SteveThaiBinh

There are 'armed response units' - most police don't carry guns, but armed police are only a short phone-call away. I would hate to see that change. Everyone's saying the the attack two weeks ago was really professional and well-planned - because it worked - and the attack two days ago was really amateurish - because it didn't work. There may be absolutely no difference between them except that one lot screwed the wires too tight or mixed the explosives in the wrong proportions. Amateur bombers can succeed and professionals can screw up. Everyone was so quick to shout 'al-Qaeda al-Qaeda' after the first attacks simply because they were successful. I don't think it works like that, and 'a group linked to al'Qaeda' can actually mean a hundred different things. The attempt on Thursday took place exactly two weeks after the first attack. Anyone going to London on the fourth of August?

I voted no. If the bomber were strapped with explosives and running towards a primary school, then yes, I would try to stop him. But otherwise, suicide bombers in Palestine/Israel tend to blow themselves up when capture is imminent - the fact that the guy in London didn't is unusual, I think. So I would have got myself killed, and to what end? I think the police who tried to subdue someone with explosives strapped to him are brave but incredibly foolish, and I don't think any member of the public expects that kind of bravery. Just shoot the guy!

A victory for the moral majority. Next stop: The Sims 2

There is no death, there is only the force. On topic - sort of: Baldur's Gate - I haven't played it, but I think it's the oldest, so if you like flashy graphics, maybe not. Icewind Dale II - I haven't played it, and I've heard mixed reviews. Some people say it has a really good story, others that it's a hack'n'slash - I thought that was effectively a contradiction. Maybe someone could explain. Neverwinter Nights - The single-player campaign isn't very good but there are lots of mods, some of which are better. The game itself is fun. Jade Empire - I haven't played, but most people agree it's good but short. For me, that's a reason not to buy, until they cut the price. Knights of the Old Republic II - good game, interesting characters, great story, weak ending. So out of the two I have actually played and am therefore qualified to talk about ( :D ) I would go for NWN, because the mods offer more variety and replay value.

Precariously? Nobody's moaning. We're querying. And gently reminding Obsidian and LucasArts that we're out here, waiting and watching. Always watching. :ph34r:

It's Japanese for "I did it!". How that's relevant is beyond me.

I mean "need to", although refering to a long term rather than an imminent need. As the complexity of games and the volume of bugs increase, I foresee the tolerance for bugs decreasing. As you yourself pointed out, increasingly games are being played by busy working people for shorter periods, and these people are less prepared to spend five hours installing and uninstalling drivers and patches and editing the .ini files and emailing tech support and scouring the tech-help forums and so on that we often have to do in order to get games to work properly.

Well, I wouldn't make a public fuss if the other person was trying to avoid it - that would usually just make the situation worse and even more unpleasant for them. But just because someone doesn't show that they're offended doesn't mean they're not offended. If I see someone on these forums posting a clearly racist or discriminatory remark aimed at someone else, I don't usually post a response, but I do 'report' it to the mods.

All discriminatory behaviour is linked. If the racist abuse isn't directed at my own 'race', it still concerns me, because I might be next. A Jewish stand-up comic can use abusive terms for Jews that no-one else could get away with. The same for Black, Muslim, gay and so on, about themselves. It's different to use these terms about a group that you don't belong to. And on a forum like this, it's probably better to steer clear of it altogether.

Which means that the priority and resources given to patching bugs quickly and efficiently needs to rise, too, and I'm not sure I see that happening. Any PC gamer expects to encounter bugs, especially when buying a game that's only recently been released. It's the price we pay for cheap PCs. However, if the games industry is to prosper and grow, it needs to expand the market and reach people who are not traditionally gamers, and these newcomers are going to be even less tolerant of bugs than the rest of us.

Radiant AI - yes, I'm interested to see how it works out, too, but with some trepidation. Are you going to handle 'important' NPCs, important for the story I mean, with the same system? If so, you're running the risk they might get arrested or killed randomly while the player is in another part of town. If not, then any NPC who seems to be behaving in a 'radiant AI' manner is automatically signalled as unimportant, destroying the illusion of a vibrant world that you're trying to create. In Morrowind, people in Balmora kept falling into the river - luckily they seem to be able to swim indefinitely, but this kind of glitch can cause problems if characters are reacting to each other in unscripted ways. I'm also interested to see if the dialogue options will be able to respond to events that have occurred due to the AI. If the baker has had his bread stolen, will he mention it? Will the crowd be nervous talking to the guy who just beat some random drunk to a pulp?

One eye-witness said the police were in plain clothes, not that it matters much. Seems he was wearing a 'bomb belt', whatever that is, so probably a suicide bomber. In Israel/Palestine, suicide bombers tend to blow themselves up when challenged by the police or soldier. I wonder why this one didn't.

We should not interpret it as meaning the 'end of Kotor'. More likely it means that a decision hasn't been made yet.

No news at all. Obsidian, what in the world are we supposed to make of this? Is this patch actually going to come out? What's the delay?

Scars are a good idea but would work better as a part of the main story - I mean that a specific incident leads to a scar, which future NPCs might then comment upon, rather than as a result of random combat. I liked the way in Kotor 2 that NPCs would sometimes comment on your corrupted DS face.

HFC has a bit of a reputation for screwing up. There was a scandal recently when they accidently revealed lots of customers' private information, I think. It's most likely a mistake rather than a scam, but be careful when you meet them and don't sign anything.

If his computer is reporting that it has 250Mb of RAM, it's possible that he has an onboard graphics card, in which case Kotor 2 definitely won't run.

I'd be more concerned with losing my lunch than losing my moral fibre.

Perhaps the colour of your underwear should also give bonuses? I felt Kotor 2 had too many bonuses, but I kind of appreciate why it worked out like that. They were trying to cater to two different kinds of player - those who love to fiddle and break down components, and those who just want to get on with the game. That's why the items you construct and the robes you modify give massive bonuses, but the combat is easy enough that you don't really need them. I like easy combat, because it doesn't get in the way of the story. I hope Kotor 3 simplifies it again. Perhaps if colour crystals give bonuses we could get rid of the lenses and things.

I didn't find it terribly useful, but it was very dramatic. Eerie, almost. I hope they keep it in.

It's not for the sensitive to mask their sensitivities on the forum. It's for the jerks to rein in their jerkness. Don't blame the victim!

We still know almost nothing about these new attacks for sure. Commentators on the radio were noting that it's strange that they managed to detonate their devices simultaneously (which apparently requires good planning and co-ordination), but the devices failed (which suggests a bunch of amateurs).

Agreed. I think draakh kimera's sig could be a quarter of the size and still clear and legible. I'm surprised the boards have a strict limit for avatar size but not for sig size, but then you can turn the sigs off.

No, I'm afraid not. Obsidian have said that the patch will contain better-quality music and movies, but nothing else. No bug fixes and no cut content. For the cut content, we're all waiting for the TSL Restoration Project to finish its work.