Aliens vs Predator 3 - TTLG Forums

catbarf on 10/2/2010 at 17:18

Quote Posted by Phatose

Requirements you don't mind are still requirements.

And that's my point - you're not more free without steam, you still have the same choice of play it or don't play it. The difference in level of choice available to you steam or no steam is zero.

Don't like steam? Fine, good. Plenty of reasons not to like it. But just say you don't like it. Freedom of choice at ain't stake, you just don't like steam.

Punkbuster runs in the background, it is non-intrusive. For that reason there are very few people who vehemently oppose it, because it doesn't affect the player much.

Steam, on the other hand, completely controls when and where you can play the game. For that reason there are a lot more people who oppose Steam because it does affect the player.

The choice is not which online countermeasure you get, it's how you play the game. From a disk, or Direct2Drive, or Steam, it's up to you if the game just uses Punkbuster or some similar program for online protection. If it uses Steamworks, you are locked into using Steam. Less choice. That's it.

The choice is use Steam or don't use Steam. If the game uses Steamworks, you no longer have that option. Either way, you'll be forced to use a program for online protection, and you'll be forced to use DirectX, etc., etc., but it's still one less choice if you can't get a retail copy without installing Steam.

You're going to be forced to use SOME program for the online anti-cheat, but there are different DEGREES to which they intrude on the user. Steam is the most intrusive method there is. I like Steam, but not everyone does, and only a complete idiot can look at Steam and Punkbuster and how they affect the user and see no difference.

Matthew on 10/2/2010 at 17:26

I've never used Punkbuster. How does it differ from something like Steam?

catbarf on 10/2/2010 at 17:42

Quote Posted by Matthew

I've never used Punkbuster. How does it differ from something like Steam?

It's part of the game. The only thing the player ever sees of it is the occasional disconnect due to running a disallowed external program. I've only ever been disconnected by it due to the Steam in-game overlay. With that disabled, I've never had any issues with it. I've also never seen anyone cheat in a Punkbuster-secured server, so take that for what it's worth.

Once I had to go to their website and run a utility to update it. Beyond that it's been smooth sailing. Definitely more intrusive than VAC, but unlike VAC it actually stops cheaters.

june gloom on 10/2/2010 at 18:06

Quote Posted by Zygoptera

everyone would have known what you meant and just about everyone would have agreed.

You mean you would have known and probably would have tried to start an argument anyway.

Quote Posted by Zygoptera

But you didn't, unfortunately, and you then used the opportunity for clarification to compound things by saying something you admit was hyperbole and which actually implied the exact opposite of what you really meant.

Except my hyperbole was part of a throwaway comment you latched on to.

Quote Posted by Zygoptera

And that's your biggest problem and why you inevitably end up in an argument a day: you habitually (1) leave out the caveats/ reasons which make what you are saying more reasonable but (2) expect others to know what your caveats/reasons are despite not having told them, or, as in this case, having implied the complete opposite then (3) get all :mad::mad::mad: baby's first chan when people (somehow) don't know what your unstated caveats/reasons are or take your 'clarification' at face value. If you could just fix (1) you'd knock a good 90% of the pointless arguing you get into on the head before it even started.

This is so unbelievably off-base it's not even on the baseball field anymore. Maybe it applies to you (though I doubt it) but don't pretend to think you speak for everyone I get into arguments with. Here's how it usually boils down:

1) Person says something stupid
2) I point out they said something stupid
3) Butthurt
4) I laugh and insult butthurt

Though, increasingly, it's becoming a different scenario:

1) I say something, either innocent or snarky
2) Someone with a grudge or one of those creepy hatecrushes insults me/tries to start a fight
3) I tell them to fuck off
4) They don't fuck off

Also, baby's first chan? Really?

Fuck off.

gunsmoke on 10/2/2010 at 18:21

I was Steam-chatting with EvaUnit02 this afternoon. He helped me try to get my Fallout 3 saves back. Anyway, he said he has had trouble posting here, so I'll go ahead and post this interesting link he sent me, alleging an AvP smear campaign and GameInformer.

(http://www.allegedly-speaking.com/features/avp_smear.htm) http://www.allegedly-speaking.com/features/avp_smear.htm

Edit: Quit ganging up on dethtoll for something so petty. I am surprised a MOD of all people is taking a large part in the initiative to fag this thread up. Ulukai bans people for being this far off topic, and feeding it. Take it to Private Message.

catbarf on 10/2/2010 at 18:31

The review also failed to mention any MP modes besides Deathmatch, and complained that the ping of the motion tracker was annoying.

Also note that there was no 'second opinion' like with most of GI's reviews.

By the looks of things he mentioned nothing that couldn't be made up or gleaned from the demo. So all in all a pretty terrible review.

june gloom on 10/2/2010 at 18:46

Game Informer are a bunch of big blubbering vadges anyway.

Malf on 10/2/2010 at 19:29

I think it's been mentioned before, but you have a very British turn of phrase dethtoll.

froghawk on 11/2/2010 at 00:12

The story trailer looks awesome. I can't believe the demo was such a bust if that's what the final product looks like...

sNeaksieGarrett on 11/2/2010 at 01:24

Quote Posted by Phatose

If that's the point, it's no wonder I missed it, since punkbuster is a program too. It's like being mad you're forced to use DirectX or OpenGL.

Well now your just picking and picking and picking.....:sweat:

Quote Posted by catbarf

The choice is not which online countermeasure you get, it's how you play the game. From a disk, or Direct2Drive, or Steam, it's up to you if the game just uses Punkbuster or some similar program for online protection. If it uses Steamworks, you are locked into using Steam. Less choice. That's it.

Thanks catbarf. You put it better than I could.

Quote Posted by gunsmoke

Interesting article. Hard for me to pick a side, when I never truly played through AVP2, and I never even played AVP1.

NOTE: Ignore the below if you don't want to read a long winded hypothetical situation regarding review numbers.

I have to say though. Review scores don't mean shit to actually trying the game, or to at least reading a review. However, even reading reviews might not get you anywhere, which may be the case here but I don't know. This could be said over and over again, but I'll give a hypothetical example. Say Bob (or whoever; doesn't matter) is interested in purchasing doom 3. Well, being that he wants to make sure that the game is "good," he decides to look up the game on a game review website. Now, hypothetically, the review site gives the game a score of 7.0. Bob looks at the score only and is discouraged from buying the game. What Bob should do is actually read the review, or ask a friend he trusts what it is like rather than trusting a number to make his decision. So, continuing... Say Bob's friend reads a review and it sounds like a good game. Bob's friend makes the purchase, and enjoys the game because he didn't let a low score stop him from purchasing.