Guard Dog

I did not mean current games are dumbed down to be easier, they are dumbed down to be less complex. Just for example in Morrowind you could specialize in a certain type of weapon (like short sword, or longsword, etc). In Oblivion they lump everything into one category "blade". In Morrowind some factions contradicted othres, you could not do this AND that, it was this OR that. None of these things make it deep, but complexity increases interest, for me anyway. As for deep RPG, I don't know what makes a game deep, that will be in the eye of the beholder. My answer would be a little moral ambiguity, where the line between good and evil are a little blurry. Giving the a good PC a chance to do an evil act to serve a greater good for example. Nowadays, what passes for good and evil is a Saturday moning cartoon version. NWN was bad about that. KOTOR2 did it somewhat well, Torment did it better. Another thing that makes a game deeper is a antagonist you can really identify with. Like Irenicus in BG2, Fujill and Trias in PS:T. Most villians in todays games are cartoonish.

Hmmmm.... Good points.

That is an unfair criticism. In NWN2 they were using the Aurora engine which is about seven years old now and really predated the neat physics implementations of modern games. All the did to Aurora was rework the graphics component to go with higher poly counts and generally make it look better. If they had to code a new engine, they would still be working on it. I completely agree with you here. Comparing Oblivion to Morrowind it is easy to see the game was dumbed down for the console kiddies. The sad truth is, I think we will never see games like Torment, FO, or BG again. About the only people who want it are the ones old enough to remember what they were like. It is easier and safer to just churn out clones of shooter games, clones of GTA, and mindless RPGs like Oblivion. Or to continue in tried and true franchises like Star Wars, NWN & D&D, and Aliens. You cannot fault Obsidian or any developer for doing what is safe in the current market. I just wish the realities were different. As for KOTOR2, they know what was screwed up about it. And why.

If you have NWN there is an excellent adaption to it. Click Here: Lone Wolf: Test of the Sun

I'm playing Oblivion now, using OOO. Do you use it and if so, any issues?

Too soon to tell. Both of their titles have been good. Not stunning, but solid. As for the state of RPGs today, that is another topic entirely. I would imagine many devs would agree. If they could get together and make the kind of game they want to make using their own imaginations to come up with the IP, I'd bet we would be impressed. But the investors who underwrite the cost of development do not play computer games so they do not know good from bad. They know safe and risky. And any dev will tell you, putting a fresh IP on the market is risky and with a development and marketing costs running near seven digits these days, no one wants to assume the risk. That is also why dev companies prefer making console games when they can. No compatability issues, ready made market, and I understand it is all around easier (meaning faster) to churn them out. Once Obsidian funds and makes their own IP, then we'll be able to judge them. Another big title or two and we'll see. So far, so good.

Good stuff!

There is a service coming out in a few years called IPTV. AT&T is developing it. It will offer on-demand television via the internet 24-7-365 for a flat subscription rate. I wonder how THAT will affect ratings and how TV shows are bought and paid for.

According to Amazon, season 3 DVD will be available in October.

At least it's not snowing anymore.

Yup, you got me there Wals. Okinawa was annexed by Japan in the late 1600's so it was Japanese soil. I was actually stationed there in 1991-1992. Pretty nice place, my favorite in Asia as a matter of fact. Anyway, to reiterate, I had no point to make there. I just thought it was funny. Man, I wish I could find some Okinawan style yaka-soba and Orion beer in the States!

We did not "invade" Japan. But no, I was not even trying to make a point here. I just got to thinking about it and found that ironic so I pointed it out. As for the discussion at hand, that horse died loong ago. I'm tired of beating it. It's OT anyway, but I don't care about that.

The US was attacked by Japan in 1941. We invaded Italy in 1943, France in 1944, and Germany in 1945. We never invaded Japan during wartime. Ironically enough, the US has never invaded a country that actually attacked us. We did not invade Spain in 1903, we never invaded England either time (as if we could). When the Mexican wars were fought, Texas was a sovereign nation. I'm not saying anything here, just pointing out irony.

Got into a fender bender on the way in this morning. I was rear ended at a traffic light. I drive a Dodge 2500 pickup with an iron trailer hitch that sticks out from the bumper about 10 centimeters. I was hit by a Corvette. It got blue paint all over my trailer hitch! I don't even eant to tell you what it did to his hood and front spoiler. I felt bad for the guy.

The problem is the time spot it's in. 10 pm on Sunday??? Friday (or any weekday) made more sense.

I spent the entire day working on redesigning a South Florida microwave network that delivers T1s to the sites belonging to a major cellular carrier. Tons o fun!

I cannot answer for all Christians but THIS Christian will tell you "I have no idea". I stated before, I have no idea who goes to heaven or hell. I do not have the wisdom or perspective to judge another persons worth. I can not see in their hearts, I do not know their minds, and I do not even know the totality of anyone elses actions. So, I do not know who goes to heaven or not. All I can do is live my own life by the code I believe is right and in the end at least God could say I was not a hypocrite even if I was wrong on everything else. I do believe there is more to it than most people think. As I poster earlier, how could a corrupted immoral Christian get into heaven is a loving sinless agnostic could not?

Faith is a funny thing. I believe everything that Blank said, and I believe everything I wrote in post 32. And they do contradict each other, but not to me. That is why I avoid religious discussions because I prefer rational arguments that are based on provable facts. And when the subject is religion those are few. It's why they call it faith. I believe Jesus was divine, and do not believe any evidence to the contrary. But at the same time, I cannot fault anyone who has a different view, and it is not my place to tell them they are facing eternal torment if they do not believe as I do. Because I do not KNOW that. No one but God can make that call. Christianity is unique among religions, because you cannot be born into it. You must choose to follow it. Even Jesus himself said so. And when you give people a choice, sometimes they will choose another way. That is free will. I do not like cramming my faith down someone else's throat because it really is not my place to do so. The bible charges us to spread the word, but it it has been heard and rejected then there is nothing you can or should do. I seriously doubt that there is anyone on this board who has not been exposed to the Christian faith. If they have chosen not to follow, then they should not be badgered for it. However, the reverse in not true it seems. Posters who profess Christian faith here are often insulted, taunted, treated with derision. Calax, Lucius, Withteeth and even Sand have done that. I do not ever remember anyone being treated so for NOT being Christian. Sometimes I get the sense that a lack of religion IS a religion. And it is an intolerant one at that.

Hmmmm.... So you say most people cannot rise above their experiences. But when I told you that in another thread you said: So which is it??? Here is the link http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?sh...15&start=15

The Campaign Finance Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) changed the way politics and campaigns are paid for in the US. For example, it is now illegal for me (as a private citizen) to buy and pay for a newspaper, TV, or radio ad that advocates a certain candidate or political issue in the months before an election. It is a breach of the 1st Amendment IMHO but that is another issue. It seems once again the internet is changing the way we live communicate for the better. This ad was produced by an anonymous user and is getting a lot of talk. And since it does not fall under McCain Feingold there is nothing anyone an do about it and that is a good thing. Unbridled free speech. The internet is a beautiful thing. I bet Apple is a little ticked, it was their ad after all. But since nothing is being bought or paid for, there is nothing they can do.

You realize by saying that is is more important that someone is thinking correctly than if they are acting correctly, you are advocating a kind of "Thought Police". Sounds very Orwellian to me.

I've avoided this topic because I prefer rational discussions and my faith is not something I can easily rationalize. But there are three things that I know to be true after spending the last 33 years thinking this over. 1) There is a God 2) I'm not him 3) When you die, you will find out the real truth behind all things (one way or another). I do believe in heaven and hell and I do not know who is bound for which. I am not qualified to make that judgment. Nor is anyone else for that matter. Most churches would tell you that non Christians are bound for hell, but I think there is a heck of a lot more to it than that. Jesus said "no man may come to the father but through me" which to me means "follow my example". Jesus had one core message behind everything he said or did. It was simply "Love one another". I do not think there is anyone here who does not think the world will be a better place if we actually did that. How can the most hateful and corrupted self professed Christian get into heaven if the the agnostic who actually follows that principle cannot? It is a popular thing around here to trot out all of the injustices and atrocities committed by people who are Christians or worse, done in the name of Christianity as a means to indict the faith as a whole. But the truth is, all those things (like the inquisition for example) were done by people for their own reasons. If I were to commit a crime and say I did it in Jesus name, it does not mean I got His endorsement and it does not mean other Christians would do the same. Sometimes I really feel that God is a sympathetic character. How would you feel if generations of people you never spoke to, who did not follow your instructions committed some of the worst crimes in history in your name?

Gotcha. So what angers you is not what they do but how they think. On that note, what do you think of hate crime legislation? Do you think one murder is more heinous because it might be motivated by racism, homophobia or some such?

Wait an sec... has a secret.