I'm not huge on introduction threads because I don't like to announce my newb-ness, but today I'll make an exception. Anyway, Darunia, a friend from my high school linked me to these forums. And, after numerous threats to my life, I decided to join.
I mostly play PC games such as battlefield 1942, America's Army, and Rainbow 6: Raven Shield but I like to play the occasional console game such as any RE game except for those infernal games RE gaiden, and survivor.
Quote:After the bittersweet days of the release of Wizardry 8 late in 2001 and our farewell interview with SirTech's Robert Sirotek one and a half years have passed. The meantime also saw the Jagged Alliance team around Linda Currie getting signed by Strategy First and the Jagged Alliance brand licensed by Strategy First. We now had the chance to talk to Robert Sirotek and Linda Currie about their current howabouts and plans for the future, and, hang tight, you will be positivley surprised by the answer!
RPGDot: Hi Linda, Hi Robert! Please tell us, what happened to you & to Sir-Tech in 2002.
Robert: Hi, nice to hear from you again. I took some time off to spend with my family - the first time I have done this - and loved it. Almost didn't come back, but I did. I still love the gaming industry. I am involved with several friends helping them with their companies. I don't want to name these companies, but I am sure you will have heard of them. They are all great veterans in the gaming industry and have much more to contribute to it. Also, I continue with Sirtech, but on a much smaller scale. On top of all of this, I also continue to look for any interesting new opportunities to become a part of. Best place to reach me is through the general inquiries section of the Sir-tech.com web site.
RPGDot: Is Sir Tech gone now or are you still running it?
Robert: No, it is still going.
RPGDot: Linda, I understand you were employed by Strategy first for a short time. What happened there? What did you work on?
Linda: Yes, I was employed there for a year and a bit. Unfortunately their situation required them to close their Ottawa office so I and the rest of the team found ourselves suddenly unemployed. In all fairness, what I was working on there should just remain a mystery. Though I'm sure there were rumors in abundance, it's pretty irrelevant now.
RPGDot: How are chances to see Jagged Alliance 3 one day?
Robert: Chances are excellent.
RPGDot: Are you currently working on any projects, like trying to conclude any of Sir Tech series? How many of the Ex-SF people are there available as of today?
Linda: As we had indicated in the press release we put out in late December, Ian Currie & I are working to find funding for our team of people. This is primarily the team of people from Sirtech Canada that went to Strategy First with us in September 2001, though we have gained a couple of new members since then. They are all on-board with us in the pursuit of a new venture and we've definitely gotten some interesting leads.
RPGDot: Is there any chance of seeing you all return to work together?
Linda: We believe that we have a really solid chance of the team staying together to work on future projects. Ian & I have a lot of respect for the capabilities of everyone on the team and the fact that we've worked together successfully for many years should be attractive to anyone who knows how difficult it is to build a solid game development team. We are following some very interesting prospects.
RPGDot: And how are chances for a Wizardy 9?
Robert: Yes, absolutely the chances are very good. I can not tell you much more than this. When some decisions are taken, and I have something to report, I will contact you.
If this happens then all three of the major company closings of the last few years -- Sir-Tech, Looking Glass, and SNK -- will all have survived in some form... :) :) :)
The interviews keep on coming. From now on I'll let you guys know when the final interviews are posted so you can check them out. This one is with Acclaim for the next Wrestlemania game.
What else are you gonna do in the Post-E3 duldrums (or is that doldrums, or something else)? Anyway, this is stolen from Pikachelsea's blog. If you know who that is (all 2 of you), then you might care. Everyone else, just take the survey. Yay.
Spell your name backwards - renraW nehpetS ekuL
The story behind your user name : I like Zelda, and Link's laser beam attack from the 2D games ownz. At the time the beam attack was going to be included in OoT and it made me happy.
Other usernames you've had : Well, LL was my first, but back in the day before you had to register for boards I switched between Laser and Lazer, because I didn't know what I liked more. Laser is the correct spelling though. I've also used Phoenix Knight (duh), Quasar, Dragonite Reborn, Asha'man al'Thor, and lswarner.
Where do you live : Colorado Springs
4 words that sum you up : geeky punky Christian boy
What you are wearing now : I had to dress decent for work, so just jeans, a t-shirt, and a Padre hat.
Hair : Um, what does this mean? It is brown, and when I have time I'll put some glue stuff in it and make it stand in strangely random directions. Geeky answer: I use a random number generator to create unique x, y, and z values for my hair vectors.
In my head : 2 eyes, a bunch of teeth, a tongue, a brain, and Shan.
Wishing : That I'm right about the thing I really want to be right about, but it's not in my hands.
After this : Eat, maybe go play ultimate frisbee with friends
Talking to : nobody
Person you wish you could see right now : Shan
Something you're looking forward to in the upcoming month : Not really sure, we'll see
Something that you are deathly afraid of: Nothing anymore
Do you like candles : Not really
Do you like incense: stinkage
Do you like the taste of blood: yuck
Do you believe in love: yup
Do you believe in soul mates: yup
Do you believe in love at first sight : Yes, but I think it's pretty rare. Most of the time it's not really love but lust.
Do you believe in Heaven : Yes
Do you believe in forgiveness: Yes, and you are only doing yourself a hardship if you refuse to forgive people who have hurt you.
Do you believe in God: He's best friend
What do you want done with your body when you die?: It doesn't matter.
Who is your worst enemy: Satan
If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be: Pikachu! Stop laughing! You know you would love to have a pikachu too! That would be awesome!
What is the latest you've ever stayed up : All night
Ever been to Belgium : Nope
Can you eat with chopsticks: Nope
What's your favorite coin: Probably a Canadian Tooney (or Twoney?) because it's gold and silver and just plain spiffy.
What are 5 cities you wouldn't mind relocating to: Post Falls Idaho, Coeur d' Alene Idaho, San Diego Cali, somewhere near but not in Seattle, and anywhere but Montana
What are some of your favorite pig out foods: Anything chocolate, Lay's Old Fashioned potato chips, Doritos, Fritos, most other chips that end in 'O', anything Coke or Dew.
What's something that you wish people would understand more: That Jesus really is everything they want and need.
What's something you wish you could understand better: How to make friends and communicate better.
Anyone you miss that you haven't seen in a long time: My friends in Idaho and California
What's one thing you want to make happen for tomorrow: Spend time with friends and get to know them better after theMill.
favorite video game : Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
favorite sport: football
favorite cd : dc Talk - Jesus Freak
favorite song : So hard to pick. Maybe dc Talk(Jesus Freak, Supernatural, My Will, or Colored People); Newsboys(Breakfast); All Star United(Savior of My Universe); Five Iron Frenzy(Every New Day); Eager(Decide For You)
first bike: a tri-cycle with the Get-Along Gang on it. All I remember is a moose on there. Old school.
first best friend: my brother
first real memory of something: Hard to know if this is the first, but I remember playing Frogger with my parents when I was really little.
first car: I don't technically own it, but it's pretty much mine: A white Pontiac from the 80s.
dream car: I want a Reliant K!!! No, not really. A Toyota Celica.
first date: Coming soon. Maybe.
first kiss: Sometime after
first break-up: The reason I've waited this long is so I wouldn't have to go through a break-up
first job: Merchandiser for Dreyer's (Edy's for you back-East boys) Ice Cream. I put it on the shelf. Woo!
first screen name: Laser Link
first self purchased album: dc Talk - Jesus Freak. November 23, 1995. My most anticipated album ever and still the best music ever released.
first concert: Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, and Three Crosses. (Jars was sick though, pooo) Sometime in March 96.
first funeral: I don't think i've ever been. That's what happens when you don't live close to any relatives.
first pet: Smidgen, my family's gray cat.
first prime minister (or president) you voted for: Dubbya
first piercing/tattoo: Nothing yet, but I may change my mind sometime
first independent home: Coming someday
first house/flat/apartment: Somewhere in Grover City, California. Yes, Grover City.
first credit card: Does a Debit card count? It's a Visa.
first holiday away from family: Never
first love: we shall see
first enemy: already answered that
last good cry: don't know
last library book checked out: From the Two Rivers and To the Blight, the 2 halves of Eye of the World. It has a new Prologue and pictures (Egwene is hot).
last movie seen: The Matrix. Before that, Reloaded, and the Matrix again.
last cuss word uttered: I don't swear.
last beverage drank: Water
last food consumed: Frozen Taquitos that are actually very good.
last crush: Shan
last phone call: Zales Jewlers called to say that my parent's 25th anniversarry rings are in.
last tv show watched: Ducks and Devils, game 1.
last time showered: this morning
last shoes worn: The same shoes I wear ever night Pinky! Gray Nikes.
last cd played: I think Grits: The Art of Translation
last song you heard: Watashi Wa: All of Me
last item bought: GameCube Demo Disc
last thing downloaded: Matrix screensaver
last annoyance: right now, when the mp3.com random song player stopped. Grrrr. Oh, but it made up for it by playing a good Less Than Jake song. They remind me so much of old Five Iron Frenzy.
last disappointment: Last Friday when my friends wouldn't go play broomball with me. Hey, it's not hockey, but it's free.
last soda drank: Tropical Sprite Remix
last thing written: Hey, it's not hockey, but it's free. (Yes, I was skipping around to answer these)
last key used: right paren
last words spoken: I can't remember. Something to my mom who just got home.
last sleep: last night, unless I fell asleep trying to read about databases at work...
last im: Flecky and my friend GJ, at the same time
last time amused: Probably reading some funny and classic WOT line last night. Robert Jordan is a master at writing.
last chair sat in: the one I'm sitting in now...
last lipstick used: I think I actually had to wear lipstick for some school play in 2rd grade, so that would be the last time.
last shirt worn: My red theMill shirt
any last comments: Shan wa totemo utsukoshii. watashi wa anata ga suki desu.
Quote:The president of Nintendo Co. Ltd, Satoru Iwata, has come out again to say that the direction of the company is not to join the other console manufacturers in making gamers pay extra for online games. Then he also went on to say that Nintendo is investing some of their $6 billion dollars on the successors to the next GameCube and Game Boy. Unfortunately he doesn’t say how much, we only know that it’s "some." Iwata made a bold statement that Nintendo’s developers are hard at work on the next-generation stars to replace Mario and Pokémon.
Yes, you heard right, it looks like Iwata may be trying to take the company into an entirely new direction. He himself has been focused on the creative side of gaming, so he could direct Nintendo in creating such titles. He seems to indicate that the current franchises may be too outdated now for most gamers, so that is why he is saying the next lineup of big-name titles are being developed to “replace” Mario and Pokémon.
In other news today, Sony has announced plans to release a system called the PSX for early next year, it will be a beefed up PS2 hardware with TV tuner, hard disk drive and DVD recorder. Go figure, I though the PSX was already released… confusing name. Sony also says that they are going to work more on their gaming division to increase profits for the entertainment company. Microsoft's Xbox chief today fires off a comment about Nintendo saying "I don't think Nintendo is here for the digital-entertainment revolution. They are a toy company."
I hope they don't phase out Mario completely and I would like to see a Pokemon RPG someday, but I'm intersted to know what new big-name games they have in the works.
Quote:"I don't think Nintendo is here for the digital-entertainment revolution"
That's because they are more interested in actually MAKING GAMES instead putting a bunch of useless features into their console. Game consoles should play games not record your favorite tv shows, store your music collection, and wash your clothes.
Quote:Nintendophiles is able to independently confirm that 3DO has in fact filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. 3DO is widely known for its failed CD-i console system, and its series or Army Man games. Started by Trip Hawkins of EA fame, 3DO was created originally as a console company. However with the failure of the CD-i, 3DO became a third party software company.
While the bankruptcy of the company is no longer in question, the future of several key titles is. Large titles including Four Horseman of the Apocalypse and Street Racing Syndicate are both in question. A PR representative for the company said "We don't know what is going to happen with any of these products…We do hope these games come to completion, and we think they will."
While many are quick to smirk at the bankruptcy, it is rather sad. It seemed that at this year's E3, 3DO was turning a new page. This reporter even joked with company representatives about the shock of seeing no Army Man games in their booth. The company decided to focus on high quality product, instead of quantity, and it showed. Perhaps it was too little, too late. Nintendophiles wishes the best to all the 3DO employees who will be affected by this bankruptcy, and that both Street Racing Syndicate and Four Horseman of the Apocalypse somehow make it out stores--they both look pretty impressive.
Four Horsemen looked interesting, but other than that 3DO hasn't done much I'd feel sad about losing.
Quote:Accoring to an interesting study held by University of Rochester, videogames, and more specificially First Person Shooters, may actually be good for children and videogame players. In a New York Times article, "Researchers are reporting today that first-person-shooter video games the kind that require players to kill or maim enemies or monsters that pop out of nowhere sharply improve visual attention skills."
Read on for the rest of the NY Times article.
Experienced players of these games are 30 percent to 50 percent better than nonplayers at taking in everything that happens around them, according to the research, which appears today in the journal Nature. They identify objects in their peripheral vision, perceiving numerous objects without having to count them, switch attention rapidly and track many items at once.
Nor are players simply faster at these tasks, said Dr. Daphne Bavelier, an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Rochester, who led the study. First-person action games increase the brain's capacity to spread attention over a wide range of events. Other types of action games, including those that focus on strategy or role playing, do not produce the same effect.
While some researchers have suggested possible links between video games and other abilities, this study is thought to be the first to explore their effects on visual skills. Though the number of subjects was small, Dr. Bavelier said, the effects were too large to be a result of chance.
"We were really surprised," Dr. Bavelier said, adding that as little as 10 hours of play substantially increased visual skills among novice players. "You get better at a lot of things, not just the game," she said.
But Dr. Bavelier emphasized that the improved visual attention skills did not translate to reading, writing and mathematics. Nor is it clear that they lead to higher I.Q. scores, although visual attention and reaction time are important components of many standardized tests.
"Please, keep doing your homework," said Dr. Bavelier, the mother of 6-year-old twins and a 2-year-old.
Dr. Jeremy Wolfe, the director of the Visual Attention Laboratory at Harvard Medical School (news - web sites), who was not involved in the study, said he was intrigued at the idea that "socially dubious games might improve something like general intelligence."
"It might give every 14-year-old something to tell his parents," Dr. Wolfe said. " `Hey, don't make me study. Give me another grenade.' "
Still, he noted that an increased capacity for visual attention was helpful in tasks as diverse as flying, driving, radiology and airport screening.
Dr. Bavelier is an expert on how experience changes the brain, particularly the effects of congenital deafness on visual skills and attention. A few years ago, a Rochester student, Shawn Green, asked to work on a senior project in her laboratory. They agreed that he would help design visual attention tasks for the deaf.
But when Mr. Green tried out the tests, he found they were ridiculously easy, Dr. Bavelier said. So did his friends, who were all devoted to video games.
The professor and her student decided to study the connection between video game playing and visual attention. They carried out four experiments on undergraduates, all of them male because no female shooter game fans could be found on campus.
The first tested the ability to localize targets in a cluttered environment and spread visual attention over a wide area a skill that many elderly drivers lose. Gamers performed at least 50 percent better than nongamers, Dr. Bavelier said.
The second involved the ability to say, instantly, how many objects were flashed on a screen. Most people can do this with up to four objects, Dr. Bavelier said. Above that, they start counting. Gamers could identify up to 10 items on a screen without counting.
The other two experiments tested the players' ability to process fast-occurring visual information and to switch attention. Again, players were far superior to nonplayers.
A fifth experiment trained nonplayers, including some women, for 10 consecutive days on one of two video games either Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, a first-person-shooter game that simulates World War II combat situations, or the slower-moving puzzle game Tetris. Only the shooter game improved visual attention, Dr. Bavelier said, and it did so in both sexes. Among novices, the effects waned within a couple of months, but superior visual attention skills seemed firmly rooted in game addicts.
Dr. Bavelier said the next step would be to tease the games apart to find out what aspects promoted brain changes. Are violence and danger necessary? Does this sort of brain plasticity change with age? Will it affect certain measures of intelligence?
Meanwhile, she said, the military is already exploiting action games to train special forces.
"To enter territory you've never seen and detect where your enemies are," she went on, "you need an accurate understanding of the visual scene."
-- Paul Bryant
That is so cool. Finally, a positive study on video games.
