They're doing it right.
There's been a lot of controversy between gamers over DRM issues and games being rushed out the door lately. So imagine my delight when Stardock, an independent developer/publisher of some pretty fantastic games, goes and throws us a bone like this.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, DRM (Digital Rights Management) is essentially software that companies are starting to install with games that we purchase. It limits the amount of times the game can be installed based on different criteria.
The idea behind DRM is to halt piracy, which is good in theory. However, it plays out rather horribly. Companies that use DRM software in their games are essentially treating the customers like the crooks. While the people who pirate the game will have a crack within the week that will render the DRM worthless, those of us who did the right thing and bought the game will have to deal with it forever.
In the case of Mass Effect, BioWare's latest blockbuster RPG, the DRM software included with the PC version of the game only allowed for three installations before the game was worthless. In and of itself, that's an outrage - you don't buy a movie or book and expect to be able to use it a limited amount of times before you have to buy it again, why should games be different? But as if that weren't bad enough for them, BioWare apparently didn't take into account was that the "average" PC gamer is constantly tweaking and upgrading their rig to run the latest games, and the DRM installed "used up" a new installation any time the system's hardware was changed. One user even reported that the DRM chewed up a new installation every time she restarted, and another said the installations were failing but the DRM was flagging them as used anyway. This is, of course, unverifiable, but most people can agree that technology can be a fickle thing and this sort of thing is all too plausible.
I, personally, will never trust my hard-earned money to a game or company that's going to treat me like a thief when I've done nothing wrong. I don't care if it's Starcraft 2 or Spore (which, notably, probably will not include DRM, so I don't start a panic), if it has DRM software it's not making my list of games to buy.
This has turned into a pretty long post; I'll bitch about incomplete and buggy games being released later - I'm looking at you, Age of Conan.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Take your time to vote.
The poll voting deadline has been extended to 2099. This is because I have no idea how to add a new question without deleting the old one entirely.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Profile - Diane Bayoneta
Those of you who have no idea what this is may safely ignore it. Those of you who do, read on!
---
STUDENT PROFILES
A closer look at your classmate
Diane Bayoneta, 17, came to Skyline from El Camino High, where she spent all four years of high school.
"The years went by fast," she recalled. "I loved freshman year... I got to meet new people. During the other three years we kind of faded. People change, I changed - in a good way - I got more into dancing and my music changed."
High school is a time of growth for many, and seeing friends change and drift away can be an all too common sight. And, of course, there are the teachers.
"Some of them just get on your nerves," Diane said - which is a statement many students can get behind.
"Senior year was stressful because we had the senior project," she added. For those unfamiliar, the senior exit project is a large, multi-faceted project that all senior high school students must undergo, consisting of a project with some sort of learning value (learning kickboxing or how to play the guitar), a related research paper, and a presentation in front of a panel of judges familiar with the type of project you undertook.
But it is helpful. "[The senior exit project] really prepared me for college. It's time consuming - you have to know how to organize your time and manage it," Diane said.
For someone who seemed to be so enthusiastic about learning, which college to go to is an important choice. When asked why she chose Skyline, Diane gave a simple, honest answer.
"It's nearby... and a lot of my friends go here... it's very convienent here."
Whatever her reason for signing up, Diane seemed to be happy with her decision.
"It's really fun here. My classes are pretty easy, I guess - not the reading part... it's okay."
Diane is a Journalism major at Skyline. "I like the interviewing process," she said. She hopes to end up writing for teen magazines, like Pop Star or Seventeen, and possibly even working with celebrities.
"Journalism is my dream," Diane said simply. "I love the media."
---
STUDENT PROFILES
A closer look at your classmate
Diane Bayoneta, 17, came to Skyline from El Camino High, where she spent all four years of high school.
"The years went by fast," she recalled. "I loved freshman year... I got to meet new people. During the other three years we kind of faded. People change, I changed - in a good way - I got more into dancing and my music changed."
High school is a time of growth for many, and seeing friends change and drift away can be an all too common sight. And, of course, there are the teachers.
"Some of them just get on your nerves," Diane said - which is a statement many students can get behind.
"Senior year was stressful because we had the senior project," she added. For those unfamiliar, the senior exit project is a large, multi-faceted project that all senior high school students must undergo, consisting of a project with some sort of learning value (learning kickboxing or how to play the guitar), a related research paper, and a presentation in front of a panel of judges familiar with the type of project you undertook.
But it is helpful. "[The senior exit project] really prepared me for college. It's time consuming - you have to know how to organize your time and manage it," Diane said.
For someone who seemed to be so enthusiastic about learning, which college to go to is an important choice. When asked why she chose Skyline, Diane gave a simple, honest answer.
"It's nearby... and a lot of my friends go here... it's very convienent here."
Whatever her reason for signing up, Diane seemed to be happy with her decision.
"It's really fun here. My classes are pretty easy, I guess - not the reading part... it's okay."
Diane is a Journalism major at Skyline. "I like the interviewing process," she said. She hopes to end up writing for teen magazines, like Pop Star or Seventeen, and possibly even working with celebrities.
"Journalism is my dream," Diane said simply. "I love the media."
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
You can let it out now.
*ahhhhhhhhhh*
Wasn't that fun?
Those of you who are still conscious at this point are probably wondering what is blog is about, as well as being a bit miffed at me for making you hold your breath for seven hours.
Well, the truth is, I'm still not sure.
My home life is pretty boring. I sit around playing games or surfing the web all day, unless I'm at school. And unless you've all got some sort of sick fascination with what I learned in Human Biology, that's not going to make a particularly interesting post either. I could blog about my job, but here's the thing - I work in a theater, which means that when I'm doing something interesting I'm doing it twelve hours a day, and when I'm free it means there's nothing interesting happening. Such a dilemma.
"But that's not fair," I hear many of you say, because I have particularly excellent hearing. "Why did we hold our breaths for seven hours only to have you tell us you can't deliver?" Well, if I were there (and I'm not, mind you, because that would be creepy), I'd tell you not to worry, I'll think of something to write about soon.
In the meantime, well....
Hold your breath.
Wasn't that fun?
Those of you who are still conscious at this point are probably wondering what is blog is about, as well as being a bit miffed at me for making you hold your breath for seven hours.
Well, the truth is, I'm still not sure.
My home life is pretty boring. I sit around playing games or surfing the web all day, unless I'm at school. And unless you've all got some sort of sick fascination with what I learned in Human Biology, that's not going to make a particularly interesting post either. I could blog about my job, but here's the thing - I work in a theater, which means that when I'm doing something interesting I'm doing it twelve hours a day, and when I'm free it means there's nothing interesting happening. Such a dilemma.
"But that's not fair," I hear many of you say, because I have particularly excellent hearing. "Why did we hold our breaths for seven hours only to have you tell us you can't deliver?" Well, if I were there (and I'm not, mind you, because that would be creepy), I'd tell you not to worry, I'll think of something to write about soon.
In the meantime, well....
Hold your breath.
Placeholder
Just getting thrown up for now so the page isn't empty. I'll decide on something to write about when I get home.
Hold your breath. No really, do it. Take a deep, gulping breath of air and don't sigh that sigh of relief until I post something else.
I'm counting on you.
Hold your breath. No really, do it. Take a deep, gulping breath of air and don't sigh that sigh of relief until I post something else.
I'm counting on you.
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