Atomic heart

  • Thread starter Deleted member 18181
  • Start date
I would say the RTX tech has had an influence on the fact we're seeing these graphics, but not necessarily because of its technical significance. It's already possible to get graphics similar to this, using high end options in the advanced engines. For example, partially ray-traced global illumination has been around for a while. Nvidia's own VXGI tech has been around for years, but I don't know of any game that's ever used it.

In think the truth is that high-end PC graphics are rarely emphasized, because it's such a relatively small market. But these studios have been given an incentive to showcase the high end stuff, as part of the marketing drive for RTX. My question is whether we see much more of it once the launch window has passed.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
Am I the only one thinking about cows when I see this (and related) thread(s)?
220px-AtomHeartMotherCover.jpeg

pibbuR who assumes he probably is (but is not sure if he, or a previous incarnation of his, has posted about this before).
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2019
Messages
2,107
Location
beRgen@noRway
That doesn't sound very promising.

Am I the only one thinking about cows when I see this (and related) thread(s)?
I don't get it. What's the connection I'm missing?
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,138
Location
Florida, US
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
36,185
Location
Spudlandia
Essentially what the KGB was to the Soviet Union.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
Interesting. I wonder what the scope of the data they're collecting is. I mean, they can only get statistics related to the game plus whatever info you give if you have to register with some kind of launcher, right?
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,138
Location
Florida, US
If the game software itself is trying to collect data (as opposed to just the website), it could search your system in all sorts of ways, more effectively than the browser could. If it requires admin privileges, for some anti-cheat reasons or whatever else they claim, it could do precisely as it likes on your PC, including installing further hidden software, taking remote control of the system, or turning it into a bot for cyberwarfare purposes.

That's a worst case scenario, and I don't mean to inflate concern about this particular situation that I know nothing about, but that is the reality of the technical risk when folks allow software made by untrusted parties to run on their PCs. IMO, not the best idea to allow adversarial, authoritarian states the ability to search and pwn your PC.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
Ridiculous.

It would be interesting to see the exact translation. If you look at Owlcat Games' website, there's a similar policy mentioning what can happen to users' data, such as "When receiving requests from authorized agencies (in particular, state agencies responsible for information security, as well as interstate agencies), in cases established by the applicable law" (without limitation). It's theoretically Cyprus though.

Kaspersky has been the limelight a few times too, including at the beginning of the war with Ukraine. This was more serious since it's a business tool.

It's true that unfortunately on PC, the privilege system's setup is too lenient to offer any protection, and DRM systems like Denuvo make it even worse. That being said, I seriously doubt that they'd put any spyware in a game for the FSB, of all software.

I suppose that it's simply what they are legally obliged to include in their policy because they may have to hand all their data to the authorities if required to. This news website just saw an opportunity to get more audience, typical bad journalism.
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
10,159
Location
Good old Europe
Another random example, Jetbrains (software development tools, based in the Czech Republic but they have offices at St Petersburg and Novosibirsk). That's probably very close to the translation of the policy mentioned in the article above.

"We may also share your Personal Data with certain third parties if we are obliged to do so under applicable legislation (especially with tax authorities or with other government bodies exercising their statutory powers) or if such sharing is necessary to achieve the purposes defined above (especially with government bodies or with parties harmed as a result of violations of applicable laws)."
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
10,159
Location
Good old Europe
Of course you'll find those types of statements in data collection policies everywhere - that they will cooperate with lawful requests from authorities. The question is which authorities, of which states.

Kaspersky is a good example, which the US was warning businesses about at the beginning of the conflict.


The reasons for the warning are obvious - antivirus software could, with ease, be co-opted to gain remote control of PCs, and the corporate/government environment is of high concern. But some game software has exactly the same risk factor, in terms of its ability to do as it likes on the system.

How much of a risk that is in terms of what is targeted I think is unknown. But we have to bear in mind that if a company with the capability to attack PCs in the west is in Russian jurisdiction, even if they have no bad intent, they could always receive a visit from the FSB, to inform them they are altering the deal.

And of course that works the other way round - adversarial states are keenly aware of the dangers posed by the ubiquity of Western software. I think our intelligence agencies would have no hesitation commandeering the capabilities of software companies in a 'national security' situation. If I were on their side of the fence, I'd be worried about that, too.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
Yeah, I know about the warning against Kaspersky - I posted it in these forums back then because it made sense to be cautious, especially in its context. Maybe that country is potentially more dangerous than most others, but there's probably a part of old prejudice too. I tend to be careful about what is coming from there though, and even more from China.

But there were enough issues with the West too, like the Echelon affair, the information revealed by Wikileaks, by Snowden, and so on. So are western nations really safer? For critical information, I don't trust anyone and I encrypt them (hoping there's no backdoor), even though it would have little interest for anyone else.
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
10,159
Location
Good old Europe
Well, when you talk about our problem with our insanely surveilled society, the unwholesome relationship between big corpos and the state in gathering and using our information, and so on, you're playing my song. :biggrin:

But although there are many, many, huge messes to be sorted out in our own house, I would still draw a large distinction between that problem and the axis of authoritarian adversarial states. In the end, the choice between the challenge of sorting ourselves out, or seeing if allowing those powers to achieve dominance might work out better, that's not a tough call for me.

So, for me, and I suspect others, the distinction of dealing with an adversarial state is pretty clear cut, and that consideration is significant when thinking about computer security. Particularly given that the geopolitical situation has shifted rapidly to more adversarial positions than has been the case for a long time.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
Back
Top Bottom