kalimeeri

The PS2 was released when DVD drives were just coming into their own. Most households still didn't have a dedicated DVD player for movies--they were expensive-- so this was part of its sales pitch. (Yeah, you already have a PS1 to play games, but if you buy this, you can play our new games and movies, too!) Great idea, from a marketing standpoint. Unfortunately, to make it affordable/a profit, the DVD hardware used was low quality even for that time; as with the PS1, just flip over your game disks and you'll see the results. Ever wonder where all those scratches came from? Intentional? Probably not so much. But inevitable, yes, that the drive will fail and the game disks skip, stutter, and eventually stop working just from normal use. Not saying Xbox is any better, I just never did any research on it. But it's no wonder so many of the movie and game rentals look like someone slalomed down a rocky slope on them.

Solid middle of the road, but stability>cutting edge always for my main machine. This thing runs from 6 a.m. to midnight every day--and I hate paying the electricity company any more than I have to. Coolermaster mid with filtered mesh front panel and TT 430-watt PS Athlon64 3500+ w/TT silent heat-pipe/fan Asus A8N5X 2 x 512 Corsair XMS 0dB 7600GT 'skyscraper' M-Audio Revolution 7.1 with Monsoon planar MH-505's Logitech Lazer M1000 Northgate Omnikey 102 (circa-1992?) Pioneer + Plextor DVD-RW's Pair of WD200 gb IDE's; 1 x WD 250 gb SATA; external USB WD200gb 'just in case' WinXP Pro 19" Samtron CRT; APC 700w UPS System draws 172 watts (including monitor) and idles air-cooled at 34C o/c, video 51C; has run everything I've thrown at it and never broke a sweat.

There are also a couple of companies who manufacture them (APC is one) for general PC use. Does a good job for passwords. Nice desktop conversation piece or drawer place-holder mostly, because the software only works in IE-based apps. Meh.

I've always been loyal to ATI, but this time a fanless 7600GT caught my eye (I wanted to build a cool/silent system). This card idles along at around 50C, and still makes Oblivion happy, which in turn makes me happy. I can't say I'm a total convert, but I am willing to concede that a good card is a good card, no matter what the brand. The newer X-series ATI's are reported to run quite a bit hotter than the comparable nVidia chips, but they do perform very well. The only real difference I've seen between the two makers is a different set of bugs/features/limitations--some translation is required. In ATI's defense, if a driver set stinks, they're always quick to replace it with a better. As I'm sure Nvidia will too. (But until then, I'm not updating my 84.21's. :ph34r: )

Sorry if I misread. The situation he walked into is funny, and I'm sure he can laugh about it--now. But if Hell needed a new definition, this was it. Every man's fantasy mixed with a job PR nightmare=Kobiyashi-Maru.

Awkward? Come on, what was he supposed to do, start shooting? "Subdue" them all? I'm sure he realized that they meant him no harm, and it isn't like he was ever trained for such a situation. Give the guy a break. Leaking this news story was probably part of the razzing he'll get for the rest of his career.

It doesn't sound like Bao-Dur went to Malachor. Remote was pre-programmed, which implies some sort of planning going on between Exile and Bao-Dur to destroy the MSG regardless of what else happened when Exile got there. Bao-Dur would normally have planned on doing it himself, if he knew for sure he was going along. The tone of the message suggests that Remote was to fulfill that duty in case Bao didn't make it back to EH in time for take-off--and wherever he went, he ordered Remote to stay aboard. By 'sacrifice', it also suggests either that Bao thought he might die, or he thought he was sending Remote to its death. Maybe both? The game is notably silent about Bao-Dur's fate, or why he wasn't at Exile's side. Since he's one of my favorite characters, I prefer to think that's by design--because he still has a function to perform in the story, much like Carth, Canderous, and Bastila do--and Obsidian didn't want to give too much away. But as a tech, he could be very useful; and it was pointed out several times that he can't be sensed through the Force.

Maybe, maybe not. Sion wouldn't appear much of an adversary if she walked away from the fight without a scratch. Kreia does have the ability to mask her feelings and even her presence, which makes this seem a little odd. Either she was totally taken by surprise, or she temporarily unmasked her feelings on purpose, or she didn't really know how strong Exile's ability actually was. Option #2 seems like it would be disgustingly gratifying to Sion, and I doubt she'd want to give him the satisfaction (as her student, he would feel it too). So I'd go with a combination of 1 & 2. But once she realized the effect it had on Exile, she knew she'd have to be more careful, or she'd scare him away--it was that affect that caused Exile to turn away from the Force in the first place. She couldn't risk that happening again.

It's my belief that Kreia lied about the lethal nature of their bond, because Exile would not have taken her along for any lesser reason. The bond she spoke of was nothing but Exile's own strong ability; Exile just didn't know the difference. If none of the Jedi masters or historians had ever heard of such a thing, that's a pretty strong hint it never existed. I think Vrook(?) even said so--'Perhaps that is only what you believe.'

She also spoke of creating another echo to counter/cancel out the first. Malachor was broadcasting an echo that had been affecting people since Exile and Bao-dur touched off the MSG, because of all the souls who died there. I believe that's the reason she forced the showdown on that planet. The theory was that when the two echoes collided, the waves of both would be silenced. It didn't have to be a huge one, but it did have to be strategically placed.

Not that I don't appreciate what TSLRP is doing, or that I'm not excited to see more Kotor... but only Obsidian knows for sure what was 'intended', and they're not talking. It's a plain bald truth that any story goes through extensive revision before completion. As an example, I generally save false starts or cut portions until the bitter end, if they contain useful material that might be reworked and inserted elsewhere. If they're good enough, they could even show up in another work or a sequel. I do believe some of K2's content was cut due to time constraints, but as for how much was time and how much was LA pointing at the Canon book and flexing its muscles, we'll likely never know. In either case, had there been more time, any unused files would probably have been removed. So for that reason (and legal considerations) TSLRP has to be regarded only as a mod, nothing more.

I think it depends on the hardware combination and the drivers. With my AGP ATI 9600 at 1024x768 and venerable old CRT at 85 hz, I couldn't use it in either Kotor game without the screen becoming unreadable. When I changed to my current PCIe 7600GT (same resolution, same monitor, same Kotor installations), the games would run with VSync off, but each and every interior light had an awful glare that bled across all of the images. Performance was the pits. One click of the magic VSync button, and all was happiness. So far, though, those are the only games affected; although admittedly I haven't run many since I got Oblivion. So I guess in general the answer is no, I don't generally use it unless I have to (I had ATI cards for years, and learned to stay away from it with that particular machine).

Ask a Twi'lek.

Copycat? Please. Every game out there has 'incorporated' elements, either thematic (unavoidable, because there are no new plots) or shameless (due to success of the earlier game). I see nothing wrong with using an intriguing 'concept' and making your own interpretation; the end result is usually nothing like the 'original' idea--if there is such a thing. So can less-than-successful games. I believe this is what Blizzard has done--distilled out an essence of what they believe worked and what didn't, in a given genre--and came up with their own model of what gamers are looking for. Combining these elusive elements with solid mechanics (and a dedicated team) seems to work, even in a routine hack-n-slash. Was it luck? Probably, initially. But at least (so far) they have had the sense not to diverge too far from a player-oriented philosophy, for the sake of ego or 'innovation' alone.

She didn't. What she wanted was to end its influence over people's lives (and deaths); she felt they were pawns, or slaves to its will, and that wars began and people died in its efforts to achieve 'balance'. All she wanted was for people to have free choice.

The Closer. http://alt.tnt.tv/closer/closer.shtml

Yes...but only after I installed sp2. I installed Creatives recent drivers because I was having trouble already. I know some people have problems w/Audigy - I didn't have any issues w/the card at all with a default XPPro installation and no updates installed. So I just think Audigy hasn't been able to/hasn't yet altered their software to work properly with Window's changes. That doesn't surprise me. More profitable to keep cranking out new cards than to make sure past ones are compatible. I agree that Creative is overbloated - I've thought that for years. Course, I personally believe any hardware that pretty much forces you to install anything but just the drivers is bloated. I also have some friends who say sp2 has been really wonky for them...and others who say it's all been fine. As usual I'm afraid it boils down to what system you have, your hardware (including things like motherboard blah blah), and what programs you're trying to get to run. Stuff like this occasionally makes me consider a Mac. Then I slap myself and I'm ok again. ...No offense to Mac-lovers intended, heh... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> One thing you might try--pull the Audigy out, and put it in another PCI slot. (No driver reinstallation is necessary). Strangely enough, this reset the sound on my daughter's machine when 'Reset to Default' didn't... or at least until I disturbed it again trying to replace her wireless card.

Grief is an internal process; and it takes time to work through its stages. Whether or not death was 'expected' (as after a long illness) makes no difference. Having lost a parent, siblings, a child ... and just last month, my closest and dearest soul ... I can tell you for certain that you will have 'good' days and 'bad' days, and that it never gets any easier to handle. Plain and simple, he is a part of who you are and will become, and you will miss him always. There is no 'getting over' it, but given time, you can move past. Just do him the honor of remembering the person he was. Make your peace with the bad times--let them go--and cherish the good.

If Sci-fi is ever to gain respect, it must progress beyond reliance on glitzy special effects and concept. It has to be accessible. This is what makes the Firefly universe different. It's viewed from the perspective of 'ordinary' people just trying to survive, after a war that they may or may not have believed in. Homogenization does not occur all at once; much like early pioneers, people left to their own devices to settle an outlying planet would tend to fall back on their own cultural past--whatever it might be. It's fair to assume even in our own history that 'pioneers' were mostly comprised of people who were discontent or just plain desperate for a fresh start. They had no grand plans for assuming control/taking over the world; they only wanted to be left alone. If a fantasy or two came into the picture ("I always wanted to be a cowboy") it might be entirely possible within the realm of human behavior. That leap is not nearly as far as the most painstakingly drawn alien culture or alternate future. Critically and objectively, there are flaws in any movie (or series, or book, or game, etc.). Serenity has a moment or two that jars, as do some of the Firefly episodes--but it's no worse than the others mentioned. I am willing to indulge JW his preference for a 90-pound superheroine, because what he did right is portray 3D characters, warts and all, without becoming melodramatic. That's something that Sci-fi (in particular) has been lacking. I can watch Neo/Luke or Anakin Skywalker/Wolfie in their fights or angst, but relate to them? Hardly. And it's refreshing to see JW's characters say more with one look than GL's did with 15 minutes of dialogue. Granted, much of the characterization may have been done in the series. It's hard for me to judge Serenity on a standalone basis, having watched Firefly prior. But I would contend that it made the utmost of every minute of screentime, which is a rare bird in any genre these days.

As a parent, I have statutory rights? (w00t) Have to save them for the other kid, then ... unless the new card I bought her hasn't shipped yet.

Slow and subtle plot/character development is a beauty to behold, but it can only be fully realized in a series, with a dedicated, gifted (and hungry) team. The downside is that over time the original crew gradually changes; the creative spark is lost; and the series begins looking for a shark to jump. (IMO the new Battlestar Galactica may be on the verge, although I hope not.) Watching the gradual disintegration, to me, is worse than ending prematurely on a high note. A movie is generally not prone to that illness ('original' does not apply to remakes!!--LOL). Not saying I don't agree with you, just that I'd be happy with another two movies (which all of the Serenity actors already have signed contracts for) to wrap up the various storylines in a grand fashion.

Advent Rising. I'm very interested in the story, but the controls for PC are driving me nuts, and I sure wish there was a map.

By any chance did you recently update your Creative drivers for the Audigy2? I had an A2ZS and a wonderful analog speaker set, and a couple months ago I made the mistake of updating the drivers/software to their newest versions. Long story short, somewhere during the auto-update the process hung up and the speakers were ruined; and the more I tweaked the settings on the card, the worse the sound got. A secondary (analog) speaker set behaved bizarrely as well. Uninstalling/reinstalling didn't help either problem. Creative's drivers and software have become so bloated and intrusive that they leave tracks everywhere in your system; the uninstall routine doesn't touch the settings or dll's, the card just picks up where it left off. It takes a concerted search-and-destroy effort to dig all the pieces out and start fresh. By the time I finished, I didn't care anymore. I was so angry I ended up pulling the blamed thing out of my system and jumping all over it. I now have an M-Audio sound card and music is good again (but sadly, I can't replace the speakers, as they are no longer being sold). If you read Creative's 'support' forums, there are many similar stories ... and no response. I'd advise anyone with an older Creative card and analog speakers not to update. My daughter listened up until last week--and now her sound has gone wonky too. I'm going to kill the kid . Both of us are running SP1, BTW.

I think that the Operative's journey was meant to mirror Book's own. In OIS, what River overhears is apparently Book's response to a person pleading to be spared. If that incident is still on his mind, it was likely his 'Serenity Valley'--the moment when his belief was destroyed. Book managed to save himself by finding another kind of faith, and by going to ground in a monastery for many years. While the Operative suggests that he might not be so fortunate, I think there are possibilities for that character (with his new outlook) if he manages to return to the core worlds. Not exactly as an ally--he would certainly have his own agenda--but as someone who is able to access top secret information (about other Operatives and Parliament plans) and one who has some respect for Mal.

For K1, Taris, I think. On a first play-through, it gives a false impression of what the game will be like. It's way too long and quest-heavy for a beginning planet, and you get so involved in finishing the quests that it's easy to forget what you're supposed to be doing there. It isn't until you finally take off in Ebon Hawk that the game gets a sense of direction and shifts into gear, and you begin to love it and sign on for the ride. The main thing that really ruins the K2 game experience is that once you have found all the masters, the game takes total control. From there, you are railroaded from one cut-scene after another until you land on Malachor... where all you do is hack & slash. Your companions are suddenly gone except for Mira (which makes no sense) and Remote, and you meet only 2 people you can actually interact with. It's frustrating and very disappointing, every time. Even if I know what to expect, it makes me sad, because up until that point the game was exceptional.