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Submission + - Console Preservation

sick_em writes: I remember being the proud and amazed owner of an original Xbox, having secured one on the launch date of Nov. 15, 2001. That was nearly ten years ago, and I have had to perform Frankensteinian surgery to keep it working: softmod with AID, replacing the worn out 8GB hard drive with a 120GB WD, fixing a blown power supply, replacing the original fan with a new working one. These mods are merely delaying the inevitable though, and I fear that one day I will wake up to a dead Xbox with my years (literally in some cases...my Morrowind save hasn't even began the main quest, Tribunal was distracting :) ) of gamesaves and my legitimate backup collection (dvd drive burned out on year 5, gave away all the scratched up discs) simply gone. I am somewhat aware of the emulator scene, but from what I know Microsoft has made it extremely difficult to emulate the Xbox, which I feel would be the best way to preserve my collection. My main question is, what methods would you recommend for saving everything I can in a way that is hopefully usable in the future? Also, is it possible to continue the life of my system through emulation? The only thing that comes to mind right now is to copy all files over using FTP, since the file system is some wonky FATX that can't be read by modern systems, but a fat lot of good that would do me, with no way to play the games on my PC. While this question is specific, its applications can be useful and applied to other consoles, as this current generation will face the same problems once they are abandoned by their companies.

Submission + - How do I create a spiritual game successor?

An anonymous reader writes: So I have recently been on a legacy video game binge, reliving the nostalgic days when I realized that one of my favorite old games can be vastly improved with a few tweaks. This game is pretty much made for a controller, so I would love to get it done on Xbox Live, but doing it on the PC is just as viable. Unfortunately, I am pretty positive the game is not in the public domain yet. Based on previous stories covered here, some companies are all for community made successors while others choose to give them the crushing blow from the start. My question is, how far is too far when one is trying to make a spiritual successor? FYI, I do not intend to copy any materials, but it would be lovely if I could incorporate some game design ideas (very general level design, movement, and just one or two game features).

Comment Backstage evolution pass? (Score 1) 197

what seems the most interesting to me is that when you think about it, should the monkeys go on as they do, communication will become more complex. given a few thousand years and a very luckily unscathed civilization and habitat (ha...), does anyone else not find the idea of them eventually forming some semblance of civilization possible, and intriguing? personally i say seal the suckers off and go god complex on their asses, time to play some real life spore

Submission + - Moving Into Real World Software Development

sick_em writes: As a collegiate software developer I have dealt with endless examples of academia programming, keeping the work that I have done that I find interesting or useful (my school kindly gives us copyrights to our work). One of my academic projects in the pipeline is gaining an increasing amount of commercial value because it deals with a relatively obscure field where the current competition is capable of charging outlandish fees simply because of lack of choice. I have decided that should this software meet expectations, I will attempt to bring it to market. The actual selling of the software (marketing, site design, price setting, licensing, etc.) is understandable enough, but unfortunately, computer scientists here are taught to design systems and program, not to sell, which leaves me in the dark as to what legal courses I have to take to begin selling the software. How does a new software developer gain the ability to legally sell software that they have created?

Comment Re:MS needs to be thinking about the 720 (Score 1) 169

If I remember correctly, Microsoft seems to be positioning Project Natal as a sort of new console launch. The dvd problem is mitigated in their eyes by the introduction of digital downloads (although some consumers do not regard them as equal. As for the RROD, console hardware gets new revisions during its lifetime. The 360 has been through three or four of them I think. Combine more efficient hardware revisions, improved hard drive capabilities (please let us install our own....), and a new software interaction paradigm and you can get something resembling a new console. side note: as a graphics programmer, it seems to me that we're reaching a point of diminishing returns in real-time realism. its to the point where some developers choose a less realistic look to avoid the uncanny valley, and real time ray-tracing not being hungrily pursued by everyone due to raster algorithms being "good enough"

Comment Re:It's Windows 7, and yet, the build number is 6. (Score 2, Informative) 341

I read that the speed of Windows 7 is a result of some under the hood programming. They implemented concurrency in the drawing component of GDI, which in theory allows for smoother graphics when multiple GDI apps are running. The old way of doing things was a single lock, and the time it took to lock/unlock is what seems to have caused past responsiveness issues.

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