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Denver, 11:30 AM
Sun Nov 22
17 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/19/09
Games Explorer - A PIECE OF SHIT. I never used it. Had no reason to use it, and will not use it. Ever. I am already set in my ways of going to the icon in the folder I set up for shortcuts and go there with no hassle. Games Explorer doesn't do anything for me that I can't already handle and seemingly is there to insult the computer user's intelligence.
Games For Windows - WHO CARES? Sure, there's parental control and crap, but almost NONE OF IT IS USED. Even the article admits this. It looks more like a bad marketing ploy that got fouled up big time.
Games of Windows LIVE - AGAIN, WHAT THE HELL?!? I don't need "achievements" on my laptop or desktop to let me know that I just slaughtered a bunch of gamers halfway across the world that don't even know how to pronunciate the curse words that they are practicing on a microphone somewhere! They should've just left it well the hell alone, but no, they didn't, now did they? Frickin' tools...
And that is just on the Microsoft side of things. I'm not even going into the SecuRom crap (Sony, don't walk away when I have th machete in my hand, damn you!), the other inconsistent DRM factors, the umpteenth number of server closings and lack of any real clarity from MS HQ on how they are going to actually help PC Gaming back to the dominate state that it once were in.
Then again, maybe it's all a wash, in that Microsoft is secretly trying to kill PC gaming in lieu of their XBox line, the same way that some Buckeye fans believe that Terrelle Pryor possibly threw the game against Purdue on Saturday?
Still... This is what I see wrong with PC Gaming today. It's a shame too, since we're generally the ones with the money to buy the best gamin gear and put together tha best gaming rigs that money can buy. #windows7
10/19/09
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10/20/09
As a Michigan fan, I like this idea and would like to hear more of your theories. #windows7
10/20/09
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10/20/09
No "achievement" need remind me of this. #windows7
10/20/09
10/20/09
Hurting the industry - GfW might have done so, since it potentially caused confusion, as if it were REQUIRED, instead of IMPLIED. I remember this as the Vista era were rolling in and also remembered when GameDevs were complaining about it, along with the usual counterfeiting concerns.
The simplest solution appeared to be simply to stop making as many games, or stop altogether, as some companies have done. #windows7
10/20/09
If you are expecting an answer, please confer with others here about my request that you use logical approaches to your inquiry, and not "logical fallacy". #windows7
10/20/09
(Off topic) Tate Forcier has talent, but does not have the line that he will need to beat us.
He does have an arm, and I am impressed by his mobile accuracy, but he has to worry about a vibrant LB/Secondary if he wants to win. He'll have a better chance at us if they run.
Wolverine Defense - Has to get past our ailing Offensive ine if they want to get Pryor, who is stubborn in his ways, and doesn't follow the QB Coaches advice, which is killing him.
However, that doesn't always stop the ailing Pryor from reaching a talented Sanezenbacher, Posey, Duron Carter (who will amaze by "the rivalry" game), and Smalls, who better get his head out of his ass, come return time(!) #windows7
10/20/09
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10/20/09
1. Illibuck - It's a time-honored tradition.
2. Remember where you got the name "Fighting Illini". You won it against us in the "Earle Bruce" era of The Ohio State.
3. The Big Ten has been in a minor slump the past three years, and often as a result of new coaches and new development. The national media would have you believe that it is a result of other conferences getting better.
Tell that to Mack Brown (Who I respect) and Colt McCoy (Who I believe deserves the Heisman this year) who have played people in MOST conferences. They'll tell you that every conference has ups and downs, even the SEC, WHO I KNOW FOR A FACT HAS TEAMS THAT ILLINOIS CAN BEAT. #windows7
10/20/09
While gamers can get upset about game company's interest in Facebook games they need to realize it is not a new trend. People play games like checkers online on Yahoo, and other sites, for a decade now and game companies are just starting to see the money in that. Also, NPD sales show a game like The Sims, and even Nancy Drew, easily outdoes major releases in retail. Steam and Direct 2 Drive look a little different, but they are visited by far fewer people than Wal Mart, Best Buy, and other physical reatail stores.
Hardcore PC games are a niche market and should not expect the same treatment they received in the 90s still today. Game companies can make more money on consoles with traditional games or experiment with the emerging market of casual PC gamers. While that doesn't mean PC gaming as we know it will go away entirely, game makers will adjust their products to get the most market penetration and generate the most profit. Also, while it might not seem ideal to some, there are still plenty of great games coming to PC (just maybe not exclusively). #windows7
10/20/09
Still, while one could argue that it's a niche, potentially fueled by the umpeenth number of (dare I say) HORRIBLE Intel GMA Graphics Processors, as opposed to the number of CUDA/SLI combos out there, the PC Gaming community can dare to say with confidence that it were (emphasizing the past) emphasized on those of us who are willing to spend that good money and go so far as to trick out our rigs to be as efficient as possible under the most punishing of usage, from some of us adding GPUs and as many CPU Cores with as high a cache as we're able to use, to some of us within the PC gaming consortium using Liquid Nitrogen(!) to cool down our rigs.
Games, like Crysis, cater to this niche, as Doom3 had done earlier a decade ago. Many other games being published are also leaning toward those of us dedicated ATi and nVidia users that pay more for those better GPUs. or better multicore chips, like "Clarksfield".
While the "Diner Dash" games are still there for the ten dollar consumer to purchase (twenty if you go to Wal-Mart), it is not necessarilly represented of the "dedicated" PC -gamer, as it only represents the "integrated" PC-Gamer instead. Those "integrateds" represent some of the users, and I admit that I have bought a few myself (Peggle is addicting!), yet it doesn't mean that even the "integrateds" don't want to play games that now are pushing the envelope a bit, like "The Sims 3", that works well with nVidia. #windows7
10/19/09
After investing so much in the X-Box, what interest do they have in promoting PC gaming? They'd be shooting themselves in the foot. Again.
Why do I say again?
Because Microsoft's initial introduction into the console wars was, in fact, an act of foot-shooting.
The PC world has suffered considerably due to the console domination of gaming, thanks in part to the X-box.
So people spent less in upgrading their PCs, which meant less copies of Windows OSs and other apps sold.
I seriously doubt Microsoft would now turn around and once again push PC gaming. It's sad, but true. #windows7
10/19/09
Trying to make PC gaming compete along the lines of easy to use, shiny, friendly, quick, etc is putting it up squarely up against the console market which does all that stuff way better.
You have to emphasize what makes PC gaming great and that's a lot of open source, community supported, highly flexible, frontier-expanding stuff that's the exact _opposite_ of any corporation's motives. #windows7
10/19/09
Also, I lol'ed so hard at "easy installation" as a criteria for Games for Windows. I've never had remotely as difficult a time installing games as I had with GTA 4. #windows7
10/19/09
aion on win7 ultimate edition: all high 22-31 FPS.
Thats a pretty big difference for me personally. #windows7
10/19/09
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10/19/09
If so you can get Windows 7 Pro for free(And Vista n XP too) And a few other programs. #windows7
10/19/09
We get it for free or near free.
Free if your university is part of the MSDNA program and at a discount if... I forget the other program :P
Point is that I've been rocking Windows 7 for a while now. Sucks less than Vista for games. Just by a tad.
Vista is completely and unequivocally inferior to Windows 7 on most counts.
Especially gaming.
Win XP is unequivocally better for PC gaming though. I still rock 7 because it' in the middle :P
Oh and this is RTM, not RC. So it's the same thing that most of you will get shrinkwrapped.
10/19/09
If you still a own DX9 only GPU, then I guess XP is fine, but I want to use what I pay for in high end PC parts. #windows7
10/19/09
That's why I never trust people telling me it runs good on their computer posting similar specs because how do I know they're not using 720p-1080p (16:9 or equiv of 16:10) resolutions? Usually when asked they have it on lower resolutions because their monitors can't handle anything higher.
Making a standard benchmark of PC gaming is fine and all but it doesn't mean a darn thing if we don't know what they're basing it off of.
But Windows 7 as a OS, I like it overall but I don't see it improving the PC gaming just because of it. #windows7
10/19/09
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10/19/09
...a "better, more game-friendly" version of windows is like having a nicer couch in your living room (or whereever your console and TV are)... it makes the overall experience more comfy, but it doesn't change the quality of the games. #windows7
10/19/09
For starters, we have for more controller possibilities than a console gamer would, and many other ways to use them.
Secondly, we also have the ability to tweak the games and mod them to make a far more enriched experience, thus increasing the value of the purchase.
Third, some of us use hardware that is far more advanced than consoles in today's market. Running multiple SLI cards in even a laptop like a Sager with a Clarksfield chip would show a far smoother demonstration as opposed to an XBox 360 or PS3 in many regards, especially when CUDA is involved to share the GFX burden.
Again, it is a platform, and by that, it's not always a PopCap games environment, either. It is often a "pay to play" environment that is enriched by better hardware, peripherals and software.
In my case, it is also more portable and convenient, as well. #windows7
10/19/09
I don't know what the guys at Extreme Tech are smoking, but a more stable operating system with better memory management is a pretty good reason to upgrade. #windows7
10/19/09
10/19/09
To be honest, I don't even blame MS for the driver issues for the most part. The hardware manufacturers dropped the ball and they should share a large portion of the blame as to why Vista didn't take off. Vista made me swear off Creative products for the foreseeable future. Their driver support was AWFUL.
10/19/09
Win7 won't have any of these problems, since most of the bugs have been worked through on Vista. So far no BSOD's this time around with 7! Lol.
My wife works for MS, so I get very cheap software. Can't wait for the retail version on the 22nd. #windows7
10/19/09
I'm actually looking forward to 7 for games so that I can free myself from the bullshit startup time and memory problems that Vista's been drowning me in. So yeah, that's more than enough for me to justify a purchase.
But since I work in shitty retail, I've also taken advantage of a couple of purchase programs, picking up one copy of 7 for free and a second for $10. But if I had to pay full price for 7...well I probably still would, actually. #windows7
10/19/09
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10/19/09
Am I asking for much?
10/19/09
Developers like working with DirectX. Most folks I know who like PC gaming (mostly OSX not Linux users) will dualboot with Windows for their gaming, so that'll have to be your best option. Or wrestle with WINE to paly your games, but that's hit n miss.
Linux is nice (try Mint) but it's got the same handicap as OSX in that games just aren't developed for them, mainly a marketshare issue.
It sucks but if you want to game your gonna have to go with Windows for it. #windows7
10/19/09
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10/19/09
What... just like the Tray and Play feature in Vista? I won't hold my breath. #windows7
10/19/09
Between my iPhone and my laptop I can do all of my computer lifestyle needs. My gaming rig is JUST FOR GAMING. Nothing else. Just gaming.
Why can't I have an OS that fits my needs accordingly? #windows7
10/19/09
If you don't want to use, say, Windows Media Center, then don't. It's not doing anything by sitting on your hard drive (except consuming ~1/1,000,000 of the drive's capacity). #windows7
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10/19/09
If the cost savings were substantial, everyone would buy that instead of the next higher-up SKU and replace the missing components with free software like Notepad++, Media Player Classic, Google Chrome, and Paint.NET.
Cheaper versions of products (in general, not just software) have to be crippled in ways that cannot be easily rectified in order to prevent the cannibalization of sales of higher-end models. With that in mind, I'm not sure how Microsoft could further limit Windows [Vista, 7] Home Basic without removing critical functionality. #windows7
10/19/09
But I'm sure there are tons of services running and utilities installed that have next to no usefulness for gaming. If they made a super pared down version of Windows for gaming, they'd probably find that it would become the defacto version since there is so much bloat nowadays in the OS. #windows7
10/19/09
This very reply is being typed on my iPhone at a restaurant while I'm out grabbing a late lunch.
My laptop fills the heavier duty lifestyle needs. And it offers the portability for me to use it on the couch, in my recliner, in the kitchen, and even while laying in bed. So where does my desktop that doesn't offer such mobility fit in? High-end gaming. That's it.
I might be the only one now. But I'm the future. As laptops and smartphones get cheaper and better, people are going to find less reason to own some big clunky tower that they doesn't move around with them and their lives.
These people here just don't get it yet. The desktop is quickly becoming an obsolete method of fulfilling one's lifestyle, Internet and computer needs. #windows7
10/19/09
U know when u go to the windows's display properties and can configure the themes, ie. do i want animated skinned windows or not?
Why not make a 'Gamer theme' for windows where after selected all unnesseary program like print, microsoft media player, and random crap are turned off. This would allow you to be more efficient in your resources. This tweeking shouldnt be too difficult to do.
This way Microsoft is happy cuz they can still charge the consumer for full price of useless crap and the consumer can get their bare bone version as an on/off solution. Win: win.
Oh Microsoft, feel free to use this idea. I wont sue or patent it. I believe we should all share our knowledge in a way that others can build upon and enjoy. Kinda like Linux, Firefox and Wikipedia. #windows7
10/19/09
So yes, I see what you're saying, but you clearly are forgetting that power is useful for a lot of things that aren't gaming. #windows7
10/20/09
There's nothing of note to "turn off". #windows7
10/20/09
10/24/09
"If they made a super pared down version of Windows for gaming, they'd probably find that it would become the defacto version AncientUnknown1 promoted this comment
since there is so much bloat nowadays in the OS."
Bingo. Fortunately, those kinds of versions actually exist. There are several slipstreaming utilities for paring down win-boots, just for this kind of purpose.
I'm using linux, so I don't care. But if you have to use windows, it's a good idea to look up.. in wait of your next reinstall, and so on. #windows7
10/24/09
"This very reply is being typed on my iPhone at a restaurant while I'm out grabbing a late lunch."
"Late" being the keyword when you were heading back as well, I guess :p #windows7
10/27/09
10/27/09
:) yeah, of course.
Here's a nice guide - used that on my Eee(sticky on top).
[forum.eeeuser.com]
..and this is Lifehacker's rundown of "slipstreaming", including a list of what you need, what nLite is, how it works, and so on.
[lifehacker.com]
The problem is sort of.. finding out what services you really need, and what services you can do without if you.. say.. ditch iexplorer, outlook and office. But it's not necessary to know all the techincal details, and you can always install something from the win-update later, if you want. #windows7
10/27/09