A clock issue?
A fucking clock issue screws up the PSN (Playstation Network) and PS3s around the world to the point where Sony recommends that you just don’t use it until they figure it out.
What kills me is that it turns out that somehow the system thought it was a leap year and so, poof! 24 hours later (which corresponds to their claim yesterday of how long it will take them to fix it) it’s all good.
I’ve done my stupid bit of programming before, but man, a clock bug?
Somebody got fired.
I’m off on another project, Thackis Zombies!
It’s, well, a game about killing zombies, what else?!
This one I’m going to mix it up with PHP and MySQL (or LAMP as it tends to be called now). So far it’s pretty basic, but I will be adding to it shortly.
So, the long awaited price drop for the Xbox 360, and the removal of the Pro SKU, has finally happened. Or it will happen starting tomorrow.
Outside of the PS3 Slim model, this has been the second worst kept secret of this quarter. We all knew it was happening, and we’ve all seen the new box designs that didn’t include the Pro model on the side.
It’s about time they finally announced it.
Now we get to see the PS3 and Xbox systems, again, duke it out!
Shadow Complex is a recent XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) game. It is loosely based on the universe found in Orson Scott Card’s Empire novels.
The controversy is about whether or not we should boycott the game because Orson Scott Card is a proponent of traditional marriage. Or to put it as it is in the original post:
Now why should we boycott it? Card is a notorious homophobe
Here is the full neogaf thread, and here is a decent article discussing it.
Please note that the game has nothing to do with gay marriage, and Orson Scott Card had very little to do with the game.
As a creator this controversy has stirred up some odd feelings.
Before I go on, let me clarify some of my personal views.
First, I’m a big fan of the works of Orson Scott Card. He is is a very talented author. Please keep in mind that I don’t go to him for religious or political news or opinion. I don’t know him personally, nor am I likely to in the future. His personal views are his own and they do not diminish the respect I have towards him as a creator.
Second, I am not against gay marriage. I also don’t believe that a priest, or other religious member, should be forced to perform a gay marriage if it’s against their views.
In one aspect, I’m really scared by this type of thing.
I create works to be viewed and discussed as they are, not as I am. It’s one thing for people to avoid the work because they don’t agree with the subject matter or the way I handle it, but another thing altogether because of me or my personal views. To not even give the work a chance because of something that I think or say.
On the other hand, I firmly believe a person’s money and viewpoint are their own. If they choose not to sponsor a creator because of that person’s views than that is for them to decide.
I do view that this type of thought and behavior can be dangerous for the industry. Most game businesses will not look at why people refused to buy a game. In the end, they will just look at whether or not that game failed in the market, and then decide if they should make a similar game. A boycott, especially one not based on what they game is or what it is about, is only going to hurt the industry as a whole.
For this situation in specific, I would like people to keep in mind the many people who have slaved away to bring this game to market. What of their views, their families, their homes? What if these people don’t agree with Orson Scott Card on this matter that is unrelated to the actual game? You may be putting them out of a job because of someone else’s belief; especially a belief that has no bearing on the product in question.
For works such as novels, where primarily one person is directly effected by sales, boycotting can be an effective tool to express your take on the matter. For something like a game though, which is usually not created by a sole individual anymore, this seems like there would be an excessive amount of collateral damage.
I will leave you with a thought provoking response by xbhaskarx, a poster at neogaf:
Do you not buy products like electronics that are made using raw materials extracted from African countries where millions of people are killed, like the Democratic Republic of Congo? Do you not buy products like [half the stuff you own] that benefit dictatorial regimes that utilize labor camps and engage in organ harvesting like the People’s Republic of China? Do you not drive a car because such a large percentage of our oil comes from countries that ban homosexuality altogether like Saudi Arabia?
Yet another game that I’ve put down after 5 minutes of playing due to controls.
While Assassin’s Creed looks and feels a lot better than Alone in the Dark, I just don’t want to fight inaccurate controls for what is effectively a platformer. Jumping from spot to spot, unless one of the automatic jumps, is just touchy, difficult, and annoying.
Yeah, I could play through it, but from what I’ve heard, and now experienced, it’s just not interesting enough to deal with.
At least I’m just borrowing this one.
So, on September 1st, a new version of the PS3 firmware will be available. Looks fairly nice, not so much for a full point update, but still nice.
Take a look:
P.S.: The HD quality on this video is really nice. So if you have the screen resolution and the bandwidth, I would recommend clicking the little HD button in the lower right corner of the video.
So, after all the rumors and speculation, it’s finally happened.
The PS3 Slim lands the first week of September with a 120GB hard drive and a price of $299.
Concerning the current models, as of tomorrow, the current PS3 80GB is $299 (and one could only guess that the current 120GB will be $399).
Well, it’s about time. Now, we will just have to wait a month to find out how the new prices will effect sales here in the states (next Thursday we will know the weekly numbers in Japan that reflect the new price).
Balls in your court Microsoft.
[Update]
In case you would prefer real photos instead of the nice rendered “beauty” shots, check this unboxing out.
Finally got around to starting the new Alone in the Dark game from Atari. Yeah I know, I’m a year late.
Sadly, I don’t know if I will continue playing it.
I’ve been a huge fan of the series for a very long time. The 4th installment was a bit disappointing, but I was willing to look past that. The movie… well, let’s not go there.
It’s just sad to see such notable franchises go down the drain.
What probably gets me the most is just the controls. They suck! If I have to fight to just move and look around, it’s just not worth it.
Which brings me to where I’m at now, it’s just not worth it.
Brad Wardell CEO of Stardock:
The reality that most PC game publishers ignore is that there are people who buy games and people who don’t buy games. The focus of a business is to increase its sales. My job, as CEO of Stardock, is not to fight worldwide piracy no matter how much it aggravates me personally. My job is to maximize the sales of my product and service and I do that by focusing on the people who pay my salary – our customers.
(…)
When the focus of energy is put on customers rather than fighting pirates, you end up with more sales. It seems common sense to me but then again, I’m just an engineer.
[UPDATE]
We really need to start calling this bootlegging. Really.