Nicholas+Mertl

=Nick Mertl's Wiki=

My article review on: **//Betas, demos make games better//** This article talks about how those (gamers) that take advantage of beta and demo releases. For instance, Patrick Bach, a senior developer at game producer DICE, pointed out that betas and demos are more than just getting feedback from the gamers that are willing to test them. Tracking software can show what gaming elements are being used, how gamers are using them and what impact they have on the overall feel of the game. Gamers can tell them what they think about a particular element, although the stats show a different story. "It is meshing the two types of feedback together that helps developers create a more enjoyable game," said Bach. His comment on the beta testing of his latest game "Battlefield: Bad Company 2", “We were surprised to find out [after beta testing and early demos] that our gameplay was perfectly balanced,” Bach said. “We expected to do more tweaking. And we found that gamers were using the full spectrum of kits available in the game. We were surprised it worked as good as it did.” This is my article review on this article.

Second Article: This article talks about BP opposing new, stricter safety rules. In a letter, BP stated that current voluntary system of safety procedures was adequate enough already. Though the oil rig incident has already happened, BP said that they were working aggressively on the clean-up part, so that the oil doesn't spread too far out. They state that 1,000 people are now currently involved with the spill response effort.