WANT!

Discussion regarding the Outsider webcomic, science, technology and science fiction.

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fredgiblet
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WANT!

Post by fredgiblet »

http://www.gizmag.com/gauss-rifle-multi ... gun/23988/

It looks unwieldy as heck, but I still very much want.

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elorran
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Re: WANT!

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Arioch
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Re: WANT!

Post by Arioch »

Yes, the new X-COM is looking very nice.

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elorran
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Re: WANT!

Post by elorran »

The other trailers from the previous years of the 60's variant weren't really doing it for me, but this rehash of the tradition game into a modern twist is definitely mouth watering. If they can pull this off, and sid's crew usually does, then I foresee many late nights and early morning last to halting the alien invasion :mrgreen:

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Arioch
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Re: WANT!

Post by Arioch »

If you haven't seen it, this is an hour-long high-res video of gameplay (they do two tactical missions) done in-house by the Firaxis staff. It looks really nice.

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/xcom-enemy-unk ... 915p1.html

Karst45
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Re: WANT!

Post by Karst45 »

I has it!... well on per-order.

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bunnyboy
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Re: WANT!

Post by bunnyboy »

Page 102! Please.
Supporter of forum RPG

discord
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Re: WANT!

Post by discord »

also got it pre-ordered, on steam i also got a copy of civ 5 to give away....or use it myself but i already had it so to give away.
seems awesome, but i'd like to see more multi player options too....

ya'know....this is the first time in a long while i have been hyped about a game...feels kinda nice.

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Re: WANT!

Post by Karst45 »

4 night until the game!!!!!

discord
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Re: WANT!

Post by discord »

six...since i do not live in the effing united states, so unfair....one day i'd like to see that reversed just so you americans can get a feel for it.

fredgiblet
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Re: WANT!

Post by fredgiblet »

Look through most Japanese games, Final Fantasy 7 took months to cross the Pacific.

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elorran
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Re: WANT!

Post by elorran »

The reason the yanks get most programs, movies and games before Europe does is most of the producers are based in North America. Add to that the logistical nightmare of arranging release events in different countries with different laws and standard and you can see why it might take a while and a good amount of effort to set up a simultaneous launch event across many countries.

And to be fair, when there is a singular launch date set the USA and Canada are the last ones to get it. Asia and Europe see the release hours before hand. I recall much raging going on when we got Diablo 3 before people in the USA, and various yet another reason to hate the *insert european country here* comments.

And if you ordered XCOM on steam you still get it a day before its available in the shops here in Europe anyway.

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Re: WANT!

Post by Karst45 »

discord wrote:six...since i do not live in the effing united states, so unfair....one day i'd like to see that reversed just so you americans can get a feel for it.
am canadian and usually we get screw ether way. If it an European game it came 1 to 2 week later. if it in the US usually we get it 2-5 days later
the same is for movies but it seem that for this game they timed their release.

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Re: WANT!

Post by discord »

elorran: yes, ten or twenty years ago that argument just might hold water, today? not so much, ESPECIALLY not over digital distribution.

then you have the entire reason for the 'staggered launch' milk more money by trying to keep the hype up, logistics is a secondary reason.

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elorran
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Re: WANT!

Post by elorran »

Small operations get away with being allowed to sell world wide. But large providers like steam are subject to a lot of red tape, especially once they start setting up localised servers and offices. Add to that the games publishers will treat the bigger services just like any retail centre and sometimes demand or make expectations of them.

I know it seems simple, but you'll find the smallest thing will cause hiccups to plans. Especially people as well, "matter of fact" or "must follow the rules" people will soon put a stop in your carefully laid plans.

Another example you may or may not be familiar was the UK release of Relic/THQ's Space Marine action shooter game. Germany also had this restriction for a brief period for no logical reason. It was up on Relics webpage "demo downloads for USA and UK available". Even before this was put up, a localised retailer GAME (yes, that was the brand name) told THQ if steam put the game up for digital release they wouldn't stock the game or future games. GAME has since gone bust and shut down for all intents and purposes. But there have been other incidents as well including the USA embargo list, china's various political and cultural restriction rulings, and some in middle east countries are now popping up for censorship as well.

In relation to XCOM itself its possible they could have done a world side release, or its possible they are trying to milk some more hype and money out of it. But I think you'll find it was simply easier for them to start in the USA and then follow up every where else a few days later. It sucks, but life doesn't play fair... then neither will the aliens :P

discord
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Re: WANT!

Post by discord »

true, but i doubt the aliens can match the pure annoying evilness of bureaucracy...actually just about the best thing possible today would be a alien invasion done by incompetent aliens that we can fight and win against...would probably unite the world against a common enemy, get rid of most of the bleeding heart liberals as soon as some true terrors of war is committed next door, and bust up the 'system' so badly we have to start over from scratch and hopefully not make the same mistakes again...and after twenty thirty years or so run into the not so incompetent aliens....to cut away more idiocy....

but that will probably not happen though.

on a more 'real' note, the problem with world wide launch dates is bureaucracy not logistics, correct?

<edit>
i think small operations get away with it because there is not enough money or influence to extort out of them for the big wigs to bother.
</edit>

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junk
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Re: WANT!

Post by junk »

discord wrote:true, but i doubt the aliens can match the pure annoying evilness of bureaucracy...actually just about the best thing possible today would be a alien invasion done by incompetent aliens that we can fight and win against...would probably unite the world against a common enemy, get rid of most of the bleeding heart liberals as soon as some true terrors of war is committed next door, and bust up the 'system' so badly we have to start over from scratch and hopefully not make the same mistakes again...and after twenty thirty years or so run into the not so incompetent aliens....to cut away more idiocy....

but that will probably not happen though.

on a more 'real' note, the problem with world wide launch dates is bureaucracy not logistics, correct?

<edit>
i think small operations get away with it because there is not enough money or influence to extort out of them for the big wigs to bother.
</edit>
Trust me, you don't want to loose your beuracracy. You really really don't. A lot of iy might seem unnecessary and a lot of the meaning might be lost on you, but a huge lot of it is in fact necessary so that you can function relatively okay and safely.

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elorran
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Re: WANT!

Post by elorran »

Logistics involves "bureaucracy", red tape, politics, unnecessary paper work, in some cases butt kissing. It not simply a case of picking up box 1 from spot A and moving it to spot B, if only it were :(

discord
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Re: WANT!

Post by discord »

junk: the trouble with bureaucracy is that it keeps spawning more and more of it, since the answer to any problem is more of itself, and quite often when the need for a certain part of it goes away the institution does not, trying to find new ways to be 'useful' and therefor effectively creates problems that needs new bureaucracy to fix....

in this it is similar to tax laws which keeps creating more exemptions and rules creating a more and more convoluted mess...i think it was best said in one of tom clancys books, where he dropped paper copy of the entire tax law, one set for each member in the meeting on a well built table, the table broke under the weight of several tons of paper.

more is continuously added when we should follow bruce lees words on martial arts, perfection of martial arts is not about adding more techniques to it but by removing those that are not needed, not enough 'removing' in our current society.

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junk
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Re: WANT!

Post by junk »

discord wrote:junk: the trouble with bureaucracy is that it keeps spawning more and more of it, since the answer to any problem is more of itself, and quite often when the need for a certain part of it goes away the institution does not, trying to find new ways to be 'useful' and therefor effectively creates problems that needs new bureaucracy to fix....

in this it is similar to tax laws which keeps creating more exemptions and rules creating a more and more convoluted mess...i think it was best said in one of tom clancys books, where he dropped paper copy of the entire tax law, one set for each member in the meeting on a well built table, the table broke under the weight of several tons of paper.

more is continuously added when we should follow bruce lees words on martial arts, perfection of martial arts is not about adding more techniques to it but by removing those that are not needed, not enough 'removing' in our current society.
The problem here is that you're confusing specific agenda with beuarecracy in a sense. A lot of nations have actually relatively simple tax law as it's not as dominated by lobby groups both moral and capitalist. Exceptions still exist but the law is trying to be at least somewhat balanced. I mean I usually lug around the criminal, commerce, and state administration codes daily and they're all relatively small even though they're very wide.

But once I saw the sheer scope of the US state administration legislature I almost gagged. But the scope and exceptions come in part due to the insane push from a lot of groups at the US government. Other states have loads of exceptions as well, but those are usually relatively small or specific or one time.

Obviously a lot of beurecracy is unecessary and could use simplification. But a lot of it is very good and usefull.

People usually complain about things like having to do papers in triplicate, without realising that it's because all those papers will be usually going somewhere and it's not just a ploy to get people to do more work. It's isntead a speed up procedure.

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