Jake

The Idle Thumbs Podcast Episode 5: His Cyborg Familiar

Recommended Posts

It would take quite a while though to pump as many quarters as it would take to buy a real game, though. The payment system is basically structured around evangelists--I think they assume most people aren't going to be into this kind of hardcore concept enough to pay for it, so among a given group of friends, only one guy really has to want to pay for it, and then he can let his friends in.

Might be a little confused by this; one person can pay and let friends into it or do you mean get friends into so they pay as well?

Maybe I just don't understand or am familiar with the payment system, but its like 10 credits to join a game, 20 to start, and 50 to host(not sure what this means) but basically 20 bucks gets me into 20 games, but being unfamiliar with the system not sure how long this would last, and something about paying 20 bucks for an indefinite amount of play time just leaves me personally unsettled. Again unfamiliar with the pay as you go systems, which is why I'm not a subscriber to xbox gold, mmos, or anything else other then my basic internet connection.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Might be a little confused by this; one person can pay and let friends into it or do you mean get friends into so they pay as well?

Maybe I just don't understand or am familiar with the payment system, but its like 10 credits to join a game, 20 to start, and 50 to host(not sure what this means) but basically 20 bucks gets me into 20 games, but being unfamiliar with the system not sure how long this would last, and something about paying 20 bucks for an indefinite amount of play time just leaves me personally unsettled. Again unfamiliar with the pay as you go systems, which is why I'm not a subscriber to xbox gold, mmos, or anything else other then my basic internet connection.

You can pay to create a private game that is free for others to join. 20 credits makes a premium game that others pay to join; 50 credits makes a premium game that is free for others to join. Right now I'm playing in one free game, and one private game that somebody else created and was free for me to join.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah well that clears up the host thing, I should have poked around ont heir site for more info in that case.

That's really not so bad then.

edit: Also thanks for the info!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Chris, you never posted those pictures of the various BigDogs on the blog! Nor linked to my remix! How could you break your promises like this!?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It is done!

13zzor4.jpg

Click for full size.

Didn't get quite the stock pics I needed, so it does look a little stitched together, but I'm happy with it. \o/

Note Robopuffin, the Cyborg Familiar of the Cyberwizard.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I remember that AG site design as well and now I also understand why you are calling it adventuregamer.com when it was changed to adventuregamers.com at one point for a reason I completely forgot.

Wasn't the history something like this that some company stole the domain sometime in 2001/2002? Around a time when the domain ownership subscription was supposed to be renewed? Then the site was reborn as Adventure Gamers with the added s in the end.

There's also the original Marek dance:)

Hahah, I have the gif of that somewhere still I guess. A true internet classic.

Oh man, it has been years since I last saw that vid. Epic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh, and Jake was right about the nicknames, I put them on the Phaedrus poster BECAUSE they were used so much in the GDC episode. :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

re: Marble Madness (13 mins into Episode 5)

Hearing the music again from Marble Madness really brought back some cherished memories for me, thank you for mentioning that in your Podcast.

When the original Marble Madness was ported to the Commodore 64 in 1986 (I believe), I was 12-13 and my Dad, who was never a big fan of video games, took me to the only video game store in the area, across the border to Maine, USA, and I think bought it for doing such a good job on my last report card.

When I was 13, I would save up all year for our trips south to the USA or to Toronto to be able to afford to buy just 2 or 3 games. The Bard's Tale. Winter Games. Defender Of The Crown. I would obsess about what game to buy for MONTHS. So of course every game meant more to me than than it ever could now (being 36 and able to afford any game I want when I want it).

I had not thought about the music to Marble Madness for 20 years. If someone had asked me what things I remember the most about those games, my first thoughts would never have been about the music though clearly hearing that music again brought back so many great memories. Thanks again for that.

I still have the original packaging to this game (and many others from my Commodore 64 days) in my parent's attic, though sadly I let a friend borrow all of my hundreds of game discs years ago and he lost them in a move and an entire part of my childhood is gone forever.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Wasn't the history something like this that some company stole the domain sometime in 2001/2002? Around a time when the domain ownership subscription was supposed to be renewed? Then the site was reborn as Adventure Gamers with the added s in the end.

That sounds correct... I think. Marek would probably know more for sure.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
That sounds correct... I think. Marek would probably know more for sure.

I probably wasn't very clear about the thing I linked to earlier. It has the explanation (or part of it):

http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6043

I got this e-mail:

______________________________

Dear Adventure Gamer visitor,

This is a very important announcement regarding the future of Adventure Gamer. You might have been wondering why there have been fewer updates than normal for the past months, or why the site has been down for almost a week. Well, the truth is that me and the rest of the staff have been in a very uncomfortable situation for quite some time.

As you probably know, Adventure Gamer is part of Telefragged's hosting network. It's been a fairly peaceful coexistence for the past two years. However, the relation between the two sites changed a lot recently. This is not the place nor the time to explain our problems in detail -- perhaps I will do that some other time.

What we wanted to do creatively with adventure Gamer was to maintain and grow a fun and informative community. So in the best interest of Adventure Gamer, the entire team behind the site has decided to leave the TeleFragged network.

It was not an easy decision to make, as one of the consequences is that we will lose our URL. Our domain address has appeared in numerous industry-related newsgroups, sites, books, magazines and even on television, so we will have to rebuild all those connections from scratch. You can help us spread the word.

We have got a lot of ambitious plans for a brand new website. It will be located at http://www.adventuregamers.com/ (notice the "s" at the end). I am appealing to you to bookmark our new URL and let everyone know about the new address. We need to get the word out together! Most of you discovered our site through word-of-mouth so make sure your friends check it out. Also, I know some of you read Adventure Gamer at work, so tell all your colleagues too while you're at it.

There are some great surprises for you in store. We have been working on several amazing projects backstage that will finally get a chance to see the daylight on http://www.adventuregamers.com/ soon. Trust me, you're going to like it smile.gif

I'll see you on Adventure Gamers!

And here there seem to be some more details: http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4779.html

Just to address Jim's now-deleted question (don't worry, it's not controversial), we switched domain names from adventuregamer.com and adventuregamers.com because of some legal disputes with TeleFragged, our host at the time. Eventually their system administrator used the mail-to authentication that Network Solutions then still had to impersonate one of us and approve the transferral of the domain ownership to TeleFragged... without us knowing about it! So basically, we were hacked. I was screwed and forced to relocate the site. A couple of months later, TeleFragged sold the domain to Dreamcatcher.
Telefragged's one and only goal is to screw people. Both Mixnmojo and AG were hosted on Telefragged at one point (the fact that Mojo got hosting first was in fact a sore point between the Mojo staffers and Lasse, Marek's former co-conspirator, leading the sites to be "rivals" for a bit but that's beside the point :)).

At one point, Telefragged decided they were going to refocus, or that they just didn't like us, so despite us having a very clear agreement with them and with our advertising partner at the time they told us we had 24 hours to move our entire site off their network or they'd delete it. That turned Mixnmojo into a hobo for about 3 or 4 months. After that it was not surprising when they stole Marek's domain name.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep that's basically what happened. There's more to the story (I recall TeleFragged also making a ludicrous copyright claim to everything on the site), but the gist is we got horribly shafted.

It kind of destroyed me at the time. Looking back though it was a good learning experience (especially on the legal side of things) as it prevented me from getting shafted again in a similar fashion.

P.S. Classic Dance will haunt me forever.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Finally got round to listening to this today. Great stuff, especially about the future of game. Wondered if there was any potential in what GTA IV has been doing with its DLC - big investment in one very detailed and large world which you populate with subsequent self-contained episodes.

Fallout 3 is similar but with GTA you get a new character and new storyline each time, and without the need to build the universe afresh - like (poor comparison) the "Oval Office" of 'Dave' being re-used for 'The American President' and 'The West Wing'.

Still, a huge initial investment I suppose and the idea of licensing assets for use by other studios is, I imagine, a bit ambitious but I have been particularly struck by what GTA has set out to do with its expansions.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I want to start by saying I also prefer to play video games like reading a book and I am concerned that those types of games are loosing attention.

That being said. What the "H" "E" double hockey stick is wrong with Steve. He needs to smoke something, drink something, or stroke something before the next podcast. He is way way way too uptight.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

After seeing GiantBomb's endurance run of Deadly Premonition, I refuse to believe that Jake drives anything but this car.

myothercarisavideogame.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
After seeing GiantBomb's endurance run of Deadly Premonition, I refuse to believe that Jake drives anything but this car.

myothercarisavideogame.jpg

They licensed that car's likeness from my face.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wait, I thought you were just "Video Games." That SUV clearly says "Vidgmes Sheriff." Are you trying to tell us that you are actually the Video Games Sheriff? If you're going to go making claims like that, I think we'll need you to present us with a badge before going any further.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now