Archmonarch

Agreed. This is what I have been saying all along. Volourn, meet Commercialism. Commercialism, meet Volourn. I hold out hope that the idiots can be saved through logic and reason. So far all experiments have proved to the contrary. Volo has been one of my main research subjects.

Why was I not informed of Bokishi taking Alanschu's place until now? Should not the GM be the first to know? Given that we have a new player, we will have an extension until Monday for Spring 03. Bokishi, I also need you to send me the Austrian build orders for Winter 02. You have two builds.

Ferenghi. Also, we need to wait for Kaftan to finish getting settled at uni. Finally, Mets, have you finished the rules yet?

Volourn, one day you will realize logic has been stalking you. Unfortunately, you will only come to this epiphany in the moments before your death when logic kills you for ignoring him your entire life.

Cute. Also, they (Tears for Fears) are not my favorite band. I like perhaps three or four of their songs. Those lyrics simply have personal meaning for me.

That reminds me of another point against JE: the endings. They were trivial and brought little if any closure to the game. In my mind, all fostered the question "What then?" There are various combinations for the NPC scrolls, yes, but they all focus on the major theme of: You are good, they support you. You are bad, they rebel against you/ You are dead, they mourn you and rebel against the new tyrant. Even the very short ending cinematics follow this formula. In the good ending, they pull down the statue of the emperor and bow down to you and your companions. In the evil ending, they cower in fear. And in the sacrificial ending, they erect a statue of you and live in fear of the new emperor. Not much variation there.

This is my point exactly. Also, saying JE was 40-60 hr game is utterly ridiculous. I played open palm, rejected only a single side quest designed solely for closed fist and still beat the game well under 20 hours.

No he does not. He has 4 units and 3 SC's. He is right in that he must disband one. Austria does get two builds, Turkey does not.

Companies, especially those with reputations to uphold as leaders of the industry, are responsible not to produce poor products. The story, the main consideration of an RPG, is seriously lacking in JE. There is room for innovation but, you do not in search of that 'next big thing' abandon that which made your previous offerings popular and profitable. Its simple economics, if not common sense.

Try not to be offended Archie my friend, but that means you obviously have no taste for a proper role-playing experience which provides sublte to contrasting variations in choices and consequences of action. If you feel you 'figured out the story in 15 mins', then it's your fault for lurking in the spoiler fora - 'cause there's no way you could have guessed the 'plot twist' at that stage! Unless of couse you prefer JRPG's with bubblegum storylines and ZERO roleplaying opportunites, then by all means be free to change your opinion. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Dont be worried, my dear sir. I am not in any way offended, secure in the knowledge that I am correct. I have never visted a spoiler fora of any sort until after I have finished the respective game, and even then it is only to see if I have missed any small portion or to help others. I dont like spoiling myself with large parts of the game. But as for your conclusion that it is impossible to determine the storyline within the first fifteen minutes, that actual time might have been an exaggeration. I had however figured it out by the time I finished the Spirit Cave. After the first tutorial bout, your opponent mentions a strangeness about your style. This is what we call foreshadowing, it denotes future events through subtle hints. However, this hint is ever so slightly not at all subtle. I had my suspicions even then. After learning of the Spirit Monks and the few slip ups made by the Master, it was quite obvious to me he was up to something. You are correct in that I had not deduced he planned to gain control over the Empire. However, I was sure he would eventually turn against me (this is called a plot device [a common one at that]), a theory crystallized by the 'flaw in your style' being mentioned by almost every single major opponent. I tend to like surprises in my entertainment. It is little fun to be proven correct every single time you turn the corner, increasingly so when those 'surprises' are formulaic and cliche.

Which one would you say would be the best CRPG in the last year or so and don't say The Sith Lords. That is an unfinished buggy POS that is getting no support from Obsidian and LA even though they lied to the fans stating that the Movies and music patch would be up in a few days MONTHS ago? Screw that. I no Bioware fanboy but I know what I like and what I don't and I like Jade Empire. The Sith Lords, not so much. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was not going to say The Sith Lords. I agree with you. I have been quite busy lately and have not had time for much gaming, but I suppose I would be forced to admit that Jade Empire is the best RPG I have played recently. This is due more to lack of gaming time and scarcity of competition, than any inherent superiority, though. And I never said I didnt like Jade Empire. I enjoyed it. I simply believe it should have been better.

I suppose I should apologize now instead of leaving it for later. I have had one of the worst days of my life and I took it out on you, as the first to gain my ire. For that, I am sorry. Excuse any previous off-color comments. You are entitled to your opinion, but frankly to use the words of another on these boards, though I forget the exact writer:

I fail to understand how watching two teams of men hit each other in order to move a small ball is in any way enjoyable.

The only reason JE sold is because of Bio's reputation. It was for this reason I preordered it, expecting the usual Bioware standards. Any non-rabid Biofanboy with taste and discernment would tell you it did not live up to expectations. It might be that my tastes have matured over the last few years, but I found the story shallow and predictable. Even I (who normally views combat as the necessary drudge between story sequences) noticed the combat was overly uniform throughout the entire game, reusing effects and moves between styles. There were very few distinguishing characteristics between them. The artistic style and setting I enjoyed, but I encourage Bioware to seriously hire some quality controllers for their writers before releasing this stuff. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? Perhaps. It depends on your focus. I prefer a strong story, so I would say no. You would say yes. It doesnt matter. We are each entitled to our opinions. However, is it the best RPG within recent history? Absolutely not.

Another large flaw is that the use of the veto power is determined solely by the president's own conscience, indeterminate of popular opinion or necessity, i.e., there is no effective check or balance for the president. Impeachment has more to do with criminal behavior than fallacious judgement.

Damn. I thought you guys started a thread about sports (Def 7) and it turned out to be about physical exertion.. Im all in favor of mutation, personally. Especially when intentional with a predetermined beneficial purpose.

They can not. Different account, same avatar.

Now perhaps I have forgotten my basic numerical skills, in which case excuse me, but does not 11988 trump 11947?

You seem to have skipped parts of the conversation. I am aware that psychometry refers to a branch of psychology. However, it also refers to the psychic ability mentioned above. Thereby leading to our tangent.

The version of psychometry I know of is only that you gain a brief flash of significant memories that left an imprint on an object. For example, a psychometer could touch a knife and know whether it was used to kill someone/thing. He would not then how to expertly fight with that knife (if it had previously been owned by a knife fighter) or to expertly cook with it (if a previous owner had been a chef).

The basic plot is that a contractor/engineer/something-like-that has a brother on death row who he believes innocent. And so he robs a bank with the purpose of being arrested. Having helped to design/build the prison to which he is sent, he plans to break himself and his brother out. I havent actually seen the show, but this is what I derived from advertisements.

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I am willing to participate in your survey, but I have two concerns. First, when exactly does the Michaelmas term start? I presume around Sep 29? Also, will the psychologists make up their damn minds? Psychometry is both a branch of psychology and a psychic ability whereby you gain impressions by touching objects. My father is a HUGE Red Sox fan. Has been for years. Personally, I dont like organized sports.

Im in my school library right now and a guy is drilling holes in tables, presumably to hold computer cables. The sound is annoying, but the burning smell reminds me of the dentist's office.

See above.