Permabanned
- Joined
- 10 Dec 2008
- Posts
- 4,080
- Location
- London
[rant]
When was the last time the computer asked you 'are you sure?' and you answered 'Ooh -- now you come to think of it .. I'm not really .. thanks for asking' and pressed 'no' whilst thinking 'Whoa! That was a close thing!'
If you're remotely normal and capable of thinking, then making a decision .. it was a very, very long time ago.
Our IT environment is obsessed with 'are you sure'. I was playing need for speed yesterday when I decided to quit the race after 5 seconds racing because the wheel didn't work. I pressed escape, moved the cursor down 4 times to 'quit' option, and pressed select again.
Blimin' 'Are you sure?' appears on screen! -- defaulted to 'No I'm not'!
I mean honestly! The game is presuming not only due to some totally bizarre circumstance I accidentally pressed the escape key without thinking, but then I accidentally pressed 'down arrow' 4 times then accidentally pressed 'enter' -- oops -- all as 1 huge big keyboard pressing mistake!
What, was I having some kind of epileptic episode at the keyboard without realising the terrible, er, virtually harmless consequences of my physical keyboard pressing fit (losing 5 seconds racing .. oh no heaven forbid!)? Does the games seriously think I driving along thinking 'Well, I'm not sure whether I feel like quitting the race or not I just don't know, so I'll select 'quit' and if last minute I decide I don't want to quit after saying I do, I can change my mind - yippee'? No -- that would make me retarded.
Perhaps I thought the word 'Quit' actually meant 'Please fit a racing spoiler to the back of my car so I can do faster laps'? Well - the game unbelievably guards against that by explaining to me what 'quit' means! 'Quit means you lose your race progress'. REALLY? I thought it meant EA would buy me a new plasma TV!! OF COURSE IT MEANS 'QUIT' .. because its called 'QUIT'!!! When I buy a cinema ticket the guy does not proceed to explain 'This ticket lets you into the cinema by the way'. When I buy a sandwich the girl doesn't quietly inform me with 'You know, if you want, you can actually eat that sandwich' .. but EA isn't quite sure it's players know what 'quit' means! Duh!!
Dear developers -- we are not retards. Please get rid of all the 'are you sure' unless we are just about to do something reasonably drastic. A format c:\ deserves an 'are you sure?'. A 'You are about to lose the 24 seconds racing you did' in no way deserves an 'are you sure'. Games nowadays are littered with them.
'Do you want to save game?'
'Yes, I just clicked save'
'Are you sure?
'Yes I'm blimin' sure'
'Which slot do you want to use?'
'The slot I've used for the last 6 hours of playing and have only ever used, funny enough'
'Are you sure?
'YES'
'This will mean overwriting a previous save you made.'
'FOR GOD'S SAKE MAN, I KNOW'
'Are you sure?'
AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH.
Imagine if this takes over the rest of life.
You go to buy a paper and give the shop assistant your 50p. At which point he looks at you coyly, leans forward and and whispers .. 'Are you sure?'
You go to pull away at the lights and shove the car into first .. but nothing happens. indeed, a little message on the dash says 'Are you sure?' - defaulting to option 'Naah -- stay in Neutral for a while that'd be nice'.
An enemy Taliban soldier is charging towards your position .. you grab you gun and fire wildly it at the screaming wide-eyed, knife wielding Taliban maniac. But no bullets fly out .. the gun says in some raspy, kind of sarcy voice 'Are you sure you want to shoot?'. The default option on the gun ? 'Naah - I'll have a cup of tea instead'
Yes I'm sure. The moment I select something, I'm blimin' sure! I was sure the other 35 times I've chosen the same option. Stop asking me! Computer games -- when I make a decision .. I AM SURE I AM SURE I AM SURE!!
[/rant]
When was the last time the computer asked you 'are you sure?' and you answered 'Ooh -- now you come to think of it .. I'm not really .. thanks for asking' and pressed 'no' whilst thinking 'Whoa! That was a close thing!'
If you're remotely normal and capable of thinking, then making a decision .. it was a very, very long time ago.
Our IT environment is obsessed with 'are you sure'. I was playing need for speed yesterday when I decided to quit the race after 5 seconds racing because the wheel didn't work. I pressed escape, moved the cursor down 4 times to 'quit' option, and pressed select again.
Blimin' 'Are you sure?' appears on screen! -- defaulted to 'No I'm not'!
I mean honestly! The game is presuming not only due to some totally bizarre circumstance I accidentally pressed the escape key without thinking, but then I accidentally pressed 'down arrow' 4 times then accidentally pressed 'enter' -- oops -- all as 1 huge big keyboard pressing mistake!
What, was I having some kind of epileptic episode at the keyboard without realising the terrible, er, virtually harmless consequences of my physical keyboard pressing fit (losing 5 seconds racing .. oh no heaven forbid!)? Does the games seriously think I driving along thinking 'Well, I'm not sure whether I feel like quitting the race or not I just don't know, so I'll select 'quit' and if last minute I decide I don't want to quit after saying I do, I can change my mind - yippee'? No -- that would make me retarded.
Perhaps I thought the word 'Quit' actually meant 'Please fit a racing spoiler to the back of my car so I can do faster laps'? Well - the game unbelievably guards against that by explaining to me what 'quit' means! 'Quit means you lose your race progress'. REALLY? I thought it meant EA would buy me a new plasma TV!! OF COURSE IT MEANS 'QUIT' .. because its called 'QUIT'!!! When I buy a cinema ticket the guy does not proceed to explain 'This ticket lets you into the cinema by the way'. When I buy a sandwich the girl doesn't quietly inform me with 'You know, if you want, you can actually eat that sandwich' .. but EA isn't quite sure it's players know what 'quit' means! Duh!!
Dear developers -- we are not retards. Please get rid of all the 'are you sure' unless we are just about to do something reasonably drastic. A format c:\ deserves an 'are you sure?'. A 'You are about to lose the 24 seconds racing you did' in no way deserves an 'are you sure'. Games nowadays are littered with them.
'Do you want to save game?'
'Yes, I just clicked save'
'Are you sure?
'Yes I'm blimin' sure'
'Which slot do you want to use?'
'The slot I've used for the last 6 hours of playing and have only ever used, funny enough'
'Are you sure?
'YES'
'This will mean overwriting a previous save you made.'
'FOR GOD'S SAKE MAN, I KNOW'
'Are you sure?'
AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH.
Imagine if this takes over the rest of life.
You go to buy a paper and give the shop assistant your 50p. At which point he looks at you coyly, leans forward and and whispers .. 'Are you sure?'
You go to pull away at the lights and shove the car into first .. but nothing happens. indeed, a little message on the dash says 'Are you sure?' - defaulting to option 'Naah -- stay in Neutral for a while that'd be nice'.
An enemy Taliban soldier is charging towards your position .. you grab you gun and fire wildly it at the screaming wide-eyed, knife wielding Taliban maniac. But no bullets fly out .. the gun says in some raspy, kind of sarcy voice 'Are you sure you want to shoot?'. The default option on the gun ? 'Naah - I'll have a cup of tea instead'
Yes I'm sure. The moment I select something, I'm blimin' sure! I was sure the other 35 times I've chosen the same option. Stop asking me! Computer games -- when I make a decision .. I AM SURE I AM SURE I AM SURE!!
[/rant]
Last edited:
I agree wholeheartedly. Warning dialogues do have their place, but they have become far too intrusive nowadays. 
