Why do all the small geek con websites I've seen over the years look like they were made in 1995!? It's so visually gagh! Sci fi cons are most guilty of this.
You know How everyone on the PC side of the PC VS Consoles debate quotes that Article by Rahul Sood - Founder of Voodoo PC, at the time of the article, head of HP's Gaming devision, and right now, GM of (Drumroll Please) Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment - AKA, Gaming - Division, which mostly deals with Xbox, Xbox live, Kinect, and related software, but also does Mobile gaming and a dabbles PC gaming - However, getting back on point, they quote a blog post of his as pretty much utter Gospel.
I Previously pointed out a number of flaws in the article - For example, he claims PC vs Console play a recent project, but fails to mention the game which had it as a big bullet point on the box, Shadowrun, which came out three years before, and in the intervening three years, two other games at least had come out with the functionality, His reliable source is able to inform him on results of the games in the testing process, yet he asks anyone involved in the project to tell him what happened - despite that if his reliable source had that kind of access, his reliable source would know, or so you'd think - and so on.
Well, Turns out I was actually right in questioning the article. Something which didn't get nearly as much press which I recently found was an interview which occurred right after the Sood article created a big noise and fuss, in which Matt Peckham, writing for PC world, Interviewed Kevin Unangst, Microsoft Senior Director of PC and Mobile Gaming, Who was also the driving force behind Windows Live, and was the man responsible for fostering windows as a serious gaming platform as well as a business tool. In other words, to borrow the argument from Authority that Sood used in stating he'd been in the gaming industry for over ten years and therefore knew what's up, This is the guy who arguably enabled Sood to have a career at all.
You can read the whole thing here, but below is the summary version. Annotations are in Brackets and red- since it did occur last year, some things are slightly different, and I've added in some ancillary facts so that you don't have to look them up. Direct quotes are in Quote marks, all the rest is summary of what he said, but the two do not overlap at any point.
Q) Did Microsoft kill cross Platform play between 360 and PC? A)"It's complete fiction--it never died." LIVE still supports cross platform play. This isn't offered anywhere else. (This was true at the time, August 2010, however, this is now not the case thanks to Portal 2) The decision to implement lies with the developers, not Microsoft, though they expect to see more of it in the future.
Q)Did Microsoft run internal studies pitting gamepad players against keyboards/mice opponents? A)"Absolutely. When we developed Shadowrun, cross-platform play was a brand new technology and we tested it at length to find the right balance for each platform." (Remember, at the time, Shadowrun had come out 3 years prior to Sood's article, which claimed it was a very recent event at Microsoft, only months prior to the article Sood Wrote) The Tests in question were very important to Shadowrun's development, and included hardcore FPS players from both platforms. The Attention and Detail that went into this process informed an industry white paper on the topic, which microsoft makes freely available to developers.
Q)Were Sood's comments on PC players Demolishing Console players in those tests Accurate. A)"I can't speak to where Sood got his information, but having seen our tests it's not an accurate generalization." Game design choices can balance the scales, or tip them in one direction or the other. It's ultimately up to the game designer to properly implement it, as it would be for them to implement controls properly for either platform.
Q)Can you walk us through the timeline, from the point at which Shadowrun seemed to promise a viable cross-platform future, to today, where cross-platform play seems nonexistent? A)"In addition to Shadowrun, we also saw cross-platform titles from our partners at Sega and Capcom in Universe at War: Earth Assault(2008, two years prior to Sood's article) and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition(Available from May 2010, Prior to Sood's Article), respectively."
Q)Will Microsoft promote cross-platform play in the future? What's ahead for cross-platform play (if anything)? A) "The definition of "cross platform" is changing rapidly with the rise of social and mobile gaming. We were first to deliver a platform that enabled play between the PC and console, and you can expect us to continue to innovate as the definition evolves. "
So, Yeah. My conclusion on the issue is still "Who gives a shit? Stop being a whiny little elitist snob, and just play and enjoy some fucking games." However, my conclusion on the article is upgraded from "Suspicious" to "Outright False, either by being misinformed and gullible, or intentionally deceptive." Also, an important lesson on why we have to check our sources carefully and think about them before we use them in an argument or report on them.
A)"I can't speak to where Sood got his information, but having seen our tests it's not an accurate generalization." Game design choices can balance the scales, or tip them in one direction or the other. It's ultimately up to the game designer to properly implement it, as it would be for them to implement controls properly for either platform.
Translation: Give the console players auto-aim so they don't get owned.
Translation: Give the console players auto-aim so they don't get owned.
And to think I decided to remove the last three words of "Don't We, Scott?" because I thought I was being TOO much of a dick about it. Your opinion on the issue has no bearing on the fact that you trumpeted something that was at the very least obviously suspicious, and to give Sood the benefit of the doubt, Misinformed and overly credulous. To remove the benefit of the doubt, outright making shit up. You gave zero thought to it, and got sucked in by a blatantly suspicious blog post, just because it agreed with you. Similar, in fact, to Mark F from BoingBoing, while arguing back over raw milk, posting articles that are obviously bollocks with zero thought or investigation, because they back up what he was saying.
Admittedly, there is no altruisim of trying to break you of this habit - It's just fucking annoying - but it also displays a lack of intellectual honesty, and a lack of rational thought. Two qualities that you obviously do not lack, and let's face it, I'm the one in this ivory tower with the - if one feels like being charitable - jester's cap on, capering for the amusement of the court. If one doesn't feel like being charitable, a dunce cap and a corner to sit in - to cut that ramble short, if the village idiot is showing where you're failing at behaving intelligently and rationally, and can provide evidence as to why he came to this conclusion, then you need to smarten up your game.
Shogun isn't fat. He just got outclassed by a monster with 8 feet of reach over him. It's hard to look good when your opponent can keep you on the outside with strikes you can't answer and has the grappling skills to toss almost anyone around like a ragdoll. Also, Jon Jones fights crime. You can't beat that. I love Shogun as well, and it was disappointing to see him lose this badly (Jones landed 102 of 142 strikes thrown, Shogun landed 11 of 42 and Jones got every takedown he attempted) but I'm sure there is much much more to come from him. If not, we will always have old PRIDE videos.
ICANN approved that whole .xxx domain name thing. Not really sure how I feel about that, so it's going here.
I agreed with the original ICAAN rulings in 2000, 2006, and 2010. The internet doesn't need a red light district, it needs the exact opposite, a place for all the prudes.
ICANN approved that whole .xxx domain name thing. Not really sure how I feel about that, so it's going here.
I agreed with the original ICAAN rulings in 2000, 2006, and 2010. The internet doesn't need a red light district, it needs the exact opposite, a place for all the prudes.
I don't see what's wrong with it, as long as no one is forced to use it.
Tiago Alves too? I guess it's not a day for the Brazilians at the octagon.
I'm almost always on the side of the latin american fighters, but I was really rooting for Jones, what a great fight, I'm pretty sure Jones will become the Anderson Silva of the Light Heavyweights.
ICANN approved that whole .xxx domain name thing. Not really sure how I feel about that, so it's going here.
I agreed with the original ICAAN rulings in 2000, 2006, and 2010. The internet doesn't need a red light district, it needs the exact opposite, a place for all the prudes.
I don't see what's wrong with it, as long as no one is forced to use it.
I'm not sure anyone will use it - because by voluntarily entering the "Red light district" they're making it absurdly easy to just blanket block them, which I doubt they will want do.
I'm pretty sure Jones will become the Anderson Silva of the Light Heavyweights.
I'm really looking forward to him in the future as well. The thing is though, Silva has shown that he can still win even when he is in a bad spot. Just look at the Sonnen fight. Jones has never been hurt, or even put on his back, and keeping a belt when you have everyone watching every one of your fights for your flaws and training to beat you and only you is a tall order when you have only been fighting in MMA for three years.
I'm not sure anyone will use it - because by voluntarily entering the "Red light district" they're making it absurdly easy to just blanket block them, which I doubt they will want do.
I think what you'll see happen is all the porn sites that are around now will buy a .xxx domain and they'll be exactly the same (e.g. RedTube will be accessible from both RedTube.com and RedTube.xxx). This won't do much other than cost the porn industry a couple bucks a year more in domain registration.
Comments
It says we were 11, so that means easter 1991. It's only been 19 years.
I Previously pointed out a number of flaws in the article - For example, he claims PC vs Console play a recent project, but fails to mention the game which had it as a big bullet point on the box, Shadowrun, which came out three years before, and in the intervening three years, two other games at least had come out with the functionality, His reliable source is able to inform him on results of the games in the testing process, yet he asks anyone involved in the project to tell him what happened - despite that if his reliable source had that kind of access, his reliable source would know, or so you'd think - and so on.
Well, Turns out I was actually right in questioning the article. Something which didn't get nearly as much press which I recently found was an interview which occurred right after the Sood article created a big noise and fuss, in which Matt Peckham, writing for PC world, Interviewed Kevin Unangst, Microsoft Senior Director of PC and Mobile Gaming, Who was also the driving force behind Windows Live, and was the man responsible for fostering windows as a serious gaming platform as well as a business tool. In other words, to borrow the argument from Authority that Sood used in stating he'd been in the gaming industry for over ten years and therefore knew what's up, This is the guy who arguably enabled Sood to have a career at all.
You can read the whole thing here, but below is the summary version. Annotations are in Brackets and red- since it did occur last year, some things are slightly different, and I've added in some ancillary facts so that you don't have to look them up. Direct quotes are in Quote marks, all the rest is summary of what he said, but the two do not overlap at any point.
Q) Did Microsoft kill cross Platform play between 360 and PC?
A)"It's complete fiction--it never died." LIVE still supports cross platform play. This isn't offered anywhere else. (This was true at the time, August 2010, however, this is now not the case thanks to Portal 2)
The decision to implement lies with the developers, not Microsoft, though they expect to see more of it in the future.
Q)Did Microsoft run internal studies pitting gamepad players against keyboards/mice opponents?
A)"Absolutely. When we developed Shadowrun, cross-platform play was a brand new technology and we tested it at length to find the right balance for each platform."
(Remember, at the time, Shadowrun had come out 3 years prior to Sood's article, which claimed it was a very recent event at Microsoft, only months prior to the article Sood Wrote)
The Tests in question were very important to Shadowrun's development, and included hardcore FPS players from both platforms. The Attention and Detail that went into this process informed an industry white paper on the topic, which microsoft makes freely available to developers.
Q)Were Sood's comments on PC players Demolishing Console players in those tests Accurate.
A)"I can't speak to where Sood got his information, but having seen our tests it's not an accurate generalization." Game design choices can balance the scales, or tip them in one direction or the other. It's ultimately up to the game designer to properly implement it, as it would be for them to implement controls properly for either platform.
Q)Can you walk us through the timeline, from the point at which Shadowrun seemed to promise a viable cross-platform future, to today, where cross-platform play seems nonexistent?
A)"In addition to Shadowrun, we also saw cross-platform titles from our partners at Sega and Capcom in Universe at War: Earth Assault(2008, two years prior to Sood's article) and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition(Available from May 2010, Prior to Sood's Article), respectively."
Q)Will Microsoft promote cross-platform play in the future? What's ahead for cross-platform play (if anything)?
A) "The definition of "cross platform" is changing rapidly with the rise of social and mobile gaming. We were first to deliver a platform that enabled play between the PC and console, and you can expect us to continue to innovate as the definition evolves. "
So, Yeah. My conclusion on the issue is still "Who gives a shit? Stop being a whiny little elitist snob, and just play and enjoy some fucking games." However, my conclusion on the article is upgraded from "Suspicious" to "Outright False, either by being misinformed and gullible, or intentionally deceptive."
Also, an important lesson on why we have to check our sources carefully and think about them before we use them in an argument or report on them.
Admittedly, there is no altruisim of trying to break you of this habit - It's just fucking annoying - but it also displays a lack of intellectual honesty, and a lack of rational thought. Two qualities that you obviously do not lack, and let's face it, I'm the one in this ivory tower with the - if one feels like being charitable - jester's cap on, capering for the amusement of the court. If one doesn't feel like being charitable, a dunce cap and a corner to sit in - to cut that ramble short, if the village idiot is showing where you're failing at behaving intelligently and rationally, and can provide evidence as to why he came to this conclusion, then you need to smarten up your game.
I love Shogun as well, and it was disappointing to see him lose this badly (Jones landed 102 of 142 strikes thrown, Shogun landed 11 of 42 and Jones got every takedown he attempted) but I'm sure there is much much more to come from him. If not, we will always have old PRIDE videos.