I've been anticipating the release of Battlefield 3 (BF3) for months, planning to buy it within the first week of release. Not only did the wife make an exception and let me break my usual zero-dollar budget for games, but she even agreed to let me make some upgrades to my aging PC in preparation. I was stoked.
I vaguely remember playing Battlefield 1942 (just a little bit) back in the day, and not being too impressed. But I got hooked on the franchise with Battlefield 2 when a friend gave me an extra copy that came with his upgraded video card. I loved it so much I had to spring for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (BF:BC2) when it came out earlier last year. I bought the Limited Edition DVD and played the heck out of it until other priorities got in the way, as they always seem to do. I still play a match now and then. It's a fun game.
Prior to BF:BC2, I can't tell you the last time I purchased a triple-A title for full price. On average I buy a couple games per month these days, typically spending just $3-$7 each. And that trend only started late last year. Before that, it had to have been close to a decade since I bought my last game. We're talking titles like the original Doom, Blood and Duke Nukem 3D. Yeah, it's been a while.
However, BF:BC2 set me back a whopping $60. How much this game, or any game, is worth is a matter for another discussion. Suffice it to say that I don't get to spend that kind of money on a video game very often. I don't count GameCube or Wii games we've bought for the kids, mainly because those are Christmas or birthday gifts, and have the force of law (read: wife's blessing) behind them. My whole point is that it's a big deal when I am allowed to do it, and I take the privilege seriously.
Which brings me to now, almost a full month since BF3's release, and sadly, I still don't have it. I'm rather surprised myself, considering that I have permission, I've spent time and money upgrading my PC, and I've been drooling over the trailers and gameplay videos like everybody else. There are probably several reasons I haven't pulled the trigger though. The first that comes to mind is the shenanigans of EA not putting BF3 on Steam. I'm no lover of Steam, believe me, but instead it requires... Origin?
Origin is a Steam wannabe. At least Steam is a rock-solid platform that has been around for years. It's extremely popular and I have about a dozen games in my Steam library, so I tolerate it. The last thing I want is a newcomer which has nothing to offer me, BF3 aside, except all the things I don't like about Steam in the first place. I know EA is no newcomer, but Origin as a platform client is. If I was to put up with any forced client, I would, and do, choose Steam.
Next, playing BF:BC2 I always felt that there were not enough maps. This leads me (and others I'm sure) to the uneasy feeling that game publishers hold back content with the intention of charging later for said content as DLC. I think more work needs to be done by the gaming industry as a whole to find a better balance between making a game that feels complete before the DLC rolls out, then finding the right price for that DLC. I can't imagine spending $60 for BF3 then shelling out another $15 for a map or two that I'll probably end up feeling should have been included in the first place. It's kind of cool though, that if you bought the game straight away you got the DLC (Karkand) for free/included. That is somewhat of a bonus for the guinea pigs that are wrapping up EA's beta testing right after release ;)
That's another problem: there are myriad reports of game glitches and crashes, and that the new outside-the-game server browser is clunky and just dumb. Mostly, I'm scared to subject myself to a frustrating experience I'm almost promised to have if I buy sooner rather than later. Nothing I've heard about the state of affairs leaves me confident that the current experience is worth top dollar. And I'm easily annoyed when it comes to that kind of stuff.
I think about the strange inverse relationship of new games to their hefty price tags. When games are first released, they are their buggiest, crappiest versions of their existence, and the cost is the absolute most it will ever be. Those who wait to purchase benefit from patches and price-drops. Sounds like a win:win to me. Granted, I will miss the opportunity to play the game now, but for me it's better than a fair trade, it's ideal.
Last week I picked up The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion GoTY Deluxe on Steam for a paltry $6.25. So long as my PC is up to the task, I can expect the game to run well, as it's beyond fully patched and has a mature mod landscape. Not something I could have said if I purchased when it was first released. Good things come to those who wait.
The last item that comes to mind for not already grabbing BF3 is that in my trepidation, my attention has been drawn to another title. No, not Modern Warfare 3. Although I think the MW games are sometimes pretty to look at, I never cared for their multiplayer experience (too deathmatchy), much preferring the Battlefield experience instead. If my purchase of Oblivion last week didn't tip you off, the distraction I refer to is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
I've never been a big RPG guy, I like first-person shooters, plain and simple. But Skyrim looks so incredible, I'm trying to change my mind. I've been trying to cut my teeth on RPG gameplay by starting The Elder Scrolls series from the beginning, with Arena. It's somewhat harsh on the eyes, but I can put up with that if the game is fun. I've recently played Fallout 3, and have been collecting other classic RPG titles from GOG.com. I've always found RPGs intriguing but I think I lack the patience and the frame of mind required to complete one.
Now I've heard some grumblings about Skyrim as well, such as that it's a terrible console port, is only a DirectX9 game at heart and is a bit buggy to boot. The DX9 thing doesn't really scare me off, even though I've upgraded recently, I'm still at least a couple years behind the curve on hardware. I've got the cash to drop on a big title, but clearly I'm willing to wait to see how Bethesda addresses the issues before I make up my mind.
If BF3 doesn't pan out for me, and it's looking more and more like it won't, I'll just save my $60 in the meantime, and keep plugging away at The Elder Scrolls series. I'm sure I'll end up with Skyrim someday, probably next year, hopefully for about $5, with all the DLC included and patched to perfection. I can't wait.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Get Mango for Windows Phone 7 Now!
I've been clamoring for the Mango update for my Windows Phone 7 ever since hearing it's supposed to roll out this Fall. Well, Fall is here, so where's my Mango?! I religiously check Settings > Phone Update every day, but it always says "no update available." I figured, with my luck, I'll probably get it last. For the record, I have an HTC HD7 on T-Mobile.
I rarely use the Zune software, mainly because I don't have much need to sync data between my phone and my PC. I'm just not the kind of guy... at least not yet. But tonight, on a whim, I decided to plug in and let the two commingle, just for grins. I'm glad I did. Zune was like, "what the heck have you been doing? An update is available, dude!" (paraphrased). I was psyched, naturally, but also dismayed that I wasn't notified "over the air" as I expected to be. How long have I been waiting to pluck the Mango that was there for the plucking? *sigh*
Before the phone update would start, it required that I update the Zune software. I don't know what version I was on, but I now have Zune version 4.8.2345.0. With that out of the way, I initiated the phone update.
The phone restarted a couple of times, made a backup, downloaded an update, installed the update, downloaded another update, installed that too, restarted a couple more times, then it was finally done. I'd estimate the whole process took 45-60 minutes, with the longest stretch by far being the second update.
To my relief, the update seems to have worked fine on the first try. I can't wait to mess with it, I almost feel like I'm getting a new phone. Overall I really like the WP7 platform, but I'd sure like to see some of my minor annoyances addressed. However, I'm optimistic.
If, like me, you're anxious to get the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update, my advice is this: don't wait for your phone to notify you. Connect your Windows Phone to your PC and start Zune immediately. You might be glad you did!
I rarely use the Zune software, mainly because I don't have much need to sync data between my phone and my PC. I'm just not the kind of guy... at least not yet. But tonight, on a whim, I decided to plug in and let the two commingle, just for grins. I'm glad I did. Zune was like, "what the heck have you been doing? An update is available, dude!" (paraphrased). I was psyched, naturally, but also dismayed that I wasn't notified "over the air" as I expected to be. How long have I been waiting to pluck the Mango that was there for the plucking? *sigh*
Before the phone update would start, it required that I update the Zune software. I don't know what version I was on, but I now have Zune version 4.8.2345.0. With that out of the way, I initiated the phone update.
The phone restarted a couple of times, made a backup, downloaded an update, installed the update, downloaded another update, installed that too, restarted a couple more times, then it was finally done. I'd estimate the whole process took 45-60 minutes, with the longest stretch by far being the second update.
To my relief, the update seems to have worked fine on the first try. I can't wait to mess with it, I almost feel like I'm getting a new phone. Overall I really like the WP7 platform, but I'd sure like to see some of my minor annoyances addressed. However, I'm optimistic.
If, like me, you're anxious to get the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update, my advice is this: don't wait for your phone to notify you. Connect your Windows Phone to your PC and start Zune immediately. You might be glad you did!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Installing Dell 1700 from print server on Windows 7 64-bit
I've had my Dell Laser 1700 for years now, and I still love it. My only regret is that I didn't get the 1700n, the "n" denoting a network model. So, instead I have mine set up on Windows Server 2003 via USB, shared with my home network. If you're reading this, you either have no life, or you've had a problem getting the driver for the Dell 1700 to install on Windows Vista or 7, 32-bit or 64-bit, or all of the above like me.
Things were fine and dandy when I had XP on everything. But my old nemesis, progress, has marched on and brought forth Windows Vista, thankfully followed by Windows 7. However, setting up my Dell 1700 printer remains tricky for me on these newer operating systems, every time I find myself doing it. I've been tripped up first by 32-bit Vista, then 7, and again now that I'm running 64-bit 7 on multiple systems. (Don't even ask how many computers I have, ok?)
Aside from my relief that a compatible driver even exists this far out from when the Dell 1700 was initially released, I never seem to be able to simply "connect" to the shared printer on the server, and usually have to resort to figuring it out over and over, never quite remembering what I did last time to get it working. That gets old.
This time, I decided to document my process. What a novel idea, right?! Once I did so, I realized that it's not all that difficult after all. Unless, that is, I'm otherwise missing something :) I believe that in general I've had much better luck when I'm able to use the CD-ROM which came with the printer, but I can't always find it. And in this day and age, I think you should be able to get everything you need from the web. Besides, I'm convinced that most people facing this issue don't even have the CD-ROM as an option. Not to mention that I suspect the CD-ROM has 32-bit drivers, but likely not 64-bit.
Anyway, here's what I did. Your mileage may obviously vary, and you might not have the same configuration that I have, but I hope this information is helpful to somebody somewhere, if not to my future self, assuming I have my Dell 1700 for years to come, as I hope is the case. I also hope Windows 8 smiles at me, when I cross that bridge.
Note: This driver was apparently designed for Vista, and not updated since, so some strangeness isn't out of the question for Windows 7, as you may notice in step 6 below.
After this, my Dell 1700 was present in the Printers and Faxes section of the Devices and Printers Control Panel (boy, that's a mouthful), and the printer worked fine. I hope yours does too.
Things were fine and dandy when I had XP on everything. But my old nemesis, progress, has marched on and brought forth Windows Vista, thankfully followed by Windows 7. However, setting up my Dell 1700 printer remains tricky for me on these newer operating systems, every time I find myself doing it. I've been tripped up first by 32-bit Vista, then 7, and again now that I'm running 64-bit 7 on multiple systems. (Don't even ask how many computers I have, ok?)
Aside from my relief that a compatible driver even exists this far out from when the Dell 1700 was initially released, I never seem to be able to simply "connect" to the shared printer on the server, and usually have to resort to figuring it out over and over, never quite remembering what I did last time to get it working. That gets old.
This time, I decided to document my process. What a novel idea, right?! Once I did so, I realized that it's not all that difficult after all. Unless, that is, I'm otherwise missing something :) I believe that in general I've had much better luck when I'm able to use the CD-ROM which came with the printer, but I can't always find it. And in this day and age, I think you should be able to get everything you need from the web. Besides, I'm convinced that most people facing this issue don't even have the CD-ROM as an option. Not to mention that I suspect the CD-ROM has 32-bit drivers, but likely not 64-bit.
Anyway, here's what I did. Your mileage may obviously vary, and you might not have the same configuration that I have, but I hope this information is helpful to somebody somewhere, if not to my future self, assuming I have my Dell 1700 for years to come, as I hope is the case. I also hope Windows 8 smiles at me, when I cross that bridge.
Note: This driver was apparently designed for Vista, and not updated since, so some strangeness isn't out of the question for Windows 7, as you may notice in step 6 below.
- Download the driver package R147091.EXE from the Dell website. Obtain it from another location at your own risk. This driver is compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit Vista and 7.
- After you download it some place safe (keep it in case you need it again), open/run it and let it extract. The default extract path is 'C:\Dell\Printers', or at least it was for me. If you are prompted by UAC, obviously click YES to continue.
- Once extraction is complete, go to that folder and open/run SETUP.EXE. There should also be five folders and an INI file there along with it. Again, if prompted by UAC, click YES to continue.
- The installation wizard should now be open.
- Click "Network Installation - Install the printer for use on a network"
- Choose the "Dell Laser Printer 1700" in the drop down. If the drop down is empty, cancel out of the setup, hopefully prompting Windows 7 to re-initiate the setup using "recommended settings" (a.k.a. compatibility mode). If it doesn't, then apply compatibility settings yourself (set to Vista), and run SETUP again. If this happens start again at step 1.
- Choose "Local Installation - Install printer on this computer"
- Click NEXT
- Choose "UNC" for "Port Type"
- Type the UNC path to the printer in the "Network Path" field. Alternatively, you may click the "Printer Path" button and browse to the printer, but that did not work for me. It did not "see" the print server in my case. Hopefully you know what a UNC path is, and can figure out what yours is ;)
- Click NEXT
- Uncheck "Share this printer with other computers", if it's checked
- If desired, change the Printer Name, and check or uncheck "Set this printer as default"
- Click NEXT
- Click INSTALL. I was not able to deselect (uncheck) the Dell Toner Management System, it was grayed out, so in it went
After this, my Dell 1700 was present in the Printers and Faxes section of the Devices and Printers Control Panel (boy, that's a mouthful), and the printer worked fine. I hope yours does too.
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