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CompanyPresence

Member since: Oct 5th, 2008

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Joystiq8 Comments
Engadget4 Comments
Engadget HD7 Comments

Google Maps comes to ... the NES?! [April Fools!]

Mar 31st 2012 2:51PM (Joystiq)
Please, get into StreetView. I wouldn't know that London was so 8bit.

Ubisoft hopes to negate the need for DRM with support and content

Mar 25th 2012 9:05PM (Joystiq)
@Pugnaciousturtle
Anyone knows how you are supposed to play with four people on the same PC? Xbox360 pads?
As far as I got from the demo, the game is far way easier (and funnier) with people around you.

Ubisoft hopes to negate the need for DRM with support and content

Mar 25th 2012 9:04PM (Joystiq)
@(Unverified)
From the blog post: The plan is to make pirating the least attractive consumer option by updating, supporting and providing "companion gaming" services for Ubisoft's PC releases, similar to how MMOs generally function.

I do not see how this method can work with single-player games. This is like working in the IT industry - the less you look for any support, the better (as if there is nothing broke, no need to fix it). For that reason I waited a while before I started playing Skyrim. For that reason I waited until Fallout 3 got a disc release with the DLCs and all of the patches. I know I am not the only one to say that some DLCs are seen as a way for companies to get money, not for the players to enjoy the game any further.

As far as multiplayer games go, there are only a few of them that are popular. Most games are played during the first month since release, and a huge amount of players try a new game after they get bored. Some people might even pay for some DLC, but not everyone will do. Only a very few very very popular games get headlines here over new DLC.

Ubisoft hopes to negate the need for DRM with support and content

Mar 25th 2012 7:44PM (Joystiq)
Let me get that straight. The plan is to create a bad port of a console game (at usual in 90% of the cases), then update the game many times (corrupting save games, long download times, etc.) and hope people forgive you? No sir, I do not like it.
If you get bad press on day one, then you lose potential consumers. No, those are not pirate people but legit licensees (I wanted to say buyer, but you know how it is these days). Online reviews will be bad on day one and on day hundred (that is, after you patch the game). You want examples? Check Final Fantasy 14. Check Hydrophobia.

Epic: Consoles must be 'bleeding edge' in next generation

Mar 12th 2012 4:05PM (Joystiq)
I've read somewhere else that developers want something that is easy to program for, that has lots and lots of RAM - both system and video - and that is powerful. There are even rumours that Microsoft does not want to provide an optical disc reader - good for some, bad for others.
If you look at the state of gaming today, not many console games work at 720p internally, most play at 30fps - when capable of! Most of the time you get the relatively cheap MSAA - or was it FSAA - at expense on not doing lightning right due to deferred rendering. The developers also have to do a lot of tricks in order to ensure people can play with their 3D TV sets.
But consoles cannot fix some of the developers bad habits. I am looking at examples like Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, where the loading times on the PS3 are excessive for a 2D tile game.

Cave Story DSiWare still headed to Europe, but delayed

Jan 13th 2012 2:23AM (Joystiq)
@mrmobius Limbo uses a lot more hardware than Cave Story+, I am sure of that. I have played both in my ASUS 1015PN netbook, and only Limbo was running slow.
Still, that game is somewhat short, after four hours you sould be done.

Humble Indie Bundle 4 adds free soundtracks for every game

Dec 17th 2011 6:37AM (Joystiq)
@robotoid - There are many plus and cons. Let me list some of them:
+ Social thing with friends and invites (not every game, though). You can also send gifts to friends.
+/- Whatever you have bought can be made accessible to your friends.
- Only one Steam client logged in at a time. That means that no other in your household could play a different game.
+ Crazy Steam deals. These days, the 1-day deals are OK.
- Offline mode is sketchy. You are allowed only to go offline either with Steam already running or if you click first in "Going Offline". If you start Steam in online mode without an internet connection, you might not be able to play any Steam game until you get that. If there is any other way - I am confused.
+ Games are always up to date. No need to look for latest versions on the web. On the case of Batman:Arkham City, it looks like the Steam version is getting more frequent updates than the DVD retail one. You can also check for latest video card drivers via Steam.
- Games are always up to date. You might not be able to start a game until it updates. In some cases, updates can get as large as verious GB. Example: latest Sanctum update was 1GB.
+ Indie developers usually use Steam forums. For example: Atom Zombie Smasher, Hydrophobia, Beat Hazard developers have been actively using Steam forums.
+/- There is a risk of your whole Steam account to be banned if you do unethical things, like cheating. That is, not only the game you have been cheating, but the whole Steam account might get busted.
+ Steam is on Windows and MacOs, with some games available for both. You only need to buy a copy. Many games use Steam Cloud for synchronizing savegames.
- Steam is not officially supported in Linux.
+ I almost forgot - no DVD is needed. That is very convenient.
- Games these days are large. You probably want to leave Steam downloading video games in the background or at night. It might eat your allowed download bits for one month easily.
+ Steam Overlay. You can do text chat, voice chat, looking at achievements and game walkthroughs without leaving or minimizing the game. Just press SHIT+TAB (default keystroke).

I probably miss something else.

Blu-ray's 3D spec isn't what it could be

Jan 11th 2010 7:18PM (Engadget)
@(Unverified) TV OEMs have come up with a "marketing" barrier. I was translating a TV OEM webpage on marketing terms, and as far as I can tell you, I came up with these conclusions:
1) They do a lot postprocessing because their LCD panels are moot
2) Mid range TVs had features like rotating displays or nice bezels
3) The higher end TVs do things with your local network, be it widgets or DLNA client
They do not come up with following information that would be relevant for most of the normal people:
a) Quality of the deinterlacer, as most of the TVs do something like line doubling. Most of the broadcast I can receive in my country are 576i or 1080i, and I can tell you sports look horrible on them.
b) Quality of the scaler. Again, most content is broadcasted in 576i. And some TVs just do simple algorithms.
c) How many bits can the panel represent. What is the point of letting something like the PS3 send you a signal at 36bit per channel if the panels usually can do 15bit/18bit? Please remember the BluRays are still 24bit per channel.
d) Does the panel have a glossy or mate finish?
No consumer grade TVs show any indication on these points, that I think, are the most important ones unless you only see BluRays. I understand that these four points are difficult to understand for most TV buyers, so TV OEMs came up with something that the average buyer would understand: 3D TV. Compare that with what Panasonic and Philips have been doing in the latest years: Ambilight and 24:9 TVs.

Blu-ray's 3D spec isn't what it could be

Jan 11th 2010 7:02PM (Engadget)
@Scarabaeus Let me get this straight, as there is some confusion everywhere. For uncompressed video, including blanking regions:
1080p/60Hz/24bit = 148.5 MHz pixel clock
1080p/60Hz/36bit = 225 MHz pixel clock (what state of the art HDMI RX can do)
1080p/120/8bit, 2k/60/8bit or 1080p/60Hz/48bit = ca 300MHz pixel clock
1080p/24Hz/24bit = 74.25 MHz pixel clock (typical BluRay output)

For any "it's the same experience" 3D, just duplicate the pixel clock. And yes, you are right that 300MHz is something nobody supports yet, but it is in the planning for most silicon vendors. And the reason is 2k formats, something for what the BluRay is not suited for. At least not in this rev.

Point-and-click your way to the ever-charming Machinarium

Oct 18th 2009 4:46PM (Joystiq)
First of all, I bought the game.
Second, it runs in a netbook (NC10), but you might be missing some of the lower part of the screen. That is, menu is missing. However you can use ALT F4 for exit game, and then use the resume option.
Third, first four or five screens are self-contained. Later on you have access to wider areas. This means that there are sometimes you need to go back because you missed some useful object.
Fourth, there are some logic puzzles - I hate five-in-a-row.
And last, having a walkthrough in game feels like cheating. However you need to play an arcade game before you open the walkthrough book.

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