Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!haven!uflorida!gatech!hubcap!disd From: disd@hubcap.UUCP (Gary Heffelfinger) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Software development and piracy ... Message-ID: <3913@hubcap.UUCP> Date: 15 Dec 88 17:37:58 GMT References: <1379@leah.Albany.Edu> Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC Lines: 116 From article <1379@leah.Albany.Edu>, by jac423@leah.Albany.Edu (Julius A Cisek): > In article <3889@hubcap.UUCP>, disd@hubcap.UUCP (Gary Heffelfinger) writes: >> And I hate the games that force me to reboot after every use. I'm not > > Personally I like games that entertain me... Paladin is a product of a > poor imagination and classroom programming, there's nothing special > about it. The game play is a drag. You cannot possibly compare it to Hmm. Do I recall correctly that you are chap who writes war games? Or am I mistaking you for someone else? I can see where fans of highly indepth war games would be disappointed. I'm unfortunately not one such fan. Paladin is about all the war strategy this poor mind can handle. :-) Also, why do I always see the words "lack of imagination" and "classroom programming" together? Is it impossible for well trained programmers to be imaginative? I'm not going to argue with you about the merits (or lack of merits) of Paladin, but I'm curious about this view that I seem to have noted. Folks imply that only those brave and adventuresome souls who "sail close to the wind" can have the right stuff when it comes to writing creative and imaginative programs. Is this necessarily true? Are we brainwashing our college students and putting them into mental straitjackets? > Dungeon Master. So DM takes over the machine, big deal. It's a great > game, and that's what matters to me. Have you seen it? Just the demo, and like I say, it blew me away. And I will quite probably buy it. So call me a hypocrite. :-) But I can wish, hope and pray that developers who are designing games that do not have to hijack my machine, will not do so. >> Sail close to the wind. Why must a programmer be sloppy and >> inconsiderate of his users to "sail close to the wind?" > > You're telling me that Jez San who wrote Starglider II is a sloppy > programmer? Ha! Lets see you do three dimentional (filled!) graphix that > move like that! Okay, okay. Sloppy may have been a bad choice of word. But I stand by "inconsiderate". If Starglider II (which I have not seen BTW) breaks the next time C= makes a small change to a chip, because Jez broke a rule to gain a few nanoseconds, then I think s/he was inconsiderate. >> > Like having a porcshe but being told to drive at 55 on the freeway ? (who >> > does ?) >> I look at it more like having a Porsche when I need it, or having two >> Hyundai Excels when I need them, or having 3 pickup trucks when I need >> them. You get the idea. (Or do you?) > > I'd say you need a Porsche with things like DM, Dragon's Lair, and > Starglider II. These programs are not Amoeba, you know... Okay this is based on hearsay, but I would agree with you regarding Starglider II. I'm told that there's a lot going on there. However, unless there's a *lot* more going on with the real DM than there was in the demo, I think that it could've been set up so that we download junkies could do our thing while playing it. >> > a software booting with a fast loading hires picture and playing some >> > funky piece of music will ALWAYS grab my attention. >> What's to stop you? This is the nature of multitasking. I've seen this >> done before, and rules were not broken in the process. > > This I'm not sure on (does the Amiga handle this?), but unless a sample > takes over the system momentarily, it will certainly not work. (It has > to be, after all, a continuous, regular flow of data). So games which > use sampled scores and sounds throughout would have to take the system > over anyway. (I may be wrong, the sound chip may take care of the rates, > so please correct me if you know.) I'm gonna back off on this one myself. I have seen games load while a pretty picture is being shown, and pretty music is being played, but I do not know that the program wasn't doing anything "bad". I'm thinking specifically of Rocket Ranger. >> True, but neither are they all 13 year old boys who go "ooooh" and "ahhhhh" >> over the latest "rully rad" game. > > Some are developers and like good games too... Besides, DM too me is > more than "rad". It's a marvel and a breakthrough in design. Same Okay, I'll concede that DM is a marvel. (I've gone through the demo dozens of times.) >> As more Amiga users get hard disks, (and they will) fewer and fewer >> people will be willing to put up with the rebooting after every >> application nonsense. > > Speak for yourself. I don't mind waiting a minute or two. It's not going > to ruin my life... :-) No, it won't ruin any lives, but it does a number on that ray traced picture I've got cooking on the back burner. :-) > are flaming (maybe they'd change their minds.) To me its the GAME that > matters. Does it entertain me? Does it enthrall me? Who cares if it > takes over my machine. I'm sure that the three games (not Paladin, yuck) > I mentioned here make good use of it. Yes the game does matter. Yes it should entertain and enthrall. *I* care if it takes over my machine when it wouldn't have to. Hoping Santa has copy of DM for me...... Gary -- Gary R Heffelfinger - Not speaking for Clemson University disd@hubcap.clemson.edu -- FIX the Holodeck --