SteveThaiBinh

That's interesting. So if you are a light-side Jedi and use a red lightsaber, it should explode or malfunction or something? I hope they implement that in Kotor 3. My characters are mostly light-side, and use blue crystals. I don't know why, it just feels right. I can't even remember which (if any) characters in the movies used blue.

If you're lucky, this will turn into a massive legal battle, with insane free publicity, and your friend will be extremely rich when it's all finished (about 2020, I imagine).

They're getting rid of pollution and corruption in order to reduce micromanagement. Micromanagement? In Civilisation? How appalling! More seriously, I'm worried that with multiplayer integrated from the start, the single player epic game will be neglected. Time will tell. I thought pollution was a good and realistic element in the game, and I will miss it. I suppose that means they're getting rid of global warming as well. Too 'controversial', perhaps?

I think that hate crimes exist and are a serious problem that society has to tackle. The precise difference between a hate crime and common assault is not always clear, and so I think that can be settled in a court, although I wouldn't rule out another (less expensive) way, if one could be found that's fair and has public confidence. The problem is that it's difficult to distinguish without the thorough consideration that comes in a trial. Murder and manslaughter is an example where it's mainly intent which distinguishes between two crimes which carry very different sentences, and that difference is usually decided in a trial.

Media in the broadest sense. Wasn't there a TV show that was taken off the air because the main character came out as a lesbian? If this has changed, then I'd certainly welcome that. But more generally, the fact that gay characters exist in these media doesn't mean that they are as commonplace, natural and accepted as they are in the real world. If we notice, and comment upon, gay relationships in RPGs, it's because their relative lack in the gaming world is at odds with our experience of reality. Well, I think it's hitting the more important point, which is that fighting in bars is illegal and that if you attack someone, you have to accept responsibility for it. Protesting that your victim is prosecuting you for a hate crime rather than assault is just a way of making it all somebody else's fault. "It's not my fault, it's that gay's fault." I would hope that if you don't hate gays, the trial would reveal that and you would be found innocent of hate crime and guilty of common assault, but given that hate crime against gays does exist, it seems reasonable that this be tested in a court.

Interesting. Where did you hear this? I'd heard the reverse. I thought the transport system in Morrowind was fine, and I'm not a big fan of mounts. I don't think I've ever seen it done really well.

If I thought for a second it would follow in the footsteps of Fate of Atlantis, I would be interested. However, it speaks of AI and physics. I'm thinking 'Tomb Raider'.

Looks like a good way of deterring stupid fights. Shame on the ACLU for interfering with my natural right to deck anyone who doesn't agree with me. For the Star Wars universe to have no homosexuals is no more or less bizarre than if it had no women, or no men. I'm sure that would arouse comment. Sadly, it's common in the media for many different kinds of people to be invisible.

That was fun, and got me in the mood for this weekend's Eurovision Song Contest. I wonder if the entries will be as good?

I agree, and I did wonder if maybe Obsidian cut it because the acting didn't quite measure up to the impact of the scene. But then, as you point out, it's not the only moment where the acting isn't great. Don't get me wrong, overall the acting was really good, especially for Kreia, but Atton and Mira too.

Journalist types, perhaps? People who are aching to write in their magazines about how the company is waning, with fewer projects, not able to put together a presentation for E3? I don't know. Maybe it's just a question of keeping their profile high.

OK, you're right, I forgot that it seems to be normal to 'announce' that there is a new project without actually announcing anything about it (like a name), as we can see in the New Jersey forum which has been up for, what is it, a month now? As someone who's never really followed these things, is E3 a common place for surprise announcements (like details of new projects)? Or usually only for stuff that's been extensively trailed beforehand?

Thinking back to the movies, which I confess I last saw a while ago, but when a Jedi turns the lightsaber on, doesn't it take a second or so to rev up? That would leave her defenseless, as in a non-cortosis weave universe, a lightsaber is the only way to block your opponent's lightsaber.

I suppose if a company doesn't appear at E3 at all, it looks bad. I don't really see how it's worse than appearing with nothing to show, but then media experts are good at shining bright lights so that nothing looks like something. I really liked this sentence: "Also at the BioWare booth was the Dragon Age logo which is very close to what it will be." Pity the poor writer, when even the irrelevant frippery isn't authentic. By the way, now that Jade Empire is finished, isn't it time for Bioware to announce a new project?

Grimsby.

If the cinema is empty apart from you, and you choose not to sit in the correct seats on your ticket, will someone come and move you? This has happened to me, though it was a concert, not a movie.

I always try to imagine how that could happen. I suppose a particularly strong and well-aimed spear might get into the wheels or tracks or whatever and jam them, leaving the attackers to swarm over the tank. Archers might have a lucky shot and hit the 'Open Hatch' button, then rain down arrows into the interior.

Occasionally I read posts on this forum and wonder if they might be computer generated. The forum you've quoted looks like a more serious candidate for this, though. All the posters are just computers, randomly replying to posts by making small alterations to the previous post. Maybe it's some computer science student's project?

I'm sure the consoles will be fine for people who like to play that kind of game. I just found that disturbing, and the better the graphics get, the more disturbed I feel.

I like the idea of AI governments pressuring you to change your government system (abolish slavery, adopt democracy etc.), and I missed this in Civ3. I hope the new complexity and freedom of civics doesn't get in the way of this. Alliance victory looks good - I hope they can make alliances more stable and the AI more respectful of them in this game. I got tired of being attacked by countries with which I had a mutual protection pact, then seeing other countries happy to sign similar pacts with them in the future.

Turning your companions into Jedi had the greatest potential, though it wasn't realised. I liked the whole Revan's secret identity thing in Kotor 1, although I freely admit it's neither the most original nor the best hidden storyline ever. I think it worked well in a Star Wars context, and I still love the scene back on the Ebon Hawk after escaping the Leviathan, with the dramatic music playing in the background, HK's story and Carth arguing with all the other characters about trusting you. It's probably one of my favourite bits from any computer game.

A born reviewer. I still think that Bethesda would be smart to get away from its image as only being capable of producing Morrowind-style games, and do something radically different with Fallout 3.

Is there a good place on the internet to read reviews by 'REAL role-players'? I'm not sure I would share their tastes, but it's always interesting to get a variety of points of view.

That was cathartic. I wonder if it will count, as I didn't receive the original email. In theory, it shouldn't, if they want the survey to be truly representative of people who played the game.

Lightsabers are too noisy.