Nice that you are here again. If you don't come from Berlin or Hesse, there's a good chance you'll enjoy a long weekend. So I hope that you can enjoy the reading tips while well rested. And without further ado: Greetings from Hesse and have fun reading!
San Francisco Muni Metro: That's how expensive it is to say goodbye to floppy disks
winfuture.de on October 23, 2024 by Christian Kahle
A reference to previous reading tips and also “those believed dead live longer” in its purest form is the still everyday presence of the 3.5-inch floppy disk (known to younger people as the symbol of the save button). Since production stopped in 2022, despite some remaining stock, the lifespan of the floppys is now forcing the replacement of old IT systems. By the way: There are still (or again?) Music labelswhich market new music on audio cassettes – complete with stylish Walkman copies.
The current system uses floppy disks to store control software, which must be reloaded daily, and an outdated method of communication via wire loops that can easily be disrupted. The system was originally designed for a service life of 20 to 25 years.
Shooters who want to be shooters: “Boomer Shooters”
videogamestories.de on October 4th, 2024 by Marcel
Do you know what floppy disks were known for in the early 90s? No, not the numerous backup copies that were distributed to classmates' children's rooms in a scattering manner in order to keep them safe. Shareware! These stripped-down versions that could be “upgraded” to full versions by sending money. The most well-known shareware was Doom. 1993. Shooters were still shooters – no autoheal, no scripted cutscenes. Just shoot. The author takes a look at a reborn genre and ponders “boomer shooters.”
All of these titles have one thing in common: they are indies. Often just one-person projects or small teams, often student work that has taken on a life of its own… my heart swells with every purchase. Whatever the case, I hope you can give these titles another chance – it's worth it! By the way, the wallet also says that, they are not AAA titles that cost accordingly.
ECJ allows cheat software
wbs.legal on October 17, 2024 by Christian Solmecke
Groundbreaking. The ECJ's decision on the use of cheats and trainers that only change program data in volatile RAM can certainly be evaluated. These do not violate copyright law, as Sony argues. The article by the well-known IT and media lawyer offers a detailed preparation Christian Solmecke.
The judgment is not only interesting for lawyers. Due to the previously unclear legal situation, programmers and online retailers had to be particularly careful when selling cheat software. Otherwise there is a risk of expensive copyright warnings and claims for damages. It was also unclear until now whether users of the software could be warned, as the terms and conditions of many games prohibit the use of such software.
Alien Romulus is also released on VHS tape
golem.de on October 21, 2024 by Peter Osterried
They don't want to let us have the magnetic media. After floppy disks and audio cassettes, now also the VHS cassette. To mark the 45th anniversary of the Alien series, 20th Century is releasing the latest offshoot Alien Romulus on VHS. This makes it the first release on the Betamax competing format after almost 20 years. I'll connect the video recorder to the tube.
But be careful: the American tapes are in NTSC format; They cannot be played on a normal German recorder. For this you need someone who can handle both systems. At the time, such devices were very expensive. Alien: Romulus will be the first VHS release from a major studio since 2006.
German games have a hard time – scholarship should help
wdr.de on October 28, 2024
A look at the German games industry does not promise euphoria in 2024. The funding pot has been used up and the Sales are declining. In order to promote small, innovative developers and development teams, a scholarship will support founders in the industry with eight million euros.
Jennifer Pankratz, co-founder of the Pithead Studio in Bochum, describes why it doesn't work without funding: “The biggest problem with game development is that there is a very long time that you have to bridge somehow until the first game is created and you Then you can earn money with it. That means you need money first.”
Why play a fascist? Unpacking the hideousness of the Space Marine
rockpapershotgun.com on October 24, 2024 by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
As an exception, this time there is also an English tip, as it deals very intensively with an interesting topic. The premise here is that the anti-fascist Warhammer 40K universe now (in)voluntarily appeals to every fascist it actually wanted to target. Evans Thirlwell In his essay, he examines how this came about as well as the effect and influence of the W40K universe in our political culture and vice versa.
It is difficult to find a way through fascism's entanglements with other cultural institutions. The corruption runs deep. A simple objection to the above praise for early 40K art is that fascists can be more dangerous when they seem completely silly and nuts. Donald Trump is a clown. He's easy to make fun of. The post-Gamergate alt-right movement, which helped elevate Trump to “God-Emperor,” excels at making bigotry seem harmless by presenting it as – or better than – “edgy.” targeted tastelessness, as “cringe”.
Interview with Heinrich Lenhardt
retrovideogames.net on August 27, 2024 by Thomas Neuberger
Games veteran and Hour of the Critics original cast Heinrich Lenhardt is on Gamersglobal no stranger. An author of the website retro video games asked the gaming press veteran about his career and preferences. For everyone who can't yet recite Henry's career like an “Our Father”, it's an entertaining read. There are also a few anecdotes, at least unknown to me as a gaming veteran.
Heinrich Lenhardt: The time difference of 9 hours has made me a (relative) early riser over the years, so that there is at least a little overlap in working hours with Germany. Text files were initially transferred to Germany via AOL dialup connection, then in 1999 the first DSL in Berkeley. I sent the video material as an original cassette via FedEx courier (not cheap, but only took two working days). I didn't travel much back then and spent a lot of time on planes or getting lost in the Bay Area (GPS didn't become popular until a few years later).
GG archive: Lenhardt's Night Watch
Back in the day, when games localization didn't yet allow money storage to be filled, Heinrich had a regular column Gamersglobal. In the selected example, he comments, among other things, on the public execution of a cheater in the MMORPG Guild Wars 2. So execution of the character, not the player.
Video of the Month: The time for gaming on Linux is now
I use the Steam Deck regularly. Either natively, via the Proton compatibility layer or streamed from the computer or the cloud. I currently use it more often than my Switch. This month's video provides a snapshot of gaming with Linux and highlights the improvements over the last few years.
Once again, thank you for reading the tips and submitting them. Thanks in particular go to Lencer and Sokar.