alanschu

under 1% of all programmers know parallel programming... i do not believe that any of them are working for EA What? My entire graduating class understands the basics of parallel programming.

I like this game.

I agree with numbers man. I played (and enjoyed, so biases beware) Mass Effect. While I didn't find the voice overs to be particularly "OMG WOW," I rarely do. I tended to listen to all the conversations rather than skipping, so I think it is clear that I feel that the voice acting was at least even in terms of net contribution to my experience. I did really enjoy the cinematic feel of the game, and loved the fact that the PC was voiced over. But I didn't find the writing to be poor. It seemed pretty standard, nothing overly special, but functional with some interesting characters that I enjoyed. I liked a lot of the interactions with the party members on the ship. A friend of mine said it felt a lot like KOTOR in a new Universe, and that is exactly the feeling I got. I really enjoyed KOTOR, and for much of the same reasons I really enjoyed Mass Effect as well. My issues with the game were the Citadel and side missions. The Citadel was too empty and I felt could have been exploited better. Whenever I would rather use the speedy transit system right from the get go, I consider that to be a flaw in the level. The side missions were boring and exceptionally repetitive. Too much asset reuse (as numbers man stated), and the only ones I really cared for were the ones that were unique to my character backgrounds. Aside from that, I stopped doing them when I realized it was just a slog for more XP. But I love the feeling that I am playing an interactive movie, and I actually liked the dialogue wheel for the fact that it didn't fully tip off what the PC was going to say, and hence, it was fresh to me when it was spoken. Is it better than old school dialogue? Probably not. But I thought it added an interesting element, and I'm looking forward to the similar system incorporated in Alpha Protocol.

Ferrari F40. Drool.

I'm rather glad that the graphics are "held back" at the moment.

Clearly it wasn't disingenuous. If you think my comments lacked sincerity then I'm not sure what to think.

Though I'm loathe to regret, this, please elaborate:

Clearly it wasn't disingenuous. If you think my comments lacked sincerity then I'm not sure what to think.

You mean like the free ride Microsoft got by violating anti-trust laws for years to the detriment of competing products? You wouldn't let thief keep the stolen diamonds because because they suddenly stopped robbing banks. A mini package manager? Windows Update? You can easily download Firefox on Ubuntu without having any internet browser. It's not exactly hard to figure out. EDIT: It seems you meant your second post. So how does Mozilla make money if I don't use their search bar? How exactly does Chrome make money? A "exactly the opposite" is hardly an explanation. On a final note, how is Microsoft doing anything wrong by complying with what the EU asked them to do? I know it's cool to hate on Microsoft, but seriously.

I absolutely do not feel as though an RPG requires the player to have to do "jump through hoops or do something for me" to get it. The big thing about RPGs I find is character growth and progression. Even if there's simply a "If you need it you can get it" (which I'm skeptical about....is Starfleet big on giving the top of the line ships and weapons to green captains and crews fresh out of the Academy?), a character that is a member of Starfleet will still be able to take on missions, have this missions go awry and find conflict there, and return to Starfleet with promotions, story progression, and so forth. I'm confused that some definitions seem so rigid (though really I guess I shouldn't be). Why exactly is a communist utopia a restriction on implementing an RPG exactly? Because you can simply ask Starfleet for whatever you need? There's no internal politics (really? Kirk seemed to butt heads with Starfleet Command in the movies. **** he defeated an impossible mission by cheating)? What makes an RPG? The things I like to see in RPGs are character progression, a solid story, good combat (preferably character based, but not a requirement), and the feeling of exploring a world/universe (even if the game is 100% linear). How does a communist utopia restrict these things?

I agree. We need also the Techno Union and the Intergalactic Banking Clan. Awesome! I am clearly filled with so much fail today.... Star TREK! Star TREK!!!

Errrrrrrrrrrrr, I meant Star Wars RPG, and I still stand by my assertion that there's nothing stopping a developer from including the ability to choose from other races. I think that a Star Wars RPG that limits the player to the Federation is thinking too small. Regardless, there are still things that I disagree with. I don't think that bartering, or even being a "free agent" is necessary or even essential for RPGs. And certainly not for a fun, story-driven game. The Star Wars universe is ripe for good story telling, character progression, and exploration. Toss in some solid combat too, both in starship variety as well as ground combat, and you could have a pretty diverse and interesting game IMO. And I'm not even a fan of Star Trek.

EDIT: That game allows for you to select from a variety of the races. I'm not sure what your point is with your post.

Such as?

First I think this is silly, because as far as I know all major browsers are free to download. However, this is the EU getting exactly what they asked for. They didn't want Microsoft to unfairly add their web browser into the marketplace, and Microsoft has complied. As someone that chooses to never use Internet Explorer, I find it absurd that Internet Explorer shipping with Windows OS still causes an issue at all. I like that my Windows XP came with IE. It made it really easy for me to download Firefox. I think it's just convenient to hate on Microsoft, and honestly, because they shipped their IE with Windows in the past, we as consumers get the luxury of free web browsers today (remember when Netscape used to cost money!?)

I only play PC games. Concerns over the ability to save anywhere are irrelevant if the game is good.

FIXED!

A numbers man...have you ever been mistaken for a man? :D

See, this is what I don't understand. I think people are thinking way too small. There's a ton of races, political intrigue, and all sorts of **** in just the movies I've seen. I never watched a lot of the series, but I am just shocked that everyone seems to assume that a Star Trek MMO means you're going to be a part of Star Fleet. Like you say, you'd rather be a Klingon. I think the game would drop the ball if it didn't let you be a part of the major races in the Universe.

no, but I don't think people would react well if we WEREN'T federation. No, but it seems as though everyone figures the game would be handicapped by the Federation being Communist Utopia. I see the Federation as one of the factions you'd choose to play as. As the movies have shown, it's not exactly like the Federation is without its share of conflicts.

Are the Klingons and Romulans also Communist Utopias?

Ooohhhhhhhhhhh yeah. Giggity!

**** I love my job already.

Yay so we can expect SecuROM and Online activation on Dragon Age, because you love it so much and you change their mind for sure on this one \o/ Yes that's exactly what I'm going to do. In fact I was specifically hired on to assess the necessity of SecuROM and Online Activation, and so far I've given it my 110% endorsement. The really persuasive part of my argument was when I said there's this guy on the Obsidian boards that I just don't want to play the game, and I know he'll boycott it if it has SecuROM. I explained why and they were pretty convinced it was the best move for everyone involved. \o/ Cheers!

I just got hired by BioWare, so.... Dragon Age