FredEffinChopin

I was hoping last night would be the night for this. Later in the month I guess. I'm not really interested in Limbo, and I'm done with Arkham City, but another shot at those Vanquish challenges is something that I've been considering for some time. I'm ready for more abuse.

The first part is more or less the answer I was looking for. That doesn't really bode well for compatibility on the Steambox though, if the quote about running a new version of Linux is not some sort of mistake. It also raises questions about why they are bothering to even develop a custom OS.

Thanks for the heads up. That either went under my radar when it happened, or I forgot it. If this is what the final product looks like, I'll probably stick with my F710, since I'm more accustomed to having the high & outside face button/control pad location. If it's more like this though, and with the ability to flip the analog and control pad, it could be an improvement. But yeah, I'm betting there will be nothing less than the compatibility that PCs have, and since Xinput is the standard, any controller they include will likely be labeled similarly. Those are cues built into games, I doubt anyone would suggest replacing them.

Meant to bring this up last night: I'm curious to find out if they will be developing a controller. If they want people to be able to get up & running out of the box, I'd imagine that would be a key feature. If not, then a kb/m. Maybe something with a Steam Linux key on it. There needs to be some sort of out-of-the-box way to interface with the thing; one of those, if not both. Edit: Since they have a picture of the Logitech F710 on Big Picture part of the site, I wonder if they might deal with them to get one in the box. I like mine, but if we're designing a console of sorts, I think they can do a bit better, while keeping that compatibility. I'd prefer lower and softer triggers.

I finally read the source: I guess that answers that in a way. I couldn't possible be more ignorant about OS intricacies... would not-using Windows necessarily mean that older games wouldn't function? Could not a similar enough environment be created? I have no clue.... He also talks about how he foresees other manufacturers making similar setups designed for the living room next year though, so I don't think this Steam Linux ... thing... is looking to stand on too-isolated of a platform. I guess it's too early for me to be talking myself in circles. Hopefully there will be more info soon.

While I can't stand Blink for the most part, I have to admit that I dug their Christmas tune. I'm too embarrassed to embed it, so I'll just it. Since Mariah and the song came up, and since she is lovely and the performance was really good, I will embed the recent performance with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned The Chipmunks Christmas yet! I'm generally a sucker for the Christmas classics (both poppy and traditional), and for the season. If I'm out and about in my area too much though, it can wear thin on me, since a very long stretch of street here under neath the J train has speakers installed that blast Christmas music all day (and sit around worthlessly the rest of the year). But yeah, I like the parties with warm stuff to drink, and stupid-ass sweaters, and the gift-giving. The snow too, or at least for the first day or so of it. With so much about the holiday to turn off someone of my personality and beliefs, I'm surprised I still have such a soft spot for it, but I do.

I'd actually be pretty surprised if this thing is running any kind of full version of Windows. There are a few things that I think Valve are attempting to accomplish with this move, but I think one of the key goals is (I'm hoping, here) to get out a piece of hardware that can run (a) any game at (b) high-ish settings (since Gabe mentioned he expects this thing to compete with the Xbox 8 and PS4), if not highest. The reason consoles are able to squeeze so much out of their hardware is that they don't have huge OSs constantly hogging resources and doing other things in the background. I'd imagine the idea here is similar; it won't be a drastic departure from the norm in the hardware department, but will have a unique OS that is primarily used for interacting with Steam, and can also do a few other things like run their FPB (first-person browser), and whatever types of applications might release on it. Without that kind of isolated environment, there seems to be even less reason to create a Steambox than people are perceiving so far. Why even call it anything different at that point; it's just a custom pc. Someone correct me if I'm spewing nonsense. I think it's going to be a game-changer though. I know that a lot of PC guys scoff at the idea that their gaming platform of choice is difficult for a lot of consumers to hang with, or more expensive (to enter), but it just is; especially so on the latter if one wants those games to looks as pretty as possible while maintaining performance. While throwing a PC together isn't the hardest thing in the world, it's easy even for experienced people to hit unforeseen bumps in the road during the process. All the hardware and software variables can make it a troubleshooting nightmare, too. Ignorant as I sound (and am, in ways) on the topic, I've built and upgraded my fair share of PCs in my time, and the reasons I name have been contributors to why I've mostly neglected them as a gaming platform, and opted for consoles. With some exceptions, until recently when I have went all-in on it What they're doing though, is a little more than simply entering the console market. They're entering and bringing a tremendous library of games along with them out of the gate. We still don't know if they will decide to go all digital, or if they will include a media drive (I know, I pulled that out of nowhere, but it doesn't sound that crazy to me the more I think about it), but either way I think that the pricing on Steam is enough to keep them competitive for the console audience they're looking to welcome. Anyway, I'm curious and a bit excited. And I'm holding off on some of the hardware upgrades I was planning on making by next month.

Next year should be interesting. Does anyone anticipate this being high-end? Or being released in several models? Or upgradable? It's walking a fine line as it is, the last of those would make it even harder to detect. I'm very interested in seeing exactly what it is though. Valve/Google/MS/Nintendo/Sony. My body is ready. My wallet is another story.

Hmm I thought I was set for notifications, my bad. Dean: Some of my PC friends are pretty critical of controllers in general, and even more so of my playing PC games with them. I'm going to leave a list of names in here, so if I'm ever found dead with a bloody Logitech F710 laying next to me, you guys will know who to call the cops on. GOH: In theory one should be able to use Big Picture with a PS3 controller and motionjoy, but the few discussions I've seen on it show mixed results. One person couldn't get it to work, another did but it stopped working after an update, etc. People are asking for full support though, for DS3 and for Dinput controllers, so I'm remaining hopeful. It seems like there might be some legal issues with the former, but if anything a convenient back door may be left open, so to speak. 360 controllers and the newer Logitechs (that support Xinput) are all supported in BPM though.

http://m.ign.com/articles/2012/11/30/playstations-dualshockmove-controller-in-one Now this is what I've been talking about all along. Ok fine, not all along, but for a while since Move has released.

I've worked in a liquor store for a (far too) long time, and my tastes have moved around a lot over that time, first expanding greatly, and then narrowing drastically. Some of that has to do with the fact that I started to have a nasty reaction to many types of drinks (just about anything mixed, and certain syrupy products tend to get me red-faced and short of breath, which leads me to believe that diabetes is on my doorstep. Hooray!). Aside from those restrictions, my tastes for types of booze solidified, and my preference for brands effectively (not completely) went out the window. So I lean towards dark stuff. Scotch, bourbon, that Tennessee sour mash which shall remain nameless, brandy/cognac... Even the cheap stuff is alright with me. I'm one of those "I want my poison to taste like poison" people (IMO every taste for straight booze is at least somewhat acquired if not tolerated, and always has a hint of "I'm eating your insides alive", no matter how it's been aged or blended), so even when I'm not drinking something whose qualities I'm especially appreciative of, I'm content as long as it resembles whiskey. A few glasses in and it stops mattering altogether. On that note, I can drink just about anything straight with minimal protest from my tastebuds. I'm one of the only people I know who has worked on glasses of gin or vodka when (I felt) the occasion called for it. Dry, red wine. Thick, dark brew, though I can work with most. Re: Drink temperature Supposedly a drink's flavor is stronger when it's served warm. From what I understand, it's why a cognac glass is shaped the way it is; so that the heat from a hand holding it from underneath will warm the liquid from the bottom. It makes sense when you see how many people demand that their beer be cold. I know someone who drinks warm cola for that reason. I can't say I've noticed a great difference myself, but I'm usually drinking whiskey at room temperature anyway. Occasionally I'll take a cube or two of ice in my scotch or something. Generally though, in the past couple of years I don't drink very frequently at all.

Has anyone tried Big Picture? Being late to the game as usual, I just tried it for the first time today and I am very impressed by it. It's not perfect, and I could name a few simple suggestions that might improve it considerably, but it's definitely a great start to tailoring the Steam platform to people who are playing in high resolution on televisions and/or who primarily game with controllers on the PC. If the rest of you haven't already stoned us to death >.> Everything is very nicely laid out, and pretty simple to navigate. The only time I hit a wall where I had to reach for the mouse was to click on a link that a friend sent me in out chat, since you can only scroll up and down the chat window, and not bring an icon into it or single out lines (not that I can tell, at least). The home-button functionality works perfectly with my F710, down to the ability to use it (home + RT) to take screens. I'm definitely digging it.

I'm a perfectionist, so I've been trying to make it though Ironman Classic without losing a country. Currently on save number 9, past the first terror mission, and about to lose France. I'm about ready to concede it's not possible and just keep going. Also you're a sissy. Losing one of my vets on saves 1-8 and watching the game spiral from there had to be one of my favorite parts of this game. I'm sort of the opposite here, but sounds kinda like the same thing. I've foregone any tinkering with my game in any way that involves development or progress (I lost a couple of nations somewhat early in and swallowed it, annoyed as I was, and close as I was to having new satellites ready), and restricted my meddling to preserving my team. I also did it in stages with civilians that need to be rescued, actually... Especially the first time, where I was too hard-headed to acknowledge that the game wasn't going to let me save every single person. .....It won't, will it? I really feel like I tried my damnedest, and still lost two of them. Anyway, I get how what I'm doing seems disrespectful to the game, but my bad habits are too firmly instilled for me to get rid of them now. If I feel up to it I might play differently when I play it at a tougher level, but I'll likely do the same shit. I don't know, it is becoming much easier now that I have the rhythm of things, and understand the way the stages progress. We'll see. I feel like what I'm doing comes from the same place as what you're doing though. I do it in many games. I just want to have that "clean" run in there, then after (or before, depending on the game and how I choose to approach it) that I can let the OCD go.

Umm this is one of the best games I've played this year... I've been interested since last PAX, and a friend has been hounding me to pick it up. Finally the last piece (a Steam sale) fell into place, and I've spent pretty much every free minute on this since. I am one of those reload sissies. It's an old habit that would be too hard to break at this point, despite the fact that it occasionally craps on my gaming experience (Dishonored was considerably lamer for me for that reason). Anyway,now that I've become attached to some of my soldiers, and even renamed and reworked their appearances, I definitely can't be losing people in a mission. I feel a tiny bit guilty now, but I always rationalize it as something that a game shouldn't let you do if they didn't intend for it to be exploited. I'll feel even less guilty when I finish my first playthrough and get started on a harder level. I'm sure I'll need all the edge I can get at that point. On a side-note, I was hoping the MP in it would be co-op. I could see a squad-based larger battle taking place with this formula. Whatever. This game is awesome.

All right, was hoping this would be going on again this year! Looking forward to participating.

Yeah, from what I understand (if the word "understand" really applies to my relationship with this knowledge), the discrepancy of an advertised HDD size vs. the actual size is one of translation. While I can't explain it any better than that (because I don't get it), I've been experiencing it for years, and when I finally sat down and compared the differences some years back, I remember noticing something resembling a percentage. Whatever it is (I want to say btwn 5-10%), it's something that people who buy HDDs or products that contain them have known about for some time. It's not the same thing as advertising a HDD size but not mentioning that necessary software that is installed on it will take up half of the space. People understand that their 8GB Wii-U will only hold something like 7.3GB, but they don't expect half of that to be taken up out of the box. Not a huge deal imo since that wasn't going to do too much for anyone anyway, but it does seem a little lame.

God, I'm halfway through something like 6-8 games right now. Sanctum, Black Mesa, Civ5 (though there is no real halfway there), Dungeon Defenders (this time on PC)... The past week though, has been all about NHL 12 and Dishonored. Re: NHL 12 I don't know how anyone can go back to playing a team vs. team sport game after playing the solo career modes that most of them seem to include now. Maybe it's because I'm far more of a gamer than I am a sports guy (the stat growth/management is a decent part of the appeal), but it seems like THE way to play. Also, aside from the just straight up cool dynamic of being a single member that needs to play the role in his/her team effectively, I think that the mode is a great outlet for all those deep/complex control schemes that sports games have been lugging around for a while now. Being on the offense (in NHL) is a whole control scheme worth mastering in itself, rewarding for one who can get really good at pulling out all the moves reflexively. I'm barely learning the intricacies of it just playing "be a pro" mode; I imagine if I were playing team vs. team that I'd be trying so hard to learn the details for the controls in all the contexts that I'd never come close to mastering any. Anyway, I loved this mode in MLB The Show, and I think I like it even more here. It's close, though I think The Show is the slightly better game in a few ways. Re: Dishonored I just don't get it. It's good, I'm having a decent time with it, but I'm not being especially moved by it; not the the extent that its reception would indicate I should. Maybe I'm just too early in. I'm finding myself caring less and less about the story as I go on though, and while the gameplay is sort of fresh and refreshing, I'm not sure it's going to be enough to carry the experience for me for too long. We'll see. I'm not crazy about the character-design style either, nor the washed out colors (no matter what I do with the brightness it seems like there is a sheet of white on everything) of the game, though I dig the visual style otherwise. It's got stuff going on. I don't know...

I've only been keeping half an eye on it myself, but was subscribed to a 311 request thread. It has been teasing me periodically for a long time now, whenever someone pops in to voice their agreement and I rush over hoping for news. I was actually thinking about how I should just unsubscribe from it already when I checked last night.... and then I saw the news and almost backflipped, which is no easy feat for me unless I'm in a video game where I am a ninja. This ranks right up there with the full London Calling album (which I affectionately refer to as "the only DLC that matters") and the barrage of The Doors songs that came along with the RB3 release. If I ever meet a Harmonix team member I'm kissing them full on the mouth, regardless of sex. Or maybe I'll just buy them a beer or something.

I literally shouted out loud 4 or 5 times last night when I read that they will finally be making it to Rock Band next week. What can I say, people who still care about RB DLC are a dying breed. I need to show extra enthusiasm. Seriously though, can't wait to gold-star their 3-pack *cough* like half an hour after I download it *cough*. I've been waiting a long time for it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY3ATmNPtWI

I will treasure it forever, thank you. Here, have one for forcing me to shamefully look up the word gerund.