want to play every song at Easy? Of course not." - Guess Who?

Dance Dance Revolution is a shitty game, first of all. Take that into note. Second of all, it's based off of an arcade version, which has very select memory, so
an unlockable system would be very challenging and pointless to make. With that much access to the public, it's acceptable to have the desired portions immediately accessible so that they make more money. Guitar Hero I&II, however, is not. It's centered around single player advancement through a tiering of levels based on developing skills and progressive difficulty. Also, I'm sure if they made a GHII arcade game, it'd have all the stuff unlocked and then they would have no career mode and it'd only be quick play, which is essentially all that DDR is. They are completely different games.

"There is a career mode. That's nice. I'll do the career mode. I enjoy it. But if I just want to play Free Bird immediately, I should be allowed to. I paid $90. I deserve it." - JonasFlacon

No, you paid $89.99 with or without tax for the game and a controller. You Don't deserve to play it automatically. If you had that, this entire article would have been about how it's too hard for you to play. The purpose of the game is to advance. THAT'S THE WHOLE GAME. Letting you have the holy grail of Rock And Roll from the get-go would defeat the entire purpose of the game.

"And this doesn't apply to Guitar Hero II only. Unlockable content used to be put down all the time as "console bullshit" among PC gamers for years. Now that consoles are trying to be computers (hard drive, internet access, etc.), they better grow up, or they'll be stuck as being considered toys by the rest of the world." - JonasFalcon

Wow. You never cease to amaze me. They ARE toys. That's what they'll always be. Look at the names; PLAYstation. GAMEcube. They're for fun, not for word processing, chart making or other shit like that. They will never make a console for the crotchety 32 year-old man like you so he can do his taxes in a fun way. Sorry to break your hopes and dreams, Jonas. And it has NEVER been solely considered a "computer bullshit". It's always been in games, even since Super Mario Bros. for Super Nintendo Entertainment System (note the name, ENTERTAINMENT). It's truly a basis for any game to progress slowly in difficulty, developing skills, and such.

In short, I already proved to you that it's your fault that you thought that the songs would be available form the start and that there is nothing misleading about the box or advertisements. That's all your fault and there is no one else to blame for your stupidity. Act your age instead of the ones that you say are incompetent and are not capable of understanding gaming.

On top of that, insulting people and calling them stupid (i.e. your reference to younger gamers) is no way to support an opinion and to get yourself to be taken seriously. all it proves is that you truly are a dumbass who deserves nothing more than to be wiped off the face of the Earth so that no drunk woman has the chance to accept your corrupted seed which would placate the continuation of the cancer of society, known as stupidity.

- Radioactive24 a.k.a. Jeremy

So, I would truly encourage you to go read this article and respond. I know it happened a while ago, but this sort of stupidity deserves action and response. Shit like this would NEVER be allowed on the BBS, right?

Mario Galaxy

Meh. Dan, since you are such a hardcore Nintendo fanboy, You'd probably enjoy it. I borrowed it form Gamestop, and it's decent, but definitely not worth the 5 Star rating that Xplay gave it.

If you liked Super Mario 64, you'll enjoy it, but other than that, it's only decent.

Did you guys see the collab I've tried to start for y'all?
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/8125 72

Why aren't you all signing up!

At 11/17/07 06:24 PM, TheCriminalDuder wrote: Yeah I got a haircut today. T.T My mullet got smaller. I feel like less of a man. :(

Haha!

One day I will have a mullet, beating yours. Then I will meet you face-to-face for a mullet-battle! It is my destiny!

OMFG I'M ON TEH INTERWEBS RANTING ABOUT HOW A GAME BOX IS MISLEADING!!!

Can't be arsed reading through the comments. Though the article wasn't well written, I do vaguely agree with some elements of his point. I.e. I feel that some 'unlockable' elements feel too much like forcing folk to jump through hoops.

One thing that does irritate me is when multi-player content is unlocked by playing the single-player game. When people buy a game purely for one aspect of it (some may only play single-player or vice versa) you should allow that. I'm not saying do any extra work - just don't unlock whole racing tracks/multiplayer modes/hyped up music until folk have played a mode they don't wish to.

Comparing it to multiple levels in a game is reasonable but the argument falls apart somewhat - levels do form a sort of narrative - ideally introducing you to elements which will later be used in more complex situations - whilst alternate play modes/extra cars/music etc. doesn't really do that.

I personally feel there's 4 reasonable times to lock content
1 - when it forms part of a narrative - playing it immediately would destroy the narrative flow.
2 - when so many extra skills are required that the target audience would be bewildered if it were just 'presented' and would thus almost certainly enjoy the game less
3 - when it is simply a token gesture (i.e. achievements, graphical changes)
4 - when it isn't known.

The only example of #4 I've seem is in one of the G&W gallery games (the last on the GBC I think). On the back it proclaims - 8 games inside! Indeed there are, 4 of which need to be unlocked by performing simple goals. What it doesn't say is that in addition to those 8 games, there are another 4 games! I was genuinely surprised and overjoyed as a result when unlocking these. Unfortunately, as soon as you hear about it, #4 no longer works.

The rest of the time, I'd always suggest against unlockables if they prevent someone from enjoying the playtime the way they want to do. As always, that is just my opinion.

At 11/18/07 04:51 PM, Paranoia wrote: "Given the huge quantity of films, animations, games, e.t.c already in existence, something which contrives to be completely original will inevitably be inferior to something which acknowledges its sources and goes along with them."

Discuss.

but the fact that it introduces a new standard that will help future media become more enjoyable for the masses is quite worth it not being revolutionary or as great as the rest.

At 11/18/07 08:19 PM, cmkinsac wrote:
but the fact that it introduces a new standard that will help future media become more enjoyable for the masses is quite worth it not being revolutionary or as great as the rest.

If it sets a new standard then that's exactly what makes it revolutionary. A copycat of an original concept can only improve upon it in technical terms, which will undoubtedly fade away when another copycat comes that sets a new standard in the technical area. The original will always be remembered.

See it like this: everybody remembers (and mostly love) the the original mario, wolfenstein 3d, command & conquer or street fighter. The games that improve upon these concepts only in technical terms as Crysis and a million others will be replaced and forgotten over time.

At 11/18/07 08:48 PM, AloneInTheDark wrote:

At 11/18/07 08:19 PM, cmkinsac wrote:
but the fact that it introduces a new standard that will help future media become more enjoyable for the masses is quite worth it not being revolutionary or as great as the rest.

If it sets a new standard then that's exactly what makes it revolutionary.

Ya, you got a point.

At 11/18/07 07:39 PM, Bezman wrote:
One day I will have a mullet, beating yours. Then I will meet you face-to-face for a mullet-battle! It is my destiny!

Anytime, anyday. I am the NG Mullet King, I am divine! My destiny is to reign supreme!

lol Afro-Ninja's got nothin' on me. :P

Lunch
God I'm fucking hungry.

At 11/18/07 09:44 PM, Vengeance wrote: Lunch
God I'm fucking hungry.

At first I thought it was some sort of face...
Then I realized it was just boobs with a sideways ketchup vagina on the bottum.

At 11/18/07 09:46 PM, TheCriminalDuder wrote: At first I thought it was some sort of face...
Then I realized it was just boobs with a sideways ketchup vagina on the bottum.

Come on, lets be mature here. We can't talk about faces in the reg lounge.

At 11/18/07 09:47 PM, Vengeance wrote:

At 11/18/07 09:46 PM, TheCriminalDuder wrote: At first I thought it was some sort of face...
Then I realized it was just boobs with a sideways ketchup vagina on the bottum.

Come on, lets be mature here. We can't talk about faces in the reg lounge.

*faeces actually. read the rules next time yeah?

At 11/18/07 09:39 PM, TheCriminalDuder wrote: lol Afro-Ninja's got nothin' on me. :P

I'm guess the angry faic is on the door to the bathroom.

Oops, faces. I'd better be more careful with my language. plznobankthxkbai

phases? What?

3

RE: Annoyance about the games scene / box art

I dont really get annoyed by having to unlock things... my annoyance is with misleading COMMERCIALS.

The fucking trend right now to plug a game by only showing you the cutscenes... what the fuck kind of shit is that. You have no clue if the actual game is actually any good... you just see these stupid cutscenes where you can 'appreciate' the sweat beads and strands of hair the game makers have put into their cutscenes.. it drives me nuts when i see those commercials. I noticed they do that in box art too... i look at the back of the game and its just a cutscene... for the love of god if im going to pay 60 dollars you could atleast show me what i'll actually be interacting with.... i skip all the damn cutscenes anyway.

At 11/19/07 12:37 AM, Luis wrote: RE: Annoyance about the games scene / box art

I don't play games much but I can see how that would annoy the consumers. They think they are paying for something different from what they are getting. Still, though, you gotta admit the commercial for Rockband is pretty damn kickass. :P
But now with the powerful graphics abilities of PS3 and XBox 360 I think that type of thing will become less and less frequent.

At 11/19/07 12:37 AM, Luis wrote: The fucking trend right now to plug a game by only showing you the cutscenes...

Oh crap, he's on this rant again. WE HEARD YOU AT THE TORONTO MEET.

Haha, I love popping in twice a week just to be a dick.

At 11/19/07 01:57 AM, NegativeONE wrote: Haha, I love popping in twice a week just to be a dick.

Man, your such a dick.

hey, look at that, it is kinda fun.

RE: False Advertising and Guitar Hero
Actually, I'm going to take the opposite side. Six reasons.
Helicopter, Sabotage, Suck My Kiss, Cities on Flame with Rock & Roll, Reptilia and Monsters.

Now these six songs are going to be totally unavailable to me as a single player experience when GH3 hits the UK this week. Why? Because they require me to play two guitars simultaniously, or get someone to play six hours through the game with me. Now half an hour of game not being available because I don't have friends is a bit on the poor side. Add to that the console version I'll end up playing it on when I go to my parents doesn't support even STEREO sound (Oh that'll be fun for the multichannel songs, and once again it'll suck terribly for multiplayer...) and that the patch for an offline co-op quick play mode won't download onto the console I'll be playing it away from there (funny enough, PS2s don't connect to XBoxLive...), I feel there's going to be a lot of false advertising problems with Guitar Hero III at least...

Like Rocks the 80s, this might end up being a release I'll be giving a miss... at least until some preowned versions become available.

At 11/19/07 08:59 AM, JunkyCow wrote: MISLEADING GH3 BOX

I bought GH3, and the simple fact is that if you're any good at that game and aren't total whiny jerk about it, you'll have fun playing. I played through everything, and had fun doing it, and if I unlock something along the way, excellent. Buying games shouldn't be about ONE THING about the game, it should be about the game as a whole, whether or not you have to do some work for a change for it to be available.

I'm confident in my ability to 4* Jordan on Hard. Which puts me in the upper fifty percent of GH players. And I expect to unlock features. I don't mind needing to complete the game to play the song I want.

I will, however, mind when I play an AUDIO game on the Wii and find that it only supports sound that we left behind in the fourties, which makes certain songs impossible. I will also mind when I can't physically possibly EVER unlock features because I suddenly need to master the art of playing two guitars at once. I also mind the rises in in-game advertising and the immenent release of Rock Band, which despite being a multiplayer focussed game, doesn't (from the research I've done) need other people to play it to unlock features. Although it will require me to actually buy a damn next generation console to play Metallica.

Cutscenes
Don't bother me unless I can't skip them. I like playing games twice in a row, just to make sure I mopped up every ounce of detail... but I cannot stand when I am forced to watch a 5 minute cut scene.

Cutscenes

I like them. They give me a chance to take a break from playing, take a bit of coffee or some breccy and generally prepare to be launched right back into the game. That said, I've not really played anything released past 2002 so the situation might have become annoying since then.

Needless waiting in games

Cut scenes and any other needless waiting in games just piss me off. Been playing madden '08, which, tbh, I'm not that awesome at, my suite mates keep beating me, but the thing I hate the most about the game are these small periods of needless waiting, like notices that pop up that you can't click out of, and then end of the damn game is a bitch because it's just a few long shots of the field that you can't skip....anyway, I'll stop the run on sentence with the point that needless waiting in games is a no no.

Cutscenes
Necessary evil. So long as people keep deciding games need a story that can't be changed.

Now sometimes the story is just "tacked on". And obviously so. The stuff I do in GH 1 and 2 and in EBA and in Mario 1-3 really has no consequence to the story. It's just fluff. But when the story intrudes into the game? Thats when there's a problem. If it ends up being stop-start-you-must-pay-attention-becaus e-this-shit-could-be-important-THERE-WIL L-BE-A-FUCKING-TEST stuff, then there is a SERIOUS issue. And if it's not skippable, woebetide the replay value of the game.

Some games it feels horrifically out of place. Like First Person Shooters. Some games, unfortunately, it works for. Like RPGs. But only because nothing better is out there... or is there?
Proceduarally generated story technology does exist, it's just a matter for someone to take things like the Erasmatron and the Storytron and put them to use inside a game (much to Father Crawford's disgust I'd imagine...).

Even the exposition sequences in Half Life 2 are something I detest. They're nonskipable cutscenes where you're allowed to move about, interact with nothing unless it's a plot mechanic, and STILL have no choice in the matter. Who thought of THAT idea? And branching stories or feedback loops? Don't make me laugh... it's still a pathetic illusion of choice.

If games were cars, stories would be engines currently running on leaded gasolene. It needs an overhaul so it can run on something more efficient.

At 11/19/07 11:37 AM, jmtb02 wrote: Cutscenes
Don't bother me unless I can't skip them. I like playing games twice in a row, just to make sure I mopped up every ounce of detail... but I cannot stand when I am forced to watch a 5 minute cut scene.

I like em. I really do think they can make a difference. Maybe it's the genres i play, rpg, strategy, adventure but i cant imagine any of these games without a good story. Imagine FF7, Grim Fandango or Red Alert without the cutscenes. They usually suck though because of poor directing, but when there is effort put into them and the story then they really raise the value of the game. I hear the new game Mass Effect supposedly has a really wicked story also, so I am eager to check it out at my cousins place.
For flashgames, i remember Divine Intervention, that had an awesome intro. To the point, engaging and really cool. I also like to see an outro when i finish a game and not just be brought back to the menu immediately

Cutscenes and Unlockables

Both of them depend- Cutscenes are okay if they're short and to the point, but if they take take so much time that I just want to get up and go like... eat or something, then they're annoying.

Unlockables, on the other hand, I'm okay with as long as they're achievable. If it's something like "Beat the game 5 times, then on the sixth go here, spin around 3 times, jump twice, etc", then it's annoying. But if it's just "Beat this song in story mode to unlock it in Free Play", then I'm fine with it. A game is played to unlock things- it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Finding Christmas Presents

We all know where this is going...

Anyway, I'm a hardcore Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I was getting ready to watch the game yesterday when I thought to myself, "Hey, wouldn't it be nice if I had a back pillow for my bed so I could lay down and watch the game?". So, I went to where they always used to be, which was my mom's closet, and I see a blanket in the middle of it covering something (supposedly the pillows). Anyway, I pick the blanket up and what do I see? Guitar Hero 3 and some controllers for the Wii (rhyme not intended).

Has that ever happened to you guys?

Zune 2

I've been reading reviews about the Zune 2 and I am seriously considerring snagging one soon. They look awesome and the touch pad..is a nice touch :P I also like the interface. I'm planning on getting the 80gb version although some people say the hard drive is audible... What do you guys think of it?

At 11/19/07 06:18 PM, spare-jello wrote: Has that ever happened to you guys?

Finding Christmas Presents

Jeez, how early does your family do Christmas shopping anydangway? Your mom needs to be more creative with hiding spots. The closet? Try the foundation under the house.

The best I'm getting is a new monitor probably, and most likely the only thing from my parents. All I want is money to buy my own presents though.

I just made the coolest particle effect

http://www.swfup.com/file/59926

click and hold to make big explosions

0.o would you mind if I used that in a flash movie?

Almost as good as the Lionhead one in B&W2

At 11/19/07 07:44 PM, Glaiel-Gamer wrote: I just made the coolest particle effect
click and hold to make big explosions

Bar the whole "it lags like a bitch on my 2gb RAM 128mb Gcard running three copies of Firefox with flash simulatniously" thing, it's nifty. Hope if gets put into your Flash stuff to show where it truely belongs. :)