SiN

(Both) Freedom Force games are super cheap today.

Another Scott Pilgrim fan here. I dunno, the synopsis might sound awful, but it really is quite good. It's funny, well-written, and, I dunno, honest. It references video games, but not in a forced or obscure manner. It's definitely not about stupid Family-Guy-esque obscure references. And it isn't about the negative stereotype of nerds and gamers, it's about celebrating it. It's basically a coming-of-age story wrapped around a cultural context we've lived through and can relate to. You may be passed that stage of your life, I know I am, but that's beside the point. Also, it takes place in Toronto, which is awesome. Mo

I've been meaning to try Zeno Clash...

I'm a huge Worms fanboy. Apart from obsessively playing Worms 2, Armageddon and WWP, I also followed the development of Worms 3D quite closely, and imported it (for $100+) from Europe instead of waiting a month or two for the NA release. I recently picked up Worms: Armageddon 2 on XBLA. For the most part, it's great. Presentation is top-notch. The weapons, while not the 60+ weapons in WA, are all useful and well implemented. I *like* that there are fewer options now. There's a bunch of streamlining/usability going on too, which I always welcome. But yet, I can't genuinely love this game. And I feel awful about it. Remember that ridiculous post on Team Liquid where they ripped into SC2 for really stupid whiny reasons? Yeah, I could do that for WA2. And I feel awful about it, yet I'm still convinced that Team17 somewhat broke the Worms formula with WA2 with a bunch of little tweaks. That said, it's a fairly whiny rant, and it's super late here, so I'll stop talking unless someone really wants to hear all the details. Cheers, Mo

Uhhhhhh, Katamari Damacy? Okay, so it was 2004, but still! Mo

Was sick for most of the week (tonsillitis!) so I needed some comfort gaming. Perfect opportunity to play GTA IV: The Lost and Damned. Enjoyable. The added checkpoints are a welcome addition, but there are still minor issues here and there that haven't been resolved. Still though, super fun. Looking forward to getting started on Ballad of Gay Tony. Also, finishing an entire game in 3 days: getting sick ftw. Mo

Crunch definitely happens in software, but far less often. Two main reasons I think it isn't a widespread problem like it is in games: 1. Software devs aren't living paycheque to paycheque. In games, you're only as good as your last game. Money is always tight. Games always need to ship. In software, because most studios sell their products to major corporations, there's a lot more money paid over a longer period of time. 2. Exploiting enthusiasm. This is the big one. Nobody is ridiculously enthusiastic about writing software. Nothing like games. So I think a lot of young people get exploited by game dev companies to work long, often unsustainable, hours for "the good of the game", which is pretty bullshit. Also, note Forbin's example was in the finance industry. Again, not to say it doesn't happen in software, but it doesn't happen as often, and it isn't as perpetual. Cheers, Mo

Agreed, although when there's more "down" than "up" it's time to start looking for a new job. I stepped in to counter the idea that "software business = games business = perpetual crunch". I think crunch stories people hear about the games industry are not quite as common in the software industry. Cheers, Mo PS: awesome Aldrin quote in your sig. 30 rock ftw

Just dropping in to counter Forbin's bleakness. His story is totally believable, but it's something I've never experienced. Here's how to avoid hating your existence while also being a computer scientist: * Get a University degree. College recruiters will tell you that computer science is taught more effectively in college, and that 4 years in school is a waste of your time/money. This is bullshit. Learning the underlying theory of computer science (and mathematics) is extremely important to actually solving interesting problems in computer science. A college diploma will get you a working understanding of a handful of programming languages and some algorithms. This will only get you so far. A university degree will get you knowledge of the underlying theories of programming languages, computers, and algorithms. This will allow you to solve problems that haven't been solved before. * Work for a software developer. I've worked at an accounting firm, a hardware company, and a couple of software developers. By far, the latter respects computer scientists the most. Obviously, it's their business. GlobalMegaCorp, on the other hand, won't get why you need more time & resources to get something done, which leads to crunch. Further, the company culture just doesn't gel with programmer habits (long meetings, formal attire, rigid work hours, etc) I currently work at a well-sized software developer. For an opening position, I get paid quite well. I get into work whenever (normally around 9ish, but my buddies get in at 11). I wear a t-shirt and jeans to work. I have 1 or 2 meetings a week, one of which involves shooting the shit with my boss for an hour. I never work extra hours, and I've never worked overtime. Once or twice I've snuck into the office on a Saturday, but only for an hour or two. And that's when I've seriously screwed shit up. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that great jobs do exist in software, you just need to study hard for it (there are no shortcuts), and work for an employer who respects the job of software developers. Cheers, Mo

Also worth considering: Gilbert has always been a big supporter of episodic games. Maybe when Hothead decided to move away from the episodic model Gilbert was less interested in staying on. The important part though, is that the "game" part of Deathspank is done. Only certification is left, and that's the really technical and long-winded part that doesn't really require Gilbert's immediate input. I also found the timing of his departure odd. But I think it's better to get it out of the way now rather than wait until we approach the release date... it's probably better for sales this way. Or maybe Gilbert has another project lined up, and wants to get to that asap? Hey, I can dream right? Mo

Caffeine Monster Software turned two today! I'm stupidly pleased about this, and therefore am running a stupidly awesome sale: buy the rather excellent Smiley's Shooty Adventure at whatever price you want. I made a sweet new trailer for the game: http://www.caffeinemonstersoftware.com/smiley/ If you're interested (and you bloody well should be!), hit up the Smiley site, click "Buy Now", fill in any price you want, and away you go! An email with a serial key will be sent your way. The offer is valid until May 12th, two weeks from now. And, ummm, just: thanks. The IdleThumbs forum is one of the few corners of the internet that I hang out in often (even if I mostly lurk) ... you guys keep me vaguely sane, and remind me why I'm doing this. Cheers! Mo

Thanks Drath. Hah, yeah that laugh. A friend left it in a voicemail one day. "Dude, can I use that laugh in my game?" "Yeah, sure. I expect 30% royalties from sales, k?" "Ummm, how about I put your name in the credits screen" "Deal" Indie games: where cut-throat deal makers go to play. Mo

Isn't this usually the case for high profile incidents? I doubt Apple had to pull strings, when something is all over the (national) news the police tend to act faster. It makes the cops look good and all. Mo

Well, I didn't post a beta here, and it definitely wasn't free. Let's go back in the TIME MACHINE ..... it seems like you played it, and probably bought it. Mo

Okay, so when the first iPods came out they were successful for more than just their sexiness. The screen was a big deal. The competition had the shitty non-backlit 3-line blocky LCD screens, if that. iPods had the best "skip protection" at the time... they came with 32megs of RAM for streaming ahead. This also meant better battery life. They were smaller than the competition as they utilized one of the first 1.8" drives on the market. They could do all this because iPods were expensive as hell. They could price them highly because Apple knew the fanboys would buy them, and relied on word of mouth. To say that iPods were only successful because they're sexy is a bit silly. Also, I have not one but two Zunes. These are the first-gen flash ones. I'm fine with the interface, but the build quality is awful. Very cheap feeling plastic, and the controller isn't always responsive (especially when clicking near the edge of the pad). Say what you will about Apple and iPods, but they've always built quality hardware. The Zune HD is a nice piece of tech no doubt, but it's too little too late. Wiki says ZuneHD was released Sept 2009, two years after the debut of the iPod touch. Mo

miffy, maybe you should backup your iPod on iTunes, then so a system restore (putting the original OS back on) and then during the iPod setup, ask it to restore your data from the backup you just did. It takes a while to do, but it's relatively painless. Not sure if it'll help, but it's worth a shot. [edited for coherency ]

Re: HP Slate. Looks great on paper, won't be in practice. Numbers don't matter: it may be "faster" and have "more RAM", but in practice iPhone OS will run faster because it's optimized to run under constraint conditions. To bring the point home, compare the 600MHz iPhone 3GS to the 1GHz Nexus One. All reviews say the same thing: despite the 1GHz processor, the Nexus One actually runs slower than the 3GS. It's not about the numbers, it's what you do with it. Also, my point about Windows Tablet Edition. Seriously, trying to make a tablet run on Windows is a dead end. Tablet Edition has existed for almost a decade, it hasn't caught on, and for good reasons. Windows just wasn't designed for touch. Design a new OS or just don't bother. Full stop. Basically, the HP Slate is the device that all the tech nerds *think* they want. When it's released, the reviews will be so-so, the sales will be poor, and the tech nerds will be left confused, "It has multitasking, it runs Windows, how could this fail?" And they'll conclude that, "The iPad sold well because of brand name, not because it's better." It's frustrating to see this happen over and over again. Mo

Thanks for saying all of that out Jake ... my thoughts on the subject are similar. Problem: People don't really know what they want. What they want is out there, pick up a Windows Tablet PC and use it for 30 minutes. You'll understand why a "full OS" on a tablet is an awful idea. And that's with a stylus... it'd be impossible to use without one. I'd like to see an AppStore-less world, but I understand why Apple did what they did. The deal on the AppStore (70/30) is the best in the business. The SDK is solid... not *quite* upto Microsoft standards, but pretty close. Documentation is excellent. Honestly, I don't have too many complaints. I think you'll find *most* iPhone game developers feel the same way. Mo

Yeah, probably. I guess I really meant tech companies. Apple, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Google... they all, for the most part, do good things. They sometimes do stupid things, or things we don't agree with. But mostly, good things. I think we forget that too easily. I'm so glad you brought this up, because it speaks to how easily we forget. The DS was ridiculed before launch. The gaming sites weren't even unbiased about it... gamespot in particular pretty much flat-out stated that the DS was awful and the PSP was going to be a smash success. Nobody was really sold on the dual-screen idea either. "Why is one touch and the other not", was a common complaint. And "the graphics are awful compared to the PSP". Even Nintendo themselves were insecure about the DS, remember the "three pillar approach" and the classic, "if you turn the DS on its side, it's like a widescreen console" in response to the PSP's beautiful screen. For the Wii there was so much cynicism about it actually working, and about "real" games working on the Wii. There's a single quote I remember reading, but unfortunately, can't find right now. In an interview Miyamoto (or Iwata) was asked about cross compatibility... "How will the Wii survive if it's the only motion controlled console?" The response was, "We believe that the other consoles will catch up and have motion controls in the next few years. Ridiculed to hell and back! The number of angry internet posts was stunning. And, well, we know how that turned out. It's really easy to say that "we knew it would be a hit from the start" because it's familiar now. Like, "how could anyone think the DS would fail?!" We'll feel the same way about the iPad in a couple of months. Mo

Absolutely. What I'm saying, though, is that Windows without Steam would be a bit of a mess for digital distribution. If the iPhone didn't have the AppStore, apps wouldn't have gotten huge. So it's give and take. Like I said, I'd love to see side-loading happen on the iPhone/iPad, but i can understand why Apple did what they did. Heh, no need to panic I have a reasonable explanation. I live in Seattle now, and am way too lazy to update my profile. Sorry, I managed to read your pre-edited stuff, and just have a few words to say about that. Basically, every company is a little bit evil and a lot of good. Apple does care about developers, even if they have a funny way of showing it. After all, they started the 70/30 money split trend. Before that it was literally 30/70... how ridiculous is that?! And how amazing is the appstore model for distribution... I don't need to host my files or write my own registration code or online store code etc etc. I wrote a cellphone game in j2me (pre iPhone days) and it was seriously the most painful experience in my life! Apple changed the game for developers in an incredibly positive way. Mo

This is actually an excellent point. Infact, to drive the point further: anyone remember the initial reaction to the DS and Wii? Similar wasn't it? Mo

I'm afraid I've only skimmed this thread (I'm busy cleaning my house atm), but as I picked up an iPad yesterday, I figure I should chime in. The iPad is very freaking cool, but it's difficult to explain why. It's one of those things you need to touch to understand. The whole experience is incredibly slick, intuitive and just flat out fun. If you're looking for frustration-free portable computing, this is the device to pick up. Comparisons to a netbook: Yes, a netbook runs cheaper. Way cheaper. But before you go off and buy one, just pick up an iPad. Just pick it up, don't even use it. It'll *immediately* become apparent to you why it's more expensive. It's quality hardware. Every netbook I've used feels cheap. Battery life is incredible. The 10+ hours rating seems accurate to me. I turned on my iPad at 1:30pm yesterday, did not charge it (it came 80% charged) and we used it until 3am this morning. Mostly gaming. Still had juice to spare. The keyboard: Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. If you've been "trained" on an iPhone, an iPad will be decent. My friends weren't quite as impressed. But if the iPad is anything like an iPhone, you'll be able to type fairly well on it in a week or two. I write blog posts on my iPhone! I'm going to buy Pages tonight, to give the iPad keyboard a workout. As for a dissertation, not without a "real" keyboard you wont! But I'd argue that you wouldn't do too much better on those tiny netbook keyboards either. I think it would work though ... editing and reasonable amounts of writing on the go, and docking it to a keyboard when you're not travelling seems like a good idea. The games: Plants vs Zombies plays *very* nicely. We played some Tap Tap on this, and I was shocked at how much I liked it. I play real rhythm games, you know? Eliss upscaled from the iPhone looked great and played well, even better than it did on an iPhone! I think we're going to see some amazing exclusive games for the iPad... I don't even get why people doubt this. Remember how excited we all got over the Microsoft Surface? Yeah, this is basically that, but affordable. I really believe we'll see games that could only work on an iPad in the coming year. Games that rely on the large (multi-)touch screen for gameplay, and without using awful "virtual dpads." At the very least, I'll take a stab at doing just that. (quick question: anyone tried Sam & Max yet? How does it play/look and hows performance?) On the closed-ness: I'm torn on this issue. You only need to look to Android to see what a completely unmanaged platform does. And frankly, Windows/Mac isn't that much better. Steam is a big deal, and Steam is essentially a closed AppStore. The consoles are far worse than the AppStore. In fact, as an Indie developer, I'd say the AppStore is the bes thing that has happened to us in years. I really hope that at some point Apple allows side-loading of apps (as in, downloading apps from the net and installing them) while still maintaining a "sanitized" appstore. Cheers, Mo

Yep, I've played both Worms games on XBLA. Like I said above, they're good, but the physics isn't as nice as Worms Armageddon, and neither is the weapon variety. Getting the console version on PC is by no means a disappointment, it was expected tbh. At the very least, ninja roping is a million times easier with the keyboard. Still, I can't help but feel that the new games have nothing on good ol' Worms Armageddon. Feature-for-feature WA outclasses the new games. I'm not sure why upgraded tech is needed at all... Worms has aged very well. I'd be far happier with the original Worms Armageddon re-released to play nice with Windows Vista/7, and with a robust online component. Mo

Finished off Batman day-before, and Phoenix Wright 3 yesterday. Now playing Bayonetta. :tup: Mo

Worms is the only game where I'm a hardcore purist nerd. I hate that I am too. But yeah, Worms Reloaded will almost certainly be based on the new Worms engine, which I think feels awful. The physics is much heavier than the classic games which means you can't have the same level of high-flying action. The weapons are limited too, and yeah, most of the good ones are in there, but there is the odd weapon or two that I still miss. Also, the new games don't have the beautifully drawn single-player campaign missions. It all feels a bit toned down, which is pretty disappointing for a Worms game. That said, like any hardcore purist nerd, I will buy it and then complain about it some more. Mo