Shadowstrider
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"Patriots always talk of dying for their country, and never of killing for their country." - attributed to Bertrand Russell
"There was never a good war or a bad peace." - Ben Franklin
"Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets." - George Patton
"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." - George Patton
"All blame, no fame." - No idea who said this.
Gromnir's signature George Bernard Shaw quote, too.
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Surgery horror stories... hrm...
I have never had a broken bone until recently (two months ago). I've had my clavicle somehow tear ligaments and muscles as it popped out of place. A few years after that I blew out my MCL in a high school wrestling match. Both were pretty painful, but not bad.
Oddly the worst surgery I've had was december 22nd last year. I broke my toe playing soccer and didn't know it, I'd been walking around on it for 2 months, it also caused my toenail to become ingrown. I had no idea the toe was broken, the only reason I went to the doctor was I thought the toenail was becoming infected. The doc then tells me that my toe is broken and the toenail needs to come out. That sucked big time, he had to reset my toe and pull the nail in one go. He said it wouldn't be much pain... he was a liar and a witch.
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I love the US approach to the rules of sports: there ARE no ties! :D
Doesn't a football match have (after an exhaustive list technical metrics) a coin-toss to decide the game?
No. The coin toss just decides who gets first possesion.
In college football, both teams get equal oppurtunity to score. The ball is placed on the 20 (IIRC) yard line and the team which won the coin toss attempts to score. If they do score, the team which lost the coin toss gets a go at scoring. The winner is the team which scores and prevents the other team from scoring.
In professional football it's based on timing.
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...but if we use the warheads the international community would herald us as the anti-christ. Plus, then you couldn't point out how many we have, and we're stock piling them in order to use them against all those asteroids we'll have to blow up.
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I've got no problem with his enjoyment of Oblivion, obviously he enjoys it, that's not what I take issue with. The list isn't "The Games that Scott Tobias most enjoyed in '06", it was "The Best Games of '06", which to me aren't the same things, although some would make the Klosterman-esque argument that all such things are, being subjective POV kinds of things. But he is a professional reviewer, and he isn't posting it in the blog section, but the "games" section. The AV Club hasn't ever really been a CHUD style, prominently editorial site.
When they make a statement of quality, it's done so objectively. When they give Children of Men an A, they're not saying "reviewer X thinks Children of Men is an A movie", they're saying "It is the case that Children of Men is an A quality movie". With this, he's not saying "Oblivion is the best game I've played this year" he's saying "Oblivion is the best game of the year", and the official stance of the site itself is split up between these 2 reviewers (I've no doubt that if they were to make a gestalt list, Oblivion would be on top).
But that's all really beside the point. The point was that Scott Tobias gave a glowing review, which he could have done and I would be fine with, if he actually had good reasons. But he doesn't. His breathless mention of "personal relations" and RPG Strategy (?) casts doubt on his review, simply because I've yet to see any of these things that are apparently significant and awe-inspiring from the game, let alone hear them described by anyone other than Mr. Tobias. Thus, I disparage the quality of his article, and his choice of Oblivion as "Best of the Year".
*edit - It was "RPG Strategy" instead of "RPG Tactics". As for Tobias being "retarded", nonsense. I said the list he made (with its references to "avid gamers") was lightweight and easily dismissable. Furthermore, I said he might just be "ignorant", which is far from "retarded".
The primary of objective of any game is to provide the player fun. If Scott Tobias had the most fun playing Oblivion, that would make it the best game he has played all year. If not how much fun, how do you judge what "the best" game is?
There is no so-called objective way to judge a game. Do you judge it by graphics? If so, Dark Kingdom for PS3 has some of the best cloth simulation I've ever seen! Do you judge it by "gameplay?" EA's Madden franchise has some great gameplay, except for the fact that it's pretty much the same game year after year. Do you judge it by innovation or invention? That's a great idea too! I know plenty of inventive games, Gears of War, Okami, just to name a few.
The problem is that a game is judged by the sum of its parts, not some simplistic, technical, "objective" measure. Any feature, in any game most be asked one simple question, "is this fun?" If it isn't fun, something needs to be done about it. If it is fun, most people will not sit back and try to piece together why it is fun.
Sure, Dark Kingdom had great cloth physics... the game is not fun. Gears of War is a great little "pop and shoot" title... but the single player campaign was too short, and it got pretty repetitive.
You're saying his list is easily dismissable, yet you're raising a huge contention with it. I don't get it, if the list is ignorant and dismissable, what's the big deal? He thinks that Oblivion is the best game of the (previous) year - for whatever his reasons (obviously Bethesda paid this guy off...). Thank god the year is over! LAWL
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So, let me get this straight, Oblivion beats games like Gears of War, NWN2, Dead Rising, and Bully, and clearly the reviewer is retarded?
If you want to say he is biased, perhaps even simple, I'll say "ok," but to insinuate that he is retarded simply because he enjoyed Oblivion... someone is biased, and it's not just the reviewer.
P.s. happy new year, bitches.
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Exactly. It's not like you were off and about doing your thing, and suddenly Martin wins the game while you're off doing something else.
That used too happen, kinda.
NPCs used to solve quests and close Oblivion gates on their own. It had to be fixed, because it was preventing the player from doing some things.
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Is meta encouraging me to use hypnosis on my girlfriend?
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It's funny, because people will complain about being the big chosen one who does everything, and then at the same time, complain if their role isn't always the primary role.
I don't necessarily mind it if the PC isn't the big solution to the problem, as long as the PC is involved with it.
It's even funnier because nothing that Martin does at the end would be possible without the player.
You can't win, no matter who you try to please.
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What I mean, is it the character who saves the day, central to the story, or is it some smoe that steps in at the last minute and does the work for you.
The player saves the day, if he is noble, worthy knight. The player leads the Knights of the Nine to battle against Umaril the Unfeathered (if he recruits Knights at all).
Isn't the Knights of the Nine available for half the retail price as a bunch of downloads from t'internet?I'm not sure how much the KotN box costs if off store shelves, but all the DLCs are available on our download website:
The Knights download there is JUST the Knights (DLC8) content, not all the accompanying DLC content. The box on store shelves is all the DLCs.
@Bokishi:
The depends, really. The first time you play through the content, I'd imagine it takes at least 8-10 hours.
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Let's go with B.
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I'd prefer to date someone who spent less time on my couch than me. Plus, I don't want to lose to my girlfriend.
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Only in-so-far as you can fail some quests (and re-attempt them), and can choose to recruit (or not recruit) members of your religious order.
If you're asking if there are branching paths, or whether you can persuade Umaril to stop his oh-so-crazy crusade, the answer is no.
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My only goal for this year is to keep the girlfriend I have now happy, failing that, get a new girlfriend and keep her happy.
Unfortunately, a chiefly important item here is that I have to be unhappy as a result. "Drink less, play less games." Bitch please.
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There's nothing wrong with charging for a mod after the game is released, if it's good and adds more value to the product. Unfortunately though, Microsoft has managed to turn things upside down with their Live Marketplace. They are basically forcing every new game that comes on the market to immediately have downloadable content to sell on that Marketplace. Now, do you think they (the developers) are first making the game complete (100%) and then add extra downloadable content as a bonus (100% +10% = 110% work).. OR if the developers make the game (100%), cut out stuff they already made (100% - 10% = 90%) and make it a mod (10%) they can sell for money later (90% +10% = 100% work)? I know which version I believe. Especially after Oblivion.
Or maybe I'm just being cynical. Maybe all developers complete the game two-three months before deadline and they're like, "Hey, now that we have all this spare time, let's make lots and lots of bonus goodies for the marketplace instead!". It could happen.
Knights of the Nine was developed completely after Oblivion's release with the exception of concept. All artwork, dialogue (and voice over), gameplay and areas were made over the span of 3 months (possibly a bit longer).
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Grom, if troika really didn't make novel stuff then obviously my argument falls down. In this instance. 'Though i believe it still holds true in general terms.
However, i don't think seeing three publishers make the same decision means it was a conpsiracy. I'm saying it's quite common. Particularly in engineering. Look at MRAV/Boxer.
The only thing that proves, though, is that publishers want to make money.
They were, undoubtedly, banking on Troika's dedicated fanbase and name appeal, hoping that it would carry over when added to (popular) franchises, like D&D and WoD. Arcanum sold (moderately) well in spite of bugs and having an unrecognizable setting! Imagine how well it would sell in a Greyhawk or Vampire setting!
Problem is Troika didn't learn from their mistakes, but the publishers did after their initial dealings with Troika - Troika failed because of Troika, and trying to push blame elsewhere is ridiculous.
"But Troika was creative!" That's great, but the publishers learned that their creativity came at a cost of naivety. I'm reminded of a nice quote from General Patton:
"Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets" - George S. Patton
Game Developers need creativity to succeed, sure, but they also need to build on a solid foundation and have the clarity of mind to release quality products.
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Not the hot ones, right?
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So basically, "every job except mine is easy?"
Get over thine self.
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In my experience Scotsmen just swear on and on.
HA CHA CHA CHA!
As a person of partially Scottish descent, I applaud this!
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Well, a lot of people want to become Doctors too
Doctors get chicks and parents brag about it, thus those two qualifiers.
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I don't know of many jobs that are harder...
I can, quite easily.
Go install flooring, carpet is particularly strenuous and difficult. It has all the issues that game development has, AND physically intense.
Doctor, lawyer, nurse, hell baby sitting is more difficult than game development.
Get some perspective, game development isn't that tough.
ABSOLUTELY CRAZY MAN. Well except for the obvious Doctors, nurses crap, baby sitting tho' LOL, installing flooring LMFAO.
Having worked in flooring, game development and baby sitting, I feel comfortable in saying you have no idea what you're talking about.
I've been in crunch since I started working at Bethesda, I've had less than 8 weeks where I worked less than 65-70 hours. I couldn't visit the doctor on account of my broken toe for a month, none-the-less, it's been a cake walk in comparison to my time installing carpet.
There is a reason so many people want to get jobs in the game industry, and it isn't because of the chicks, or to impress their parents. It isn't to prove how they can overcome insurmountable, fatigue-inducing, difficult work either. Get some perspective.
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Nah, he's just paying lip-service to Mr Mortis's "game as art" elitism.
Why, exactly, aren't games art?
Mass production? Multiple cooks in the kitchen? External forces and influence? All of these affect all forms of art most of the time.
Anyway, to get back on topic, I wouldn't consider Troika an all-time great development house. I only enjoyed Arcanum, and even then it had immense failures that hurt the game for me. ToEE and Bloodlines, meh - ToEE was a disaster for me, and Bloodlines was only enjoyable for the first 1/3 of the game or so. All of this is my opinion, obviously, but I like to hear myself talk in my own head and I enjoy the sound of my fingers hitting the keys.
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I don't know of many jobs that are harder...
I can, quite easily.
Go install flooring, carpet is particularly strenuous and difficult. It has all the issues that game development has, AND physically intense.
Doctor, lawyer, nurse, hell baby sitting is more difficult than game development.
Get some perspective, game development isn't that tough.
Oblivion expansion announced!
in Computer and Console
Posted
There is a good reason they all seemed to be similar. They were all part of Mehrunes Dagon's Oblivion realm. The exception being Peryite's realm, the developer explained that to me as Peryite willing it to be the way it was to comply with the current concept of Oblivion. I'd have to ask again to be sure, but the Daedric lords will their realms to be, and what they should be.