Disqus - Latest Comments for ashdcuk

Re: http://pressandholdx.tumblr.com/post/3898811785

Ashoke Datta — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:22:45 -0000

Interesting topic but it's worth pointing out as an addendum - Achievements only change the way you play if you let it. Reading through achievements before hand? I'd never do that because I hate spoilers. Not playing old games because of a lack of gamer points...really? If that's true then I'd say the problem is squarely with the player there. It's freedom of choice and, to take your example, I stopped playing Fable 3 because it just became crap...no amount of gamerpoints was gonna override that.

Ultimately, if you choose to put any amount of store in someone's gamerscore, that's your choice.

I will agree that the Achievement 'ding' is quite a reassuring feedback. It's not that it conditions us to need recognition - game designers have been knowing and using that since they first added a score to games. It's that it's a standardised form of recognition across all Xbox games, so it becomes a familiar and ingrained form of positive feedback.

Re: How do we save Rock Band?

Ashoke Datta — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:25:49 -0000

I used to manage a games department - I know all about what those retail space headaches were like! And that was a couple of years ago when they were still sales successes!
I hope I've wrong about the DLC too but then varying team sizes is part and parcel of the industry - if they can keep a core and hope that RBN takes off then down the line that might be enough.

Re: How do we save Rock Band?

Ashoke Datta — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:34:21 -0000

This is a great topic for a blog post, but I disagree with a fair bit of it.
Yes, the Beatles Rock Band got a lot of publicity, but how much of that was down to the huge marketing push? The sales certainly didn't correlate. The spiel with Harmonix keeping Beatles' songs separate from the rest was certainly a smoke screen - whatever deal they had didn't allow for it. Renegotiating now just to get the same songs on Rock Band 3 (again, not a seller) would cost money for a benefit that I can't see, especially at this stage.
They might be able to get all the Beatle songs into into the main downloadable store for people to purchase - they could point to potentially more revenue for everyone as a means of getting agreement. But customers like me who have bought both games? I don't see an export function coming at all.

Dropping the price for the discs makes sense certainly, as a 'gateway' for their DLC. As yet the money in DLC is probably not enough to support the RockBand team though - the casual crowd drawn by a lower price are less comfortable with DLC than the niche that Harmonix are playing to with RB3. While dropping the instrument price might seem to help, the problem now is persuading retailers that it's worth their while. For something that takes up that shelf space, you need something that's a) expensive with a healthy margin for the seller and b) is going to shift. Many retailers already discounted RB and GH bundles at one time or another, often heavily, just to get rid. And once bitten, twice shy...

I do agree though that some simple moves, like super-easy mode and letting anyone play anything, would help.

Ultimately, Harmonix have recognised the passing of the casual boom in the genre. Rock Band 3 was ultimately to cater to the faithful and on that count it succeeds. Plus they've already usurped themselves in terms of getting mainstream attention, with Dance Central.

Re: James Lawton: Sacking Hughton was crass but it was sadly typical of Newcastle

Ashoke Datta — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:22:47 -0000

Really, you expected the firing of Hughton and the rather ridiculous turn of events in Newcastle to pass by without comment because Lawton, in your eyes, isn't allowed to criticise anyone? You're right of course, he should just stick to one target and keep plugging away at it, like a dog with a bone, like a broken record...like you with him.

Re: Neil Warnock: Watching United may be like visiting the dentist, but Spurs light up the Champions League

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 12:27:11 -0000

"No one would argue with the second dismissal, it was a horrible challenge by Gonzalo Jara,"
And then you proceed to do just that.

"but because Oliver had already sent one West Brom player off it reduced the game to a bit of a farce. As it was West Brom nearly got a draw, I'm sure with 10 they would have won; they played so well with nine."
Again you contradict your own point. If West Brom nearly got a draw then how was it a farce? If they'd had 10 men and won, wouldn't Blackpool have argued, rightly, that West Brom had gotten away with a red-card challenge and been unfairly let off the hook?

I'm a bit fed up of one-eyed managers who always complain about refs presenting themselves as the voice of common sense.

Re: Nani secures United victory after referee misses helping hand

Ashoke Datta — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:59:32 -0000

i) Only the Mendes decision cost Spurs a game - so that's 1 out of 6 (or 7 or 20 if you go back far enough!). You do understand that yesterday's decision only changed the margin of the victory right? Also for the controversial penalty decision a couple of years ago, 1 50-50 penalty decision does not equal 5 goals - but conspiracy theorists tend to forget that.

ii) & iii) I find it funny when people quote statistics with no attempt at analysis or understanding and see correlation and cause based on personal bias.

ii) United rarely get penalties against them at Old Trafford. This might have something to do with them being actually quite a good team, especially at home. Penalties aren't awarded like roulette - they're not dispersed universally among everyone on an equal basis. You have to be playing pretty well, and have a correspondingly bad opposition defender, to get a penalty.

iii) Firstly, in your 2006-7 example you've got a sample of 19 games and disparity of less than 10% - that's statistically insignificant.
Secondly, the overall period you mention (2006-2009) have also been among United's most successful ever. When they won it tended to be by high scoring amounts and they tended to lose by only a single goal (as is the case for most successful teams) If a team is winning by more than 2 goals and are comfortable, they don't tend to use time-wasting tactics that would increase the amount of time added on (spurious injuries, frivolous substitutions etc.) where as a team clinging on for victory by a goal would do the exact opposite, resulting in more time added on.

But hey, don't let any of this reasoned analysis get in the way of your hunch that 'there is something going on here'.

Re: MGMT, Brixton Academy, London

Ashoke Datta — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:45:02 -0000

I have to agree with all these comments - the gig was pretty bad even if I did stay till the end. And the karaoke version of Kids - hey let's just sing over a backing track! - was such a disappointment.

Re: James Lawton: Hatred's hold on football grows with every vile chant aimed at Rooney today

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 08:07:21 -0000

1. "Just for once" take a bit back? The point being made was that Rooney has been taking foul language 'back' every time he went to Goodison, long before these recent antics.

2. + 3. Who hasn't heard before: "so-and-so's fans are the worst at abuse" when referring to pretty much any club. Using that has a justification for abuse in return is just perverse and encouraging the spread of that viewpoint until we think everyone is offensive and vile. The point being made in the article was that every team has fans that indulge in the worst of it.

4. "All we get, all the time, is footballers are wonderful, footballers are perfect, footballers are role models, footballers are the new chic" - outside of the Nike adverts, who's saying that? It became fashionable, long ago, for everyone in papers and on tv (regardless of whether they're actually talking about sport) to deride footballers for their lack of intellect, taste and for their inflated-salaries.

5. Wow, not only do you assume Wayne Rooney is a fan of domestic abuse, you then try to imply that Everton Fans are some how sticking up for Coleen?! Because I'm sure, before all this, they only had lovely things to say about Rooney's wife...

Re: James Lawton: Hatred's hold on football grows with every vile chant aimed at Rooney today

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 07:54:24 -0000

Let's try a thought experiment. Can I think that:
a) football players going to prostitutes is bad for the image of the game
while also thinking that:
b) fans of all clubs spewing hate at the players and each other is bad for the game

Turns out those opinion's aren't mutually exclusive, unless you believe in only a very warped black and white morality.

Re: James Lawton: Defeat of Dutch spoiling tactics is a victory for all who dared hope for more

Ashoke Datta — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:21:30 -0000

"No side has scored more than 2 goals in a semi final since 1982"
Holland 3 Uruguay 2 - Semi-final 2010

Re: James Lawton: Germany's invincible force vs Spain's irresistible flair

Ashoke Datta — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:31:10 -0000

" As with tonight's game, Spain were unbeaten in the tournament going into the final, while Germany had already lost a group game, 2-1 to Croatia"

Er, Spain 0 - Switzerland 1 ringing any bells? It wasn't that long ago...

Re: England inquest: Where did it all go wrong?

Ashoke Datta — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 06:24:49 -0000

"I note that no-one has mentioned the obscene amounts of money swilling around the game."

Why would they? It's nothing to do with the point of the article - *English* football failings. Why do people bring up the amount of money paid to English footballers (by their clubs) when England fails, as though it's some further indictment of their failure? It's not as if the likes of Messi, Villa et al are running around playing football for a pittance in comparison.
The amount of money in the game is a completely different argument and topic.
As mediakiller rightly points out, nobody seems to question the higher earners in other areas of life, whether public or not.

Re: James Lawton: Tevez and Veron show us the magic in Maradona's madness

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 06:56:31 -0000

Let's try a little exercise shall we? Go through the article above and copy out all the paragraphs in support of Maradona and all the ones critical of Pele. I'd do it myself but we're talking about sub-GCSE levels of English comprehension here and frankly it would be the majority of the piece.
I don't know how you've managed to think that Lawton is criticising Maradona here, except that you must have worked yourself into such a lather over the headline that the red mist descended and you forgot to actually process the content here. The resultant tirade is hilarious.

Rather than parsing out the two words "Maradona's madness" and basing your whole reaction on that, how about putting it into the context of the article as a whole?

Re: The four major changes that transformed England's fortunes

Ashoke Datta — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:54:08 -0000

You missed this:
6/ "All of the German squad actually play in Germany" ...And all of England's squad actually play in England - a better league judging by results between the 2 leagues over the last few years.

Re: England v Algeria: the Pompey contingent

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:54:20 -0000

Seeing as the Pompey contingent out-performed the Liverpool, Chelsea and United ones, it definitely says something...

Re: James Lawton: Koreans refuse to stand in awe as Dunga's men turn on the style

Ashoke Datta — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:52:22 -0000

In your hurry to throw around the 'hype machine' accusation you seemed to have missed me agreeing with you about Brazil. Oh well.
My point was about Maicon the player, regardless of what country or team he plays for. He is the kind of player who goes for the outrageous and can pull it off. Attributing that goal to the ball was just an attempt to re-shape events to fit your narrative, as sports journalists often tend to do. You can make your point without resorting to that, and that's why some people might not take the rest of it very seriously.

Re: James Lawton: Koreans refuse to stand in awe as Dunga's men turn on the style

Ashoke Datta — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:08:36 -0000

"I can count on one hand the times I've been unequivocally impressed by them at World Cups in the last twenty years."

Number you can can count up to on one hand: 5
Number of World Cups in the last 20 years? 5

Also I agree that Brazil were nothing special last night, but attributing their first goal to the ball is disingenuous. Maicon is no stranger to beautifully struck, swerving, outside of the foot shots - witness his fantastic goal against Juventus this year.

Re: Welcome to the world's toughest job, Mr Capello

Ashoke Datta — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 07:37:19 -0000

A tad reactionary don't you think? Yes there are some unsavoury people who flock to the English flag but that's a tiny part of the huge mass of England fans. One of the great things about England as a whole is the general lack of patriotic tub-thumping that you see as an ingrained part of the culture in, say, the US. The World Cup then is not a symptom of some malaise but a rare unifying holiday that only lasts a month every 4 years and makes a lot of people happier in the process.

As someone English, Asian (very 'foreign looking') and a fan - of England and international football - your generalisations are just plain offensive.

Re: Windows 7 Will Fix What Ails Ya

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:54:46 -0000

" Such is the fate of gaming on Windows — some software will not run exactly the way it did on previous versions."

Such is the fate of gaming on any non-console format - this is what happens when you have a plethora of different hardware configurations to deal with instead of a fairly rigid platform. The only change over the years is that broadband uptake and the decreasing relevance of the PC as a games platform has increased developer indifference and after-launch patching. Blaming this on Windows is frankly letting developers off the hook and ignoring the faults inherent in PC gaming - the same faults that are also its strengths.

Re: Full Lego Rock Band Track List Available

Ashoke Datta — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:40:18 -0000

Any word on whether any of this will be straight DLC for 'normal' Rock Band?

Re: Angry at the PSP Go? Just Wait.

Ashoke Datta — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:30:57 -0000

But the number 1 complaint about the PSP Go is nothing to do with it being UMD-less, it's about the price point. Everyone gets that the whole point of the Go is no UMDs, but that doesn't make sense if the thing is more expensive and otherwise worse than the PSP we're used to.
Besides, comparing it to the introduction of Steam is more than misleading - PCs always have the option of buying and using a disc. People complained about Steam not because it forced them into downloading games (it didn't) but because the likes of Half-Life 2 required an online connection even when it was bought on a disc, something that's not a big deal with the ubiquitous nature of broadband connections these days (or at least for PC gamers).

Re: Pinnacle Station: Bioware Phones It In

Ashoke Datta — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:31:53 -0000

"Its stupid to base hate on something because its not what you want it to be."

You mean like you foaming at the mouth because this article didn't say what you wanted it to? Personally I found this very useful - I've heard next to nothing on the new DLC so this overview was just what I needed. As much as I love Bioware and Mass Effect, I'm not going to give them a free ride - and my money - just because they did stuff in the past that *was* worth it.

Mass Effect is ripe for for universe expanding DLC that I would pay a lot more than 400 points for. Considering it's been out for 2 years, the results have been almost non-existent. You only have to compare with Fallout 3 to see that - Bethesda was rightly slated, and stung, by the Oblivion horse-armour fiasco. People didn't support them over that and Bethesda rapidly changed their mind on what people expect from their DLC.

Re: Legal Beagle : Administrative error leaves law unofficial.

Ashoke Datta — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:14:35 -0000

Well there I guess all that learning and testing wasn't completely wasted then!

Re: Legal Beagle : Administrative error leaves law unofficial.

Ashoke Datta — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:46:19 -0000

Yeah, I find this hilarious (it should be pointed out that the VRA wasn't just designed to limit the distribution of porn, it applied to every video, DVD and age-rated game sold). I had to learn the VRA for my job and get re-tested on it every 3 months - not to mention logging every single time I refused service to someone under-age. So believe me when I say, retailers took this law seriously! Add to this the mystery shoppers trying to catch us out and the prosecutions (I knew someone who did get caught selling to someone under age too).
All this for a law that technically doesn't exist?!

Re: PS3 Slim, XMB update, SCEE Video Store: No Big Surprises

Ashoke Datta — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:17:49 -0000

Thanks - it actually happened a little while ago and, if anything gave me a push. Depending on the next week or two, I'll hopefully be starting a Masters in Games Programming in a month!

My thought on MS, and it's a bit of a selfish one, is that the introduction of the European video store gives them an excuse to reduce the price of hard drives (which would help with people buying more expensive Arcades). After all, it'll cost them very little in the long run since we'd be paying them to fill up those same hard drives.