Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news From: "Nick Ferguson" Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.freetalk.english Subject: Gamers are sheep. We are the shepherds. Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 16:48:49 -0000 Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE) Lines: 57 Message-ID: <7crmr0$1vd1@chuka.playstation.co.uk> References: <01be6f35$d91f2780$0a3ddec2@sonia> <7ckb4r$fu96@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <01be6ff8$6ec48ce0$0a3ddec2@sonia> <36EF8EF0.D4CF5BF0@reading.ac.uk> <7con71$fu911@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <36F0195A.3B7D@antelope.demon.co.uk> <7cphn4$fu913@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <36F108B2.95EDF900@reading.ac.uk> <7cr2tq$fu916@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <36F12710.29B27D8C@reading.ac.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: dialup137-45.saqnet.co.uk X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 And I am swiftly vanishing up my own arse with that subject line... ;) Mark, I think that your ideas are clever, but the simple fact is that a significant (90%+) percentage of the PAL market don't know about the whole PAL / NTSC thing (or at least, how it relates to console games). Hardware add-ons to make games 'run better'? Imagine the hellish job games companies would have explaining why people needed that! Consumers are "dumb", and complicating the beautiful simplicity of a true plug 'n play system is NOT going to happen. I think it was a pretty brave move on Sony's part making the new machine backwards-compatible. You can guarantee a significant number of "uninformed consumers" are going to have trouble understanding that... look at the misperceptions people have surrounding Minidisc and DVD. Even the people selling it don't have a clue. Dual PAL / NTSC switching is not going to happen in the consumer marketplace. It's only people like us that really care, no matter how wrong that might be. I mean, look at the reprobates lurking in EB and @Jakarta for God's sake! That is your buying public - the misinformed, gullible, ignorant swine looking at (and seriously considering) PS Fantastic Four, pontificating "Oddworld - that's 2D, it's crap" and "N64 is shit because the games are all full of cute things". FIFA games fly to number one every 4 months: that is the ugly face of Mr Mass Market, and although he pays the bills, we cannot allow ourselves to respect him. This reminds me of a great quote I heard once: "Individuals are clever. People are stupid". As games programmers, it is our duty to give people *better* games than they deserve - after all, once someone plays a truly brilliant game, surely they aren't going to put up with crud any longer? Alternately, do you think there are people out there who honestly think, for example, that the Gex games are much better than the Mario series? I suppose there must be, eh? I mean, I know people who hate Goldeneye and Mario 64 but L-O-V-E Tomb Raider 3 - part of me wants to love and accept their flaws, but the other half just wants to smash the unworthy li'l bastards' N64 into itty-bitty pieces. Buy a Spectrum and learn some goold old-fashioned 8-bit respect, you spoilt brat! I've said it before, and I'll say it again - in my facist dictatorship, everyone would have to "earn" a new console by playing from the early 8-bit efforts up to the current stuff - showing appropriate respect and appreciation for gaming history. Anyone caught playing their spanking new 256-bit effort without proper authorisation would be shot at dawn (and a bill for the bullet would be mailed to their family). Aaaaaaah *deep breath*. Shall I shut up now? :) Nick "column of rage" F PS I know some of you must agree with me. Where are you? -------------------------- www.saqnet.co.uk/users/nickf www.loonygames.com www.netyaroze-europe.com/~rookie1 "They will never get me onto one of those dreadful starships!"